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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 5 May 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Poetry Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Fiction Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Business Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Travel Shelf International Studies Shelf World History Shelf
Biography Shelf Parenting Shelf American History Shelf
Interior Design Shelf Railroading Shelf Criminology Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Dance Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Architecture Shelf Art Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Political Science Shelf Gardening Shelf
Nautical Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Psychology Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Education Shelf Agricultural Studies Shelf
Photography Shelf Gaming Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Sports Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Anthropology Shelf Science Shelf
Music Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf Money/Finance Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Along Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail
Bart Smith
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
9780299226640, $14.95 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress 1-800-621-2736

The last ice age that took place some twelve thousand years ago helped to create and shape Wisconsin's topography and create the varied landscape that is Wisconsin today. Wisconsin's 'Ice Age national Scenic Trail' is a one thousand mile footpath that traverses across the entire state and a popular outdoor attraction for legions of tourists and residents every year. Along these natural course are to be seen hundreds of beautiful lakes, expansive prairies, fertile farm lands, essential wetlands, Native American effigy mounts, the remains of oak savannas, and a cultural wealth of villages, towns, and cities. Magnificently showcasing the effects of continental glaciation (in some places the flow of glacial ice was as much as two miles deep) created a variety of geologic features including kames, kettles, drumlins, ice-walled-lake plans, eskers, tunnel channels, basalt bluffs, dells, and rock-strewn terminal moraines. Of special note is the ancient landscape of the Driftless Area which is devoid of glacial evidence. "Along Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail" is superbly illustrated study of this ancient causeway and is enhanced with informed and informative essays by Mike Dombeck (former chief of the U.S. Forest Service and a biologist on the campus of the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point); Robert Freckmann (botanist at the UW-Stevens Point); Paul G. Hayes (retired journalist for the 'Milwaukee Journal'; Randy Hoffman (conservation biologist, Wisconsin Department of natural Resources), Ellen Kort (former poet laureate of Wisconsin); David Mickelson (Emeritus Professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, UW-Madison) and Sarah Mittlefehldt (environmental historian, UW-Madison). "Along Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail" should be a part of every Wisconsin school and community collection, and is enthusiastically recommended for anyone who has every walked any portion of this fantastic ice age trail -- or who would like to!


The Poetry Shelf

State of Exile
Cristina Peri Rossi, author
Marilyn Buck, translator
City Lights Publishers
261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
9780872864634, $14.95 www.citylights.com

Number fifty-eight in the compact "Pocket Poets Series" from City Lights Publishers, State of Exile is an impressive collection of poems by Cristina Peri Rossi, whose work was banned in her native Uruguay. Threatened by Uruguay's military dictatorship, she moved to Spain in 1972, where she resides today. State of Exile was written during her journey to Spain and the first years of her self-exile; due to its intensely personal nature, it remained unpublished for almost thirty years. An expression of alienation, loss, doubt, sorrow, and longing for one's distant family and friends, State of Exile is a profoundly emotional work, yet it also taps into creative spirit and the human willingness to forge new relationships. The result is a bittersweet blend of homesickness, adaptation, and hope, with each of its poems rendered both in the original Spanish and in English translation. "State of Exile": very soon so far away quite badly / always / difficulty words furious interminable / strange a stranger what else the tree / if I just look differently // everything / could be more human.

Circling the Stones
Michael D. Riley
Creighton University Press
c/o Fordham University Press
University Box L, 2546 Belmont Ave, Bronx, New York 10458
9781881871354, $10.95, www.fordham.edu

Are all our journeys really all that different? No, says author and poet Michael D. Riley, as he explains in his anthology of poetry "Circling The Stones" Explaining that no matter the subject, be it secular or spiritual, private or public, we can all relate in someway. Riley's poetry is magnificent, with outstandingly vivid imagery, brilliant wordplay, and a touch of subtle yet highly appreciated humor. "Circling the Stones" is highly recommended to community library poetry collections, and for poetry readers who want grand poetry with an Irish Catholic touch. In Fondest Memory: Arthur Guinness: Guinness lifts the dull metal hinges/of the heart, let the cracked leather/soften and breather/unbuckles the rest/until the clasps groan and give,/ eyelets of silver, winks of gold/ as the old brass disappears and hips/ of metal begin to swing, and in rubbing/sing restraint to its collapse/upon the floor, until the best of all/our clasping and unclasping can begin.

To Sing Along the Way
Joyce Sutphen, Thom Tammaro & Connie Wanek
New Rivers Press
1104 Seventh Avenue South, Moorhead, Minnesota 56563
9780898232325, $17.95 www.newriverspress.com

The unheard voices of Minnesota women of the early nineteenth century to the near modern day are heard clearly in "To Sing Along The Way: Minnesota Women Poets From Pre-Territorial Days to the Present". With over one hundred poems from a vast variety of Minnesotan women poets from a span of nearly 200 years, "To Sing Along The Way: Minnesotan Women Poets From Pre-Territorial Days to the Present" is highly recommended to poetry lovers everywhere and may have a place on any women's studies shelf as well. Sandy Beach's Slow Brown Fox: The fox fur collar, given to me by my grandmother/the only animal in my home, no longer holds/the odor of Pall Malls, guilt, and Gordon's gin//Well over 70 years old/it is sensual/it is beautiful/it is dead//I can't bring myself to wear it or get rid of it//Sometimes I wrap it/into a chair/as if it were sleeping/its little paws peeping/out from beneath its tail.

We Nod Our Dark Heads
Lisa Marie Brodsky
Parallel Press
372 Memorial Library, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
9781893311961, $10.00, http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu 1-800-636-0071

We Nod Our Dark Heads is a chapbook of free-verse poetry by Wisconsin resident Lisa Marie Brodsky, whose achievements include first place in the poetry contest for "Circle Magazine" and honorable mention from the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poetry. Dedicated to Harbor House of Middleton, Wisconsin (which employed the author in the summer of 2005) as well as residents and families who deal with debilitating illness that strips away memory and identity as well as physical ability, We Nod Our Dark Heads is as much a testimony of love and compassion as it is a work of insight into the human condition. "I Practice Saying Goodbye": I sit everywhere; wherever I can, / the foot stool, the floor; / I perch quietly. / I sit at the foot of your bed / watching the buttons of your nightgown / move up and down. / The nurses feed you downstairs / where you so often / fade in front of the TV screen. / You sit on the couch / with a child's sewing card in your lap, / similar to the one you once taught me / when I was little and unable / to take care of myself.

Living in Storms
Thom Schramm, editor
Eastern Washington University Press
705 West 1st Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
9781597660310, $23.95 1-800-508-9095

Living in Storms: Contemporary Poetry and the Moods of Manic-Depression is an anthology of free-verse poetry collected from eighty contemporary poets who have been affected in some way by manic-depression, also known as bipolar disorder, a devastating condition known for its swings between extreme emotional highs and lows. An acutely vivid and unforgettable glimpse into the difficult world all too often experienced by creative figures. "Portrait Sketch": Women who had never enough / never for long enough- / tenterhooks then happiness / shrilled to hysteria, / lament, dullness- // watches from a distance / rain-bleached sky, lawns' / deepening with gloss- // a surface that returns incidents, / magnetic attractions, characterizations, / desires, her last heart / a midsummer pond / narrowed, glinting within leaves.

Avalanche of Wonders
John Oliver Simon, Stacy McKenna, Anita Sagastegui, editors
University of Washington Press
P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, Washington, 98145-5096
9781931883290, $10.95, www.washington.edu/uwpress

A beautiful combination of English, Spanish, charming and well placed imagery through out, "Avalanche of Wonders: Poems and Translations by the Students of Poetry Inside Out" is a compilation of well over one hundred poems by bilingual students who bring their experiences of living in a world of two languages where two cultures meet, mix, and blend into the great American melting pot. A deftly composed and touching look into the expressions of today's children, "Avalanche of Wonders: Poems and Translations by the Students of Poetry Inside Out" is highly recommended to community library poetry shelves everywhere. Leaf, by Janeth Hurturdo, 3rd Grader: Fallen leaf shaped into a heart/broken in half/inside your heart.

Wild Flight
Christine Rhein
Texas Tech University Press
Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037 USA
9780896726215, $21.50, www.ttup.ttu.edu/

Most writers take several publications and years to find their stride, yet the work of Christine Rhein in her debut anthology of poetry in "Wild Flight" comes from someone who is already seasoned with years of experience with her brilliant writing and lyrical poems on the subjects that matter most in today's world - technology, love, humanity, and its ilk. Witty yet sympathetic, critical yet optimistic, "Wild Flight" is highly recommended for community library poetry collections and anyone who wants a taste of this hot new poet on the market. Friday night: and we're not perched at some neon-lit Manhattan bar/ not dancing in the ballroom of the San Francisco Ritz//but mixing martinis in our Michigan kitchen/a pot of potatoes on the stove, our twenty-year-old//formica piled with newspapers, bills, sons' projects-/bean plants growing well beyond the experiment//I think of all the variables affecting a marriage.../How lucky to sit at this counter, to watch you//lift the frosted glasses from the freezer, your hips/moving in rhythm as you bounce the deco shaker,//its jangle of gin and ice- and that drop of liqueur/you add, tinting the cocktails robin egg blue.

Causeway
Elaine Sexton
New Issues
c/o Western Michigan University
1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5331
9781930974777, $14.00 www.wmich.edu/newissues

Poetry workshop instructor (Writing Institute of Sarah Lawrence College) Elaine Sexton presents Causeway, a collection of free-verse poetry that blends autobiographic elements with ongoing metaphors of landscape and waterscape. At times thoughtfully beautiful, at times set forth with blunt inner honesty, Causeway flows and cascades in rippling currents. "Taken": This is the boat that took me / out of my marriage, / the painter said, then clicked // to the next slide. Here is the chair, / the spare table I pulled my grief / up to. Here is where the gash // of oil paint put me: behind / a door closed, thick green / strokes refusing to leave.

The Virgin Formica
Sharon Mesmer
Hanging Loose Press
Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, New York 11217
9781931236911, $16.00, www.hangingloosepress.com

Prolific, Veteran, and multi-lingual poet Sharon Mesmer returns with another fine anthology of poetry with "The Virgin Formica", a collection of surreal and vividly composed poetry. Both personal and witty, her poetry is gripping and will keep you asking for more. "The Virgin Formica" is highly recommended for community library poetry collections and poetry lovers everywhere. Good Sleepin' Weather: Cold air/everywhere/and the impoverished edge/of anxiety/of kitchen knives/that thrive/under roofs the color/of horses' hooves/After shopping at Zayre/we walked back to the Rambler/and dark was the screen/of the outdoor theater/where earlier they'd lowered a whore/from a helicopter./"Man," Dad said,/"This is what you call/good sleepin' weather."

Grace, Fallen From
Marianne Boruch
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06459
9780819568632, $22.95, www.wesleyan.edu/wespress

The third anthology of poetry from veteran poet Marianne Boruch, entitled "Grace, Fallen From" is now available. In this gripping collection of poems, Boruch touches on a wide range of subjects, and in the process, evokes a long range of emotions from her readers, from humor to making her readers think to pulling at their heart strings, Boruch does it all. "Grace, Fallen From" is a deftly composed volume of poetry and a pick for any poetry lover or community library poetry collection. February: The sparrow on the trash again, one/leg missing, he/alights and drops down, alights/in this cold, and crooked,/drops down again though he could/fly. He has to, most of the day/I imagine, into its/exhaustion, those moments he/finds a window sill or a patch/of sold leaves under some/overhang, his one leg, good wire, pulled under him, feathers/puffed out - swollen thing, ridiculous -/ for warmth. All the lives I/might have had: this one, oh, this one.

Polynomials and Pollen
Jay Wright
Dalkey Archive Press
1805 S. Wright Street, MC-011, Champaign, IL 61820
9781564784995, $12.95, www.dalkeyarchive.com

Eleven books of poetry and over thirty plays are nothing compared to the over seventy years of life experience award winning-writer Jay Wright brings to the table in his anthology of poetry and wisdom in "Polynomials and Pollen." Although promoted as a gift for his wife, any reader is sure to enjoy Wright's words and his look into philosophies of order, chaos, the natural evolution of life and so much more. Brilliantly written from first page to last, "Polynomials and Pollen" is highly recommended to community library poetry collections.

All That's Left
Jack Hirschman
City Lights Publishers
261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
9781931404082, $10.95 www.citylights.com

The fourth volume in the San Francisco Poet Laureate Series, All That's Left is a collection of poems calling for social justice. Written by street poet, translator, and activist Jack Hirschman, All That's Left begins with his autobiographical inaugural address, includes several of his earlier poems that benchmark the stages of his development, as well as works composed during his time as laureate. Hirschman also pays his respects to passed on fellow poets such as Kerouac and Bob Kaufman, in this direct, honest, and eye-opening anthology. "The Ways of Love Arcane": 'Only in its being gone does it exist,' / I whispered in the candle-lit dark. // Your response was the art of loving / which is a part of what I meant. // And it was a masterpiece you wrote / with your tongue. // But is Love gone? That love, yes, has. / But there's no end of loving here // or wherever you are, or even where / nowhere is.

Dear Ghosts
Tess Gallagher
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
9781555974930, $15.00, www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077

Poetry is the use of words to evoke feelings. No one does it better than author, essayist, translator, and poet Tess Gallagher as evidenced by her latest collection of verse "Dear Ghosts". A master craftsman and wordsmith in the use of metaphor, communication, and the intimacy of emotion, "Dear Ghosts" once again documents her as a skilled and deft observer of the human condition who will be appreciated best by those who enjoy free verse poetry the most. 'Choices': I go to the mountain side/of the house to cut saplings,/and clear a view to snow/on the mountain. But when I look up,/saw in hand, I see a nest clutched in/the uppermost branches./I don't cut that one./I don't cut the others either./suddenly, in every tree,/are unseen nest/where a mountain would be.

Rising, Falling, Hovering
C. D. Wright
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-9931
9781556592737, $22.00 www.coppercanyonpress.org

When poetry is at its very best it is a form of communication that compels a response from its audience. That response can arise from anywhere on the spectrum of human emotion and psychology. Such is the case with the seminal verse of C. D. Wright as compiled within the pages of "Rising, Falling, Hovering" from Copper Canyon Press. An award winning poet with twelve previously published volumes of her work, this latest and enthusiastically recommended collection is infused throughout with wit, honesty, emotional intensity, as it touches upon such diverse issues as technology, capitalism existential crisis, and candid observation of the human condition. 'Like Something Christenberry Pictured': ...stepping out of the story/ (ineluctably over, fellow travelers)/here just long enough to testify/to a blinding intensity/under that big dry socket of god/the camera mounted to capture/ordinary traffic violations/fixes instead on your final face/a single frame of unadulterated/urgency is what you see, urgency it is'.

Blue Lace Colander
Timothy Walsh
Marsh River Editions
M233 Marsh Road, Marshfield, WI 54449
9780977276837, $10.00 www.marshrivereditions.com

Award-winning poet Timothy Walsh presents Blue Lace Colander, his latest chapbook of free-verse poetry drawn from the experiences of daily life as well as from the wonders of history and memory. A multifaceted tour of the senses that luxuriates in the simple pleasures and the pure delight that sightseeing and embarking on adventures can bring, Blue Lace Colander is a joy best savored between sessions of hiking, hobbies, or dreams. "Abiding in This Sensorium": These trees at twilight / seem to know // that melody is what story does / when there are no words, // that flavor is how color persists / when there are no pigments, // that herbs are our most pungent thoughts / taken root in the world, // and that time is neither a thicket / nor an ocean / but a thing that only trees / at twilight / comprehend.

Meaning A Cloud
J.W. Marshall
Oberlin College Press
50 N. Professor St., Oberlin, OH, 44074-1095
0932440320, $15.95, www.oberlin.edu

J.W. Marshall has been around poetry all his life, and has worked a job in a poetry bookstore just to be around it more. The sum of all his experiences is here in his debut anthology of poetry "Meaning a Cloud". Witty, brilliant, yet tokenly somber at times, Marshall's poetry comes to life on each page with vivid, colorful imagery sure to jerk at reader's emotions. "Meaning a Cloud" is highly recommended for community library poetry collections and anyone who wants warm poetry. My Confusion: I confused a steam/with life. And I confused leaves/oiling along on it/with lives. And the lake/it muscled into/I confused with a hospital's/shimmering glass doors. There was quiet/ and muffled non-quiet./And I was confused/with where exactly it was/I was going/when I heard that ambulance/moving like a mechanical leaf/through traffic.

