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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 8, Number 11 November 2013 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Poetry Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Self-Help Shelf Gaming Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf
DVD Shelf Computer Shelf Travel Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Cookbook Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Civil War Shelf Photography Shelf Biography Shelf
Gun Shelf Architecture Shelf Beer/Wine Shelf
Aviation Shelf Botany Shelf American History Shelf
Sports Shelf Fiction Shelf Memoir Shelf
Autism Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Relationship Shelf
Crafts Shelf Wisconsin Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Kostya Kennedy, editor
Sports Illustrated
c/o Goodman Media
750 Seventh Avenue, 28th floor
NY, NY 10019
9781618930811, $50.00, www.amazon.com

'Sports Illustrated' is an American sports media franchise owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self-titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice. Its swimsuit issue, which has been published since 1964, is now an annual publishing event that generates its own television shows and videos. A 304 page coffee table art book, "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: 50 Years Of Beautiful" is compiled by the editorial staff of Sports Illustrated magazine and showcases five decades of the best images the made up their single most popular annual issue featuring incredibly beautiful women in provocatively scanty swimsuit attire. These are iconic images of feminine beauty and often included images of female sports stars ranging from Serena Williams to Anna Kournikova. Of special note are the first-time-in-print photo outtakes and candid shots. Organized chronologically and featuring a pictorial index of all 223 models, "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit" is a wonderful browse and highly recommended to fans of lovely women in truly memorable, full color, swimsuit photos.

Mind If I Order The Cheeseburger?
Sherry F. Colb
Lantern Books
128 Second Place, Garden Suite
Brooklyn, NY 11231
www.lanternbooks.com
9781590563847, $20.00, www.amazon.com

Some animals are carnivores deriving their sustenance from the flesh of other animals. Some animals are herbivores deriving their sustenance from plants. Humans are biological omnivores. We evolved to derive our energy and nutrients from a diet consisting of a variety of sources that include both plants and animals. So it could be considered odd in some circles for people to choose to be vegetarians or vegans and eschew the consumption of any kind of animal flesh. "Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger?: And Other Questions People Ask Vegans" by vegan Sherry F. Colb is a 256 page compendium comprised of an accessible, detailed case illustrated and logic-based explanations for a number of commonly encountered questions about veganism, ranging from its compatibility with respect to the major religions, why veganism is to be preferred to vegetarianism, and more. "Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger?: And Other Questions People Ask Vegans" is very highly recommended reading, especially for anyone considering a vegan diet or those non-vegans wanting to understand the rationale of their vegan friends or family members. An especially commended acquisition for community library Health/Medicine collections, it should also be noted that "Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger?: And Other Questions People Ask Vegans" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.49).

Survival Guide to Edible Insects
Fred Demara
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle
Boulder, CO 80301
9781610048705 $12.00 www.paladin-press.com

Survival Guide to Edible Insects lives up to its title as a no-nonsense guide to identifying and preparing insects for human consumption. In a life-or-death situation, knowing how to live off of insects is a valuable survival skill - yet in today's increasingly populous world, insect cuisine may be key to feeding humanity, since insects are ubiquitous, nutritious, and generally not as deleterious to their environment as domestic cattle, sheep, pigs, or chickens. Survival Guide to Edible Insects does not detail the full roster of 1,462 edible insects eaten regularly by people of 3,000+ ethnic groups, but rather concentrates on the most common and easily identified species. Some (such as the common housefly) are known to carry deadly pathogens and must be cooked to the point of total sterilization if they are to be consumed at all, but others (such as the dragonfly) can simply be roasted. Black-and-white photographs and a number of insect recipes enhance this ultimate supplement to wilderness survival guides!


The Poetry Shelf

Reduced To Joy
Mark Nepo
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
www.vivaeditions.com
9781936740574, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Very highly recommended and rewarding reading, "Reduced To Joy" is a 208 page anthology of the free verse poetry of author Mark Nepo ("The Book of Awakening") and showcases his ability to deftly create thoughtful, meditative, and occasionally inspiring poems on the theme of accepting and working with what we have in our pursuit of happiness, contentment, and satisfaction. 'Another Patience': I wonder if flowers know fear, / If they sense a storm is coming / or if the deer will eat them? Or / if like a sage having exhausted / his humanity, the flower knows / that either way, broken or eaten, / the glow releases is the same. / But I'm not a sage or a flower. / Teach me.


