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Reviewer's Choice
The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed
Jill Henry & Dave Henry, authors
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510759091, $16.99, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-College-Health-Guide-Needed/dp/1510759093
Synopsis: Every fall, millions of young adults crash into college fired up for the best four years of
their lives, ready to experience campus life, take classes about things they're interested in, and
meet people from all over the world. Most of these new-to-college students, however, are better
prepared to pick their major or talk to strangers than they are to take care of themselves in the
college setting. College students today are more depressed, anxious, and stressed than previous
waves of students; they're also more sedentary, not really exercising, and living in a meal-plan
limbo supplemented with ramen and coffee.
"The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food,
Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus" by high school coaches Jill and Dave Henry
is comprehensive field guild that deftly break down the facts and deliver doable, no-BS strategies
for managing physical and mental health on campus. In addition to helpful, interactive graphics,
the coaches share their relatable true stories (ranging from the ridiculous to the serious) to discuss
the five biggest health obstacles students face in college. On top of research-backed tips, "The
Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed" also features raw and personal
advice from current students on college campuses across the country.
While simply figuring out what to eat and how to exercise can be completely overwhelming, this
guide goes beyond a basic crash course on how to be healthy. Jill and Dave cover everything
from crucial time-management skills to the complex sensitivity of self-doubt, sexual assault, and
depression with humor, humility, and heart. "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never
Knew You Needed" is a complete road map for how to take care of your mind and body that will
not only set students up to crush the next four years, but will also provide a foundation they can
carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, comprehensively informative, impressively well organized,
and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never
Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus"
should be on the reading list of every graduating highschool senior about to enter college. This
amazingly useful compendium of tips, tricks, insights, strategies, and alerts would also prove
invaluable to anyone returning to college or university after an absence. It should also be noted
that "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food,
Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $10.99).
The Art Shelf
Fresh Paint
Flora Bowley, author
Lynzee Lynx, author
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9780760370681, $24.99, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Paint-Discover-Mixed-Media-Paintings/dp/0760370680
Synopsis: In "Fresh Paint: Discover Your Unique Creative Style Through 100 Small
Mixed-Media Paintings", Flora Bowley (an internationally celebrated painter, workshop
facilitator, author, visionary, and inspirationalist), and her collaborator and fellow artist, Lynzee
Lynx (who enjoys creating in many mediums, including paint, beads, metal, and fabric), offer
transformational, accessible, and lasting ways to infuse more meaning and authenticity into your
artwork.
"Fresh Paint" readily enables even the most novice of artists to fully explore how finding their
creative voice can translate into a more courageous, inspired, empowered, nourishing, and
world-changing way of living and making art.
"Fresh Paint" uses mixed-media art projects along with prompts for movement, meditation, and
writing to explore personal experience, individual preference, ancestry, intuition, and body
wisdom. Through the process of creating 100 small mixed-media paintings based on these
inquiries, your style will reveal itself to you, and your artmaking will be more satisfying and
fun.
Critique: Profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation,
"Fresh Paint: Discover Your Unique Creative Style Through 100 Small Mixed-Media Paintings"
offers a complete course of DIY instruction that makes it an especially and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, art school, college, and university
library Mixed Media Painting & Creativity instructional reference collections.
Pinch Your Pottery
Jacqui Atkin
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9781589239746, $24.99, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pinch-Your-Pottery-Beautiful-Hand-form/dp/1589239741
Synopsis: When it comes to pottery making, Pinching is a wonderfully direct method of
interacting with clay that allows for making a range of forms and styles. The DIY projects
comprising "Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects
to Hand-form from Clay" by Jacqui Atkin are simple and small and require only a few tools and
your own hands.
Begin a new adventure with fabulous pinched ceramics and learn everything from choosing clay
and a style of decoration, to firing and beyond: Ranging from functional wares to purely
decorative sculptural forms, each project is explained with step-by-step sequences and plenty of
options for surface decoration; Fully cross-referenced throughout, there is a wealth of choice and
styles to mix and match to make each project truly unique: A gallery of makers provides added
inspiration and shows the potential of this underrated making method.
"Pinch Your Pottery" proves that pinching is a way of working equal to all other methods and
that it can produce items of refinement and sophistication.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, and thoroughly 'user
friendly' in organization and presentation, "Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch
Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects to Hand-form from Clay" is an extraordinary and unreservedly
recommended DIY instructional guide and manual for personal, professional, community,
college, and university library Pottery & Ceramic Craft collections.
Editorial Note: Jacqui Atkin is a professional studio ceramicist, author, and gallery owner living
in rural Shropshire, England. She is currently working as editorial consultant and project editor
for ClayCraft magazine. Her previous books include 250 Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets for
Potters, Handbuilt Pottery Techniques Revealed, Pottery Basics, Troubleshooting for Potters, and
most recently Pottery You Can Use.
The Parenting Shelf
Raising Other People's Children
Debbie Ausburn
www.otherpeopleschildren.org
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268993, $15.00, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Other-Peoples-Children-Parenting/dp/1578268990
Synopsis: Drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise with every facet and aspect
of the foster care system, "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me
About Bringing Together A Blended Family" was written by Debbie Ausburn to help foster
parents, step-parents, and other care givers navigate the complicated world of foster and
step-parenting with better awareness and greater empathy, providing real-life solutions for
forging strong relationships in extraordinary circumstances.
The responsibility and complexity involved in raising someone else's child can seem
overwhelming. Regardless of whether you're a stepparent, foster parent or adoptive parent, it is
on you to take on the challenge of caring for them, helping them to move forward while also
meeting their unique emotional needs -- and the first step to accomplishing all this is a careful
reading of "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing
Together A Blended Family".
Critique: An impressively informative and 'real world' practical compendium of experienced
based instruction, advice, and insight, "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting
Taught Me About Bringing Together A Blended Family" is unreservedly recommended reading
for anyone charged with the responsibilities of being a foster parent, a step-parent, a nannie, or
any other kind of child service caregiver. While highly recommended for community, college,
and university library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that
"Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together A
Blended Family" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Debbie Ausburn is a social worker, foster parent, criminal prosecutor, and civil
trial attorney. That diverse background has given her unique insights into defending child care
centers, camps, schools, and mentoring organizations. She has volunteered with and defended
youth-serving organizations throughout the United States in matters as diverse as personal injury
cases, intrusive government regulations, libel and slander issues, and claims of sexual abuse. She
blogs about legal topics at www.youthserviceslaw.com, and parenting issues at
www.otherpeopleschildren.org
8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids
Dr. Kevin Leman
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800734695, $19.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Raising-Successful-Kids-Nurturing/dp/0800734696
Synopsis: "8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids: Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning
Attitude" was written by Dr. Kevin Leman specifically for parents who want their children
growing up to be patient, kind, humble, thankful, and respectful to others. Children who have a
good work ethic, strong character, and a healthy self-image. Children who succeed personally,
professionally, and relationally in all areas of life to the best of their ability.
You can't force your kids to be grateful for everything you do, but you can raise successful,
responsible kids who grow into adults you can be proud of. With his signature wit and wisdom,
parenting expert Dr. Kevin Leman draws upon his years of experience and expertise to reveal
eight no-nonsense strategies that build on the foundations of character, good behavior, respect,
discipline, and a winning attitude.
"8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids" shows how to: Expect the best to get the best; Minimize
friction and optimize solutions; Put your relationship first -- and so much more! It is possible to
raise a successful child in a "whatever" generation and in the pages of "8 Secrets to Raising
Successful Kids" Dr. Leman shows you just how simple it can be.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist
general reader wanting to effectively and successful parent their children at all ages and in all
stages of physical, mental, and emotional growth, "8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids:
Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning Attitude" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Parenting &
Child Development collections. It should be noted for parental reading lists that that ""8 Secrets
to Raising Successful Kids: Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning Attitude" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television
personality, speaker, educator, and humorist who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide
with his wit and commonsense psychology. Co-host of the popular Have a New Kid by Friday
podcast, he has appeared on FOX & Friends, The List, Hallmark Channel's Home & Family, The
View, Today, The 700 Club, CBS's The Early Show, CNN, Huckabee, and Focus on the Family,
and served as a contributing family psychologist to Good Morning America.
The Biography Shelf
Little and Often
Trent Preszler
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com
9780062976642 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Often-Memoir-Trent-Preszler/dp/0062976648
Synopsis: Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted, with a job at a winery
and a seaside Long Island home, when he was called back to the life he left behind. After years of
estrangement, his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving. It
would be the last time he saw his father alive.
Preszler's only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father, who
was a cattle rancher, rodeo champion, and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient. This
family heirloom befuddled Preszler. He did not work with his hands - but maybe that was the
point. In his grief, he wondered if there was still a way to understand his father, and with that
came an epiphany: he would make something with his inheritance. Having no experience or
training in woodcraft, driven only by blind will, he decided to build a wooden canoe, and he
would aim to paddle it on the first anniversary of his father's death.
While Preszler taught himself how to use his father's tools, he confronted unexpected revelations
about his father's secret history and his own struggle for self-respect. The grueling challenges of
boatbuilding tested his limits, but the canoe became his sole consolation. Gradually, Preszler
learned what working with his hands offered: a different perspective on life, and the means to
change it.
Little and Often is an unflinching account of bereavement and a stirring reflection on the
complexities of inheritance. Between his past and his present, and between America's heartland
and its coasts, Preszler shows how one can achieve reconciliation through the healing power of
creativity.
Critique: A powerful true-life memoir, Little and Often: A Memoir tells of author Trent
Preszler's connection to his father. After Trent's father passed away from cancer, Trent resolved
to make use of his only inheritance - a wooden toolbox. He taught himself to build a wooden
canoe, with the goal of paddling it on the anniversary of his father's death. The difficult challenge
opened the way to fresh insights about the pain and beauty of life itself. A saga of working
through grief, and the transformative power of craftsmanship, Little and Often is highly
recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Little and Often is available in a
Kindle edition ($13.99).
Cherish - A Memoir
Tony Albano
Park Place Publications
https://parkplacepublications.com
9781953120342, $18.95, PB, 302pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cherish-Memoir-Truth-About-Where/dp/1953120342
Synopsis: A naturally gifted storyteller and a keeper of memories, in the pages of Cherish - A
Memoir: The Truth About Where I Came From and Who I Loved", Anthony (Tony) Albano tells
stories that will help his readers to notice and appreciate the magical moments of their own lives
that they might have forgotten or may not think were significant.
"Cherish" is a memoir describing Tony's life from birth to the age of eighteen, the years that
shaped who he is today comprised of stories that with the passing of time and, hopefully, having
gained some maturity and wisdom, he has learned to appreciate, love, and hold close the colorful
characters that made up my early life -- including their struggles and contradictions, their joys
and celebrations, their street wisdom and unique moral codes in addition to their sometimes
questionable relationship with the law, as well as their passion for baseball and love for
animals.
Critique: An inherently interesting life inhabited by interesting people, times and events,
"Cherish - A Memoir: The Truth About Where I Came From and Who I Loved" is an
extraordinarily thought-provoking read with themes and observations that are both unique to the
author and yet universal for the reader. With a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling
style that fully engages and entertains the reader, "Cherish - A Memoir: The Truth About Where I
Came From and Who I Loved" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community,
college, and university library Contemporary American Biography collections.
From Czernowitz to China and Beyond: A 20th Century Life
Ethel Liebman Wiesinger, author
Margot W. Smith, editor
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
www.regentpress.net
9781587905537, $20.00, PB, 282pp
https://www.amazon.com/Czernowitz-China-Beyond-20th-Century/dp/1587905531
Synopsis: Deftly edited by Margot W. Smith, "From Czernowitz to China and Beyond: A 20th
Century Life" is the personal account of Ethel Liebman Wiesinger who was an extraordinary
woman born of Jewish parents in 1890 in Czernowitz, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. She describes her life in Czernowitz as a child, China in 1910 at age 20, New York in
1912 and Shanghai again in 1924.