Taking Shape
Edward Carson
The Porcupine's Quill
c/o Timinkster, RGD, Publisher
68 Main St, Erin Ontario, N0B IT0
9780889843059, $12.95, www.sentex.net/pql

Two time winner of the E.J. Pratt Poetry Award and University of Toronto Alumnus Edward Carson is back after his critically acclaimed debut anthology Scenes. "Taking Shape" takes a focus on the subject of love, and everything about this vague yet universal subject, and how it literally takes shape all around us. Using lyrical prose and beautiful imagery that leaps off of the pages, "Taking Shape" is a must for all poetry fans and community library collections on the genre of work. Memory I: The earth is gulping down in the rain huge, heavy pools./Around us, the unpredictable trees catch the clear light//of lightning a clear iridescent flame, larger than life./And we, in our love, are lucid as a climate of sleep.//We brood over the tug and pull of our history,/like sleepwalkers, earthbound and walking on air.//Our love is everything it has been, and nothing/more than what it has found to be true.//Our love is mathematics of diving this from that,/of finding out there is no other answer possible.//Our love is made to be moved from one place/to another, slow as granite, shapeless as water.

After Music
Conrad Hilberry
Wayne State University Press
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, 48201-1309
9780814333525, $15.95, www.wsupress.wayne.edu

Prolific and veteran poet Conrad Hillberry is back with another deftly composed anthology. "After Music" is filled with meditations on anything and everything from conflicted Mexican priests, exhausted and depressed grocery store clerks, and so much more. Five sections create the book, separated by theme - Sweet Grease, How the Juices Leap, Steering by Pheromones, One Match Flaring, and Bird with Downcast Beak. "After-Music" is highly recommended as a book poetry lovers with relish and deserves a place on every community library poetry shelf. Christmas Night: Let Midnight gather up the wind/and the cry of tires on bitter snow/Let midnight call the cold dogs home,/sleet in their fur - last one can blow//the streetlights out. If children sleep/after the day's unfoldings, the wheel/of gifts and griefs, may their breathing/ease the strange hollowness we feel.//Let the midnight draw whoever's left/to the grate where a burnt-out log unrolls/low mutterings of smoke until/a small fire wakes in its crib of coals.

This Dirty Little Heart
B.T. Shaw
Eastern Washington University Press
534 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., Suite 203, Spokane, WA 99202
9781597660402, $14.95, www.ewu.edu/ewupress

The debut anthology of poetry from The Oregonian Editor B.T. Shaw and what a debut it is. "This Dirty Little Heart" is award winning, and rightfully so, as it's unlike much poetry readers will find elsewhere in the genre - a flowing, stream of conscious narrative, quirky, yet unique and vivid in its words and imagery that it so provokes from its readers. "This Dirty Little Heart" is a must have for poetry lovers everywhere, and worthy of its place in any community library poetry collection. Images in Answer to Biology: Flocked Birds in an agar sky.//Pulley. Scale. Skeleton -/stick-flippered, penis-boned-/mid-stroke at the ceiling//Boy by the door: I was late as a fish./spectacled girl: genus humanitas//Can I get everyone's attention this way?//Lines of magnetic force. Bunsen/burner. Loaded inoculating loop.

The Graves Grow Bigger Between Generations
Jared Smith
Higganum Hill Books
P.O. Box 666, Higganum, CT 06441
9780977655687, $12.95, www.ipgbook.com

Veteran and Prolific poet Jared Smith returns once more with his seventh anthology of poetry, "The Graves Grow Bigger Between Generations". The skill and technique that comes with so much seasoning is so readily apparent here in this volume of poetry, with brilliant, thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrical prose throughout this compilation. "The Graves Grow Bigger Between Generations" is highly recommended to poetry lovers everywhere and should find itself on community library poetry shelves. A Prayer in the Teeth of Time: I blew an aqua blue bottle around you/to protect the flame inside,/but the glass separated us and light/not received by eyes goes dark into the heart/where it carries itself forever through time.//Where are we now when our love will leave no children?


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Rabbi Harvey Rides Again
Steve Sheinkin
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Sunset Farm Offices, RT, Woodstock, Vermont 05091
9781580233477, $16.99, www.jewishlights.com

A strange way of moonlighting - serving as both a Rabbi and a Sheriff and mixing both freely and skillfully, Rabbi Harvey is an intriguing character indeed. "Rabbi Harvey Rides Again: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Folktales Let Loose in the Wild West" is a compilation of tales following this Rabbi Sheriff as he dispenses both justice and Talmudic wisdom onto the other various characters he encounters in his travel. A deftly mixed graphic novel consisting of the ingredients of old world religion, American and Jewish Folktales, and witty creativity, "Rabbi Harvey Rides Again: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Folktales" is highly recommended for community library graphic novel collections and for any reader who wants a bit of an offbeat blend.


The Fiction Shelf

The Deal
Adam Gittlin
Oceanview
2817 West End Ave. Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 37203
9781933515137, $24.95, www.oceanviewpub.com

There are very few rewards in life that do not carry related risks - and typically, the bigger the reward, the bigger the risk, and Jonah Grey quickly learns this in "The Deal". Jonah was set for life, he was a complete success in everything he did. What was one more deal to cement his place in the financial elite for the rest of his life? The risks finally catch up with him, as his latest deal goes from easy money to certain bankruptcy - of both his money and the very people he loves, quite quickly. Jonah goes through anything to avoid it. "The Deal" is a highly recommended thriller for community library collections, and for any reader who wants a captivating story from first page to last.

Getting Up & Getting On
M Bridges
LOF Publishing
C/O Atlas Books
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland OH 44805
9780976444114, $14.95, www.lofpublishing.com

Years upon years can be poured into relationship. For it to end suddenly makes it seem like a waste of time - Betty Jean is trying to get over that lost time in "Getting Up & Getting On". She's out of it after her relationship ending and the hard arduous process of trying to end it in the first place - Sheila Cooper, her longtime friend pushes her to move on and live again - it can't be that difficult can it? "Getting Up & Getting On" is recommended to romance fans everywhere with a focus on chick lit - and for community library fiction collections.

Leave It to Chance
Sherri Sand
David C. Cook (publisher)
4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
9781434799883, $13.99, www.davidccook.com

A worn out and beaten old gelding horse...it could just be the turning point in Sierra's life. "Leave It to Chance" is a deftly written romance novel where a beaten old horse finds his way into the possession of a woman who fears them and wants to be rid of him - if only at most to pay for a month's rent. A handsome stranger and runner of his own Landscaping business shows up and offers to buy the horse, and allow Sierra's three children visitation rights to the old gelding, and seems to be open to helping Sierra with her financial troubles. Sierra, with bad experiences with attractive men, is reluctant. Can Sierra get over her phobias to help her family? "Leave it to Chance" is highly recommended for romance fans and community library fiction collections.

Tartts Three
Joe Taylor with Tina Jones, Tricia Taylor (editors)
Livingston Press
The University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston Alabama 35470
9780930501341, $15.95, www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu

The annual Tartts fiction award gives short story authors a solid prize of, $1000 and a royalty contract for publishing their stories - as writers and authors know, that's a tempting prize indeed. "Tartts Three: Incisive Fiction From Emerging Writers" is over two dozen aspiring writers duking it out with the best short stories they can all compose, covering a vast array of subject matter, a few titles to give readers just an idea what to expect: Pivot, Bear, Eulogy, Feng Shui, Selling Price - and so much more than that."Tartts Three: Incisive Fiction from Emerging Writers" is highly recommended for general fiction collections and for any reader who wants a taste of the big authors of tomorrow.

Desert Medicine
Judy Alexander
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
9780825420085, $14.99 www.kregelpublications.com 1-800-733-2607

Laurelle visits a dying, homebound member of her church, as a desperate attempt to relieve her mind of the burden of her failed marriage. In "Desert Medicine", Author, freelance writer, photographer and professor Judy Alexander crafts an elaborate, touching tale where a hurt woman is healed by the tales of another and uses the strength gained to attempt to become a better mother to her children, dealing with her troublesome Ex-Husband, while considering if a relationship with another man is really possible. "Desert Medicine" is a touching tale from first page to last and is highly recommended to fiction fans everywhere and for chick lit community library shelves.

Midnight Clear
Jerry B. Jenkins & Dallas Jenkins
Tyndale Fiction
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414316598, $9.99, www.tyndale.com

Hope can come from the strangest of places for some people. For six strangers, hope comes from people they don't know - a common first source for the opposite of hope: fear. "Midnight Clear", now a major motion picture, is the tale of five strangers finding hope in one another as destiny brings them together. Even the most insignificant act can make a difference is its moral, and "Midnight Clear" is highly recommended for community library fiction shelves as a fine piece of fiction.

The Year She Disappeared
Ann Harleman
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819, Austin, Texas, 78713-7819
9780292717473, $24.95, www.utexaspress.com

After so much mistrust and discontentment, many people decide just to start their lives completely over. The memories still remain however, as Nan finds herself distrustful, and now she must take care of herself and her sexually abused granddaughter in "The Year She Disappeared". The fourth novel of prolific author Ann Harleman, it is a deftly written emotional tale sure to jerk at the feelings of its readers with its story that grabs them and refuses to let go. "The Year She Disappeared" is highly recommended for community library literary fiction shelves and for any who just want a good story.

In The Meantime
Robin Lippincott
The Toby Press
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
9781592642007, $22.95, www.tobypress.com

Robin Lippincott is a talented author whose two previous novels ("Our Arcadia: An American Watercolor" and "The Real, True Angel") were models of well crafted fiction. Now Lippincott has authored a third literary gem with "In The Meantime", a novel that features the intertwined lives of Kathryn, Luke and Starling who first meet each other at the age of five in 1931. Residing in a small Midwestern town, the three become fast friends. After the end of World War II they move to New York City and find themselves dealing with the racism and prejudice of America in the 1950s. Throughout their adulthood their steadfast bond of friendship endures through all manner life's disappointments. There three-person friendship is mirrored within the pages of "In The Meantime" by the experiences of three friends in Hiroshima on the day the atomic bomb was dropped, and by a trio of jews hiding in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. The story stretches over seven decades until there is only one of the friends left to relate their story. A seminal work of literary skill that fully engages from first page to last, "In The Meantime" is especially recommended for academic library Literary Fiction collections, community library contemporary novels, and the personal reading lists of those who appreciate a finely crafted novel with respect to both the longitudinal development of characters and deftly presented dialogue.

Beyond the Tether
Bruno G. Botti
Tate Publishing & Enterprising
127 East Trade Center Terrace, Mustang, OK 73064
1598864637, $21.50, www.tatepublishing.com

Man and dog, a bond that has been for centuries, almost old as man and dog themselves. "Beyond the Tether" is the story of Tasha, an Alpha wolf who concedes leadership to George Staves to be her caretaker until her death - which is quickly approaching. Staves does everything he can to save his new companion in a tale deftly written by an animal lover for animal lovers. A profound telling of the relationship between man and canine, "Beyond the Tether" is highly recommended to community library collections catering to fiction fans with a love for dogs.

The Truth
Geoff Rips
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI, 49008-5331
9781930974739, $26.00, www.wmich.edu/newissues

A palsied hunchback who rests on the porch of a brothel in Texas. "The Truth" is the award winning novel telling of Chuy Pingarron and his tales of perversion as people stop by just to hear his tales. Midwifes who are Madams of Brothels, iron-lung bound philosophers, famous hands, unwilling saints, among countless other offbeat tales sure to entertain, all in the effort to answer one of the oldest of all of mankind's questions of how is life suppose to be lived and what's the point of it all? "The Truth" is highly recommended for community library fiction collections with a more of an offbeat audience.

Bad Paths
Justin Behrens
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Rd., Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595475704, $15.95, www.iuniverse.com

Even if one has been estranged from her one's whole life, the death of one's mother will always bring a certain sadness to one's existence. "Bad Paths" is the story of Greg Dameron, long separated from his family, returning to his birthplace upon learning of her death. He finds that the town isn't completely accepting of the Dameron name. Greg learns about his true roots while dealing with two-faced opponents - to sort out his life, he must make life or death decisions. Deftly written and intriguing from the first page to the last, "Bad Paths' is a top pick for fiction shelves everywhere.

Mark Twain's Travel Literature
Harold H. Hellwig
McFarland & Company
Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786436514, $35.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com

A major theme that famous and notorious author Mark Twain used in his books was Travel. "Mark Twain's Travel Literature: The Odyssey of a Mind" is a literary critique and examination of Twain's travel literature and the common themes scattered about through them such as the vanishing frontier of America, cultural assimilation, nostalgia, and America's cultural identity. Scholarly written and researched, "Mark Twain's Travel Literature: The Odyssey of a Mind" is a must have for any fan of Twain's work or anyone who is set to study his writings.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The New Christians
Tony Jones
Jossey-Bass
989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
9780787994716, $22.95, www.josseybass.com

The Third Way - a moderate third option in between religious liberalism and religious conservatism, which author and doctor of practical theology at Princeton Tony Jones explains in his new book "The New Christians: Dispatches From The Emergent Frontier". A through and scholarly exploration of this new option for modern day Christians with new views and opinions and their relevance to the scripture of the holy bible. "The New Christians: Dispatches From the Emergent Frontier" is a must have for any Christian in a conflict of faith and highly recommended for community library Christian studies shelves.

Wrestling with Angels
Rowan Williams
WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
204 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids MI, 49505
9780802827265, $28.00, www.eerdmans.com

The 104th Archbishop of Canterbury is a prolific speaker on the many subjects of Christianity, and in "Wrestling with Angels: Conversations in Modern Theology" his writings, long out of print and hard to find, are now collected and displayed in one easy tome for a new generation of readers. Focusing on his discussions with his contemporaries like Hegel, Barth, Bathasar, Adams, and others,"Wrestling with Angels: Conversations in Modern Theology" is a scholarly and informed compilation in modern philosophy and art, speaking on such topics as postmodernity, innocence, nature of historical development, and more. "Wrestling with Angels: Conversations in Modern Theology" is highly recommended for religious studies shelves and anyone who wants a deeper look into how today's modern philosophers think.

We Will Be Like Him
Vincent Rush
Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Blvd. Mahwah, N.J. 07430
9780809145119, $14.95, www.paulistpress.com

To be closer to him, to be more like him - the desires of all Christians is to be one with their lord and savior, to be one with God. "We Will Be Like Him: Growing Toward God at Every Age of Life" is a spiritual guide to enhancing your faith through proper moral decisions in day to day everyday life, whether you be a child, an adult, or even a senior. Complete with fictionalized but very real examples for use in everyday life to resolve conflicts the Christian way, "We Will Be Like Him: Growing Toward God at Every Age of Life" is a deftly written and helpful account for any Christian for community library self-help and Christian studies collections.

When Love's In View
Dr. Conway & Jada Edwards
Moody Publishers
820 North Lasalle Drive, Chicago, IL 60610
9780802480873, $12.99, www.moodypublishers.com

For some, finding the right someone has more to do with just how attractive they are and other superficial subjects - but if their faith is as strong as theirs. "When Love's In View: Finding Focus in Dating and Relationships" is a dating help guide with a Christian focus, for those who want that man or woman to have a place for God as well as them. Covering six behaviors of Godly men, and eight behaviors of godly women, asking the bible about relationships and eventually tying the knot, and frequently asked questions involving the faith and the dating scene. "When Love's In View: Finding Focus in Dating and Relationships" is a deftly written guide and highly recommended for Christian singles everywhere and for community library dating collections with a cross over to Christian studies.

You Mean That Isn't in the Bible?
David A. Rich
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, OR 97402
978073692138, $10.99, www.harvesthousepublishers.com

When We Die, We Become Angels. God Wants us to be rich, the never ending war between God and Satan...all beliefs so often spoken, but none of them have roots in the bible. "You Mean That Isn't In the Bible?: 10 Popular Beliefs That Simply Aren't True" examines ten of these so called beliefs and explains why they aren't true, quoting from the holy book itself. After explaining the fiction of these common beliefs, Rich explains why what the bible truly says is better as a whole for humanity. "You Mean That Isn't In the Bible: 10 Popular Beliefs That Simply Aren't True" is highly recommended for community library Christian studies collections.

Facing Your Final Job Review
Woodrow Kroll
Crossway
1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187
9781581349733, $16.99, www.crossway.org

There's a job review that has a more definite and long term impact than any you'll ever have to face before that date, claims "Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards". Preaching to not be so concerned with so much frivolities in the mortal realm, and to prepare yourself more for the only job review that ultimately matters, "Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards" speaks on how ones life is evaluated in the after life according to the holy bible in a plain-speaking simple to understand method with a blend of narrative and Q&A format. "Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards" is highly recommended to community library Christian studies collections.