The Language Studies Shelf

Wisconsin Talk
Thomas Purnell, et al.
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor
Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299293345, $24.95, www.amazon.com

With its variety of Native American tribes and its long history of immigrant migrations, Wisconsin hosts one of the most linguistically diverse populations of any state in the nation. Compiled by the editorial team of linguistic experts and academicians Thomas Purnell, Eric Raimy, and Joseph Salmons, "Wisconsin Talk: Linguistic Diversity in the Badger State" is a 196 page compendium comprised of ten erudite articles of original scholarship and touching upon words that are distinctive to Wisconsin's citizenry, examples of how generations of immigrants negotiated cultural and linguistic challenges, the bilingual enrichment of Wisconsin communities, and how Wisconsin maps convey the stories of language. Of special note is the information about Wisconsin's Native American languages to aboriginal language loss throughout the world. Very highly recommended for Wisconsin school, community, and academic library Language Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "Wisconsin Talk: Linguistic Diversity in the Badger State" is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Wildlife Watching In America's National Parks
Gary W. Vequist & Daniel S. Licht
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4354
www.tamu.edu/upress
9781603448147, $25.00, www.amazon.com

One of the principle reasons given for visiting one of America's national parks is the opportunity and possibility of observing wildlife in their natural habitat. This flexbound edition of "Wildlife Watching in America's National Parks: A Seasonal Guide" is ideal as a carry-along guide to enhance the national park experience. The collaborative effort of wildlife experts Gary W. Vequist and Daniel S. Licht, "Wildlife Watching In America's National Parks" is a 244 page compendium nicely organized into by the four seasons: Spring (Mary/April/May); Summer (June/July/August); Fall (September/October/November); and Winter (December/January/February). The dozens and dozens of national parks covered range from the Grand Teton National Park, to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, to the Effigy Mounds National Memorial. Profusely illustrated, informed and informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Wildlife Watching In America's National Parks" is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library collections. It should be noted that "Wildlife Watching In America's National Parks" is also available in a Kindle edition ($18.15).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Anatomy of the New Testament, seventh edition
Robert A. Spivey, D. Moody Smith, & C. Clifton Black
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
9780800699710 $60.00 http://fortresspress.com

Now in its seventh edition, Anatomy of the New Testament is a textbook that applies both historical and literary approaches to understanding the structure and meaning of the Biblical New Testament. Full-color maps, charts, and images intersperse the thoughtful, meticulous, yet accessible text. "The Book of Revelation was probably written during a period of crisis in the church, occasioned by the Roman government's active opposition. Tradition ascribes its message of resistance and hope in times of persecution to the reign of the Emperor Domitian, near the close of the first century (Eusebius, Ecclesiatical History, 3.18.3, citing Ignatius)." An excellent resource for classroom use, individual scholarship, or Bible study workshops, Anatomy of the New Testament is highly recommended.

Dark God
Thomas Romer
Paulist Press
997 MacArthur Boulevard
Mahwah, NJ 07430
www.paulistpress.com
9780809147960, $17.95, www.amazon.com

Yahweh of the Old Testament is perceived by many contemporary Christians as a violent, cruel, ruthless, even genocidal deity with such examples as the sacrifice of Jeptha's daughter, the slaughter of the Cannanites by the Israelites, the divine killing of the first-born sons of all the Egyptians in the pursuit of the goal of freeing the Israelites from Egyptian rule, and so many more examples of blood and death in the name of the God of the Old Testament. "Dark God: Cruelty, Sex, and Violence in the Old Testament " by Thomas Romer (Old Testament, Faculty of Theology and Science of Religion, Lausanne University) was specifically written to counter this misleading perception and to show that the commandments of a seemingly vengeful god were in truth and in fact designed to preserve Israelite faith from dogmatic complacency with the realization that He was intensely engaged in the lives of his chosen people and of all mankind to their ultimate betterment. Of special note is the chapter addressing the issue of whether God is sanctimonious and human begins sinners. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Dark God: Cruelty, Sex, and Violence in the Old Testament " is highly recommended and instructive reading for clergy, as well as non-specialist general readers within the Roman Catholic Christian community.

A Call To Serve
Stefan von Kempis & Philip F. Lawler
The Crossroad Publishing Company
831 Chestnut Ridge Road
Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977
www.crossroadpublishing.com
9780824550059, $16.95, www.amazon.com

Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church having been elected Bishop of Rome. He is thereby also the Sovereign of Vatican City. Born in Buenos Aires as the son of Italian parents, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technician before entering seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979 he was Argentina's Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and a cardinal in 2001. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February 2013, on 13 March 2013 the papal conclave elected Bergoglio, who chose the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. Throughout his life, both as an individual and a religious leader, Bergoglio has been noted for his humility, his concern for the poor, and his commitment to dialogue as a way to build bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and faiths. He is known for having a simpler and less formal approach to the papacy, most notably by choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace formerly used by his predecessors. In addition, he is known for favoring simpler vestments void of ornamentation, by starting to refuse the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election. The collaborative work of Stefan von Kempis (Editor of Vatican Radio) and Philip F. Lawler (Editor of Catholic World News), "A Call to Serve: Pope Francis and the Catholic Future" is a 160 page compendium providing interested readers with a profusely illustrated and personal story of Pope Francis -- and in that telling reveals background details of his unprecedented papal election. Drawn from conversations, interviews, insider information, and Pope Francis own writings, "A Call to Serve: Pope Francis and the Catholic Future" is very highly recommended reading for Catholics and non-Catholics alike!