Ethel Liebman Wiesinger also tells of being married to a German entrepreneur in
pre-revolutionary China and how politics affected her life. Her husband Otto Wiesinger, a
lifelong German, fought in Tsingtau, China during WWI and later sought to import arms to
support warlord Chang Tso-lin. In the 1930s, they had an Asian arts store in San Francisco that
went bankrupt during the Great Depression.
In 1938 Otto returned to Nazi Germany to support Hitler.
Now on her own, Ethel opened the Beverly Hills Hotel Gift Shop and knew many celebrities.
After retirement she lived in Charlevoix, Michigan, until her death in 1984. Additional stories of
the family's life in the 20th century are written by her daughters: Edith Gilbert (My Shanghai - At
Age Seven) and Margot Smith (Growing Up In Beverly Hills).
Critique: An inherently fascinating and compelling read throughout, "From Czernowitz to China
and Beyond: A 20th Century Life" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal reading lists, as well as community, college and university library 20th Century
Biography & Memoir collections.
Sand and Steel
Dorit Sasson
www.DoritSasson.com
Mascot Books
620 Herndon Parkway, #320, Herndon, VA 20170
http://mascotbooks.com
9781684018857, $16.95, PB, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Steel-Memoir-Longing-Finding/dp/1684018854
Synopsis: What's it like to be lost between two worlds, only to find a home in neither? "Sand and
Steel: A Memoir of Longing and Finding Home" is new memoir from Israeli-American author
Dorit Sasson who draws on the narrative she began in her first autobiography, "Accidental
Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces" in which she detailed
her journey to understanding what it means to exist between two different worlds.
When Sasson, a native New Yorker, returns to her kibbutz in Israel following the second
Israeli-Lebanese war, she is confronted with the shocking reality of a country altered by an
economic depression and social change. Faced with an uncertain economic future, Sasson
convinces her husband to leave the country and kibbutz that have turned their backs on them and
emigrate to the United States in search of a brighter future. In order to welcome the American
dream of professional freedom that awaits her, she must leave the land she loved and fought for
as an Israel Defense Forces soldier. But when she arrives, she finds herself more torn between
two worlds than ever, changed by her time away from the United States and out of place in a
country that is not all she remembered it to be.
Critique: An inherently absorbing and deftly written memoir that will hold the reader's rapt
attention from cover to cover, "Sand and Steel: A Memoir of Longing and Finding Home" is the
extraordinary account of a remarkable life lived out in equally remarkable times and highly
recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Biography &
Memoir collections.
Editorial Note: Dorit Sasson is an Israeli-American writer and the award-winning author of
Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces. Following
her military service and graduate studies in English literature in Israel, Dorit taught English
before returning to the United States in 2007 with her family. Her work has been featured in The
Writer, Kveller, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ravishly, The Wisdom Daily, SheKnows, and, most
recently, HuffPost. She is also an Author SEO Specialist with Author Branding Solutions. She
supports small businesses, companies, and organizations with their SEO copywriting needs. She
teaches for Writer's Digest University and does training on SEO for companies, non-profits, and
small businesses. Those interested in becoming part of Dorit's community can sign up for her
monthly ezine at www.DoritSasson.com
Haunted by Slavery
Gwendolyn Midlo Hall
Haymarket Books
haymarketbooks.org
9781642592740 $21.95 pbk / $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Slavery-Southern-Freedom-Struggle/dp/1642592749
Synopsis: The memoir of Gwendolyn Midlo Hall offers today's activists and readers an
accessible and intimate examination of a crucial era in American radical history.
Born in 1929 New Orleans to left-wing Jewish parents, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall's life has spanned
nearly a century of engagement in anti-racist, internationalist political activism. In this moving
and instructive chronicle of her remarkable life, Midlo Hall recounts her experiences as an
anti-racist activist, a Communist Party militant, and a scholar of slavery in the Americas, as well
as the wife and collaborator of the renowned African-American author and Communist leader
Harry Haywood. Telling the story of her life against the backdrop of the important political and
social developments of the 20th century, Midlo Hall offers new insights about a critical period in
the history of labor and civil rights movements in the United States.
Detailing everything from Midlo Hall's co-founding of the only inter-racial youth organization in
the South when she was 16-years-old, to her pioneering work establishing digital slave databases,
to her own struggles against cruel and pervasive sexism, Haunted by Slavery is a gripping
account of a life defined by profound dedication to a cause.
Critique: Illustrated with a handful of vintage black-and-white photographs, Haunted by Slavery:
A Southern White Woman in the Freedom Struggle is the true-life memoir of a woman who
spent her nearly century-long life engaging in political activism. Author Gwendolyn Midlo Hall
crusaded against racism, was a staunch supporter of the Communist Party, and became a scholar
of slavery in the Americas. She married African-American author and Communist leader Harry
Haywood, and took part in labor and civil rights movements in the United States. Notes and an
index round out this astonishing, first-person testimony of one woman's work for systemic
change. Haunted by Slavery is a fascinating page-turner from cover to cover, and highly
recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Haunted by Slavery is also
available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).
The Political Science Shelf
Profiles in Achievement
William Hershey
The University of Akron Press
120 E. Mill Street, Suite 415, Akron, OH 44308
www.uakron.edu/uapress
9781629221373, $24.95, PB, 252pp
https://www.amazon.com/Profiles-Achievement-Foibles-Politicians-Institute/dp/1629221376
Synopsis: "Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" by
political journalist William Hershey is collection of profiles highlights the careers of Ohio
political trailblazers and high achievers covering nearly a century ranging from Republican Ray
Bliss' humble start as an errand boy in Akron's 1931 mayoral race, to Democratic U.S. Sen.
Sherrod Brown and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine today.
Bliss worked quietly behind the scenes as Republican party chairman to elect mayors, governors
and presidents.
While Democrat Howard Metzenbaum earned a reputation as a high-profile political battler in
the U.S. Senate, his fellow Democrat John Glenn, already a world hero as the first American to
orbit the earth, preferred a nose-to-the-grindstone approach in four U.S. Senate terms.
Democrats Eddie Davis from Akron and Louis Stokes from Cleveland made history -- Davis as
Akron's first black city councilman and Stokes as Ohio's first black U.S. House member.
Summit County's Maureen was a history-maker too. In 2010 she became the first woman elected
chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.
Akron Democrat John Seiberling, the grandson of Goodyear founder F.A. Seiberling, was a
cerebral U.S. House member who could relate to rubber workers and match up intellectually with
expert witnesses.
Republican Jim Rhodes, a coal miner's son from southern Ohio, captured the governor's office
four times with his unique earthiness.
Their styles and beliefs differed but all had the discipline, patience and courage to take on
challenges with no guarantees of success. They also had resilience, the ability to rebound from
defeat, none more than DeWine and Brown who have become Ohio's political long-distance
runners.
Critique: An impressively informative study of Ohio politics and politicians, "Profiles in
Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" could well serve as a
template for similar state political histories. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented,
"Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" is an
extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university
library Political Science collections.
Editorial Note: William Hershey spent more than 40 years reporting on Ohio government and
politics at the local, state and national levels. He was the Akron Beacon Journal's Washington
correspondent and Columbus Bureau Chief for the Beacon Journal and the Dayton Daily News.
He is also the co-author with John C. Green of Mr. Chairman: The Life and Times of Ray C.
Bliss and author of Quick & Quotable, a collection of columns he wrote as the Beacon Journal's
Washington correspondent.
The Audiobook Shelf
Daughter of Darkness & Light
Shannon Drake, author
Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713593683, $14.99, MP3-CD (7 hours, 59 minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Darkness-Light-Shannon-Drake/dp/1713593688
Synopsis: The Romans left Briton years before. The great King Arthur has been gone two
decades as well. There were scattered invasions, of course, but in one village, those of Celtic,
Frisian, Angle, Saxon, Jutes, and even descendants of the Roman legion lived in peace.
Kyleigh grew up there. Though she had been a foundling, she'd been taken in by a kind and
learned couple and allowed all the learning she might enjoy with Father Peter. The greatest
difficulty she had to deal with day by day was gently rejecting a dear friend who longed for
marriage.
Then everything changes when the self-proclaimed Lord Brogan, set on killing the population of
the island, arrives with his hordes from the mainland. On that day, Kyleigh discovers that she is
different. There is a voice that speaks to Kyleigh about magic. A magic within her.
Lord Rowan of Kenzie needs her, as does his ally, Padraic, Laird of the Northern Celts. Though
their first encounters are contentious, Kyleigh discovers she is strangely drawn to both men.
Together, they will fight the dreaded Brogan, a battle compounded when they realize that a traitor
walks within their ranks, a magical being as well.
As Kyleigh discovers the truth about herself, she will face sorcery, trickery, and bitter battles for
survival before there can be any hope for a truly magical future.
Critique: A superbly crafted historical action/adventure fantasy by an author with a genuine flair
for originality and a fully entertaining narrative storytelling style, "Daughter of Darkness &
Light" by Shannon Drake is presented in as a true 'theatre of the mind' experience with the expert
narrative skills of Elizabeth Knowelden. This complete and unabridged audio book from
Brilliance Audio will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to
community library audio book collections and a 'must listen' acquisition for all dedicated fantasy
fans.
Bacchanal
Veronica G. Henry, author
Robin Miles, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713561385, $24.95, CD (12 Hours, 8 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Bacchanal-Veronica-G-Henry/dp/1713561387
Synopsis: Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call
her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It's a gift for communicating
with animals. To some, she's a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector,
she's a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza's ticket out of the swamp trap
of Baton Rouge.
Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new
home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She
hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she's met her match in
Eliza, who's only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.
Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon
preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have
found her destiny.
Critique: In this complete and unabridged audio book edition of author Veronica G. Henry's
superbly crafted fantasy novel, skilled narrator Robin Miles provides the listener with a true
'theatre of the mind' experience -- making "Bacchanal" a welcome and enduringly appreciated
addition to personal and community library Fantasy Audio Book collections.
The Ice Lion
Kathleen O'Neal Gear, author
Shaun Taylor-Corbett, narrator
Sisi Aisha Johnson, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713562528, $24.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours, 37 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Lion-Kathleen-ONeal-Gear/dp/1713562529
Synopsis: One thousand years in the future a thick blanket of luminous green slime called the
zyme covers the oceans. Glaciers three-miles-high rise over the continents. The old stories say
that when the Jemen, godlike beings from the past, realized their efforts to halt global warming
had gone terribly wrong, they made a desperate gamble to save life on earth and recreated species
that had survived the worst of the earth's Ice Ages.
Sixteen-summers-old Lynx and his best friend Quiller are members of the Sealion People --
archaic humans known as Denisovans. They live in a world growing colder, a world filled with
monstrous predators that hunt them for food. When they flee to a new land, they meet a strange
old man who impossibly seems to be the last of the Jemen. He tells Lynx the only way he can
save his world is by sacrificing himself to the last true god, a quantum computer named
Quancee.
Critique: A blend of post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction with a coming-of-age story, "The
Ice Lion" by Kathleen O'Neal Gear is an inherently compelling and entertaining read that
showcases the author's genuine flair for imaginative originality. Ably narrated by the team of
Shaun Taylor-Corbet and Sisi Aisha Johnson, this complete and unabridged audio book edition
from Brilliance Audio is very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction audio
book collections.