The Genesis Factor
Ron J. Bigalke Jr.
Master Books
c/o New Leaf Publishing Group
PO Box 726, Green Forest, AR 72638
9780890514801, $13.99, www.masterbooks.net

Creationism - something that is under constant attack in today's more enlightened world. Can it still be taken as a valid belief in today's world of science? "The Genesis Factor: Myths and Realities" believes so, and is a scholarly defense of the belief under the pretense it could happen. Going to the roots of creationism in the church and looking to the early anti-creationist battles while referencing the bible itself for support of Creationism's realistic existence as an origin of man. "The Genesis Factor: Myths and Realities" is a solid pick for any biblical studies collection and for anyone who wants support for their beliefs in God's plan.

St. Paul's Ephesus
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780814652596, $29.95, www.litpress.org

Ephesus- a city which has been in ruins for over two thousand years. What was this city, and who were its people? "St Paul's Ephesus: Texts and Archeology" is a journey back through history to this ancient city, following missionary Paul through his journeys and everything that is known about it. Combing over the works of nearly thirty different authors and presenting all the facts he collects from those, Jerome Murphy-O'Connor does his Professor of New Testament job proud. "St. Paul's Ephesus: Texts and Archeology" is a must for any biblical history shelf and anyone who wishes to learn more of this ancient city.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

A Beginner's Guide to the Study of Religion
Bradley L. Herling
Continuum
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038
9780826495310, $12.95, www.continuumbooks.com

Religion is a subject as old as humanity itself, and there's always need for a deeper study of it. "A Beginner's Guide to the Study of Religion" hopes to set its aspiring theologian readers in the right direction in their study of one of the world's oldest concepts. A through and masterfully written introduction, it should be as easy to comprehend for novices as it is a refresher for professors, it covers a survey of classics that should be read for any early student, essential quotations and concepts to be studied for them, and where they should go next after this. "A Beginner's Guide to the Study of Religion" is thoroughly recommended to all future students of theology and for community library theology shelves.

The Baha'i Faith
William S. Hatcher & J. Douglas Martin
Baha'i Publishing
1233 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201
1931847061, $14.95, www.us.bahai.org

In just one hundred fifty years, the Baha'i faith has become the world's second largest independent religion. "The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion" is an all-purpose guide to the religion, covering its history, beliefs, and community. Named by the Encyclopedia Britannica as a book of understanding and knowledge, and it covers all of the recent developments of the Baha'i faith and everything one would need or want to know about them. "The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion" is highly recommended to all scholars or non-specialist general interest readers who seek a more complete understanding of the Baha'i faith and everything about it.

C.S. Lewis and Human Suffering
Marie A. Conn
Hidden Spring
c/o Paulist Press
997 MacArthur Blvd. Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
9781587680441, $14.00, www.hiddenspringbooks.com

C.S. Lewis spent the first half of his life as an atheist, but later converted to Christianity - why the change of heart? "C.S. Lewis and Human Suffering: Light Among the Shadows" is a deftly written examination of Lewis's works and his thought processes and how they can affect modern Christians and there relationship with God. Viewing Pain as something that enhances the Human spirit to help them become more complete people and chisel them to better fit God's image, "C.S. Lewis and the human Suffering: Light Among the Shadows" is highly recommended to community library religious collections and for anyone who wants a better look into the thought processes of this unique individual.

Thumpin' It
Jacques Berlinerblau
WJK Press
100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396
9780664231736, $16.95, www.wjkbooks.com

There is meant to be a separation of church and state in the United States - yet every president the country has ever had has been sworn in on a Christian Bible. "Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of The Bible In Today's Presidential Politics" is a scholarly examination of the politicians of the country's obsession with using the bible in what is meant to be an overall secular country. Looking how it impacts current issues such as the environment, steam cell research, abortion, among other countless other topics. "Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics" is a through and highly recommended addition to community library politics and religion collections and for anyone who wants a solid examination of this mixing of church and state.

Contesting Texts
Melody D. Knowles, Esther Menn, John Pawlikowski, O.S.M., and Timothy J. Sandoval, editors
Fortress Press
c/o Augsburg Fortress Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
9780800638429, $29.00 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Contesting Texts: Jews and Christians in Conversation about the Bible assembles essays by experienced historians and theologians, discussing how the Bible has served both as a means of connection and instigation to conflict between Christians and Jews. Seeking mutual respect through open and honest dialogue, Contesting Texts explores topics such as "The Problematic Portrayal of 'the Jews' and Judaism in the Gospel of John", "Apocalyptic Violence and Politics", "Unbinding Isaac: Martyrdom and Its Exegetical Alternatives" and much more. A balanced and welcome contribution to religious studies shelves. "The humanly irreconcilable difference between Jews and Christians will not be settled until God redeems the entire world as promised in Scripture. Christians know and serve God through Jesus Christ and the Christian tradition. Jews know and serve God through Torah and the Jewish tradition. That difference will not be settled by one community insisting that it has interpreted Scripture more accurately than the other... Neither Jew nor Christian should be pressed into affirming the teaching of the other community."

A New Kind of Conservative
Joel C. Hunter
Regal Books
c/o B&B Media Group Inc.
109 South Main Street Sorsicana, TX 75110
9780830745333, $19.99, www.regalbooks.com

Not speaking of the traditional religious right of politics, pastor Dr. Joel C. Hunter preaches a new brand of politics in his book "A New Kind of Conservative". Religion and Politics have been intertwining constantly in recent years, and Hunter takes a new stance widening the scope of the bible on politics. While he shares the typical conservative viewpoints on topics such as abortion and homosexuality, he brings focus to topics like the environmental, justice, and social welfare. Highly recommend to Christian Studies and politics collections alike.

Thinking is Authorized!
Nash Khatri
Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
9781434321589, $16.99, www.thinkingisauthorized.com

Don't think about it- a relaxing attitude many take towards their problems, maybe using liquor to help them forget it for a time. "Thinking is Authorized!: Refreshing Philosophical Perspectives for Real Spiritual Growth" disagrees and claims the best way to deal with one's problems is to think them through and attack them thoughtfully- and that doing so will help one think it through and be a more complete individual in life. "Thinking is Authorized!: Refreshing Philosophical Perspectives for Real Spiritual Growth" is highly recommended for all spirituality collections.


The Social Issues Shelf

Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage
Nancy D. Polikoff
Beacon Press
25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108-2892
9780807044322, $24.95 www.beacon.org

Marriage should wholly be a spiritual, religious, and cultural experience - in no point should it have any legal ramifications or even benefits, argues "Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing all Families under the Law". Author Nancy D. Polikoff, a professor of law, says that by legally recognizing some relationships, regardless of gender makeup, as legal and not others, many families suffer, arguing that the marriage movement rejects LGBT equality, no fault divorce, and childbearing and sex outside marriage. Cunningly argued, "Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing all Families under the Law" is enthusiastically recommended for any social issues or gay issues community library shelves or for anyone who wants a differing opinion on the marriage issue.

Ascent to Freedom
Glen T. Martin
The Institute for Economic Democracy
9936 West Camden Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351
9781933567068, $34.99, www.ied.info

Democracy has been spreading greatly as a force the world over as time marches on and more and more countries old tyrannical systems of government break down and make way for democracy. "Ascent to Freedom: Practical & Philosophical Foundations of Democratic World Law" is an examination of the growth of democracy around the world, as the world breaks its chains of economic and political slavery. It also tackles all the problems that these emerging nations must face and the problems they create for both themselves and pre-established democratic nations. Worldwide problems as a whole are addressed, and answered in its philosophy of refusing to accept war, oppression, and poverty as necessary evils of the world. "Ascent to Freedom: Practical & Philosophical Foundations of Democratic World Law" is highly recommended to social issues & politics shelves alike as a scholarly writing on the subject all should think about reading.

Media Madness
James Bowman
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York, New York, 10003-1239
9781594032127, $20.00, www.encounterbooks.com

Everyone is biased - it's a simple fact of life. It's the media's job to simply feign unbiased and honest reporting. "Media Madness: The Corruption of Our Political Culture" is an examination of today's media and the mythology that governs it. Written with a dry, sarcastic wit throughout, author and writer for the Wall Street Journal James Bowman attacks the media's obsessive love of scandal, moral superiority, and the excessive damage they have done to themselves and others, and how the world is moving away from them because of it. "Media Madness: The Corruption of Our Political Culture" is highly recommended for community library social issues shelves and for anyone also disenfranchised with today's news media.

Holy War, Just War
Roberto De Mattei
Chronicles Press
c/o The Rockford Institute
928 North Main Street, Rockford IL 61103
9780972061650, $12.95, http://www.rockfordinstitute.org

America rarely does its research in the modern era - they unfortunately go by what they are told by politicians and the media, catchphrases, witticisms, and slogans, and pay no mind to questioning the validity of the statement. "Holy War, Just War: Islam and Christendom at War" argues that America needs to open its eyes and read into it what's said closer, especially in regard to Islam. America's ignorance to the real underlying problems of the conflict is just making the problem worse - and to truly resolve the religious conflict that most Americans won't even acknowledge that exists, we must meet the problem head on how it is. "Holy War, Just War: Islam and Christendom at War" is a deftly researched and highly recommended addition to religious studies collections everywhere.

Bush vs Chavez
Eva Golinger
Monthly Review Foundation
146 W. 29th Street, Suite 6W, New York, NY 10001
9781583671658, $15.95, www.monthlyreview.org

Is the United States funding Counter-revolutionary groups in Venezuela? Yes, says "Bush vs Chavez: Washington's War on Venezuela". Claiming that American taxpayer dollars are funding, albeit indirectly, organizations that fund the counter-revolutionary groups of Venezuela, in hopes for gaining favor with Latin America's most oil rich nation. More frightening, there is a build up of US troops in the Caribbean that are ready to threaten the Venezuelan people and their governments. "Bush vs Chavez: Washington's War on Venezuela" is highly recommended for community library social issues collections and for anyone who wants a look into the shadier actions of the Bush Administration.

Immigration and the American Future
Chilton Williamson Jr., editor
Chronicles Press
c/o The Rockford Institute
92 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103
9780972061667, $29.95, www.rockfordinstitute.org

Is Immigration really the bane of America that a lot of people say it is? "Immigration and the American Future" claims it to be so, promoting that mass immigration is a larger threat to the American way of life than even a full fledged Terrorist campaign, which means its threat is quite dire indeed. Many intellectual minds weigh in on the controversial and touchy subject, contributing to this scholarly informed and informative well edited and composed paperback. For those seeking a through look at the Anti-immigration viewpoint, "Immigration and the American Future" is highly recommended, and it should find a place on many a community library social issues shelf.

Eve of Destruction
Thomas M. Nichols
University of Pennslyvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4011
9780812240665, $39.95, www.upenn.edu/pennpress

Preventative warfare- attacking someone because a nation believes they are about to commit an act of war. "Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventative War" looks at that concept and asks why is an act of war preventive to an act of war? A scholarly look at the United States in particular growing practice of acting on preventative measures and the ethics of such an act and how they break the world code that has maintained overall general peace in the world. A shocking and controversial look at United States Foreign policy, "Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventative War" is highly recommended for community library military and social issues collections and for anyone who wants a better understanding of this strange tactic.

Global Justice
Thomas Pogge & Darrel Moellendorf
Paragon House
1925 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 7, St. Paul MN 55113-2619
9781557788696, $22.95, www.paragonhouse.com

A collection of selected essays gathered from all over the world and compiled into one place is what "Global Justice: Seminal Essays" promotes. Covering countless moral and current issues that are the questions of our time such as human rights, national identity, war, and the betterment of mankind as a whole. Put together by professor of Philosophy and International affairs at Yale Thomas Pogge and Professor of Philosophy at San Diego State Darrel Moellendorf, "Global Justice: Seminal Essays" is deftly assembled and has the highest recommendation for community library collections on social issues.


The Business Shelf

Zero to One Million
Ryan P. Allis
McGraw Hill
Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2298
9780071496667, $16.95, www.mhprofessional.com

At Age Twenty One, there seems to be two common destinies for Americans - suffering in poverty through college or suffering in poverty through the work force. Not for Ryan Allis - by age 21, he his company had reached, $1,000,000 in sales, money most people may not see even at twice or thrice that age. Since then, that one million has become pathetic in comparison, as Allis's company, iContact Corporation, has reached, $10 million in yearly sales. Allis now reveals his secrets in "Zero to One Million: How I Built A Company to, $1 Million In Sales...And How You Can, Too." Focusing on something he refers to as the "Market-Advantages-Return" evaluation system, he will advise readers to if their businesses are viable and to write a business plan to capture the attention of investors, how to start on nearly nothing, online selling, and so much more. "Zero to One Million: How I Built a Company to, $1 Million In Sales: And How You Can, Too" is highly recommended to budding entrepreneurs everywhere and for for community library business collections.

5 Future Strategies You Need Right Now
George Stalk
Harvard Business Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163
9781422121269, $18.00, www.hbspress.org

Planning for the future is something all wise business man plan for - the current is only temporary, but the future is always ahead for them, and what you sow now, you'll reap then. "Five Future Strategies You Need Right Now" is a comprehensive guide to five well thought out and planned strategies that business leaders can take and follow to help them guide their companies to a more highly successful future. "Five Future Strategies You Need Right Now" is a highly recommended handbook for any business leader who wants to be taken seriously and for community library business collections.

Effective Foundation Management
Joel J. Orosz
AltaMira Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
15200 NBN Way, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214
9780759109872, $22.95, www.altamirapress.com

As FEMA showed with the disastrous mishandling of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago, a poorly guided philanthropic organization, even with the purest intentions to aid, will hinder the very thing they're trying to assist. To help prevent poor philanthropic management, "Effective Foundation Management: 14 Challenges of Philanthropic Leadership and how to Outfox Them" is here to outline 14 problems these leaders will face, such as lack of trained employees (given volunteer work), shared goals for all members of the organization, among other problems that must be rectified for an effective philanthropic organization. "Effective Foundation Management: 14 Challenges of Philanthropic Leadership and how to Outfox them" is deftly composed and highly recommended to anyone who might find themselves in charge of such an organization and for community library business collections.

Success with Asian Names
Fiona Swee-Lin Price
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1115A Boston, MA, 02116
9781857883787, $19.95, www.nicholasbrealey.com

Dealing with a language that mostly stays in roman characters such as English, Spanish, Italian, French, among others - is not that difficult for most people. "Success with Asian Names: A Practical Guide for Business and Everyday Life" looks at something that would be far more difficult - the languages of the Orient - Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Hindi, etc. and how businesses should deal with the sudden character-set changes that for the most part are incompatible with most western databases. Granting advice on bridging the cultural gap and how to deal with ones lack of understanding and to be polite about it, "Success with Asian Names: A Practical Guide for Business and Everyday Life" is highly recommended for any business that is likely to soon deal with Asian countries or dealing with them already - and don't want to fail due to simple miscommunication.

The All-Star Sales Book
Billy Cox
Greenleaf Book Group Press
4425 S. Mo Pac Expy., Suite 600, Austin, TX 78735
9781929774487, $19.95, www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Being stuck in mediocrity is quite possibly the worst place a salesman can be, claims "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks". Selling just enough to get by makes one comfortable, and lacking aspiration - where one who is doing miserably will be motivated to do everything they can to recover and make the most of themselves- to dream of what they want and that drives them. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" hopes to inspire sales people to become more that they can ever hope to be through stories, analogies, anecdotes and more. "The All-Star Sales Book: Get In the Game, Boost Your Numbers, and Earn the Big Bucks" is highly recommended to business people everywhere who need that little kick to get them rolling in life and for community library business collections.

Make More, Worry Less
Was Moss, CFP
FT Press
1 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
9780132346863, $24.99, www.ftpress.com

The security and happiness of the career people always want feasibly in their grasp, says "Makes More, Worry Less: Secrets from 18 Extraordinary People Who Created a Bigger Income and a Better Life". Promoting all the tips and secrets they need to turn their lives around, it presents several true stories and anecdotes of people using each of these skills to improve their life. Promoting lessons, practical and effective ways to worry less, and ways to increase your income at work, "Make More, Worry Less: Secrets from 18 Extraordinary People Who Created a Bigger Income and a Better Life" is highly recommended for both business shelves and for anyone stuck in the grind and apparently going nowhere.