The Judaic Studies Shelf

A Brand Plucked from the Fire
Richard Damashek
KTAV Publishing House
930 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07306-6316
www.ktav.com
9781602802278, $35.00, www.amazon.com

20th Century Judaism has known its fair share of accomplished, respected, and influential rabbis. "A Brand Plucked from the Fire: The Life of Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman" is the definitive, 660 page biography of the remarkable life and accomplishments of one of the most notable of them. Although his life at age 97 is not yet complete, this definitive account of that life will serve as an admirable testament to what one man was able to accomplish in service to his community and his people. Of special note is Rabbi Schaalman's friendship with Chicago's Catholic Archbishop Joseph Bernardin. A friendship so close that the Archbishop asked the Rabbi to speak at the Archbishop's funeral -- that occasion the first time in history for such an event to occur. Informed and informative, inspired and inspiring, "A Brand Plucked from the Fire: The Life of Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman" is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to community and academic library 20th Century Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Love Letter To The Earth
Thich Nhat Hanh
Parallax Press
PO Box 7355, Berkeley, CA 94707
www.parallaxpress.com
9781937006389, $14.95, www.amazon.com

It is common knowledge that Native American cultures revered the Earth and felt an innate responsibility to live in harmony with the natural world. What is less well known by most Americans is that Buddhists feel that same moral imperative. "Love Letter To The Earth" by Buddhist teacher and author Thich Nhat Hanh is a 120 page compendium arguing from a Buddhist perspective that the problem with contemporary western capitalist cultures such as America is the notion that we humans are separate and apart from nature. Quiet the contrary, "Love Letter To The Earth" persuasively holds that our personal and collective happiness and well being are integrally dependent on the health of the planet, the soundness of the ecosystems that comprise our world, and the necessity of a mindfulness-based spirituality in order to limit the damage we inflict upon the world we to which we are so dependent. Articulate and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Love Letter To The Earth" is highly recommended reading, especially for non-specialist general readers with an interest in environmental issues and in Buddhist thought.

The Dalai Lama On What Matters Most
Noriyuki Ueda
Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
665 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781571747013, $12.95, www.amazon.com

Noriyuki Ueda is a cultural anthropologist who undertook a two-day conversation with the Dalai Lama. "The Dalai Lama on What Matters Most: Conversations on Anger, Compassion, and Action" is a 336 page, compact and pocket-portable compendium comprised of succinct extracts from their dialogue. This collection of observations and commentaries offers the reader a wealth of practical and spiritual Buddhism-based wisdom that transcends the limiting boundaries of contemporary ideologies, politics, and cultural biases. "It is important not to think of Buddhism as a religion but as a science of the mind". As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Dalai Lama on What Matters Most: Conversations on Anger, Compassion, and Action" should be considered mandatory reading for all students of Buddhist philosophy. It should be noted that "The Dalai Lama on What Matters Most: Conversations on Anger, Compassion, and Action" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).


The Self-Help Shelf

Creating Well-Being
Pamela A. Hays
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
www.apa.org/books
9781433815737, $19.95, www.amazon.com

In "Creating Well-Being: Four Steps to a Happier, Healthier Life", clinical psychologist Pamela Hays draws upon her many years of experience and expertise to write this 224 page instruction manual that will enable the non-specialist general reader wanting to improve the quality of their emotional and social life through the implementation of four basic 'user friendly' steps that begins with tapping into hidden strengths and qualities, a recognition of the impact stress has upon the mind-body relationship, how to counter negative thinking, and to take positive, effective action with respect to improving our behavior, self-care, and social interactions. Insightful, astute, practical, and accessible, "Creating Well-Being: Four Steps to a Happier, Healthier Life" is very strongly recommended reading for anyone seeking personal self-improvement and would make an enduringly popular addition to community library Self-Help instructional reference collections.