The Music CD Shelf
Auroral Magic
Chakuna Machi Asa
www.chakuna.com
4 Directions Records
$14.99 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Auroral-Magic-Chakuna-Machi-Asa/dp/B092H42WNF
Inspired by the auroral lights, Auroral Magic is a beautiful, relaxing music CD that blends piano,
soothing chants, and gentle wilderness sounds. Inspirational, emotionally moving, and evoking a
sense of harmony with the natural world, Auroral Magic is a welcome and highly recommended
addition to New Age music collections. The tracks are "Blood of Our Ghost", "Elven Magic",
"Planet Xeron", "Dancing Reflections", "The Wind", "Time Womb", "Blue Moon", "Space
Shift", "Our Escape", "The Whale Song", "John", and "Auroral Magic".
Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble
Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble
Flowfish Records
$22.75 CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Helsinki-Cotonou-Ensemble/dp/B093BZD6Q5
Finnish-Beninese-Tanzanian funk band Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble presents their self-titled fifth
album, showcasing their extraordinary blend of Finnish funk, Afrobeat rhythms, and vivacious
lyrics sung in the Goun language. Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble is utterly entrancing, and highly
recommended for international music collections. The tracks are "The One Who Sees Today",
"The Craft (feat. Synik)", "A Little Support", "The Transition", "Happiness For All", "For the
One Who Invited Me", "The Palm Lines", "You'll Return Without a Thing", and "Stay
Strong".
Music Is What I See
Rhonda Vincent
www.rhondavincent.com
Upper Management Music
$TBA CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Music-What-See-Rhonda-Vincent/dp/B091WJBNF7
Rhonda Vincent presents Music Is What I See, an album draws upon both elements of bluegrass,
power ballads, gospel music, and country classics. The profound, powerful music showcases her
superb talent, her deeply held faith, and her passion for performance. Music Is What I See is a
treasure for connoisseurs and also makes an excellent gift. The tracks are "What Ain't To Be Just
Might Happen", "False Hearted Love", "Music's What I See", "Like I Could", "I'd Like To Be A
Train", "I'm Still Not Over You", "It's Me Again", "Slowly", "I Ain't Been Nowhere",
"Unchained Melody", "Everybody Will Be Happy Over There", and "There's A Record
Book".
Don't You Marry No Railroad Man
J.P. Harris' Dreadful Wind & Rain
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$14.44 CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Dont-You-Marry-Railroad-Man/dp/B09244W19G
J.P. Harris' Don't You Marry No Railroad Man showcases his mastery of the banjo and his old-
school country singing. Don't You Marry No Railroad Man provides his sprightly rendition of
beloved classics, and is a treasure especially recommended for connoisseurs of Americana and
Appalachian roots music. Highly recommended! The tracks are "House Carpenter", "Closer to
the Mill", "Mole in the Ground", "Country Blues", "Last Chance", "Old Bangum", "Barbry
Ellen", "The Little Carpenter", "Otto Wood", and "Wild Bill Jones".
The Computer Shelf
Murach's Python Programming, second edition
Michael Urban & Joel Murach, authors
Mike Murach & Associates
www.murach.com
9781943872749, $59.50, PB, 564pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murachs-Python-Programming-Joel-Murach/dp/1943872740
Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Murach's Python Programming"
is the ideal DIY instruction manual for learning how to program with Python -- the best language
ever for learning how to program a computer because of its simplicity and breadth.
Section 1 presents an 8-chapter course that will get anyone off to a great start with Python.
Section 2 builds on that base by presenting the other essential skills that every Python
programmer should have. Section 3 shows you how to develop object-oriented programs, a
critical skillset in today's world. And section 4 shows you how to apply all of the skills that
you've already learned as you build database and GUI programs for the real world.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this new second edition of
"Murach's Python Programming" is an ideal curriculum textbook and is especially recommended
for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Object-Oriented Software
Design, Data Mining, and Database Storage Design collections and supplemental studies
curriculum reading lists.
Computer Graphics from Scratch
Gabriel Gambetta
No Starch Press
245 - 8th Street, San Francisco, CO 94103-3910
www.nostarch.com
9781718500761, $49.99, PB, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Graphics-Scratch-Gabriel-Gambetta/dp/1718500769
Synopsis: Computer graphics programming books are often math-heavy and intimidating for
newcomers. But not "Computer Graphics from Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D
Rendering" as author and professional programmer Gabriel Gambetta takes a simpler approach
by keeping the math to a minimum and focusing on only one aspect of computer graphics, 3D
rendering.
"Computer Graphics from Scratch" shows how to build two complete, fully functional renderers:
a raytracer, which simulates rays of light as they bounce off objects, and a rasterizer, which
converts 3D models into 2D pixels. As the reader progress they will learn how to create realistic
reflections and shadows, and how to render a scene from any point of view.
"Computer Graphics from Scratch" shows how to: Use perspective projection to draw 3D objects
on a 2D plane; Simulate the way rays of light interact with surfaces; Add mirror-like reflections
and cast shadows to objects; Render a scene from any camera position using clipping planes; Use
flat, Gouraud, and Phong shading to mimic real surface lighting; Paint texture details onto basic
shapes to create realistic-looking objects.
Whether an aspiring graphics engineer or a novice programmer curious about how graphics
algorithms work, Gabriel Gambetta's simple, clear explanations will quickly put computer
graphics concepts and rendering techniques within reach. All that is needed is basic coding
knowledge and high school math. "Computer Graphics from Scratch" will cover the rest.
Critique: An ideal textbook on DIY computer graphic creation, "Computer Graphics from
Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D Rendering" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, community, school, college, and university library
Computer Programming collections and supplemental studies curriculums. It should be noted
that "Computer Graphics from Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D Rendering" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).
Editorial Note: Gabriel Gambetta started coding games around the age of 5 on a ZX Spectrum.
After studying Computer Science and working at a respectable local company in his native
Uruguay, he started a game development company and ran it for 10 years while teaching
Computer Graphics at his alma mater. More recently, Gambetta has been working at Google Zurich, where he's been since 2011 except for a stint as an early engineer in the London-based
multiplayer game tech unicorn Improbable.
The Aviation Shelf
Building the B-17 Flying Fortress
Bill Yenne
Specialty Press
838 Lake Street S, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.specialtypress.com
9781580072717, $34.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Building-B-17-Flying-Fortress-Manufacturing/dp/1580072712
Synopsis: "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress: A Detailed Look at Manufacturing Boeing's
Legendary World War II Bomber in Original Photos" by Bill Yenne reveals rare original photos
and full manufacturing details of America's greatest multi-engine combat aircraft flown in World
War II.
"Building the B-17 Flying Fortress" covers building the Flying Fortress from wingtip to wingtip
and from the bombardier's Perspex nose to the tail-gunner's twin-Browning cannons. Significant
aspects of B-17 production include exterior views of each model variant from various angles, all
crew stations in each B-17 type (including the entire flight deck), defensive gun turrets used in
every B-17 model, fuselage interiors, exteriors, engines, nacelles, and even control surfaces.
Factory-original color cutaway drawings as well as reproductions of original specifications sheets
and other information-packed documents created by manufacturers during the 1940s are also
included for the reader. As a research asset, the appendices feature a detailed survey of every
production block of the 12,731 B-17 bombers produced during the war in an unbelievable time
span of only three-and-a-half year -- an industrial phenomenon unlike any the world had ever
seen.
What sets "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress" apart from all others in the crowded B-17 field is
literally hundreds of factory-original close-up detailed photographs and illustrations accompanied
by comprehensive high-resolution reproductions of original Boeing drawings, and all are
explained in detailed yet easy to understand descriptive text. "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress"
provides valuable data for the serious Boeing B-17 aficionado as well as a compelling story of
America's aircraft manufacturing prowess for the dedicated aviation enthusiast.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress: A
Detailed Look at Manufacturing Boeing's Legendary World War II Bomber in Original Photos" is
an inherently fascinating and comprehensive historical study and one that is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library
20th Century American Military Aviation collections in general, and B-17 Flying Fortress
reading lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Bill Yenne the author/photographer of more than 75 non-fiction books on a wide
variety of topics ranging from history, to popular culture, to transportation.
The General Fiction Shelf
All the World's a Stage Fright
Bob Abelman
Gray & Company, Publishers
www.grayco.com
9781938441974, $14.95, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/All-Worlds-Stage-Fright-Misadventures/dp/1938441974
Synopsis: "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a Clandestine Critic" by Bob
Abelman is a novella about what happens when a local critic takes an acting role with a top-tier
theater company in order to write about the experience -- and gets more of a story than he
bargained for.
"An irrational, overriding, mind-numbing fear." is how Asher Kaufman describes his relationship
with Shakespeare -- that's not what you might expect from a veteran theater critic. So when
Asher learns he'll be trying out for As You Like It, he realizes this assignment will be a very
bumpy ride.
What starts out as a stunt to increase readership for the Cleveland Jewish Chronicle becomes one
man's personal battle with the Bard and ends up a laugh-out-loud tale full of twists and turns,
endearing characters, and behind-the-curtain action.
How will this clandestine critic overcome his lifelong fear -- all while sharing the stage with
actors whose past performances he panned (and without getting panned himself by his fellow
critics)? It's enough to give anyone opening night jitters!
Critique: "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a Clandestine Critic" is a delightful
entertaining and impressively well crafted fictional memoir by novelist Bab Abelman and one
that will delight theater fans who have ever wondered what might be going on backstage during a
performance -- or in the mind of a theater critic! While especially and unreservedly
recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be
noted for personal reading lists that "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a
Clandestine Critic" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan
Tanguy Viel, author
Clayton McKee, translator
Dalkey Archive
www.dalkeyarchive.com
9781628973716 $13.95 pbk / $9.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-Jim-Sullivan-French-Literature/dp/1628973714
Synopsis: In The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan, disappearance is both a theme and a stylistic
device. Indeed, this publication narrates the disappearance of Dwayne Koster, who, fascinated by
the story of Jim Sullivan, commits suicide in the New Mexico desert which was the setting of the
rocker's disappearance in 1975. But this novel is for the most part set in the metanarrative tale of
its own genesis, and, as a result, is partially eclipsed: its -fictitious- author doesn't relate it in its
entirety and keeps adding bits and pieces of first drafts and preliminary sketches to his text, thus
blurring its boundaries. Tanguy Viel's work can therefore be perceived as a double response,
existential and aesthetic, to the question of the end.
Critique: First published in French in 2013, The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is a thought-
provoking work of literature skillfully translated into English. The existential story tells an
ordinary man's collapse into alcoholism, crime, and insanity; his thoughts are shadowed by the
unsolved disappearance of a singer-songwriter and UFO enthusiast who vanished without a trace
in 1975. The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is compelling to the last page, and highly
recommended for public and community library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted
for personal reading lists that The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is also available in a Kindle
edition ($9.95).
Among the Hedges
Sara Mesa
Open Letter Books
c/o University of Rochester
Lattimore Hall 411, Box 270082, Rochester, NY 14627
www.openletterbooks.org
9781948830393, $14.95, PB, 120pp
https://www.amazon.com/Among-Hedges-Sara-Mesa/dp/1948830396
Synopsis: Casi, who is almost fourteen years old, has been skipping school and spending her days
hidden among the hedges in a local park, listening to music and reading women's magazines. One
day, Viejo, a fifty-year-old man, stumbles upon her hiding place, and the two strike up a
friendship. He tells her about birds and Nina Simone, buys her soda and chips, and spends almost
every day talking with her.
Despite their age gap, there's something childlike about Viejo that leads Casi to believe that he's
not like the other men she's encountered, the "dangerous ones." But Viejo has a number of secrets
in his past -- all of which would be of grave concern to Casi's parents or any other adult who
witnessed one of their rendezvous. As these secrets rise to the surface, the clock is ticking, the
weather is growing cold and the school is untangling Casi's set of lies, setting up a moment
where something has to give.