Teams Work
Joyce A. Mitchell
New Hope Publishers
P.O. Box 12065, Birmingham, AL 35202-2065
9781596692114, $10.99, www.newhopepublishers.com

An effective team leader is needed for any team to function fully and effectively - "Teams Work: A No-Nonsense Approach for Achieving More Together" is a excellently composed instructional manual to get the most out of your team and the work it can produce and how to reduce the confusion and complications that so often plague these workers and how to unleash the collective IQ - putting the heads together - the reason that teams are so often put together to attack problems in the first place. "Teams Work: A No-Nonsense Approach for Achieving More Together" is highly recommended for business shelves and anyone whose about to be in charge of a team and wants to maximize their output in both quality and quantity.

Brand Busters
Chris Wirthwein
Paramount Market Publishing, Inc.
950 Danby Road, Suite 136, Ithaca, NY 14850
9780980174502, $24.95 www.paramountbooks.com 1-888-787-8100

If marketing directors did a little research on the history of marketing, they would avoid a good deal of their infamous blunders. This is the basic premise one of the world's most accomplished marketing professionals, Chris Wirthwein, in his new book "Brand Busters: 7 Common Mistakes Marketers Make". Wirthwein illustratively tackles such as taking needs instead of wants, believing marketing as a science or art, overestimating people's memories, and selling on economic basis. Invaluable information for marketers abound and enhanced with a bibliography and a index, "Brand Busters: 7 Common Mistakes Marketers Make" is highly recommended for all business shelves.

Start Pulling Your Chain!
Donald J. Bowersox and Nicholas J. Lahowchic
The Jenkins Group Inc.
400 West Front Street, Suite 4A, Traverse City, MI 49684
9780980089608, $49.95 www.bookpublishing.com

Connections are flat out required to get anything done in this day and age. "Start Pulling Your Chain: Leading Responsive Supply Chain Transformation" will show you how to operate a functioning supply chain for businesses and examining the paradigm shift of the information age. Insight and information on how to create wonderful relationships with your customers and a how to guide to make the transformation from your old business model effectively round out this essential book alongside an index. "Start Pulling Your Chain: Leading Responsive Supply Chain Transformation" is a must for any business library collection.

How to Value & Sell Your Business
Andrew Heslop
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749451172, $60.00 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223

Maximizing profit is the goal of all businesses because it is the peak of the point of it all: making money. "How to Value & Sell your Business: The essential guide to preparing, valuing and selling a company for maximum profit" is a guide to doing just that for the final time with a company. Even if it is far off, it outlines how to plan for the future to maximize your profit. Including instructions on identifying potential buyers, creating a solid exit strategy, managing your paid advisors, and surviving the lock in period. Practically written, "How to Value & Sell Your Business: The essential guide to preparing, valuing and selling a company for maximum profit" is highly recommended for business library collections everywhere.

Value Creation
William D. Neal & Ronald L. Strauss
South Western Cengage Learning
5191 Natorp Boulevard, Mason, Ohio 45040
9781587992049, $39.95, www.academic.cengage.com

A corporate name is everything - it's what holds your reputation and value. "Value Creation: The Power of Brand Equity" is a guide for business managers to make the most of their brand and to make it make them money. Highlighting that a corporation's values can play a big role in attracting customers, and keeping those customers. Also highlighting essential advice to help whoever manages a brand to maintain the value and not lose it, "Value Creation: The Power of Brand Equity" is highly recommended for community library business collections and for any in charge of there brands future.


The Philosophy Shelf

Dis-Enclosure: The Deconstruction of Christianity
Jean-Luc Nancy, author
Bettina Bergo, Gabriel Malenfant, and Michael B. Smith, translators
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue, University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823228362, $20.00 www.fordhampress.com 1-800-247-6553

Written by Jean-Luc Nancy (Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Universite Marc Bloch) and skillfully translated from the original French by the team of Bettina Bergo, Gabriel Malenfant, and Michael B. Smith, Dis-Enclosure: The Deconstruction of Christianity most assuredly lives up to its subtitle as a methodical reverse-engineering of Christianity as a "religion that provided the exit from religion." Scrutinizing Christianity's constantly deferred proclamation of a forthcoming end times as a central tenet, and severely questioning the ramifications of such faith in today's demystified age, Dis-Enclosure suggests that the meaning to human existence is best searched for beyond the limiting constraints of dogma, though not necessarily beyond the mystery of faith itself. "The deconstruction of Christianity comes down to this: an operation of disassembling, focusing on the origin or the sense of deconstruction - a sense that does not belong to deconstructions, that makes it possible but does not belong to it, like an empty slot that makes the structure work (the question being to know how to fill the empty slot without overturning in the process the integrality of the integrity of the Christianity we are trying to disassemble)." An astutely reasoned philosophical text, offering a revolutionary analysis of theistic religion.

Away with All Gods!
Bob Avakian
Insight Press
4064 N. Lincoln Ave. #264, Chicago IL 60618
9780976023685, $14.95, www.insight-press.com

Is religion far more harmful than it's worth? "Away with All Gods!: Unchaining The Mind And Radically Changing The World" certainly believes so. Calling out Religion as a roadblock to scientific, moral, and political progress that oppresses people on terms of race, beliefs, and gender, author Bob Aviakian makes a call to action against all belief systems that stand in the way of social progress and world peace, stating that religion is not a necessary element to solid moral values and peace of mind. "Away with All Gods!: Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World" is a must for any who seek a dissenting opinion for religious studies shelves and for anyone who is disillusioned with their God or gods.


The Travel Shelf

Reid Duffy's Guide to Indiana's Favorite Restaurants, updated edition
Reid Duffy
Quarry Books
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
18705 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
9780253218797, $17.95 www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com 1-800-328-0590

Now in a new updated and expanded edition, Reid Duffy's Guide to Indiana's Favorite Restaurants with a Recipe Sampler is primarily a guide for Indiana residents, travelers, or vacationers to selecting the most sumptuous eateries to enjoy, but the sample recipes are sure to delight anyone interested in the joys of Indiana cuisine. Each restaurant entry lists its address, telephone number, and business hours, along with a lengthy, in-depth paragraph describing what makes a given eatery special, from prize dishes to beer or wine selections to the presence of live entertainment. The presented Indiana culinary trade recipes include "Little Zagreb's Eggplant Provolone", "Beef House Broccoli Soup", "Cindy's Salad", "Toll House Pie" and much more. A mouth-watering Midwest treat!

Cafe Life New York
Sandy Miller
Interlink Books
c/o Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northhampton, MA, 01060-1804
9781566567039, $20.00, www.interlinkbooks.com

Coffee houses have been apart of New York for over three hundred years, with the first opening up in the seventeenth century - 1696. "Cafe Life New York: An Insider's Guide to the City's Neighborhood Cafes" is a guide to one undeniable fact of New York life- New Yorkers love their coffee. A mix of history and guidebook information with a touch of author Sandy Miller's own opinion and personal stories, "Cafe Life New York: An Insider's Guide to City Neighborhood Cafes" covers the best of the best of the coffee houses of New York. Beautiful color photographs throughout adding a grand and excellent descriptive touch, "Cafe Life New York: An Insider's Guide to City Neighborhood Cafes" is highly recommended to coffee lovers and armchair travelers alike - and especially for coffee lovers thinking of visiting the Big Apple.

26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur
Florence Chatzigianis
Azur Alive
c/o Beagle Bay Books
14120 Saddlebow Dr., Reno, NV, 89511
9780979279621, $16.95, www.beaglebay.com/

An alternative tourist attraction could be found and would be well appreciated by nature lovers around the world - "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is a compilation of guides for twenty six half day hikes around France's beautiful coastline along the Mediterranean Sea for any experience level. Packed with color photos and specifics of each trail such as its time, distance, difficulty and what you should bring in preparation, it is the flat out most comprehensive guide you can find on the subject, even covering the history of the area alongside information on the plantlife. "26 Gorgeous Hikes on the Western Cote d'Azur" is highly recommended for armchair travelers and hiking enthusiasts destined to travel to southern France.

Living Abroad In Costa Rica
Erin Van Rheenen
Moon
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
245 West 17th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011-5300
9781598800074, $19.95 www.avalonpub.com 1-800-788-3123

Over the past two decades, growing numbers of Americans have migrated to Costa Rica and made homes and lives for themselves that are comfortable, adventurous, memorable, and eminently satisfying. Erin Van Rheenen was one of those who left her life in the United States behind and settled in Costa Rica. She draws upon her own experience and expertise to author this newly updated and expanded second edition of "Living Abroad In Costa Rica", a travel guide and instructional manual for Americans considering moving to this beautiful nation. Included in this thoroughly 'user friendly' manual is a wealth of practical information on setting up your daily life including the issues of visas, finances, employment, education, and health care. Informed and informative, "Living Abroad In Costa Rica" also addresses how to rent or buy a home that fits diverse needs and a range of budgets, the best places to live, as well as learning the language and understanding the culture. "Living Abroad In Costa Rica" is an essential and enthusiastically recommended instructional guide for anyone considering establishing themselves in Costa Rica whether in the form of a vacation home or a permanent residence.

Rick Steves' Ireland 2008
Rick Steves
Avalon Travel Publishing
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
245 West 17th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011-5300
9781566918596, $19.95 www.avalonpub.com 1-800-788-3123

Ireland offers visitors a diversity of memorable places to visit, memorable people to encounter, and memorable opportunities for recreation. Rick Steves is a seasoned and experienced travel writer and in collaboration with Ireland specialist Pat O'Connor has authored the "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008", a compact, 425-page travel guide that is packed from first page to last with informed and informative information for tourists and business travelers to the villages, towns, and countryside of the Republic of Ireland in the south, as well as the cities and counties of Northern Ireland. Of special note is the introductory chapter dedicated to the best use of this outstanding guide for planning a trip whether of short or extended duration, practicalities when traveling, money, sightseeing, sleeping, eating, 'Traveling as a Temporary Local', and 'Back Door Travel Philosophy'. Another special section is devoted to Irish history, art, literature, language, and an Irish-Yankee Vocabulary. Enhanced with appendices on resources; money matters; telephones, emails, and postal mails; transportation; holidays and festivals; conversions and climate; an essential packing checklist; and a sample hotel reservation form, "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008" is an ideal and enthusiastically recommended guide for anyone anticipating a trip to the Emerald Isle.

50 Places To See Before You Die
Nicholas Noyes
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Av., White Plains, NY 10601
9781593598037, $9.95, www.peterpauper.com

Stonehenge. The Taj'Mahal. Buckingham Palace. The Great Pyramids of Egypt. All places that many people say you should see before you die. But are they really that fun to visit? "50 Places To See Before You Die: and 50 Places that are a Lot more Fun" is a comprehensive guide for the world traveler who's sick of the same old monuments and festivals that carry only religious or historical significance, and want something a bit more fun and interesting, like the druid circle of Nebraska, the running of the Nudes, and more. Countless offbeat attractions abound make "50 Places to See Before You Die: And 50 Places that are a lot more Fun" a top pick for travelers who want something different.


The International Studies Shelf

Architects of Delusion
Simon Serfaty
University of Pennslyvania Press
3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4011
9780812240603, $45.00, www.upenn.edu/pennpress

The United States led invasion of Iraq has provoked a great variety of reactions from around the globe. But what was the true reason behind these reactions - are they really looking out for their country's best interests, or is it something far more petty? "Architects of Delusion: Europe, America, and the Iraq War" is an examination of these responses with a focus on the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Germany. The results that Serfaty presents are intriguing and somewhat discomforting. "Architects of Delusion: Europe, America, and the Iraq War" is a must have for any student of current events and for community library international studies shelves.

Human Rights at the UN
Roger Normand and Sarah Zaidi
Indiana University Press
601 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404
9780253219343, $29.95, www.iupress.indiana.edu

International Human rights are a relatively recent invention, and there coming into international law can be attributed to the UN. "Human Rights at the UN: The Political History of Universal Justice" is a through and scholarly look at the development of human writes during the periods of shortly before its creation and immediately following it, and its expansion and development over the years following it all and everything since, as rights for all more and more often becomes the norm. "Human Rights at the UN: The Political History of Universal Justice" is highly recommended for community library international affairs shelves and for anyone who wants to be more appreciative of what we have now.


The World History Shelf

Forgotten Bread
David Kherdian, editor
Heyday Books
P.O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
9781597140690, $29.95, www.heydaybooks.com

The often-forgotten Armenian genocides of the 1910s made many of the Armenian people take off for America in fear for their lives at the height of the immigration era. "Forgotten Bread: First-Generation Armenian American Writers" is an examination of those first immigrants authors, and the heralds of the atrocities they had witnessed, dictating them to paper to share with both their contemporaries and future generations. Seventeen first generation authors are presented, each introduced by a member of the second generation. These vital, deftly written and edited accounts are a must have for world history and literature collections and for Armenian readers who want a closer look at their dark history.

Reformation and Early Modern Europe: A Guide to Research
David M. Whitford, editor
Truman State University Press
100 East Normal Street, Kirksville, MO 63501-4221
9781931112727, $52.00 http://tsup.truman.edu 1-800-916-6802

Reformation and Early Modern Europe: A Guide to Research is an anthology of eighteen scholarly essays by learned authors discussing confessional, regional, social, and cultural trends in early modern Europe, especially 1500-1700 C.E. Each essayist draws upon extensive research and his or her expertise in the field; topics include art history; religious traditions ranging from Lutheran to Reformed to early modern Catholicism; regional paradigm shifts in France, Italy, England, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands; and much more. "It should be recognized that cultural history does not always (or even usually) follow the lead or intentions of the cultural leaders or intellectuals. Important events often run directly counter to intent and expectation. Witchcraft historians have spent a lot of energy examining those figures who openly and explicitly opposed witchcraft trials... It has, however, turned out to be difficult to find any direct influence of the skeptic upon actual witchcraft trials." An excellent addition to world history shelves, especially recommended for college libraries.

History of Ireland
Malachy McCourt
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
9780762431816, $15.95, www.runningpress.com

The little island to the west of England has brought more to the world than the world knows. Malachy McCourt's "History of Ireland" covers the nation's complete history, touching on subjects in its history as diverse as Viking invasions to Ireland's contributions to the fine arts. Nothing is left out- real history and mythology alike are covered in full. "History of Ireland" is comprehensive, well written and composed by best-selling author Malachy McCourt. It's a top pick for community library history collections, and for anyone who wants to learn more about this oft-forgotten major piece of world history.

Atheism in the Medieval, Islamic, & European World
Fatemeh Chehregosha Azinfar
Ibex Publishers
P.O. Box 30087, Bethesda, MD 20824
9781588140517, $80.00, www.ibexpublishers.com

The concept of Atheism - the complete denial of the existence of God - is believed to be a modern concept that didn't come along until The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. "Atheism in the Medieval, Islamic, & European World: The Influence of Persian and Arabic Ideas of Doubt and Skepticism on Medieval European Literary Thought" is an examination of the concept and its influences on the old European and Middle Eastern worlds of a thousand years ago. Examining other modern concepts alongside it- such as rationalism and feminism - it's an enlightening look at the past world as something other than what modern progressives would call ignorant. "Atheism in the Medieval, Islamic, & European World: The Influence of Persian and Arabic Ideas of Doubt and Skepticism on Medieval European Literary Thought" is highly recommended for any community library religious studies collection.


The Biography Shelf

Abroad for Her Country
Jean M. Wilkowski
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
9780268044138, $30.00 www.undpress.nd.edu 1-800-621-2736

Abroad for Her Country: Tales of a Pioneer Woman Ambassador in the U.S. Foreign Service is the autobiography of Jean M. Wilkowski, with especial focus upon her career in the U.S. Foreign Service during the latter half of the twentieth century. Chapters relate her rise through the ranks at the Department of State, from vice consul to the first woman acting U.S. ambassador in Latin America, to the first woman U.S. ambassador to an African country (Honduras). Her thirty-five year diplomatic career brought her into contact with colorful characters, war-displaced refugees, businessmen, United Nations personnel and much more. Told in a candid prose accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Abroad for Her Country is eminently absorbing and highly recommended.

Frank Nitti
Ronald D. Humble
Barricade Books
185 Bridge Plaza North, Ste 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803424, $23.95, www.barricadebooks.com

Everyone knows of mob boss Al Capone. But what of his successor in the mob, Frank Nitti, who should be just as infamous, if not more so? "Frank Nitti: The True Story Chicago's Notorious 'Enforcer'" is his tale, bringing the tale of the countless murders and conspiracies for more, the vice and corruption that came with Nitti's leadership. With examinations of how Nitti has been portrayed in myth, legend, television, and movies, it tries to find out the truth about the man through scholarly research, covering everything from his time as Capone's enforcer, his plots to extort Hollywood, and his mysterious death, ruled as a suicide, but could it have been a complex assassination? "Frank Nitti: The True Story Chicago's Notorious 'Enforcer'" is highly recommended for anyone with a strong interest in the golden age of the mob and for community library true crime shelves.

Wheeling the Deal
Chip Jacobs
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, CA, 92630
9781933016474, $16.95, www.behlerpublications.com

It's one of the most inspirational things one can see in the world - a man who is paralyzed from the neck down deciding that invalidism isn't for him and making something of themselves. "Wheeling the Deal: The Outrageous Legend of Gordan Zahler, Hollywood's Flashiest Quadriplegic" is the story of Gordon Zahler, a man who turned himself into one of Hollywood's fast talking and successful idea men who traveled the world, married, and so much more, disregarding his condition and living life to the fullest he possibly could. "Wheeling the Deal: The Outrageous Legend of Gordon Zahler, Hollywood's Flashiest Quadriplegic" is a brilliant and uplifting true story and is highly recommended for anyone in a similar position or has a relative there - to open their eyes to the possibilities.

Miles from the Sideline
Maura Weis
Sorin Books
1440 N. Kingsbury, Chicago, Illinois, 60622
9781933495033, $18.95, www.sorinbooks.com

Before the age of two, little Hannah Weis was just like any other toddler. Bright, happy, resilient, and full of laughter. "Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with her Special Needs Daughter" is the story of what happened in the following decade where her development suddenly slowed, and how her mother, author Maura Weis, has had to deal with all the turmoil and triumph that comes from raising a daughter who just isn't like everyone else in the world, a daughter with special needs. "Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with her Special Needs Daughter" is a deftly written memoir that is highly recommended for other parents of special needs children and for community library memoir collections.

Child in Jerusalem
Felicity Ashbee
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
9780815608721, $19.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Child in Jerusalem is the child's-eye memoir of author Felicity Ashbee, who spent four years from age six to age ten living in post-World War I Jerusalem while her father worked to restore the city architecturally and artistically. A powerful work that captures a momentary golden time of restoration and peaceful exchange between faiths, Child in Jerusalem vividly recaptures Ashbee's views of the city and its people, as well as offering hindsight-insight into the stirrings of radical ideas culminating in the rise of religion-centered political factions whose clash would undo much of what had been rebuilt. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this poignant framing of memory.

The Accidental Explorer
Sherry Simpson
Sasquatch Books
119 South Main Street, Suite 400, Seattle, Washington 98104
9781570615375, $23.95, www.sasquatchbooks.com

You could live in London all of your life, and never see Buckingham Palace. You could live in Washington D.C., and never see the White House. You could live in Alaska, and never see the beautiful wilderness that surrounds you - and that's what happened to author Sherry Simpson. "The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska" is her tale of accidentally discovering the vast natural wonder surrounding her during an epic solo hike across it all, despite not being much of a seasoned hiker. Written with humility versus the nature that she is simply a simple city girl facing vast odds, "The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska" is highly recommended for any true adventure collection and for anyone who wants to read a tale of explorer about someone who is not so much unlike them.


The Parenting Shelf

Baby: An Owner's Manual
Bud Zukow, M.D. With Nancy Sayles Kaneshiro
Beaufort Books
27 West 20th Street, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10011
9780825305788, $14.95, www.beaufortbooks.com

The small moist pink creature that breaks into many people's lives kicking and screaming and expecting people to care for it doesn't even have the decency to come with a manual to help its caretakers along- until now. "Baby: An Owner's Manual" is a comprehensive guide to help harried and worried parents get through the early stages of their new child, and only want the best- a practice that usually leads them to endlessly nagging their pediatrician of choice. Covered in the book are infants' sleeping habits, early scheduling with the baby's defiance of it, weaning and starting them on solid foods, and if the child will ever be quiet and how much crying is too much. "Baby: An Owner's Manual" is a must for any new parent and for community library parenting collections.

Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World
Judy Halliday R.N. & Joani Jack M.D.
Regal Books
1957 Eastman Ave., Ventura, CA 93003
9780830745340, $17.99, www.regalbooks.com

America carries the banner as the fattest nation in the world - a banner that isn't carried proudly, and rightfully so. "Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World" is a thoroughly researched and informative guidebook for parents for making sure that their children do not simply become a member of the large growing statistic on America's large growing waistline. Packed cover to cover with tips to help parents fight obesity in simply the best way they can - preventative. Encouraging children to eat the right foods and when to eat them alongside encouraging stronger and more vigorous physical activity, among other advice. "Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World" is essential to community library parenting collections and for any parents seeking to set their kids on good weight keeping habits for life.

My Grandma Died
Lory Britain
Parenting Press
PO Box 75267, Seattle, WA 98125
9781884734267, $6.95, www.parentingpress.com 1-800-992-6657

The natural consequence arising from the death of a loved one is the feeling of loss-based grief, confusion, and anger. With children there is often a third effect -- the fear of losing others. Children are resilient, but that resilience can be augmented and the effects of grief and fear can be alleviated and worked through by parents and family members with the help of books like Lory Britain's "My Grandma Died". Especially appropriate for preschool and kindergarten aged children, "My Grandma Died' is simple, exceptionally well-crafted story that deals with all the emotional consequences children encounter with the death of a loved one. An inexpensive little book in a 'kid friendly' paperback format, "My Grandma Died" is an appropriate addition to community library collections, and is very strongly recommended for families, day-care centers and preschool facilities, family counseling and social service agencies.

My Mother Wears Combat Boots
Jessica Mills
AK Press
674-A 23rd Street, Oakland, CA 94612
9781904859727, $16.95, www.akpress.org

A parenting guide for those who don't live in the beautiful nuclear family that 1950s America so happily painted for us or even the 90s where both Mom and Dad had nine to five jobs - what if Mom and Dad don't have those sort of jobs? "My Mother Wears Combat Boots: A Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us" is a guide written with the off-beat parent in mind who has no intention of being a nine to five wage slave - a parent who makes their living touring with their band, or spends a lot a time away from what would be labeled home by many. Author and modern day renaissance woman Jessica Mills attacks numerous subjects that may come up as an issue when you live away from what's considered 'normal' by most - weaning, co-sleeping, diapers, and more, written in a clever and humorous yet still informative way, "My Mother Wears Combat Boots: A Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us" is highly recommended for community library parenting shelves and any parent or parent to be with a lifestyle most wouldn't classify as ordinary.

Winning the Drug War at Home
Kathy Pride
Living Ink Books
c/o AMG Publishers
6815 Shallowford Rd., Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
Veritas Communications (publicity)
P.O. Box 2075, Canon City, CO 81215
9780899570822, $14.99, www.livinginkbooks.com

Drugs destroy countless teenage lives every year in an area where even one is too many. "Winning the Drug War at Home" is author and mother Kathy Pride's story of her son's seduction by the evils of marijuana and how she helped him fight and overcome the drug, and advice for other parents to overcome drug use and the addiction that inevitably follows, to help parents restore hope to their children and to mend the broken relationships that the substances create. "Winning the Drug War at Home" is highly recommended to community library religion shelves and for parents who fear for their children's substance use.

Not My Child
Linda Harvey
Living Ink Books
6815 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421
9780899570341, $12.99, www.amgpublishers.com

Everyday teens are bombarded with casual occultism - it may not seem as such, but it's everywhere in today's society claims "Not My Child: Contemporary Paganism & the New Spirituality". It is an examination of how, why, and where paganism is connecting with today's youth, its appeal to them, and to some what may be described as evil is infesting the day to day lives of today's teens. Attacking pop spirituality, outlining the pitfalls of a pagan lifestyle and more, "Not My Child: Contemporary Paganism & The New Spirituality" is recommended to any parents who may be concerned about strange religious practices of their teen.


The American History Shelf

Astoria: An Oregon History
Karen L. Leedom
The Local History Company
112 North Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15232-2849
9780977042968, $19.95 www.TheLocalHistoryCompany.com

Astoria resident Karen L. Leedom presents Astoria: An Oregon History, an extensively researched, informed and informative local history of the city of Astoria, Oregon - the oldest European-American settlement west of the Rockies - illustrated with black-and-white photographs and featuring three self-guided tours. Chapters tell of Astoria's colorful past dating all the way back to the 1500s. From Native American life to the rise of logging and fishing to Oregon's first female surgeon and dramatic Coast Guard rescues, Astoria: An Oregon History is as fun to read as it is educational. Highly recommended for anyone traveling to Astoria, whether for business, pleasure, or a family visit!

Year of the Fires
Stephen J. Pyne
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806
9780878425440, $16.00 www.mountain-press.com 1-800-234-5308

In the summer of 1910, wildfires in the Northern Rockies spread across millions of acres; the soot darkened the skies of New England and even drifted as far as the ice of Greenland. Seventy-eight firefighters died fighting the "Big Blowup" along the Montana-Idaho border. Nationally recognized fire historian Stephen J. Pyne presents Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910, which tells of this tremendous catastrophe and how it forever changed America's policies for responding to forest fires. Accessible to scholars and lay readers alike, Year of the Fires is a welcome addition to American history shelves and highly recommended - especially considering that the lessons of the past remain just as relevant in "fire-prone" parts of the nation today.

Class and Gender Politics in Progressive-Era Seattle
John C. Putman
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166, Reno, NV, 89557-0166
9780874177367, $39.95 www.unpress.nevada.edu 1-877-682-6657

Written by John C. Putman (associate professor of history, San Diego State University), Class and Gender Politics in Progressive-Era Seattle is a scholarly look at he changing social order in early twentieth century Seattle. Examining the intersection of radical-labor movements, feminist movements, suffrage campaigns, Class and Gender Politics in Progressive-Era Seattle reveals how the alliances and conflicts between these movements contributed to Seattle's regional identity. "Unlike most eastern labor struggles, class conflict out west was more localized. The lack of large-scale national industrial firms meant that Seattle workers had to battle locally entrenched economic and political elites rather than national corporate leaders." An astute socio-historical analysis, particularly recommended for college library collections.

House of Mourning
Shannon A. Novak
The University of Utah Press
1795 E. South Campus Dr., #101, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112-9402
9780874809190, $29.95, www.uofupress.com

It is so often sadly the case when so many die at the same time, the impact of each individual death becomes less and less, until it becomes nothing more than padding for statistics, completely stripped of its human element. "House of Mourning: A Biocultural History of the Mountain Meadows Massacre" seeks to remedy this horrifying effect by turning a more personal look at the victims of the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre, where 120 men, women, and children were senselessly executed by Mormon militiamen. Going over each individual, and using whatever evidence she could, author and professor of Anthropology Shannon Novak does her best to give each of the hundred twenty unfortunate souls justice to not just be lost in the sands of time as simply a one of a number. "House of Mourning: A Biocultural History of the Mountain Meadows Massacre" is a highly recommended addition to academic and community library Anthropology, American History, and Utah History reference shelves and supplemental reading lists.

The St. Louis African American Community and the Exodusters
Bryan M. Jack
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
9780826217721, $34.95, http://press.umsystem.edu/

Wandering through the long, wide, open and sparse plains of Kansas, thousands of ex-slaves were dubbed "Exodusters", searching for a promised land to live their life upon. "The St. Louis African American Community and the Exodusters" tells the tale of the relationship between the Exodusters and the residents of St. Louis, fearful to aid them, anticipating a wave of even more migrants from the east. But some out of love and respect for humanity chose to help them, and this is their story - the story of people such as Charlton Tandy, and Reverend John Turner, a story of the newly freedmens' search for a direction in their life. "The St. Louis African American Community and the Exodusters" is recommended for both black studies and American history shelves.


The Interior Design Shelf

Altar Your Space
Jagatjoti S. Khalsa
Mandala Publishing
c/o Palace Press International
180 Varick Street, 10th floor, New York, NY 10014
9781601090089, $29.95 www.palacepress.com

The purpose of interior design is to ensure that the residents of a dwelling, be it a home, an office, or an apartment, live and work in as amenable, pleasant, personalized, and positive environment as possible. As a respite or sanctuary from the stresses and demands of the world at large, personal living spaces should be as good for the soul and spirit as they are for the body. Jagatjoti Singh Khalsa founded the Tara Home in Venice, California, for the purpose of specializing in sacred home furnishings and antiquities drawn from or inspired by the world's most spiritually rich locations. The result is "Altar Your Space: A Guide to The Restorative Home", a unique interior design guide focusing on the decor of a living space in meeting the personal and spiritual needs of its residents. Beautifully illustrated throughout, enhanced with informed and informative essays, and replete with real-life examples, "Altar Your Space" shows how to infuse a sacred quality into a living space with simple furnishings ranging from hand-cared wooden chairs, to stone statues, to silk pillows, to translucent curtain, and thereby crafting a kind of sacred place where form and function come together to create ideal metaphysically supportive living conditions with respect to virtually every room in a home. "Altar Your Space" is a very special and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Interior Design reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Decor Enterprises' Designing With Fabrics And Color
Brenda Weiss
Xlibris Corporation
International Plaza II, Suite 340, Philadelphia, PA 19113
7935 N.W. 110th Drive, Parkland, FL 33076
9781425793685, $54.99 www.xlibris.com

The popularity of such television shows as Designed to Sell; Designing on a Dime; and Devine Design, shows that the art of interior design has truly come into its own for both professional designers and the do-it-yourself enthusiast. A licensed Interior Designer in South Florid (and the Principal of Weiss Design Group Inc., a company specializing in residential, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial interior design), Brenda Weiss draws upon her more than fifteen years of experience and expertise to write and publish "Decor Enterprises' Designing With Fabrics And Color", an interior design picture book that provides a comprehensive introduction and reference to the basic principles of design, fabric, paint selection, color theory, and furniture style for virtually any room of a home or office. The core of this simply outstanding instruction manual is a thoroughly 'user friendly' five-step process of coordinating fabrics with paints in a definable style. Showcasing more than three hundred fabric/paint scheme illustrations, samples and examples, "Decor Enterprises' Designing With Fabrics And Color" will enable the novice to produce interior design elements that will achieve professional quality results while accurately reflecting or representing their individual tastes. An ideal addition to academic and community library Interior Design reference collections, "Decor Enterprises' Designing With Fabrics And Color" will also prove an invaluable reference for seasoned professionals, as well as an in-service training resource guide for staff development purposes with respect to professional interior design companies.


The Railroading Shelf

Chicago & North Western
John Kelly
Iconografix
PO Box 446, Hudson, WI 54016
158388159X, $29.95, www.iconografixinc.com

Iconographix is a publishing house dedicated to providing personal, academic, and community libraries with thematic compilations of historic photographs drawn from diverse pictorial archives from around the country. This is especially true of such visual railroad memorials as John Kelly's "Chicago & North Western: Passenger Trains Of The 400 Fleet" offers an historical 'window in time' perspective on the Chicago-Twin Cities 400 commuter passenger trains that plied their way through such upper Midwest communities as Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Wisconsin's North Woods, Upper Michigan, and southern Minnesota. This was an era where the Chicago & North Western offered their passengers speed, luxury, safety, and $1.25 dinners. In addition to full-page black-and-white photos of the trains themselves, browsers will also encounter photographs of stations, advertisements, and railcar interiors. A superbly organized and presented archival volume, "Chicago & North Western" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any railroad buff's personal reference collection.

The West The Railroads Made
Carlos A. Schwantes and James P. Ronda
University of Washington Press
P.O. Box 50096, Seattle, Washington, 98145-5096, USA
9780295987699., $39.95, www.washington.edu/uwpress

The innovation of railroads in the early nineteenth century transformed America from a nation covering the eastern seaboard to the country it is today spanning from Maine to Southern California. "The West The Railroads Made" is an anthology of stories, illustrations, and photographs (some of which are color) to tell the tale of how the pioneers of this technology were essential in transforming America in the country it is today. "The West The Railroads Made" is highly recommended for locomotion enthusiasts everywhere, and for any community library collection for Railroads or American history.

Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California
David F. Myrick
University of Nevada Press
Morrill Hall Mail Stop 0166, Reno NV 89557-0166
9780874177015, $65.00, www.unpress.nevada.edu

The third volume of the series that all train lovers will adore is now available in "Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: Volume III: More of the Northern Roads". Made by railroad fanatics for railroad fanatics, this nearly 400 page coffee table book serves its fan base remarkably well. Over 300 photographs, an index and other appendixes make "Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California: Volume III: More of the Northern Roads" highly recommended for railroad lovers everywhere and for any community library railroading collection.