Critique: With spare, direct prose, and effective narrative storytelling style, "Among the Hedges"
by novelist Sara Mesa deftly and effectively invests two outcasts, an adolescent girl and a middle
aged man, with a great deal of warmth, in the face of cultural prejudices and societal assumptions
regarding what would be commonly ascribed to as an inappropriate relationship. A masterpiece
of literary fiction that is ably translated from Spanish into English for an American readership by
Megan McDowell, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Among the Hedges" is also
readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Lady in Attendance
Rachel Fordham
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800740078, $29.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Attendance-Rachel-Fordham/dp/0800740076
Synopsis: Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel's real name.
So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts's lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under
an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She
finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future
after all.
As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can't help
but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye.
Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by
forever rob the future of its possibilities?
Critique: An extraordinarily entertaining, impressively original, and compelling engaging read
from first page to last, with "A Lady in Attendance", novelist Rachel Fordham has deftly penned
a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they
work toward a common purpose (expunging the record of someone society deemed beyond
saving) and perhaps find love along the way. While strongly recommended for community
library Historical Romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Lady
in Attendance" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800739737, $15.99) and in a
digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Come Back to Me
Jody Hedlund
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800740047, $29.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Come-Back-Me-Waters-Time/dp/0800740041
Synopsis: The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? A seemingly crazy idea. But that's
exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father's dedicated
quest -- even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that
stole their mother from them.
But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces
of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He's left behind
tantalizing clues that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and
finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.
William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection -- as his
wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find
her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave,
will she want to?
Critique: A unique and compelling time-travel romance, in the pages of "Come Back To Me",
novelist Jody Hedlund is deftly guides her readers down the twisting waters of time to a volatile
era of superstition, revolts, and chivalry in this suspenseful story replete with elements of mystery
and suspense. While highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted
for personal reading lists that "Come Back To Me" is also readily available in a paperback
edition (9780800738433, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
A Duke in Time: The Widow Rules
Janna MacGregor
St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250761590, $7.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Time-Widow-Rules/dp/125076159X
Synopsis: Katherine Vareck is in for the shock of her life when she learns upon her husband
Meri's accidental death that he had married two other women. Her entire business, along with a
once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a royal supplier, is everything she's been working for and now
could be destroyed if word leaks about the three wives.
Meri's far more upstanding brother, Christian, Duke of Randford has no earthly clue how to be of
assistance. He spent the better part of his adult years avoiding Meri and the rest of his
good-for-nothing family, so to be dragged back into the fold is problematic. Even more so is the
intrepid and beautiful Katherine, whom he cannot be falling for because she's Meri's widow. Or
can he?
With a textile business to run and a strong friendship forming with Meri's two other wives,
Katherine doesn't have time for much else. But there's something about the warm, but
compellingly taciturn Christian that draws her to him. When an opportunity to partner in a
business venture brings them even closer, they'll have to face their pasts if they want to share
each other's hearts and futures.
Critique: A deftly crafted Regency era romance novel by an author who is a true master of the
genre, "A Duke In Time" by Janna MacGregor is the first of a trilogy and will prove to be an
enormously popular addition to community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be
noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Regency romance fans that "A Duke In
Time" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Warn Me When It's Time
Cheryl A. Head
Bywater Books
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612942070 $16.95 pbk / $9.49 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Warn-When-Charlie-Motown-Mystery/dp/1612942075
Synopsis: A hate group operating in Oakland County, Michigan has claimed responsibility for a
six-month-long string of arson fires and robberies at mosques, temples, and black churches
around Detroit, eluding police and federal agencies. The most recent fire, at a mosque in
Dearborn, kills a respected imam. His children suspicious of law enforcement's treatment of
Muslims and afraid of reprisal hires Charlie Mack and her team of investigators to find their
father's murderers.
The Mack team begins to hunt down the clues in this local hate crime, but they aren't prepared
when they realize that those clues are pointing to a widespread conspiracy that runs through
elected state officials and up to the highest levels of national leadership. FBI agent, James Saleh,
returns to help the Mack Agency infiltrate and take down a homegrown militia hell-bent on
starting a race war in America.
Critique: Part of the "Charlie Mack Motown" mystery series, Warn Me When It's Time is a
suspenseful novel in which Charlie Mack and his team are drawn into the machinations of a hate
group with deep hooks in the government. Charlie Mack is in a race against time to stop
arsonists, murderers, and worse from escalating hate crimes against mosques, temples, and black
churches into an all-out race war! Warn Me When It's Time is riveting to the last page, and
enthusiastically recommended especially to connoisseurs of the genre. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that Warn Me When It's Time is also available in a Kindle edition
($9.49).
A Rogue's Company
Allison Montclair
Minotaur Books
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250750327 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Company-Sparks-Bainbridge-Mystery/dp/1250750326
Synopsis: In Allison Monclair's A Rogue's Company, business becomes personal for the Right
Sort Marriage Bureau when a new client, a brutal murder, two kidnappings, and the recently
returned from Africa Lord Bainbridge threatens everything that one of the principals holds
dear.
In London, 1946, the Right Sort Marriage Bureau is getting on its feet and expanding. Miss Iris
Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge are making a go of it. That is until Lord Bainbridge the
widowed Gwen's father-in-law and legal guardian returns from a business trip to Africa and
threatens to undo everything important to her, even sending her six-year-old son away to a
boarding school.
But there's more going on than that. A new client shows up at the agency, one whom Sparks and
Bainbridge begin to suspect really has a secret agenda, somehow involving the Bainbridge
family. A murder and a subsequent kidnapping sends Sparks to seek help from a dangerous
quarter and now their very survival is at stake.
Critique: The latest novel in the "Sparks & Bainbridge" mystery series, A Rogue's Company
follows an intrepid female duo confronted with a deadly dilemma in 1946 London... as well as a
family dilemma, when Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge's father-in-law and legal guardian uses his
authority against her, even sending her six-year-old son to a boarding school. Dark comedy and
edge-of-seat suspense intertwine in this saga of murder, kidnapping, and legal double standards!
A Rogue's Company is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre, and sure to be a
popular lending library pick. It should be noted for personal reading lists that A Rogue's
Company is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).
Runner
Tracy Clark
Kensington
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
www.highbridgeaudio.com
9781496732019, $26.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Runner-Chicago-Mystery-Tracy-Clark/dp/1496732014
Synopsis: Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you're scouring the frigid
streets for a missing girl. Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home. Her
biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the
past. But now she's clean. And she's determined to make up for her mistakes -- if Cass can only
help her find her daughter.
Cass visits Ramona's foster mother, Deloris Poole, who is also desperate to bring the girl home.
Ramona came to Deloris six months ago, angry and distrustful, but was slowly opening up. The
police are on the search, but Cass has sources closer to the streets, and a network of savvy allies.
Yet it seems Ramona doesn't want to be found. And Cass soon begins to understand why.
Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game.
And if Ramona can't run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass
may both be out of time.
Critique: A ripping great read, "Runner" is a gritty and compulsive page turner of a read with
many an unexpected plot twist right up until the grand finale of an ending. Clearly author Tracy
Clark has a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that grips the
reader's total attention and just won't let go! While very highly recommended, especially for
community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the
personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Runner" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HighBridge
Audio, 9781696603669, $29.99, CD).
The Legal Killer
Elliot Mason
Page Publishing Inc.
101 Tyrellan Avenue Suite 100 New York, NY 10309
www.pagepublishing.com
9781662425097, $20.95, PB, 310pp
https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Killer-Elliot-Mason/dp/1662425090
Synopsis: An hour north of Los Angeles, a gruesome discovery is made. Displayed in a very
unusual manner is the body of a young promising assistant US attorney. Left next to her corpse is
a cryptic note, "Find Des Cook, University of Georgia. He has the answers."
Two thousand miles away, unassuming graduate student Desmond Cook receives an unexpected
visit from the FBI. They pepper him with questions. Bewildered, he has no answers.
Soon afterward, the killer contacts him with a task -- he must figure out a series of historical
riddles and get to the locations they designate. Failure to do so will result in more victims.
Demanding to know why he is made the focus of such a game, the killer has just one response:
"You have the answers. It's all in the presentation."
Thus begins a deadly chase, as Des teams with FBI profiler Amanda Hertzel in a desperate
attempt to solve the baffling clues and put a halt to the carnage. And in this race against time, as
each layer of the mystery is peeled away, the killer's motivation becomes clearer, finally exposing
a far more deadly conspiracy than they could have ever imagined.
Critique: A deftly crafted, imaginative, and compelling suspense thriller of a read from beginning
to end, "The Legal Killer" showcases author Elliot Mason as a particularly gifted novelist with a
genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling skills that will hold the reader's
total and rapt attention through many an unexpected plot twist. While very highly recommended
for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for
personal reading lists of crime fiction fans that "The Legal Killer" is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
At the End of the Journey
Charles E. Gannon
Baen
https://www.baen.com
9781982125226 $25.00 hc / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/End-Journey-Black-Tide-Rising/dp/1982125225
Synopsis: It was supposed to be fun. Six teenagers and their British captain aboard the ketch
Crosscurrent Voyager, headed on a senior year summer cruise to excitement and adventure. Then
the world as they knew it ended.
A plague spread throughout the globe, killing millions and turning the survivors into
cannibalistic rage monsters - zombies, in so many words. Only by putting aside their differences
were the young crew able to survive.
Now, they seek others like them, those fortunate souls who have made it through the zombie
apocalypse. After all, maybe it's not the end of the world so long as GPS can help survivors
navigate deadly terrain, to link up, and maybe - just maybe - ensure the continuation of the
human race.
But the Earth's GPS systems are failing. It falls to those aboard the Crosscurrent Voyager to keep
the unthinkable from happening. In order to do so, they must traverse dangerous seas to a
European Space Agency complex in French Guiana. And thousands of infected stand in the
way.
If they succeed, humankind has a chance of rebuilding. If they fail, humanity may well be at the
end of its journey.
Critique: Award-winning author Charles Gannon presents At the End of the Journey, a novel of
John Ringo's "Black Tide Rising" series about a worldwide zombie apocalypse. Six teenagers
and a British captain seek to survive amid a plague that transforms human beings into maddened,
cannibalistic monsters! Their desperate flight will take them across deadly seas, with little more
than their wits, their bravery, and a tenuously functional GPS receiver. Thrilling, action-packed,
and edge-of-seat suspenseful, At the End of the Journey is highly recommended especially for
zombie fans and connoisseurs of post-apocalyptic sagas. It should be noted for personal reading
lists that At the End of the Journey is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).
Star Eater
Kerstin Hall
Tordotcom
c/o Tom Doherty Associates
www.tor.com
9781250625311 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Eater-Kerstin-Hall/dp/1250625319
Synopsis: Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill
her. Though she's able to stomach her gruesome day-to-day duties, the reality of preserving the
Sisterhood of Aytrium's magical bloodline horrifies her. She wants out, whatever the cost.
So when a shadowy faction approaches Elfreda with an offer of escape, she leaps at the
opportunity. As their spy, she gains access to the highest reaches of the Sisterhood, and enters a
glittering world of opulent parties, subtle deceptions, and unexpected bloodshed.
A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous
and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices
they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.
Critique: Star Eater is a dark fantasy novel about ruthless power dynamics. Elfreda Raughn lives
among the Sisterhood of Aytrium, whose magical bloodline comes at a gruesome price. Elfreda
seizes her chance to escape. She becomes a spy and gains access to the highest echelons of the
Sisterhood. Her hereditary power continues has a role to play amid insidious deceptions, betrayal,
and worse in this profound and suspenseful saga. Highly recommended. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that Star Eater is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).