Mid-Size Track Plans For Realistic Layouts
Bernard Kempinski
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890247044, $21.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com 1-800-533-6644

The very best model railroads are those whose designs are accurately based on real railroads. The premier publisher of model railroading books and instructional guides for model railroad enthusiasts, the Kalmbach Publishing Company's newest title, "Mid-Size Track Plans For Realistic Layouts" by Bernard Kempinski showcases twenty-six innovative model railroad track plains in Z, N. Ho, O, and G Scales that are specifically designed to fit into mid-sized areas such as a spare room, basement corner, or in a garage. Profusely illustrated throughout with more than one hundred and forty photographs and plans, "Mid-Size Track Plans For Realistic Layouts" provides a wealth of practical tips and basic information on condensing real towns and scenes into model form, researching prototype railroads, realistically operating small layouts, designing walkaround-style layouts, and so much more. An ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library model railroading instructional and reference collections, "Mid-Size Track Plans For Realistic Layouts" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and replete with track-planing tips for creating personalized layout designs applicable to any size model railroad set-up.


The Criminology Shelf

Murder in Mayberry
Mary Kinney Branson & Jack Branson
New Horizon Press Books
P.O. Bix 669, Far Hilla, NJ 07931
9780882823256, $24.95, www.newhorizonpressbooks.com

If a murder occurs in New York, Detroit, or Baltimore...it's a sad but true fact that most of the citizens are not going to be affected. But when Murder occurs in a small town...it is another story entirely. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" is the tale of Madisonville, Kentucky and the brutal slaying of Ann Branson - and how the murderer was a quiet townie just like the rest of them - church going, helpful, just like them. The FBI has to dig through these charades and go through the deep, dark secrets of a small town to find who was responsible for Mrs. Branson's death. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" sounds like fiction, but is in fact a true story, and is highly recommended for community library collections with a nod to True Crime.


The Self-Help Shelf

Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System
Linda L. Simmons, PsyD
Harrington Park Press
c/o The Hawthorn Press
10 Alice Street, Birmingham, NY, 13904-1580
9780789032225, $17.95, www.hawthornpress.com

A shoulder to cry to, someone who can comfort you in times of crisis just isn't something that's always available. "Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System: Creating a Community of One" acknowledges this and provides comfort and encouragement to those who are cut off from others that could help them. Promoting a step by step self-support system, it gives the invaluable information needed for the early steps of recovery. Enhanced with an index and with nearly two hundred pages of support, "Becoming Your Own Emotional Support System: Creating a Community of One" is highly recommended to self-help shelves everywhere and for loners who still need assistance in the recovery process.

Comfort and Joy
Colette Lafia
Conari Press
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
9781573243513, $14.95, www.redwheelweiser.com

No matter how hardened one claims to be, no matter how tough a front one puts up, everyone needs some comfort and joy from time to time. "Comfort and Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others" is a deftly written encouragement for everyone to do a little extra to make the world a better place. A profound and touching message, little things like a plush pillow, warm milk, the shoulder of a friend - all can make your loved ones feel better- and in the process, make yourself feel better as well. "Comfort and Joy: Simple Ways to Care for Ourselves and Others" is highly recommended to community library self-help collections - and anyone who wants to improve their own quality of life by improving others.

Get It Done When You're Depressed
Julie A. Fast & John D. Preston, Psy.D. ABPP
Alpha Books
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
9781592577064, $13.95, www.penguin.com 1-800-847-5515

Depression doesn't have to completely shut down people's lives - part of overcoming it is not letting it take over the sufferer's life. "Get It Done When You're Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track" is an encouraging and helpful treatise to help sufferers overcome clinical depression to keep them going and get over it so they can continue leading healthy, productive lives in spite of it. Inspiring readers to continue creativity, overcome their own mind, and allow for time to pass to get what they want, and dozens upon dozens of other tips to getting through day to day life under depression, "Get It Done When You're Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track" is highly recommended to self-help community library collections, for those who have been in the unending funk with the intimidating news that life still needs to be lived.

Flight Plan
Brian Tracy
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
253 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
9781576754979, $19.95, www.bkconnection.com

Life is a journey, and people can accomplish more than they ever dreamed they could accomplish if they would just put their minds to it states prolific author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy in his new book "Flight Plan: The Real Secret to Success." All they need to do this, Tracy writes, is a well thought out and excellent plan covering exactly what readers want to do, a solid self-esteem, a clear goal, and the motivation to stay on course despite anything that would shove them off their decided path in life. "Flight Plan: The Real Secret to Success" is highly recommended to self-help community library collections, and for any who want the most out of their time.

A Woman's Guide to Recovery
Brenda Hiff
Hazelden
PO Box 176, Center City, MN 55012-0176
9781592854790, $14.95, www.hazelden.org

Recovery is a hard process - you must shake off something that has been such a huge part of your life for so long - while dealing with the horrifying reality you've let it dominate your life for that long. "A Woman's Guide to Recovery" is a guide to help women along that long, treacherous path. It covers the basics of addiction, the principles of twelve step programs, how it's different for women trying to shake their addiction, advice for taking care of ones' self, dealing with ones emotions as an adult, how your addiction has been affecting ones relationship with everyone they know and care for, among other advice. "A Woman's Guide to Recovery" is highly recommended to community library women's issues shelves, and for any women trying to get the proverbial monkey off their back.

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage
Mark Gungor
Atria Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, 10020
B&B Media Group
109 South Main Street, Corsicana, TX75110
9781416536055, $24.00, www.laughyourway.com

Laughter has long and often been called the best medicine, but they're usually talking about depression. Can Laughter be the panacea for people's marriage woes as well? "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking The Secrets to Life, Love, and Marriage" believes so, promoting tell-it-like-it-is honesty between couples to help work out their problems and get a laugh from both of them in the process. Good relationships are the products of hard work and skill, and it never just happens by accident. "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking the Secrets to Life, Love, and Marriage" is highly recommended to any couple who wants a preemptive yet humorous strike at their problems and for community library relationship collections.


The Dance Shelf

Slow Dancing for Beginners: Volumes 1 & 2
Xpress Innovations Inc.
c/o 411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.411videoinfo.com
DVD, $29.99 each, www.shawntrautman.com

The coach and mentor of World Champion dancers Shawn Trautman and his wife Joanna Trautman present Slow Dancing for Beginners, a two-volume instructional DVD set ideal for novice to intermediate slow dancing couples. Volume 1 ($29.99, 90 min.) uses engaging, easy-to-follow instructions to train viewers in the basic steps, as well as reinforce muscle memory. The picture-in-picture filming helps the viewer learn left turns, right turns, underarm turns, momentum turns, and more. Volume 2 ($29.99, 90 min.) broadens the range of instruction through teaching additional steps: "magic turns", the lunge, promenade pivots, dips, and much more! Both DVDs are filmed in HD and highly recommended for self-training prior to attending a wedding, cruise, or dance event.


The Cookbook Shelf

Vegan Seafood
Nancy Berkoff
The Vegetarian Resource Group
PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203
9780931411311, $12.00 www.vrg.org

Just because you're a vegetarian doesn't mean you have to give up enjoying the taste of the sea. You can avoid fish in your diet and still please your palate and satisfy your appetite with gourmet quality dishes that give you the illusion of seafood through the clever culinary uses of vegetables and seasonings. That is the premise and promise of Nancy Berkoff's "Vegan Seafood: Beyond The Fish Shtick For Vegetarians", an impressively diverse collection of recipes that range from a Vegetarian 'Fish' Sauce; to an Ocean and Sea Minestrone; to Vegan 'Fish' Fillets' to a Vegan 'Crab' Ragoon; to the ever popular 'Fish' Taco. An extensive introduction includes websites offering 'Seafood' products and substitutions, cooking with vegan 'fish'; the use of saffron, and more. There are vegan recipes for soups, stocks, appetizers, salads, and main dishes. Of special note is the practical information about nutrition, including fish oil and Omega-3. Enhanced with a 'Guide to Resources from the Vegetarian Resources Group' and an Index, "Vegan Seafood" is an essential addition to personal, professional, and community library Cookbook, as well as Health/Nutrition, reference collections and vegetarian reading lists.

Vegan Bites
Beverly Lynn Bennett
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
www.thefarm.org/businesses/bpc.html
9781570672217, $15.95, 1-800-695-2241

The vegetarian approach to eating is growing more and more popular as people become involved in and aware of animal advocacy issues, seek a greener and more ecological friendly life-style, and gain an increased awareness of the links between nutrition and health. This is especially true for adolescents and those in their 20-something years. That is the premise and purpose of Beverly Lynn Bennett's "Vegan Bits: Recipes For Singles", a compilation of one hundred specially designed recipes that emphasize local, organic, and seasonal ingredients in their composition and preparation. The vegan recipes range from Black Bean and Mango Salsa; Sun-Dried Tomato Falafels in Pitas; Supper-Size Stuffed Mushrooms; and Homemade Applesauce Your Way; to Lemon Bulgur and Broccoli; Golden Home-Style Biscuits; Classic Peanut Butter Cookies; and Dried Fruit, Nut, and Coconut Candies. "Vegan Bits" is distinguished from other vegan and vegetarian cookbooks in that the recipes are specifically tailored to those who are single and therefore especially appropriate for anyone living on their own or with a roommate -- but highly adaptable for having friends and family over for any dining occasion.

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2
Sandra Lee
Meredith Books
1716 Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50336-0001
9780696238284, $19.95, www.meredithbooks.com 1-800-678-8091

Simply stated, Sandra Lee is an expert cook, the host of the successful Food Network television series 'Semi-Homemade Cooking" (which celebrates its 200th episode in May 2008), and the author of thirteen books. The latest of which is "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2" that is comprised of two hundred pages of culinary advice, recipes, gadgets, and illustrations that focus upon the art of the grill. Separate chapters are devoted to grilling veggies and sides; skewers; dogs and sausages; 'things to Do with Your Turkey Fryer'; beef; 'things with Wings; Swimmers (fish); 'Best Burgers'; desserts, and 'Parties' (including party menus and tablescapes from a beach blanket bash to a father's day feast'. With mouth-watering, 'cook friendly' recipes ranging from Prosciuto-Wrapped Corn on the Cob; Salami-Stuffed Pork Chops; Rib Steaks with Raspberry-Tarragon Sauce; and Bourbon-Brined Chicken; to Salmon Steaks with Sun-Dried and Fresh Tomato Salsa; Taco Meat Loaf; Mixed-Berry Cobbler; and Grilled Figs with Orange-Honey Drizzle, "Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2" will prove an exceptionally popular addition to personal and community library cookbook collections!


The Architecture Shelf

Adobe Houses For Today
Laura Sanchez & Alex Sanchez
Sunstone Press
239 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM 875042321
9780865346628, $29.95, www.sunstonepress.com

Adobe houses have experienced a renewal of interest with environmentally concerned home owners because of its inherent energy efficiency and adaptability to diverse budgets, family sizes, style preferences, and building site considerations. Adobe building construction experts Laura and Alex Sanchez showcase twelve architectural plans for building compact, beautifully proportioned adobe homes in both modern and traditional styles. In addition to detailing the individual plans and utilizing them as examples of design techniques for controlling construction costs and enhancing livability, "Adobe Houses For Today" also provides basic information on adobe as a building material and is appropriate as a resource reference for projects that would expand or upgrade existing adobe structures. As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Adobe Houses For Today" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Architectural Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Crafting Log Homes Solar Style
Rex A. Ewing & LaVonne Ewing
PixyJack Press
PO Box 149, Masonville, CO 80541
9780977372447, $25.00, www.pixyjackpress

How does one build a new home and help the environment at the same time? "Crafting Log Homes Solar Style: An Inspiring Guide to Self-Sufficiency" is a complete guide to someone who wants to build an environmentally conscious home whether to live in or for a vacation home. The solar panels will also pay for themselves eventually with all of the money one is bound to save on electricity bills with the constant stream of renewable energy from the Earth's greatest source, its own Sun. Highly recommended for anyone who is pondering building a log cabin, and a must have for community library environmental collections.


The Art Shelf

El Greco To Velazquez
Ronni Baer & Sarah Schroth, editors
MFA Publications
c/o Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
9780878467266, $65.00, www.mfa-publications.org 1-800-338-2665

In addition to the artistic renaissance that was underway in late 16th and early 17th century Italy, a comparable movement was flourishing in Spain from 1598 to 1623 under King Philip. A time of cultural and political fervor, Spain was experiencing the evolution of a naturalistic style of painting that showcased detail and space in court portraiture, still life, religious themes, and the development of polychrome sculpture. While El Greco and Velazquez were two of the most notable figures in this era of the Spanish art world, "El Greco To Velazquez: Art During The Reign Of Philip III" covers not only these two legendary artists, but examines the works of lesser-known but highly talented artists who contributed to and influenced the development of the Spanish school of art. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly co-edited by Ronni Baer and Sarah Schroth, "El Greco To Velazquez" is enhanced with informed and informative essays by academicians and art history scholars Laura Bass, Antonio Feros, and Rosemarie Mulchay, as well as the co-editors Ronni Baer and Sarah Schroth. The beautifully illustrated text provides an historical, literary, cultural and religious context for this illuminated and illuminating study of a critically important period of Western Art History in general, and Spanish Art History in particular.

Art & Today
Eleanor Heartney
Phaidon Press
180 Varick Street, 14th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780714845142, $90.00 www.phaidon.com

Art is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide diversity of formats in which men and women work to create items of beauty that range from the simple to the complex and are in an continual state of evolving discovery as new techniques and mediums for artistic expression are developed with each new generation of artists. "Art & Today" is a massive, coffee-table compendium of contemporary artworks; the one common aspect of the 400 emerging artists surveyed is that they all engage in a postmodern willingness to transcend traditional boundaries. Full-color illustrations on almost every page introduce the reader to a vast variety of artistic creations, from painting to sculpture to photography and much more, while extensive essays offer insights into the backgrounds, themes, and messages of the individual artists. Organized around a set of sixteen themes ranging from "Art & Popular Culture" to "Art & Nature and Technology" to "Art & Globalism" and "Art & Politics", Art & Today lives up to its self-appointed Herculean labor of surveying what today's art as a whole has to say about humans and the world we live in. Highly recommended especially for public library and art book collections.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Buddha in a Teacup
Todd Walton
Lost Coast Press
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
9781882897957, $19.95, www.cypresshouse.com

The middle path - the path between total indulgence and total denial in order to find peace in life, one of the central themes of Buddhism. "Buddha in a Teacup: Tales of Enlightenment" is a compilation of over forty short stories each focusing on an aspect of the Buddhist dharma, the teachings emphasized by the Buddha. Stories humorous, erotic, mysterious, and sad alike all bound by common themes of mindfulness, love, patience, and other important themes to Buddhists. One doesn't have to be a Buddhist to enjoy "Buddha in a Teacup: Tales of Enlightenment", as it was written in a way to be appreciated by even secular readers. Highly recommended to short story collections and Buddhist studies shelves.

Natural Radiance
Lama Surya Das
Sounds True, Inc.
413 S. Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO, 80027
9781591796121, $14.95, www.soundstrue.com

His Holiness The Dalai Lama calls author Lama Surya Das the western lama, and his book "Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection" is a testament to that claim. Suggesting that all people are potential Buddhas by nature, in that they have the ability to be infinitely open, luminous, compassionate, wise, and free. "Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection" is a guide to channeling these inner qualities and being passed them from a master of the tradition. Hoping to help your mind attain rigpa - total and pure presence, and enhanced with a free CD with seven guided Dzogchen techniques, "Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection" is highly recommended to Buddhist study shelves everywhere.

The Voice of Hope
Alan Clements, interviewer
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
9781583228456, $18.95 www.sevenstories.com 1-800-596-7437

Now in an expanded second edition including an interview with U Gambira (a leader of the All-Burma Monks Alliance that organized the protests of September and October 2007), The Voice of Hope: Aung San Suu Kyi Conversations with Alan Clements is an extensive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Laureate, mother of two, and practicing Buddhist who led the pro-democracy movement in Burma in 1988. The movement was harshly crushed by the military junta that renamed Burma as Myanmar. Alan Clements, the first American ordained as a Buddhist monk in Burma, met with Aung San Suu Kyi after her release from her first house arrest in July 1995. She delivered her perception of engaged compassion and spoke of how she maintained her hope and optimism despite continued governmental oppression. "You must not forget that the people of Burma want democracy. Whatever the authorities may say, it is a fact that the people want democracy and they do not want an authoritarian regime that deprives them of their basic human rights. The world should do everything possible to bring about the kind of political system that the majority of the people of Burma want and for which so many people have sacrificed themselves." A singularly powerful and also deeply spiritual testimonial on behalf of a troubled nation.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Cats Are Not Peas
Laura Gould
AK Peters Ltd.
888 Worcester Street, Suite 230, Wellesley, MA 02482
9781568813202, $39.00, www.akpeters.com

A male calico so rare that most veterinarians have never seen one - "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is an examination of the strange and off biology of the feline species which work apparently quite a bit differently than that of the common pea. In a second edition, the first published sixteen years ago, is newly enhanced with a lengthy addendum covering all the new discoveries and advances in the study of feline genetics and so much more. "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is highly recommended to community library pets/wildlife shelves with a focus on animal biology and for anyone who may be interested in breeding cats or just a plain interest in cats period.