The Business Shelf
Choosing Courage
Jim Detert
Harvard Business Review Press
https://hbr.org/hbrpress
9781647820084 $30.00 hc / $21.59 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Courage-Everyday-Guide-Being/dp/1647820081
Synopsis: Have you ever wanted to disagree with your boss? Speak up about your company's lack
of diversity or unequal pay practices? Make a tough decision you knew would be
unpopular?
We all have opportunities to be courageous at work. But since courage requires risk - to our
reputations, our social standing, and, in some cases, our jobs - we often fail to act, which leaves
us feeling powerless and regretful for not doing what we know is right. There's a better way to
handle these crucial moments - and Choosing Courage provides the moral imperative and
research-based tactics to help you become more competently courageous at work.
Doing for courage what Angela Duckworth has done for grit and Brene Brown for vulnerability,
Jim Detert, the world's foremost expert on workplace courage, explains that courage isn't a
character trait that only a few possess; it's a virtue developed through practice. And with the right
attitude and approach, you can learn to hone it like any other skill and incorporate it into your
everyday life.
Full of stories of ordinary people who've acted courageously, Choosing Courage will give you a
fresh perspective on the power of voicing your authentic ideas and opinions. Whether you're
looking to make a mark, stay true to your values, act with more integrity, or simply grow as a
professional, this is the guide you need to achieve greater impact at work.
Critique: Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work is a combination
business and self-help guide to mustering the strength of will to take a stand in the workplace -
even if one's position is unpopular or risky. Chapters discuss the importance of choosing the right
time and setting to make one's case, how to carefully manage one's message, how to cultivate
courage, and much more. For example, one passage about voicing a problem that involves
another employee (or management) warns "Focus on the behavior only. Keep it specific. And,
one last suggestion: do it in person. It seems by now that this should go without saying, but
people continue to use email or other online forums to address challenging situations. The
wisdom of "Choosing Courage" is fully applicable to practicing career professionals in all fields,
and highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Choosing Courage"
is also available in a Kindle edition ($21.59).
Make It, Don't Fake It
Sabrina Horn
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
www.bkconnection.com
9781523091492 $18.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Dont-Fake-Authenticity-Business/dp/1523091495
Synopsis: An award-winning CEO and communications expert shows how authentic leadership
eliminates the need for the shortcuts that sabotage success. "Fake it till you make it" just doesn't
work - at least not long enough to build a sustainable business.
Driven to succeed under constant pressure, entrepreneurs and business leaders alike can be
tempted to exaggerate their strengths, minimize weaknesses, and bend the truth. Through the
twin lenses of running her own national public relations firm and advising thousands of
executives for a quarter-century, Sabrina Horn revisits the core of leadership; defines authentic,
reality-based business integrity; and shows readers how to attain and maintain it.
With firsthand accounts of sticky situations and painful mistakes, Horn lays out workable
strategies, frameworks, and mental maps to help leaders gain the clarity of thought necessary to
make sound business decisions, even when there are no right answers. In her straightforward,
no-nonsense style, she shares the power of humility and empathy, mentorship and
self-assessment, and a strong core value system to build a leader's confidence and resilience.
Horn's fake-free advice will empower readers to disarm fear, organize risk, manage setbacks and
crises, deal with losing and loneliness, and create a culture and brand designed for long-term
success.
Critique: Award-winning CEO Sabrina Horn presents Make It, Don't Fake It, a serious-minded
business leadership guide. chapters address how to manage risk, overcome setbacks and crises,
create positive culture and a lasting brand, and more. "Avoid shortcuts that promise to reduce
costs or that masquerade as 'efficiency'. Any shortcut that compromises thoroughness or quality
erodes values, culture, and, inevitably, brand. Listen to what your people tell you, but make sure
you are clear on the benefits and even clearer on the downsides to any proposed shortcut." Make
It, Don't Fake It is candid, accessible, and a welcome contribution to business and leadership
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Make It, Don't Fake It is also
available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).
Taking the Lead
Dave Alpern
Tyndale Momentum
c/o Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496444578, $17.99, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Lead-Winning-Business-Principles/dp/1496444574
Synopsis: In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down
to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity.
Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern who started his career as an unpaid intern
selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Nearly three decades later, he's now
the president of JGR, a multimillion-dollar elite, record-setting racing team with more than 500
employees.
In the pages of "Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing",
Dave shares the wisdom he's learned along the way: key principles that will equip you with what
you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose -- whatever team you're
on!
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Taking the Lead: Winning
Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing" is a motivationally inspiring, reader friendly,
and potentially life-enhancing read that is especially and unreservedly recommended for
community, corporate, college, and university library Self-Help and Business Management
collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of automotive racing fans, MBA
students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "Taking the Lead" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$10.99).
The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders
Daniel Harkavy
Baker Books
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540900029, $26.99, HC, 188pp
https://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Effective-Leaders-Framework-Increasing/dp/1540900029
Synopsis: According to CEO and executive coach Daniel Harkavy, effective leadership boils
down to just two things: your decisions and influence. Good decisions lead to strong results,
which in turn increase your influence. If you get these two things right, your leadership
effectiveness improves.
But as all leaders know, it's not that easy, especially in today's fast-paced, complex, and
connected environment. To make the best decisions and have maximum impact, you need to see
your business from seven perspectives: current reality, long-term vision, strategic bets, the team,
the customer, your role, and the outsider.
In the pages of "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving
Decisions and Increasing Your Influence", drawing upon his twenty-five years of experience as a
successful CEO and executive coach, and including conversations and thinking from more than
twenty well-known business and organizational leaders, Daniel Harkavy unpacks a proven
framework you can implement for immediate results in your own organization's culture and
performance. If you're looking to improve your leadership, "The 7 Perspectives of Effective
Leaders" will give you a straightforward framework to do so.
Critique: With experience based efficacious practicality and competent productiveness, "The 7
Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving Decisions and Increasing
Your Influence" should be mandated reading for every corporate executive and a part of every
community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management and Leadership Self-
Help collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists MBA students, academia,
corporate leaders, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The 7
Perspectives of Effective Leadership" is also readily available in a paperback edition
(9781540901095, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.57), and as a complete and
unabridged audio book (Mission Audio, 9798200531097, $15.99, CD).
The Needlecraft Shelf
Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures
Emma Yarnam
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946036, $19.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cute-Crocheted-Woodland-Creatures-Varnam/dp/1784946036
Synopsis: With "Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures" by crochet expert Emma Yarnam, aspirng
needlecrafters can simply immerse themselves in a magical woodland with these exciting
crocheted critters! The 10 charming animals to be crocheted range from a mischievous raccoon to
a friendly fox and a wise owl. These individual projects will make ideal gifts and also include
crocheted accessories that can be shared between the woodland friends.
Of special note is the inclusion of a comprehensive techniques section, accompanied by detailed
patterns will provide all the information needed for a successful project. The stylish photography
will inspire you to create your own woodland menagerie!
Critique: Profusely illustrated with throughly 'user friendly' step-by-step instructions, "Cute
Crocheted Woodland Creatures" will prove to be a wonderfully welcome addition to personal,
professional, and community library DIY Needlecraft instructional reference collections for the
crochet enthusiast. It should be noted that "Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Inspired by the imagination of children, Emma Varnam likes to make items that
bring a smile. Currently residing in Greater Manchester, UK, Emma has written a number of
popular crochet books including Granny Squares Home, Crocheted Keyrings & Charms, Cute
Crocheted Animals and How to Crochet, all published by GMC Publications.
Crocheted Animal Rugs
Vanessa Mooncie
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945855, $23.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Crocheted-Animal-Rugs-Vanessa-Mooncie/dp/1784945854
Synopsis: All ages from 3 to 93 will go wild for the gorgeous crocheted animal rugs whose
projects comprise "Crocheted Animal Rugs" by expert crochet authority Vanessa Mooncie.
Adults and children alike will adore these beautiful rugs, which make wonderful gifts and stylish
additions to any home. Each individual DIY project includes detailed patterns, stunning
photographs and helpful hand-drawn charts. There is also an extensive techniques section
explaining all the stitches and techniques you'll need to make your flat friend.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout and with thoroughly 'novice friendly' step-by-step
instructions, "Crocheted Animal Rugs" is an ideal and highly recommended addition to personal,
professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be
noted for all crochet enthusiasts and practitioners that "Crocheted Animal Rugs" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Currently residing in a rural village located in the South of England, Vanessa
Mooncie spent many happy hours as a child sitting with her mother and grandmother learning to
knit and crochet. She went on to study fashion and textile design and became a children's wear
designer, illustrator and interior designer. Vanessa now specializes in silkscreen work
(www.vanessamooncie.com) and designing crochet jewelry through her company Kissy Suzuki
(www.kissysuzuki.com). Vanessa has written many successful books for GMC Publications,
including Animal Hats, Crocheted Wild Animals, Sew Adorable, And Sew to Bed and Crocheted
Sea Creatures. She is also a regular contributor to other craft books and magazines.
Knitted Space
Sarah Keen
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946050, $19.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Knitted-Space-Sarah-Keen/dp/1784946052
Synopsis: "Knitted Space" by Sarah Keen is comprised of an array of cosmos-themed knitting
projects ready for any interplanetary adventure! Profusely illustrated throughout and with deftly
presented step-by-step instructions, "Knitted Space" is comprised 20 projects that include an
astronaut, space rocket, flying saucer and shooting star. As well as the projects themselves,
"Knitted Space" also includes a comprehensive techniques section which makes it readily
accessible to those new to knitting. The projects make ideal gifts for any space-loving child,
providing hours of constructive needlecraft based fun.
Critique: Delightful, whimsical, and fun, "Knitted Space" is a unique and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library DIY Needlecraft
instructional reference collections. It should be noted for dedicated knitters that "Knitted Space"
is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Currently residing in Ceredigion, Wales, UK, experienced needlecrafter Sarah
Keen works as a freelance pattern designer and finds calculating rows and stitches challenging,
but fascinating. She is experienced in designing knitted toys for children and also enjoys writing
patterns for charity. This is Sarah's tenth book for GMC Publications.
Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories
Pamela Parmal, Jennifer M. Swope, Lauren D. Whitley, editors
MFA Publications
c/o Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.mfa-publications.org
9780878468768, $45.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Nation-American-Quilt-Stories/dp/0878468765
Synopsis: A mother stitches a few lines of prayer into a bedcover for her son serving in the Union
army during the Civil War. A formerly enslaved African American woman creates a quilt
populated by Biblical figures alongside celestial events. A quilted Lady Liberty, George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln mark the resignation of Richard Nixon. These are just a few
of the diverse and sometimes hidden stories of the American experience told by quilts and
bedcovers from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Compiled and co-edited by the team of Pamela Parmal, Jennifer M. Swope, and Lauren D.
Whitley, and spanning more than 400 years, the 58 works of illustrated textile art in the pages of
"Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories" express the personal narratives of their makers and
owners and connect to broader stories of global trade, immigration, industry, marginalization,
and territorial and cultural expansion.
Made by Americans of European, African, Native and Hispanic heritage, these quilts and
bedcovers range from family heirlooms to acts of political protest, each with its own story to tell.
The needlecraft artists include: Faith Ringgold, Sanford Biggers, Irene Williams, Bisa Butler,
Harry Tyler, Harriet Powers, Marie D. Webster, Marguerite Zorach, Dorothy Phillips Haagensen,
Rachel Cary George, Florence Peto, Creola Pettway, Susan Hoffman, Molly Upton, Nancy
Crasco, Agusta Agustsson, Edward Larson, Michael James, Virginia Jacobs and Carla
Hemlock.
Critique: A unique and inherently fascinating collections so beautifully showcased and supported
by informed and informative commentaries, and enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a
two page Further Reading bibliography, a five page List of Illustrations, and a four page Index,
"Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Textile, Costume,
and Quilting collections and supplemental studies curriculum reading lists.
The Cookbook Shelf
The Griddle Cookbook
Loic Hanno
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781646041442, $24.95, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Griddle-Cookbook-Delicious-Flavor-Packed-Flat-Top/dp/1646041445
Synopsis: Now with "The Griddle Cookbook: Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top
Grilling" by culinary and grilling expert Loic Hanno, even the most novice of cooks can become
a true grilling master with this culinary compendium of instructions and recipes that will teach
everything needed to be known about flat-top grilling.
Indeed, "The Griddle Cookbook" offers more than forty beautifully illustrated and easy-to-follow
recipes that can make on any griddle whether its cast iron, countertop, or outdoor!
"The Griddle Cookbook" covers indoor and outdoor griddle cooking by learning the different
ways to prepare meats, which grilling utensils to use, and which grill times will achieve the
perfect char. Whether you're preparing a fine dinner in your kitchen or having a backyard
barbecue, you can do it all with a griddle and "The Griddle Cookbook".
Critique: Inspiring just to browse through one beautifully illustrated page at a time, "The Griddle
Cookbook: Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top Grilling" is the perfect combination of
instruction manual and DIY griddle recipes for any and all dining occasions. While especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library
Barbecue & Grilling cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Griddle Cookbook:
Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top Grilling" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $16.99).
The Automotive Shelf
Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years
Dave Friedman
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613255971, $38.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Miles-Shelby-American-Years/dp/1613255977
Synopsis: Ken Miles (1 November 1918 - 17 August 1966) was one of the most famous sports
car racers in history, and his time at Shelby American was the pinnacle of his career.
In the illustrated pages of "Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years" his fans can ride along with
Ken Miles through the twists and turns of Sebring, Laguna Seca, Riverside, and Le Mans as seen
through the lens of Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman!
The hiring of Ken Miles by Carroll Shelby in February 1963 initiated arguably the greatest
pairing of driver/owner partnerships in the history of motorsports. Not only did Shelby hire
Competition Manager Ken Miles as an accomplished road racer but also Miles brought
professionalism, innovation, and a keen attribute of being able to surround himself with budding,
talented individuals.
The list of race cars that Ken piloted at Shelby American is nearly unrivaled: the Shelby 289
Cobra, 390 Cobra, 427 Cobra, King Cobra, Shelby Daytona, Mustang GT350R, and Ford GT.
Ken dominated the 1964 United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) racing season by
winning 8 of 10 races to secure the Manufacturers' Championship. However, it was at Le Mans
where Ken Miles became a worldwide household name.
The robbery that was the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans is laid out in excruciatingly accurate detail
as Ford royalty Carroll Shelby, Carroll Smith, Homer Perry, Leo Beebe, Charlie Agapiou, Bob
Negstad, Carroll Smith, and Peter Miles recall the race and the tragedy that followed two months
later.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with both black/white and full color photography, "Ken
Miles: The Shelby American Years" is a 'must' for the legions of Ken Miles fans and will prove
to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, college and university
library 20th Century American Automotive Racing collections.
Editorial Note: Dave Friedman was Shelby American's official photographer in the 1960s,
accompanying the team to races all around the world. He is a longtime motorsports and film-still
photographer and the author of several motor racing books, as well as a photography contributor
to dozens more.
The Education Shelf
Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education
Benjamin M. Ogles, et al.
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398093624, $33.95, PB, 194pp
https://www.amazon.com/Motivational-Interviewing-Higher-Education-Professionals/dp/0398093628
Synopsis: The approach to motivational interviewing discussed in "Motivational Interviewing in
Higher Education: A Primer for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals " will be
especially useful to student affairs professionals and academic advisors working in a variety of
higher education positions.
"Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education" begins in Chapter 1 by providing a description
and a brief history of MI, noting some of its connections to counseling and social
psychology.
Chapter 2 explores in more detail the spirit of MI, the key relational components that the
professional using MI is attuned to. This interpersonal attitude can be summarized within four
key principles: partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation.
Chapter 3 presents an overview of some contemporary models of academic advising and student
affairs practice. Chapter 4 covers the basic MI skill set, which is referred to by the shorthand
OARS. Chapter 5 discusses the four processes in MI conversations about change: engaging,
focusing, evoking, and planning.
Chapter 6 elaborates on the evoking stage and provide an expanded discussion concerning
change talk and sustain talk. Change talk refers to student statements that express a desire, need,
or readiness to change, while sustain talk refers to student statements that indicate maintenance
of the status quo or a reluctance to change. In addition to providing more in\\\-depth definitions
of these concepts and examples of student statements, strategies are presented for increasing or
evoking change talk and softening sustain talk.
In Chapter 7, intermediate to advanced MI skills are addressed to prepare the highly motivated
staff member for higher\\\-level training that can be obtained through workshops, observation,
and coaching.
Chapter 8 puts everything together in two case examples. While Chapter 9 provides some
additional exercises that can be used to practice and develop MI basic and intermediate
skills.
Lastly, some brief concluding remarks are provided in Chapter 10.
Critique: An ideal textbook and 'how to' handbook, "Motivational Interviewing in Higher
Education: A Primer for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals" should be
considered as an essential instructional reference guide and manual for professional, college and
university library Educational Counseling collections and supplemental studies curriculum
reading lists. It should be noted that "Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education: A Primer
for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals" is also readily available from the
publisher in a digital book format (9780398093631, $33.95).
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
The Natural Dog
Gwen Bailey
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600636038, $24.99, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Healthy-Hound-wellness-friend/dp/0600636038
Synopsis: Offering a new approach to achieving a happy, healthy canine, "The Natural Dog" by
Gwen Bailey focuses on three vital considerations: Physical health: Sticks, exercise games,
vaccination and more; Dietary health: Hydration, diet, dental health, recipes and feeding; Mental
health: Stimulation, socialization and canine interaction, addressing aggressive behavior and
introducing other pets.
From understanding your dog's physiognomy and analyzing the perfect diet, to keeping your dog
naturally alert, spirited and happy throughout its life, "The Natural Dog" offers a holistic
approach to changing your dog's lifestyle to get the most out of life.
Critique: Gwen Bailey's bestselling dog guides have helped hundreds of thousands of owners
throughout the world and her latest one, "The Natural Dog" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in
tone, community, illustrations, organization and presentation. Ideal and unreservedly
recommended reading for anyone who has (or who is contemplating having) a canine companion,
"The Natural Dog' will prove a welcome and useful addition to personal, professional, and
community library Pet Care instructional reference collections.
Editorial Note: Gwen Bailey has written 15 books (including "The Perfect Puppy) on dog care,
psychology books and training. She is also the founder of Puppy School, the UK's largest
network of puppy training classes. Early in her career Gwen worked for a leading UK national
animal welfare charity, and pioneered the use of canine behavior knowledge in the re-homing of
unwanted animals. She was also the first person to be appointed by a national animal welfare
charity as a full-time Animal Behaviourist.
The Travel Shelf
Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park
Brendan Leonard
Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512984 $16.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Hike-Parks-Mountain-National-Sights/dp/1680512986
Synopsis: Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses 415 square miles crowned by spectacular
mountain environments. Its famed Trail Ridge Road crests at over 12,000 feet elevation and
includes many overlooks onto subalpine and alpine worlds. The park also features hundreds of
miles of hiking trails, stunning wildflower blooms, wildlife viewing including the iconic Rocky
Mountain bighorn sheep, crystal-clear starry nights, and the highest continuous paved road in the
nation. Guide features include:
35 day hikes with detailed directions, photos, maps
Longs Peak summit route
Recommended 1- and 3-day itineraries
Park access and transportation options
Park history, geology, flora and fauna
Top 7 "must-see" sights and activities
Critique: A wealth of full-color trail maps and photographs intersperse Hike The Parks: Rocky
Mountain National Park, a guide created for hikers of all skill and experience levels. Enhanced
with trailhead GPS coordinates, suggested one-day and three-day itineraries, both US and metric
measurements, information about park shuttles, campgrounds, and visitor centers, practical
advice for high-altitude hiking, and much more, Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park
is a superb, compact reference and resource for making the most out of one's excursion. Highly
recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain
National Park is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).
Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, third edition
Kevin Adams
Falcon Guides
falcon.com
c/o Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493040728 $24.95 pbk / $17.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National/dp/1493040723
Synopsis: Completely revised and updated for 2021, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, 3rd Edition is the must-have guide to the best trails in America's most-visited national
park.
Discover the 82 greatest hikes within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Everyone from the
avid trekker to family day-hiker will find a new trail to enjoy in the Smokies. Each hike is
covered by concise descriptions, detailed maps, and turn-by-turn directions. Set out confidently,
and enjoy glorious views and peaceful wilderness.
Critique: Now in an updated third edition for 2021, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National
Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures lives up to its title as a thorough, reader-
friendly guide for hikers of all skill and experience levels. Offering 82 hikes with difficulty
ratings, a wealth of color maps and photographs, information about fees and permits, mile-by-
mile directional cues, and more, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the definitive
practical guide, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal hiking reference lists that
Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, third edition is also available in a Kindle edition
($17.99).
Scenic Driving the Ozarks
Don Kurz
Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493056316 $24.95 pbk / $17.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Scenic-Driving-Ozarks-Including-Mountains/dp/149305631X
Synopsis: Scenic Driving the Ozarks features thirty-three separate drives through Missouri,
Arkansas and Oklahoma, from the homestead of Daniel Boone and the 250-foot-deep Blue
Spring in the north and central sections to the prairie landscapes and the restorative hot springs of
the western and southern Ozarks. An indispensable highway companion, Scenic Driving the
Ozarks includes route maps and in-depth descriptions of attractions.
Critique: Scenic Driving the Ozarks: Including the Ouachita Mountains lives up to its title as a
user-friendly guide suggesting thirty-five different driving routes through beautiful landscapes of
Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Striking, full-color photographs, easy-to-read maps, detailed
descriptions of memorable attractions and more make Scenic Driving the Ozarks an excellent
guide for vacationers interested in seeing the Ozarks' natural wonders. Highly recommended! It
should be noted for personal travel reference that Scenic Driving the Ozarks is also available in a
Kindle edition ($17.99).
Oldest St. Louis
Nini Harris
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062792, $20.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Oldest-St-Louis-Nini-Harris/dp/1681062798
Synopsis: St. Louis has thrived for over two hundred and fifty years from its beginnings as a
French settlement in 1764 to its rapid growth in the mid-1800s to the modern metropolis we
know today. While many great structures have been lost or demolished, much of this history still
lives on.
Within the pages of "Oldest St. Louis" by Nini Harris, readers will get to know the history of the
Mound City's most iconic buildings and the stories that bring their walls to life. Included are
some of the businesses and buildings from the city's inception through the turn of the twentieth
century that are examples of the living history of St. Louis like Eugene Field House (1854),
Bissell Mansion (1820s), and homes in the historic Carondelet neighborhood that may date back
to the late 1700s.
Critique: Nicely illustrated with black-and-white historical images, "Oldest St. Louis" is an
impressively informative DIY guide to some of this city's remarkable history. An ideal and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college and university library
American Regional History collections in general, and St. Louis travel guides in particular,
"Oldest St. Louis" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Author/historian Nini Harris has researched and written 14 books on St. Louis
history and architecture. Her education began with her grandmother recalling tales of life in the
old immigrant communities as she baked cakes and pies from scratch. Much of her time is spent
digging through crumbling records, documenting the history of this great City. Her works have
explored the stories of the waves of immigrants who built St. Louis' remarkable brick
neighborhoods and great Gothic and Romanesque churches, along with the role St. Louis played
in opening the American West and in the Union victory in the Civil War.