Being Caribou
Karsten Heuer
Milkweed Editions
1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Open Book, Minneapolis, MN, 55415
9781571313089, $15.00, www.milkweed.org

Birds are not the only animals who make regular long distance migrations...The caribou indulges in this practice as well. "Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd" follows their journey across countless rivers, mountain ranges, and passes for a thousand mile journey to the Caribou's ancestral calving grounds and then all of that over again so they can return home. A story of the instinct that drives both human and animal, "Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd" is recommended to community library wildlife collections with a crossover to true adventure shelves and for any non-specialist general reader who wants to learn more of these fascinating creatures.


The Political Science Shelf

Delusional Democracy
Joel S. Hirschhorn
Common Courage Press
121 Red Barn Road, Monroe, ME 04951
1567513808, $18.95, www.commoncouragepress.com

Could a second American Revolution be required to set America on the correct path once more? "Delusional Democracy: Fixing the Republic without overthrowing the Government" is a deftly written call to action - not to overthrow the government, no, but to do whatever they can to set our democratic institution on the right path once more, to cut through the oceans of false information and misrepresentation that do no right for its citizens. Offering advice and protocol to save America while there's still time, "Delusional Democracy: Fixing the Republic without Overthrowing the Government" is highly recommended to community library political shelves everywhere and for anyone who wants an honest look at today's government.

The Spirit of Democracy
Larry Diamond
Times Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9780805078695, $28.00, www.henryholt.com

In 1974, over 75% of the world was covered with some form of autocracy- but three decades later, most of them have fallen apart and many of them are now Democracies. "The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout The World" is an examination of the developing democracies of the world and views on how to further its growth. It also doesn't turn a blind eye to potentially sham democracies such as Russia's growing oligarchy, deep with corruption from organized crime. A thoroughly researched and informative account, and intelligently composed account sure to provoke discussion, "The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World" is highly recommended to political science collections.

Governmental Transparency in the Path of Administrative Reform
Suzanne J. Piotrowski
State University of New York Press (SUNY)
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
9780791470855, $55.00 www.sunypress.edu 1-800-666-2211

The reformation of governmental agencies and the policies they operate under is a constant political theme whether on the municipal, county, state, federal, or international level. Written by Suzanne J. Piotrowski (Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University), Governmental Transparency in the Path of Administrative Reform is a scholarly assessment of both the intended and unintended consequences of federal management reforms associated with the National Performance Review and the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. Chapters cover the history and current state of the FOIA; the potential impact of customer service initiatives to improve governmental transparency and facilitate the release of documents; the many ways in which contractors are an essential part of the FOIA process, and much more. An index supplements this excellent, heavily researched, and thoroughly detailed examination of the efforts, successes, and missteps in the ongoing effort to guard against corruption through transparency. "The potential tension between democratic accountability and accountability for results was explained early on in this book. These two related, but at times competing, visions of governmental accountability can be visualized on a continuum. The objective is to find a point on that continuum that balances the need to have both types of accountability... The NPR, which supported accountability for results, did not focus on the FOIA, which embodies democratic accountability. However, the NPR did affect the FOIA... the management initiatives associated with the reform movement impacted FOIA policy. It is in the unintended consequences of NPR on the FOIA that the intersection of democratic accountability and accountability for results are seen."

Safire's Political Dictionary
William Safire
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
9780195340617, $22.95, www.oup.com

A comprehensive guide and literal dictionary on the subject from a man who knows what he's talking about. "Safire's Political Dictionary" is a massive, thick tome of 862 pages, each covered with invaluable information on the shaky language that so covers today's political landscape. This new and expanded edition covers terms such as regime change, red/blue state, triangulation, moonbat/wingnut and so many more terms that muddle political language. Written by presidential speech writer and Pulitzer prize winner William Safire, "Safire's Political Dictionary" is highly recommended for community library politics collections.


The Gardening Shelf

The Garden Book For Wisconsin
Melinda Myers
Cool Springs Press
101 Forrest Crossing Blvd., Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37064
1591860660, $24.99, www.coolspringspress.net

As the title states, "The Garden Book For Wisconsin " is specifically designed for gardeners in the Badger State and offers 191 plant selections ranging from Annuals and Perennials, to Groundcovers and Ornamental Grasses. Now in a newly expanded and updated second edition, each plant in "The Garden Book For Wisconsin" is showcased with a color photograph enhancing an especially 'user friendly' text which provides a wealth of specific and practical advice on planting, growing, and care. Of special note is the use of quick reference symbols indicating a specific plant's sun requirements and such background information as to additional qualities such as attracting birds or butterflies. Wisconsin gardening expert Melinda Myers draws upon her many years of dedicated experience to include personal recommendations of plants that are especially suited to Wisconsin's climate, and includes useful information on companion planting, along with design tips for maximize the use of texture and color in a Wisconsin garden. Simply stated, "The Garden Book For Wisconsin" should be considered a seminal addition to the University of Wisconsin Agricultural Studies reading lists, community library Wisconsin Gardening & Horticulture collections, and an invaluable, indispensable part of every Wisconsin home gardener's personal reference shelf.

Timber Press Pocket Guide to Palms
Robert Lee Riffle
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527
9780881927764, $19.95, www.timberpress.com

Palm Trees can be found on every continent except Antarctica - and it isn't because of the cold that they aren't there. "Timber Press Pocket Guide to Palms" is a comprehensive look at this enigmatic tree, so often ignored as simply a decoration for tropical islands when it really is a resilient plant that can grow in extreme temperatures as low as five degrees Fahrenheit. The guide covers everything one would possibly need to know to grow over two hundred of the common palm species. Enhanced with over three hundred color photographs and appendixes, this information packed guide is highly recommended for community library collections on plant life and for anyone who seeks to grow a palm themselves.


The Nautical Shelf

Boat Green
Clyde W. Ford
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R, 1X0, Canada
9780865715905, $17.95, www.newsociety.com

Boaters don't have to sacrifice their own enjoyment of the waterways to help the environment - in fact, helping the environment even helps them. "Boat Green: 50 Steps Boaters Can Take To Save Our Waters" is a list of many, many easy tasks for nautical enthusiasts to perform that will do the following things: reduces the cost of boating, improves your boats performance, and enhances ones enjoyment of the marine environment - and all of them improve the health of the waters in the process. If you're a boat lover and want to keep your roads clean, safe, and clear for yourself and future generations, there's little reason not to pick up "Boat Green: 50 Steps Boaters Can Take to Save Our Waters" - also recommended for community library boating collections with a cross over to the environmental studies shelves.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Complete Peanuts 1967 to 1968
Charles M. Shulz
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781560978268, $28.95 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

The Complete Peanuts 1967 to 1968 continues Fantagraphics Books' marvelous definitive compilation of Charles Shulz's iconic newspaper strip, including both daily and Sunday strips (all strips are reproduced in black and white). Featuring an introduction by John Waters - which draws the reader's attention to Shulz's uniquely expressive art style when drawing facial expressions such as a "total-warfare frown", and his starkly accurate portrayal of the crushing humiliation of defeat. In the 1967 to 1968 comics, Peppermint Patty tries to trade Charlie Brown five baseball players for Snoopy the shortstop; Charlie Brown makes a new friend in Franklin (who is initially scared off from the local neighborhood when Linus tells him about the "Great Pumpkin"); and Snoopy (a.k.a. the "Masked Marvel") and Lucy get into a championship arm-wrestling match! Like all previous volumes in the series, The Complete Peanuts 1967 to 1968 is highly recommended for comic lovers of all ages and backgrounds, and simply cannot be praised enough.


The Psychology Shelf

Are You Human or What?
Dale Carson
Bick Publishing House
307 Neck Road, Madison, CT, 06443
9781884158339, $14.95, www.bickpubhouse.com

Humanity has evolved into the dominant species of the earth, as no other species has remotely the power over the Earth's fate that they do. "Are You Human or What?: Evolutionary Psychology for Teens" examines how evolution has wired the current generation of humanity, and why do people react the way they do to certain things, and how to control it - you don't have to have sex with everyone you're attracted to, and you don't have to declare war on everyone who does you wrong. "Are You Human or What?: Evolutionary Psychology for Teens" is highly recommended for community library psychology collections and for any teen who wants a better understanding of their emotions.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Best Answers to 202 Job Interview Questions
Daniel Porot and Frances Bolles Haynes
Impact Publications
9104 Manassas Drive, Suite N, Manassas Park, VA, 20111-5211
9781570232718, $17.95, www.impactpublications.com

The interview is more often than not the deciding factor to if one is potentially hired or simply tossed to the side. "Best Answers to 202 Job Interview Questions: Expert Tips to Ace the Interview and Get the Job Offer" offers readers sage advice to help them get through the interrogation that employers so often put prospective employees through where the correct answers are never that obvious - questions like self-evaluation, skills, problem solving abilities, hobbies, motivation, salary, and many more questions are examined and advice given to answer them honestly and effectively. Five hundred pages of well written information, "Best Answers to 202 Job Interviews Questions: Expert Tips to Ace the Interview and Get the Job Offer" is highly recommended for anyone with the feared interview on the horizon and for community library career shelves.

Working Relationships
Bob Wall
Davies Black Publishing
1055 Joaquin Road, 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94043
9780891061885, $20.95, www.daviesblack.com

Sometimes a worker seems to be the best - he has all the ideas, all the cleverness, all the innovation - yet he doesn't flourish - while another, who doesn't have his gifts, flourishes just fine. Why is this? "Working Relationships: Using Emotional Intelligence To Enhance Your Effectiveness With Others"is an examination of how raw brainpower isn't enough to get along in today's corporate world, that one must understand the emotions of others, and to be empathetic to be a successful employee. It includes advice on striking balances between personal and professional, to not take confrontations with hostility, teamwork, and other advice to make readers better employees. "Working Relationships: Using Emotional Intelligence to Enhance Your Effectiveness With Others" is highly recommended for community library collections on career advancement and for anyone who can't seem to get ahead- and cannot figure out why.

Directory of Professional Resume Writers
Louise Kursmark
JIST Publishing
875 Montreal Way, St. Paul, MN 55102
9781593575199, $19.95 www.jist.com 1-800-648-5478

There will come a time (and probably more than once!) in every career when the submission of a resume to further employment opportunities will be required. "Directory of Professional Resume Writers: How to Find and Work with a Pro to Accelerate Your Job Search" outlines a massive amount of tips you need to hire someone to do it for you, a professional who will make your resume the best it can possibly be. Outlining Specialists, special circumstances, and how to find them, finding a professional resume writer for your money has never been easier. "Directory fo Professional Resume Writers: How to Find and Work with a Pro to Accelerate Your Job Search" is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who sees this problem in their future and for any community library collection specializing in career advancement.


The Education Shelf

They Teach That in College!?
Andrew Morkes (editor)
College & Career Press
P.O. Box 300484, Chicago, IL 60630
0974525170, $22.95, www.collegeandcareerpress.com

Dance Therapy, Fashion Design, Golf Course Management, Toy Design..."They Teach That in College!? A Resource Guide to More Than 95 Interesting College Majors" is just what the title says - an introspective on strange, interesting, bizarre, and fully legitimate college majors which could lead readers into a brand new and interesting careers. The second edition of this title adds forty new majors, including new course listings, potential information, interviews, and so much more. "They Teach That In College!? A Resource Guide to More Than 95 Interesting College Majors" is highly recommended for community library collections on careers, and for anyone who is looking for a new job and wants something outside the usual.


The Agricultural Studies Shelf

Manifestos On The Future of Food & Seed
Vanadana Shiva, editor
South End Press
7 Brookline Street #1, Cambridge MA 02139
9780896087774, $10.00, www.southendpress.org

No matter how much technology advances, no matter what new advances in medical science society make, somethings will never change - that humanity will have to do one thing the same way it did when it was closer to beast then man - eat. "Manifestos On The Future of Food & Seed" is an examination of modern agriculture, and an encouragement to increase the world's cultivating range and trade amongst each other, stating the fact of 80,000 plants in the world are edible for food, 150 of them are grown intentionally, and only eight are traded internationally. "Manifestos On The Future of Food & Seed" is highly recommended as a deftly composed treatise in the form of essays from five intellectuals on the subject and deserves a place on any community library agriculture shelf.


The Photography Shelf

The Americans
Robert Frank
D.A.P.
155 6th Avenue, Fl. 2, New York, 10013
9783865215840, $39.95, www.dapinc.com

America through the eyes of another, and in plain black & white. "The Americans" is photographer Robert Frank's look at 1950s America, from the very pictures he took almost fifty years ago. In this new edition, Frank has enlisted the help of the newest and most cutting edge modern photo technology to bring his photos into the highest quality he could get them, a massive improvement in quality from the printing quality of the 50s. The poignant, thought provoking photos comprise what some call the most famous book of photography ever published. "The Americans" is enhanced with a forward by Jack Kerouac and is highly recommended for community library photography collections and for anyone who wants a solid coffee table book.

Capturing Colour
Phil Malpas
AVA Publishing SA
enquiries@avabooks.ch
c/o Watson Guptill Publications (distributor)
770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9535
9782940373062, $29.95 www.wgpub.com 1-800-451-1741

Given the proper equipment, a little training, and a modicum of talent, anyone can produce photographs of gallery or museum quality. Professional freelance photographer Phil Malpas presents Capturing Colour, an in-depth guide covering both film and digital photography. Illustrated with high-quality, full-color photographs throughout, the better to show examples of specific techniques and processes, Capturing Colour discusses color theory, filtration and filter systems, the option of deliberately choosing to limit one's color palette, processing and printing choices, and much more. A step-by-step guide accessible to beginners yet packed with tips, tricks, and techniques that even seasoned veterans are sure to find useful. Enthusiastically recommended for amateur, student, and professional photographers alike.


The Gaming Shelf

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Role-Playing Game
Kevin Siembieda
Palladium Books
39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185
9781574571332, $16.95 www.palladiumbooks.com www.robotech.com

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Role-Playing Game is a comprehensive sourcebook for creating role-playing adventures in the world of Robotech, a popular and complex Japanese science fiction animated series about alien invasions of Earth. Using the Palladium Megaverse pencil-and-paper role-playing system, which is completely compatible with all other Palladium Megaverse sourcebooks, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles shines a spotlight upon the heroic battle to liberate the Earth from Invid invaders. Chapters walk the reader through character generation; statistics for different futuristic weapons, armored suits, and vehicles; common alien enemies; how to role-play hand-to-hand, ranged, or missile combat; suggestions for crafting adventures; and much more. Fans of the series are sure to enjoy suggests game statistics for series characters as NPCs! Black-and-white illustrations intersperse this excellent sourcebook, ideal for anyone interested in social gaming and storytelling in the Robotech universe.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Food Intolerance Bible
Antony J. Haynes & Antoinette Savill
Red Wheel, Wieser, & Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
9781573243599, $19.95, www.redwheelweiser.com

Nearly everyone has some form of food intolerance, claims "The Food Intolerance Bible: A Nutritionist's Plan to Beat Food Cravings, Fatigue, Mood Swings, Celiac Disease, Headaches, IBS, and Deal with Food Allergies". Food Intolerance occurs when ones body rejects what you put in - and the rejection comes in a huge amount of miserable ailments to make people feel terrible for that day. With seven steps to minimize the occurrence of food intolerance, and over 70 recipes such as Plum Crumble and Black Peppercorns with Sweet Potato fries, Salmon Lasagna, and so much more on top of that, "The Food Intolerance Bible: A Nutritionist's Plan to Beat Food Cravings, Fatigue, Mood Swings, Celiac Disease, Headaches, IBS, and Deal with Food Allergies" is highly recommended for both community library cookbook and health collections.