The Self-Help Shelf
The Charisma Factor
Leesa Rowland
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268979, $15.95, PB, 244pp
https://www.amazon.com/Charisma-Factor-Magnetic-Personal-Influence/dp/1578268974
Synopsis: Charisma is the unique quality of confidence, natural ability and personal magnetism
that exists within each and every one of us, just waiting to be unlocked. But while everyone is
born with the capacity for charisma, few ever take full advantage of this amazing personal
gift.
More than just another 'how-to' guide to becoming popular or charming, "The Charisma Factor:
Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your Life" by author, actress,
and animal advocate, Leesa Rowland is part mentor, part roadmap to embracing your
individuality, discovering your authenticity and empowering yourself. By determining what we
really want in life, we ignite the drive necessary to reach new heights and become our best
possible self. This is the "it" factor (the charisma factor) that separates leaders from followers,
students from teachers, and dreamers from doers.
Critique: As informative and practical as it is inspired and inspiring, "The Charisma Factor:
Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your Life" is the ideal DIY
instructional guide and manual to achieving useful and motivating self-esteem and leadership
skills. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university
library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that
"The Charisma Factor: Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your
Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space
Eliza VanCort
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
www.bkconnection.com
9781523092734 $24.95 hc / $17.05 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Womans-Guide-Claiming-Space-Voice/dp/1523092734
Synopsis: For too long, women have been told to confine themselves--physically, socially, and
emotionally. Eliza VanCort says now is the time for women to stand tall, raise their voices, and
claim their space.
Women fight the pressure to make themselves small in private, professional, and public spaces.
Eliza VanCort, a teacher, consultant, and speaker, provides the necessary tools for women to
rewrite the rules and create the stories of their choosing safely and without apology.
VanCort identifies the five key behaviors of all "Space Claiming Queens": use your voice and
posture to project confidence and power, end self-sabotage, forge connections, neutralize unsafe
spaces, and unite across differences. Through personal narrative, research, and actionable
strategies, VanCort provides how-tos on combating challenges like anti-mentors and
microaggressions and gives advice for building up your "old girls" club, asking for what you're
worth, and owning your space without apology.
Bold, fun, and enlightening, this book is birthed from VanCort's incredible story. Having a
mother with schizophrenia forced VanCort to learn to be small and invisible at an early age, and
suffering a traumatic brain injury as an adult required her to rethink communication from the
ground up. Drawing on these experiences, and those of real women everywhere, VanCort
empowers women to claim space for themselves and for their sisters with courage, empathy, and
conviction because "when we rise together, we rise so much higher."
Critique: A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard. lives
up to its title as a self-help guide especially for women, who are often culturally conditioned to
stay quiet. Chapters discuss the importance of disconnecting from people who would hold one
back; how to establish safety particularly from anger, bullying, or sexual harassment; and much
more. Of particular interest is the examination of systemic racism, compared and contrasted to
systemic sexism, including but not limited to the frustrating behaviors of white people who claim
they're "woke" yet engage in extraordinarily annoying and thoughtless behaviors (such as
touching a nonwhite person's hair without asking, or asking a nonwhite person questions as if
they speak for their entire race). A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space is insightful, practical-
minded, encouraging, and a "must-read" for women everywhere. Highly recommended! It should
be noted for personal reading lists that A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space is also available in a
Kindle edition ($17.05).
The Christian Studies Shelf
40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, second edition
Robert L. Plummer, author
Benjamin L. Merkle, series editor
Kregel Academic
https://www.kregel.com
9780825446665 $22.99 pbk / $19.66 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/40-Questions-About-Interpreting-Bible/dp/082544666X
Synopsis: 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, now in a revised second edition, probes the
most pressing problems encountered by churchgoers and beginning Bible students when they try
to read and understand the Bible. Using feedback received from pastors, professors, and Bible
teachers, New Testament professor Robert L. Plummer includes updated information about Bible
translations, biblical interpretation, and Bible study technology and streamlines previous portions
to make room for a handful of new issues.
This second edition, updated regarding Bible translations, biblical interpretation trends, and
Bible-related technology, will continue to serve professors, pastors, and Bible study leaders as a
go-to guide or textbook. New Testament scholar Robert L. Plummer covers historical,
interpretive, practical, and theological matters such as:
Were the ancient manuscripts of the Bible transmitted accurately?
Why can't people agree on what the Bible means?
How do we interpret the Psalms?
How can I use the Bible in daily devotions?
Does the Bible teach that God wants Christians to be healthy and wealthy?
40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible provides crucial assistance for students ready to engage
with biblical scholarship and for teachers eager to lead Bible studies with confidence.
Critique: New testament scholar Robert Plummer presents 40 Questions about Interpreting the
Bible, now in an updated second edition with new chapters about Bible translations, trends in
interpreting the Bible, and technology related to the Bible. Acutely edifying and enhanced with a
bibliography and index, 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is thoroughly accessible to lay
readers and experienced scholars alike. Chapters focus on common yet vital questions such as
"Were the Ancient Manuscripts of the bible Transmitted Accurately?", "Why Can't People Agree
on What the Bible Means?", "How Can I Lead a Bible Study?" and much more. Many of the
chapters focus on how to approach specific texts including historical narratives, prophecy,
proverbs, poetry, and the psalms. 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is a "must" for
personal, public library, and church library Christian Studies collections, highly recommended. It
should be noted for personal reading lists that 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is also
available in a Kindle edition ($19.66).
God's Revolution
Eberhard Arnold
Plough Publishing House
www.plough.com
9781636080000 $20.00 hc / $8.49 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Revolution-Community-Eberhard-Centennial/dp/1636080006
Synopsis: A radical vision for a society transformed by the teachings and spirit of Jesus.
Do you feel powerless to change the injustice at every level of society? Are you tired of answers
that ignore the root causes of human suffering? This selection of writings by Eberhard Arnold,
who left a career and the established church in order to live out the gospel, calls us to a
completely different way.
Be warned: Arnold doesn't approach discipleship as the route to some benign religious
fulfillment, but as a revolution a transformation that begins within and spreads outward to
encompass every aspect of life. Arnold writes in the same tradition of radical obedience to the
gospel as his contemporaries Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Critique: God's Revolution: Justice, Community and the Coming Kingdom collects writings from
author Eberhard Arnold, who departed a career and the established church in order to live more
closely to the Gospel. Most of these writings are dated to years in the early 1930's; Arnold's
philosophy of adherence to the Gospel is distilled into brief passages, and many of these passages
are paired with a specific reference to Gospel scripture. For example, Arnold's paragraph
explaining why "The Sword of the [Holy] Spirit Is Not the Sword of Wrath" has a reference to
Eph. 6:17 and Rom. 13:4. Intensely reverent and thought-provoking, God's Revolution is highly
recommended for theology studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that
God's Revolution is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.49).
The Judaic Studies Shelf
The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave
Moshe Sokol
Maggid Books
www.maggidbooks.com
9781592645473 $24.95 hc
https://www.amazon.com/Snake-at-Mouth-Cave/dp/159264547X
Synopsis: The Talmud is well known for its complex legal discussions and halakhic discourse,
yet the Talmud also contains a large amount of aggada, non-halalkhic teachings about theology,
ethics, spirituality, psychology, health, and many other topics, interspersed throughout the text.
This fascinating material has not merited the same amount of scholarly attention over the
centuries as has the halakhic portion, and its riches are waiting to be mined.
The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol offers eye-opening studies of
eight aggadic stories about sages. These narratives contain dramatic explorations of human
nature revolving around a common theme: the cost of living a deeply principled life, and the
complex ways in which human nature, past experiences, and future hopes shape difficult moral
choices. Rabbi Sokol sheds light on these stories, drawing on classical rabbinic commentaries,
contemporary scholarship, and insights from such diverse fields as psychology, literature, cultural
studies, philosophy, history, and more.
The Talmud has endured for millennia, and despite predictions to the contrary, the study of
Talmud flourishes. The talmudic conversation will continue long into the future, and aggadic
narratives too, properly understood, have much to teach future generations.
Critique: The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave is a scholarly examination of eight aggadic
(Talmud material not pertaining to legal matters) stories about sages in the sacred text of the
Talmud. Meticulously written and expertly presented by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, The Snake at
the Mouth of the Cave is an invaluable cross-examination, drawing interpretations on whether
deathbed reconciliation is possible, conflicts between teachers and students, the
excommunication of R. Eliezer, and much more. These narratives have not been as heavily
studied as the legal material of the Talmud, making The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave an
extremely welcome contribution to personal, public, and synagogue library Judaic Studies
shelves. Highly recommended.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
The World of the Axial Sages
John C. Stephens
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
www.cambridgescholars.com
9781527560819 $99.95
https://www.amazon.com/World-Axial-Sages-John-Stephens/dp/1527560813
Synopsis: This book presents an engaging analysis of the global spiritual changes of the first
millennium BCE. Between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE, several new, revolutionary
religious and philosophic movements were born throughout the world. Rather than using the
well-known label Axial Age to refer to this time of religious change, the book argues that a better
choice would be the Age of Awakening, since it places more emphasis upon the personal,
internal dimension of religious experience lying at the core of these developments.
Earthshattering spiritual encounters with the sacred led the prophets and sages of the Age of
Awakening to redirect peoples attention away from the stagnant traditions of the past towards
new forms of dynamic spirituality. The era saw the emergence of a variety of innovative spiritual
pathways in both the eastern and western worlds. In classical Greece, Pythagoras and Plato
proposed new spiritual and intellectual alternatives to the outdated religious myths and rituals of
the polis. The Middle East also played a significant role in the spiritual revolution of the first
millennium BCE. As early as the sixth century BCE, the Persian prophet Zoroasters revelatory
visions about the Truth and the Lie led to the birth of a new religious movement known as
Zoroastrianism. At the time of the Babylonian Exile, ancient Judaism underwent a process of
radical spiritual renewal largely due to the inspired teachings of the Hebrew prophets. In India,
the writers of the Upanishads provided a spiritual reinterpretation of many of the old Vedic
myths and rituals.
Sages including the Buddha and Mahavira rejected the old sacrificial system of the brahmins and
asserted that liberation from the cycle of birth and death could only be found through the practice
of asceticism and a general withdrawal from the illusory material world. As such, this book
highlights the importance of the de-stabilizing influences of religious experience for
understanding the revolutionary spiritual developments of the first millennium BCE.
Critique: The World of the Axial Sages: The Age of Awakening is a scholarly examination of
humanity's spiritual evolution during the first millennium BCE. Chapters scrutinize the rise of
Zoroastrianism, Hebrew prophets, Indian reinterpretation of Vedic beliefs, the dawn of
Buddhism, the teachings of Chinese sages and more. Notes and an index round out this studious
and thought-provoking cross-examination religious awakenings in cultures across the globe.
Highly recommended especially for college library Religious Studies collections.
The Martial Arts Shelf
Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments
Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D.
YMAA Publication Center
www.ymaa.com
9781594397417 $24.95 pbk / $9.89 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Tai-Chi-Concepts-Experiments-Strength-ebook/dp/B08DDK3RWM
Synopsis: The Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments book clarifies and makes accessible critical
aspects of the art that only a small number of high-level practitioners currently understand and
manifest.
Numerous step-by-step experiments are provided for readers to experience and perfect these
critical tai chi aspects. Contents include:
The meaning and importance of releasing tension in movement for stability, health, and
spirituality.
The differences between contractive and expansive strength including a promising mechanism
for the nature of expansive strength.
Numerous experiments for readers to recognize and experience expansive strength and to
confirm that they have achieved it.
Elucidation of famous master's sayings on mind, strength, and chi.
Health and martial advantages of expansion over contraction in tai chi.
Protocols using expansion including those for helping an excess curvature of the upper and lower
spine and for relieving plantar fasciitis.
Quotes from the classics and how they confirm the interpretations of the principles of tai
chi.
How to achieve optimal balance through an understanding of physical, anatomical, physiological,
and mental factors.
A detailed analysis of "rooting and redirecting" including physical and internal aspects.
Understanding natural movement from physical, philosophical, health, and martial points of
view.
This interdisciplinary book utilizes, elementary physics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, and
spirituality. It contains detailed analyses and explanations for achieving internal, expansive
strength, known as nei jin, and for attaining optimal timing and natural movement.
Critique: Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments: Hidden Strength, Natural Movement, and Timing,
is a studious guide written expressly for skilled Tai Chi practitioners, in order to fill a gap in
existing literature and studies of the art. Chapters expressly focus upon cultivating "expansive
strength", which is far more than simple muscle conditioning, and the optimal timing of Tai Chi
movements. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams help illustrate the technical points
described and step-by-step experiments, in this complex analysis of Tai Chi dynamics. Tai Chi
Concepts and Experiments is highly recommended for advanced practitioners of Tai Chi seeking
to take their understanding of the art to the next level. It should be noted for personal reading lists
that Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.89).
Editor's Note: Author Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D. (experimental physics NYU) has been practicing
tai chi since 1970. He is certified as a master teacher of Kinetic Awareness(R) and has authored
six books, notably The Tai Chi Book (YMAA, 1998). Dr. Chuckrow has studied tai chi, chi kung
(qigong), and other movement and healing arts under masters such as Cheng Man-ch'ing,
William C. C. Chen, Elaine Summers, Alice Holtman, Harvey I. Sober, Kevin Harrington, and
Chin Fan-siong.
The Gardening Shelf
Grow Your Own Mushrooms
Folko Kullmann
Green Books
www.greenbooks.co.uk
c/o Independent Publishers Group (dist.)
https://www.ipgbook.com
9780857845252 $15.99 pbk / $15.19 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Your-Own-Mushrooms-choose/dp/085784525X
Synopsis: Grow delicious edible mushrooms indoors or outdoors, in your garden or on your
balcony, and enjoy them fresh throughout the year. This practical book explains how to grow
fungi, with easy-to-understand instructions:
Methods and growing-media for indoors and out
Getting your mushrooms started and caring for them
How to harvest, store, and preserve your mushrooms all year round
In-depth descriptions of the most popular varieties
This beautifully designed book is the perfect introduction to mushrooms. In it, Folko Kullmann
explains what fungi are, how they grow, their history and medicinal properties. It outlines every
step of how to grow mushrooms at home, with lots of photographs throughout.
Grow Your Own Mushrooms includes a 12-month plan and a list of the best mushrooms to grow
at home. In the garden, mushrooms thrive in areas too shady for vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Whether you grow them on logs, straw bales, or ready-mixed growing media, with the right care
you're sure of a rich crop of delicious and unusual mushrooms.
Mushrooms are completely at home on balconies, where you can grow them in the shade in pots
or containers and many are in their element indoors - in the kitchen or bathroom, on a
windowsill, in a dark corner, or in the basement. Best of all, indoors you can grow them all year
round!
Critique: Grow Your Own Mushrooms lives up to its titles as a practical-minded, reader-friendly
guide to growing edible mushrooms in one's own home, enhanced with tips and recipes for
cooking them in delicious dishes. Full-color photographs on nearly every page and a handy index
enhance this excellent guide for aspiring mushroom gardeners of all backgrounds and experience
levels. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Grow Your Own
Mushrooms is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.19).
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
The True Nature of Tarot, tenth anniversary edition
Diane Wing, M.A.
www.DianeWingAuthor.com
Marvelous Spirit Press
www.MarvelousSpirit.com
c/o Loving Healing Press
www.LHPress.com
9781615995844 $27.95 pbk / $7.95 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/True-Nature-Tarot-Empowerment-Anniversary/dp/1615995846
Synopsis: Tarot empowers those who connect with its wisdom. As a tool of enlightenment, it
guides, reveals hidden insights, and reflects the hopes, fears, and energies of the practitioner and
seeker. Based in Universal Law, the cards form a book of metaphysics. Their interpretations
change with your level of understanding to help you navigate your life path and generate
alternatives. It is a boundless tool that allows you to tap into ancient wisdom that promotes deep
transformation of the self and the way in which you experience interactions with the physical,
spiritual, emotional, and mental realms.
Develop your own style of reading tarot, from choosing your deck to pulling information from
the cards.
Learn how a reading is experienced from the perspectives of both the reader and the
inquirer.
Understand the variables that impact the accuracy of your reading.
Discover ways to increase the amount of information pulled from the tarot.
Become expert at grounding and centering to maximize your energetic stability on a daily
basis.
Learn powerful spreads that give you ways to see interactions between the cards.
Increase your awareness of the ethics of imparting information
Critique: Now in a tenth anniversary edition, The True Nature of Tarot: Your Path to Personal
Empowerment lives up to its title as a guide to using tarot as a tool to navigating one's life and
connecting with timeless wisdom. Thoroughly accessible to beginner and advanced practitioners
alike, The True Nature of Tarot discusses the basics of tarot reading, ethical considerations, the
major and minor arcana and their combinations, and much more. A glossary, a bibliography, and
an index round out this excellent, user-friendly reference and resource to the art of tarot reading.
It should be noted for personal reading lists that The True Nature of Tarot is also available in a
Kindle edition ($7.95).
The Dance Shelf
The Pointe Book, fourth edition
Janice Barringer and Sarah Schlesinger
Princeton Book Company, Publishers
www.dancehorizons.com
9780871273987 $45.00 pbk
https://www.amazon.com/Pointe-Book-Shoes-Training-Technique/dp/0871273985
Synopsis: New features of the fourth edition include:
updated pointe shoe size charts
new information about pointe shoe fitting
innovative ways to sew on ribbons
new shoes that compliment dark skin
the subject of touching and sexual harassment is addressed
new interviews with famous and highly respected teachers
an extensive list of colleges and universities that offer ballet and pointe classes
entirely new chapter on sample pointe classes
extensively updated medical section with surprising revelations about anti- inflammatories and
ice
new flooring products to prevent harsh impact and slipping
expanded Men on Pointe section due to increased interest by male dancers
the section on Profiles of Pointe Shoemakers and Sellers is totally updated
ballerinas talk about their shoes, how they prepare them, and new products they can't live
without
Critique: Now in an updated fourth edition with a wealth of new information and expanded
subjects, The Pointe Book: Shoes, Training, Technique is the definitive, in-depth guide to the art
form of pointe dancing - graceful dance poses that balance the entire body on the extreme tip of
the toe, and a fundamental component of ballet. Immensely detailed, yet thoroughly accessible to
readers of all skill and experience levels, The Pointe Book discusses the history and practice of
pointe dancing, fitting and caring for pointe shoes, how pointe is taught, preventions and medical
care for pointe-related injuries, and much more. The Pointe Book, fourth edition is an absolute
"must-have" for anyone interested in teaching, practicing, or simply learning about this physically
demanding yet strikingly beautiful dance art. Highly recommended.
The American History Shelf
Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier
Eoin Un Cathail, author
Patrick J. Mahoney, translator and editor
University of North Texas Press
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574418279 $24.95 hc
https://www.amazon.com/Recovering-Irish-Voice-American-Frontier/dp/1574418270
Synopsis: Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is a bilingual compilation of
stories by Eoin Ua Cathail, an Irish emigrant, based loosely on his experiences in the West and
Midwest.
The author draws on the popular American Dime Novel genre throughout to offer unique
reflections on nineteenth-century American life. As a member of a government mule train
accompanying the U.S. military during the Plains Indian Wars, Ua Cathail depicts fierce
encounters with Native American tribes, while also subtly commenting on the hypocrisy of many
famine-era Irish immigrants who failed to recognize the parallels between their own plight and
that of dispossessed Native peoples. These views are further challenged by his stories set in the
upper Midwest.
His writings are marked by the eccentricities and bloated claims characteristic of much American
Western literature of the time, while also offering valuable transnational insights into Irish myth,
history, and the Gaelic Revival movement. This bilingual volume, with facing Irish-English
pages, marks the first publication of Ua Cathail's work in both the original Irish and in
translation. It also includes a foreword from historian Richard White, a comprehensive
introduction by Mahoney, and a host of previously unpublished historical images.
Critique: Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is a bilingual compilation of
stories and prose writings by Eoin Ua Cathail, an Irish emigrant who came to America in 1863.
Ua Cathail's stories, roughly based on his experiences in the American West and Midwest, are
presented both in their original Irish language and in an adept English translation by scholar and
award-winning author Patrick J. Mahoney. Ua Cathail's writings particularly focus upon violent
conflicts with displaced Native Americans, drawn from his own witness of clashes during his
time as a member of a government mule train accompanying the U.S. military during the Plains
Indian Wars. The tragic parallel between Irish immigrants who fled famine in their former nation
and dispossessed Native peoples is not lost on Ua Cathail, even as he notes how it seems to be
lost on other Irish immigrants of his time. Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier
is a fascinating primary testimony, given to embellishments and eccentricities, yet also providing
a unique window into the American frontier a century and a half in the past. Recovering an Irish
Voice from the American Frontier is highly recommended, especially for public and college
library collections.
The Hunting/Fishing Shelf
The Last Wild Road
T. Edward Nickens
Lyons Press
LyonsPress.com
c/o Rowman & Littlefield
https://rowman.com
9781493059645 $27.95 hc / $19.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Stream-Last-Wild-Road/dp/1493059645
Synopsis: The Last Wild Road is a raucous, gripping, sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and
deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world. Collected from
more than 20 years of hunting and fishing cover stories, columns, and adventure tales written by
T. Edward Nickens for Field & Stream, this book is a road trip that takes in a huge sweep of the
North American landscape - blackwater rivers in the wilds of eastern North Carolina, deserts and
prairies of the American West, remote tundra of northern Canada, and the wildest rivers of
Alaska. Along every rutted road and rough trail, with a rod, gun, and pen, Nickens meets
unforgettable characters - old French-speaking Cajuns at Louisiana squirrel camps, a one-armed
fly-tyer in the ancient Appalachians, Pennsylvania brothers who lost their father in a hunting
accident decades ago and return to the scene for a powerful, poignant encounter with history. He
explores remote wilderness waters to chase trout and ducks, but finds rich meaning, too, in the
familiar and close-to-home: fishing with his children, plumbing the forests of local farms, and
butchering deer in his basement as a thanksgiving for the gifts of the outdoors.
When it comes to hunting and fishing, writing often falls into the categories of where-to-go, the
how-do-it, and the-what-to-bring. This book embarks on the question of "why." Why does the
pursuit of game and fish, and the travel to the wild places where they thrive, bring meaning and
clarity to living in the modern world? Why do we laugh more, and live more deeply, far from the
sidewalk? If you've ever felt that way, you'll find yourself in The Last Wild Road.
Critique: Outdoorsman, columnist, and editor-at-large T. Edward Nickens presents The Last
Wild Road: Adventures and Essays from a Sporting Life is an anthology of over 20 years of
cover stories, columns, and true-life adventure tales about hunting and fishing for Field & Stream
magazine. Outdoor enthusiasts and armchair travelers alike will thoroughly enjoy these
adventurous stories, enhanced with an index for a quick and easy search of favorite topics.
Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Last Wild Road is
also available in a Kindle edition ($19.99).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
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