The Anatomy of Stretching
Brad Walker
Lotus Publishing
c/o North Atlantic Books
1435 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781556435966, $24.95 www.northatlanticbooks.com 1-800-788-3123

There are over one hundred key stretches that the human body can do that directly enable better physical health regardless of age or gender. "The Anatomy of Stretching" outlines these with fundamental facts and explanations to help the reader do the stretch and understand why they are doing it, divided by each and every area of the body. With over 200 full color illustrations, glossaries, appendixes and more, "The Anatomy of Stretching" is highly recommended to health & fitness community library shelves and for anyone who would seek better health through stretching exercises.


The Genealogy Shelf

Teaching Genealogy to Young People
Bee Barton Koons
Heritage Books
100 Railroad Avenue, Suite 104, Westminster, MD 21157-4826
0788433539, $26.00, www.heritagebooks.com

Genealogy is the study of the past, but it always must be written by the living. "Teaching Genealogy to Young People" is a guide to teaching our youngest to record a more exact and precise history as they live it, and to get interested in their heritage to trace it back as far as they can so they know where they came from. A brief overview preceding lesson guides for both novice and mildly practiced young genealogists start this informing book. "Teaching Genealogy to Young People" is enhanced with blank materials and forms to help young genealogists get started by tracing back their own family history.

You Can Write Your Family History
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806317830, $19.95 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

One of the best sources of genealogical information for future generations are the recorded family histories provided by our elders before they pass into history. Recorded family histories are ideal sources for 'the story behind the story' of how people met, fell in love, came to be married, of their failures and successes, their losses and their gains, the anecdotal stories of living through 'interesting times'. But these family stories don't record themselves. That's why Sharon DeBartolo Carmack has written an instructive and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide to recording our family histories in the do-it-yourself instructional manual "You Can Write Your Family History". Every aspect of the process is covered, from selecting the bet type of family history to write; to deciding on a theme; to conducting efficient research with the goal of fleshing out a narrative; to putting subjects into the context of relevant social history; to the actual work of getting the words down on paper and preserved. Every aspiring and practicing genealogist, as well as non-specialist general readers wanting to preserve the stories of their parents and grandparents for the benefit of their children and grandchildren, should read "You Can Write Your Family History".


The Sports Shelf

Michele Smith's Book of Good Softball Cheer
Michele Smith and Lawrence Hseih
Wish Publishing
P.O. Box 10337, Terre Haute, IN 47801
9781930546882, $16.95, www.wishpublishing.com

Young girls need to focus all the energy they can aspire to be the best softball players they can possibly be, and "Michele Smith's Book of Good Softball Cheer: A Practical Guide to Developing Leadership Skills in Softball and In Life" is here to assist them to do just that. Covering not just softball skills, the book grants readers drills they need to improve their leadership skills, attitude, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Answering questions that come up for all young school age athletes, "Michele Smith's Book of Good Softball Cheer: A Practical Guide to Developing Leadership Skills in Softball and In Life" is deftly written and inspiring, and thusly highly recommended for any young girl softball player to be and for community library sports collections.

Backpacker & Hiker's Handbook
William Kemsley Jr.
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
9780811734622, $24.95, www.stackpolebooks.com

The modern day adventure is a complex one - but with the right preparation, it can be a truly fun and exhilarating one. "Backpacker & Hiker's Handbook" is a through and informative guide for anyone who wants to go on the exciting adventure that is Hiking through the wilderness. Covering any subject the reader would need to know, such as preparations, vital skills; solo, all-female, children, senior, and with pets- how their presence alters how you should do things. How to deal with dangerous wild animals, and what do to in the colder seasons- revealing hiking in winter is very possible. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a bit of adventure in their life and for community library camping collections.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

A Manhattan Ghost Story
T M Wright
Telos Publishing
c/o Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD
311 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135-3303
9781845830489, $14.95, www.telos.co.uk 1-800-387-9776

The classic novel that debuted almost a quarter of a century ago, "A Manhattan Ghost Story" follows photographer Abner Cray as he arrives in the Manhattan area of New York City. Normalcy isn't something that stays for long, as his landlord vanishes without a trace, as does the woman he begins to lust for - both events happening in that order, but nothing adds up when Cray discovers that his landlord is wanted for the murder of the woman he loves- before Cray even met her. A bizarre parade of events continues to unfold in this enthusiastically recommended story that all horror fans will relish and should find a place on every community library fiction shelf.

The Great Planet Robbery
Craig DiLouie
Salvo Press
P.O. Box 7396, Beaverton, OR 97007
9781930486799, $16.95, www.salvopress.com

Who's to say they can't? Adventurers Dobbs and Muldoon have a get rich quick scheme that they are sure will work - robbing an entire planet. "The Great Planet Robbery" is author Craig DiLouie's third novel alongside his dozens of other prolific accomplishments tells the story of two friends following an old map to a planet that is supposedly rich with gold - and maybe far more than that. No one had ever said it would be easy for them, as there are those who would protest to the pillaging of their home world. "The Great Planet Robbery" is highly recommended to science fiction fans everywhere and deserves a place on community library sci-fi shelves.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Hollywood Winners & Losers
Mark Thise
Lime Light Editions
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
9780879103514, $19.95, www.limelightedtions.com

The Academy Award - the top award for excellence in Hollywood whether one is a screenwriter, a director, producer, actor, technical specialist - no matter what you are, if you're in Hollywood, you seek the academy award. "Hollywood Winners & Losers: From A to Z" is a comprehensive guide to the prestigious award covering anything remotely related, profiling over 900 actors and actresses, if they have been nominated, they are included in this book, win, lose, or draw. A literal encyclopedia for spectators of the madness of Hollywood, "Hollywood Winners & Losers: From A to Z" is highly recommended to anyone who seeks a complete listing of the history of the Academy Awards and for community library film shelves.

Guilty
Jack G. Shaheen
Olive Branch Press
c/o Interlink Press
46 Crosby Street, Northampton MA 01060-1804
9781566566841, $18.00, www.interlinkbooks.com

Hollywood has always used the public's fear and loathing to create interest in its film projects. In the 1980s, the communists were the most common villain in big budget Hollywood action movies. In the 2000s...Middle Eastern Terrorists have taken over that role - "Guilty: Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11" is a scholarly look at this most common trend and how it both impacts and represents society. It also gives an optimistic look as the generic terrorist isn't the only Arabic representative in American film, but characters with real human motivations seem to be making an effort at becoming the norm. "Guilty: Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11" is highly recommended to both social issues and film collections for community libraries.


The Anthropology Shelf

All Tomorrow's Cultures
Samuel Gerald Collins
Berghahn Books
150 Broadway, Suite 812, New York, NY 10038
9781845454081, $29.95 www.berghahnbooks.com 1-800-540-8663

Written by Samuel Gerald Collins (Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Cultural Studies, Towson University) All Tomorrow's Cultures: Anthropological Engagements with the Future explores how anthropological knowledge of past and present human culture has been applied to speculate on its future, from the predictions generated by 19th-century anthropological thought to insights garnered in the modern day. Though All Tomorrow's Cultures is at its heart a scholarly text, its revelations are sure to fascinate not only diligent students of human culture but also anyone with a keen interest in creating or reading literature that imagines the future of humanity. Highly recommended especially for college library and anthropology shelves. "We have difficulty in thinking that an event - where a work of art or a work of nature - could have taken place unless it were not already capable of happening... the kinds of trajectories of globalization (Malthusian disaster, ecological ruin, rapid modernization) are construed as the inevitable realizations of an ineluctably evolving capitalist system. The idea of true difference is left behind. Culture construed as virtuality, on the other hand, foregrounds culture as pure difference."


The Science Shelf

Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States
D.M. Huffman, L.H. Tiffany, G. Knaphus, and R.A. Healy
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781587296277, $39.95 www.uiowapress.org 1-800-621-2736

Now in a fully revised second edition, Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States is a full-color field guide to wild mushrooms and fungi found in the midcontinental region of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Each of 248 species is illustrated with an excellent color photograph (which almost always shows both the tops and the undersides of sample fungi), and its cap, gills, stalk, and annulus are all described in meticulous detail, along with information with regard to where each species is most likely to be seen, and its edible or toxic characteristics. An additional section devoted to commonly encountered slime molds rounds out this superb reference, written by emeritus professor of biology Donald Huffman. Useful to professional biologists and amateur nature lovers alike, Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States is a first-rate, enthusiastically recommended resource.

Moth Catcher
Michael M. Collins
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166, Reno, NV, 89557-0166
9780874177350, $18.95 www.unpress.nevada.edu 1-877-682-6657

Told with the narrative fluidity of a memoir, Moth Catcher: An Evolutionist's Journey Through Canyon and Pass is an amazing look into the scientific research of author Michael M. Collins. Moth Catcher introduces the reader to a fascinating canyon and pass environment in Sierra Nevada that is what geneticists call a "hybrid zone" for silk moths. In the hybrid zone, two species of silk moths interbreed to produce fertile offspring - unlike lab-bred hybrids between the same two species. These naturally occurring hybrid populations serve as unique, non-reproducible laboratories in nature, offering an exceptional opportunity to gain greater insight into how evolution itself operates. A handful of color photographic plates illustrate this exceptional account of the hidden wonders of one of nature's smaller species. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Moth Catcher is as highly recommended to the lay person with a budding interest in natural science as it is to professionals curious to hear a firsthand account of fieldwork and its astonishing results.


The Music Shelf

Tango Voices
Donald Cohen
Wise Publications/Amsco Publications
c/o Music Sales Corporation
257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
9781846099007, $39.95 www.musicsales.com www.amazon.com

From its inception in the barrios of Argentina, the Tango has proven one of the most enduringly popular dances in the world. "Tango Voices: Songs From The Soul Of Buenos Aires & Beyond" is a remarkable and memorable compendium of celebrated tangos from around the world. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Donald Cohen, the music is arranged for voice and guitar with each individual pieces being informatively annotated and fully illustrated with complete translations from their languages of origin into English. "Tango Voices" also includes a CD featuring performances by original artists of twenty-six tangos. A superbly organized and presented showcase of the tango, "Tango Voices" is highly recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Music & Dance reference collections.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Rotary Fly-Tying Techniques
Al Beatty & Gretchen Beatty
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
9781571884183, $24.95 www.amatobooks.com

Fly-fishing is an enduringly popular sport. Frank Amato Publications is the premier publisher of illustrated instructional guides for fly fishing. "Rotary Fly-Tying Techniques"is one of their newest titles and is the collaborative effort of the fly-fishing couple Al and Gretchen Beatty who draw upon their many years of experience and expertise to demystify the process of employing rotary fly-tying techniques to creating effective lures. Providing basic instruction on the use of a rotary vise, "Rotary Fly-Tying Techniques" offers a wealth of tying tips and techniques for tying 36 flies (both fresh and salt water). Each fly is provided with a 'user friendly' text of step-by-step, illustrated instructions and covers all aspects of the process from beginning to end. "Rotary Fly-Tying Techniques" is an ideal addition to personal, professional, and community library fly-fishing instructional reference collections.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

On Becoming an Alchemist
Catherine MacCoun
Trumpeter Books
c/o Shambhala Publications
Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
9781590303696, $21.95, www.shambhala.com

The pseudo-science of Alchemy was centuries of ago viewed as a true science. However, in recent times, it is simply the stuff of legends and mythology, and by most, to call Alchemy a true science would be a joke. "On Becoming an Alchemist: A Guide for the Modern Magician" disputes this widely held viewpoint, and offers real applications of the concept, transmuting the harmful into helpful and the useless into valuable. "On Becoming An Alchemist: A Guide for the Modern Magician" will help aspiring Alchemists understand the basic principles of alchemy, navigate one's inner world with confidence and sense, discover the potential of any situation, among others. Written by an experienced alchemist in Catherine MacCoun, "On Becoming An Alchemist: A Guide for the Modern Magician" is highly recommended for metaphysical studies shelves and any who would look deeper into the subject of Alchemy.


The Woodworking Shelf

Shop Drawings Of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware
Ejner Handberg
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780881507775, $24.95 www.countrymanpress.com 1-800-245-4151

The late Ejner Handberg (1902-1985) was born in Denmark, emigrated to America, and became a gifted cabinetmaker working in Stockbridge, Massachusetts for a good many years where he is perhaps best known to the general public as the man who helped design and build Norman Rockwell's studio. Handberg was a master of the Shaker furniture and woodworking style. Now his three previously published volumes on the subject have been combined together into a single volume and published by The Countryman Press as "Shop Drawings Of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware" providing cabinetmakers and antiques collectors with an authoritative reference comprised of accurate scale drawings of Shaker items ranging from Beds, sewing tables, blanket chest, school desk, and candlestands, to oval boxes, trestle tables, wall cupboards, revolving stools, and so much more. "Shop Drawings Of Shaker Furniture & Woodenware" is an invaluable, detailed, comprehensive, and strongly recommended addition to personal and professional woodworker reference collections, as well as the Shaker Woodworking Studies reference collections of antique dealers, collectors, libraries, and museums.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Ecological Restoration
Andre F. Clewell and James Aronson
Island Press
1718 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009-1148
9781597261692, $30.00 www.islandpress.org 1-800-828-1302

Humanity has been called a destroyer of various ecological habitats like forests, rain forests, and jungles. But Humanity can also be the healer of those same places. "Ecological Restoration: Principles, Values, and Structure of an Emerging Profession" demonstrates and explains how humanity is turning its habits around to recover the lost forests from centuries of neglect. Enhanced with appendixes, glossaries, indexes, and more, "Ecological Restoration: Principles, Values, and Structure of an Emerging Profession" is highly recommended to nature and environmental studies shelves and to anyone with an interest in the optimistic side of humanity's interactions with nature.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Busy Family's Guide to Money
Sandra Block, Kathy Chu, & John Waggoner
Nolo
950 Parker St. Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413308365, $19.99, www.nolo.com

Way too much going out and not enough coming in - that is essentially the summary describing most people's money troubles. "The Busy Family's Guide to Money: Simple Steps to Financial Security" is what it says it is - a guide for families for which every day seems like some variation of chaos for them, to get their finances in order. With plenty of easy to follow advice to how to start saving money, getting the most out of your mortgage, simple investment tips, tax breaks, and so much more to help families put themselves back on the right track. Deftly composed, "The Busy Family's Guide to Money: Simple Steps to Financial Security" is highly recommended for community library finance collections and for any head of a busy household.

The New Bankruptcy
Stephen Elias
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA, 94710-2524
9781413306330, $21.99, www.nolo.com

Bankruptcy is usually the last resort for most people covered in the deep, restricting sludge of debt. "The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You?" is a guide to help those in financial turmoil to decide if the revised bankruptcy laws make declaring bankruptcy the answer for all of their money woes. Promoting clear cut answers and strategies to determining this, it offers all the information on qualifying for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which debts are wiped in this regard, if you can keep your major property like your home and car, among other information - it even offers alternatives to clawing your way out of debt without the drastic use of bankruptcy. "The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work for You?" is highly recommended to those in need of its advice everywhere, and should be on every community library shelf on personal finance.

It's When You Sell That Counts
Donald Cassidy
Global Professional Publishing
11 Chenies Street, London WCIE 7EY United Kingdom
Stylus Publishing, LLC (distrubutor)
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
9780852976869, $29.95, www.R-I-I.org

Anyone can buy stocks - the art for a successful stock broker however, lies in selling at just the right time. The Third Edition of "It's When You Sell That Counts" is a guide for amateur stock brokers to help sell at the right time to maximize their profits. He presents a powerful hold/sell test to show when one should rid oneself of a stock at its peak, while examining what may prevent them from selling at the right time - both physical and psychological barriers. Packed cover to cover with invaluable advice for any broker, and enhanced with an index and many appendixes, "It's When You Sell That Counts" is highly recommended to personal finance shelves everywhere.

Alive and Kicking
Kenney F. Hegland & Robert B. Fleming
Carolina Academic Press
700 Kent Street, Durham, North Carolina 27701
www.legaladviceforboomers.com
9781594603228, $24.95 www.cap-press.com

The best way one can prevent themselves from becoming a burden on their families as they age is making sure the money they saved for their retirement stays saved for retirement and is only used for that purpose. "Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice... for Boomers!" grants legal advice so you can keep your money so when you finally do go and kick that bucket, your family has something other than massive debts to remember you by. Tips on Living wills, scams and identity theft, caring for your own parents in your own advanced age, issues involving age discrimination, driving, sex, and more are covered. While treating itself as a law book first, "Alive and Kicking: Legal Advice... for Boomers!" isn't afraid to crack a joke or bust out a poem now and again, giving a different and attractive flavor, making it highly recommended for anyone who is rapidly approaching retirement age and wants to be prepared for it in the modern world. Also recommended to community library law shelves.


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


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