Hayley Hobson's Hip Guide to Creating Your Sexy & Abundant Life
Hayley Hobson
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd, North Charleston, SC 29406
c/o Smith Publicity
1930 E Marlton Pike, Suite I-46, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
9781492135005, $24.95, 160 pp., www.amazon.com

Hayley Hobson is a mom, a wife, a yogi and a business pioneer. "Hayley Hobson's Hip Guide to Creating Your Sexy & Abundant Life" offers an accessible look at a life in the fast lane that both entertains and educates her readers. Hayley shares her unique take on relationships, spirituality and relaxation and demonstrates balancing home-making tasks with a powerful exercise regimen that can be emulated by anyone. Each chapter features various yoga poses, designed to relax and rejuvenate you as your path unfolds. Enhanced throughout with beautiful full color photography and an informative text, "Hayley Hobson's Hip Guide to Creating Your Sexy & Abundant Life" is very highly recommended for personal and community library Self-Help reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Green Intention
Sandy Moore and Deanna Moore
DeVorss Publications
553 Constitution Ave.
Camarillo, CA 93012-8510
9780875168555 $15.95 www.devorss.com

The Green Intention: Living in Sustainable Joy is a personable, reader-friendly self-help guide to cultivating one's compassion, and resolving one's innermost intentions to do good. Though written from the perspective of learning to "think green" (i.e. environmentally friendly), its transformative lessons can be applied to any issue in which the reader seeks to change themselves for the better. Most specific techniques for reducing one's energy footprint are left to other guides; The Green Intention is about setting one's heart on the right path, knowing that the right actions will follow. "Sometimes when you take a break, you need to take care of our body. However, other times, it may be your spirit, your creativity, or your relationships that need attention. Sometimes we must go into meditation in order to get clear about what's being neglected. When you meditate at a time like this, consider the question: What needs attention right now in order to give my life balance?"


The Gaming Shelf

Casino Games
John Gollehon
Cardoza Publishing
5473 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.cardozapub.com
9781580422932, $12.95, www.amazon.com

Whether located in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, on a Mississippi river boat or a Native American reservation, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. The industry that deals in casinos is called the gaming industry. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. In the United States, many states are grappling with high unemployment and budget deficits and are now turning to legalizing casinos, often in places that are not tourist destinations. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sporting events. But the principle reason for visiting a casino is to play blackjack, craps, slot machines, video poker machines, baccarat, roulette, keno, or to participate in sports betting. Now in a newly updated edition, "Casino Games" by John Gollehon is a 224 page compendium introducing all of these casino games to the novice player and to provide insight and information that will provide an extraordinary and successful casino gaming experience. Comprehensive, definitive, practical, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Casino Games" is a complete course of instruction in casino-based gaming and a very highly recommended addition to personal and community library gaming collections.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Betty Blues
Renaud Dillies
NBM Comics Lit
c/o NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing
New York, NY 10038
9781561637584 $18.99 www.nbmpublishing.com

Eisner and Harvey nominated comic author Renaud Dillies presents Betty Blues, a full color graphic novel featuring anthropomorphic characters searching for meaning in a complex and difficult world. Little Rice Duck is a jazz musician by trade; he loves his girlfriend Betty, but also devotes himself heavily to his music - perhaps too heavily. Feeling neglected, Betty becomes entranced by the attention of a wealthy tycoon who sees her as a potential conquest. Each of them eventually realizes the painful consequences of their mistakes - but will it be too late? The shaded art complements this universal story of love, regret, and lingering hope. Betty Blues is also available in various ebook formats: Apple (9781561637591), .pdf (9781561637607), Kindle Fire (9781561637614), and Nook (9781561638925).


The Audiobook Shelf

Doctor Sleep
Stephen King, author
Will Patton, narrator
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781470345785 $123.75 www.recordedbooks.com

Doctor Sleep is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Stephen King's sequel to his enormously popular horror novel, The Shining. Dan Torrance, once a child with the precognitive gift of the Shining, is now a middle-aged and works at a nursing home, where his talents (and a prescient cat) aid him in bringing comfort to the dying, as "Doctor Sleep". Dan is part of an AA community that helps him cope with the legacy of his father's alcoholism and abuse. But old terrors rise anew when he befriends Abra Stone, a twelve-year-old girl strongly attuned with psychic gifts. The True Knot, a loose paranormal organization that falsely appears to be nothing more than older people living out of RVs, sustains its immortal members by slowly torturing children such as Abra to death. Dan's desperate struggle to protect Abra escalates into a soul-rending clash between good and evil, in this keenly suspenseful sequel to the terrifying epic that captivated a generation. 16 CDs, 18.5 hours.

Doing Hard Time
Stuart Woods, author
Tony Roberts, narrator
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
9781611761962 $29.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

Superlatively performed by Broadway and film actor Tony Roberts, Doing Hard Time: A Stone Barrington Novel is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Stuart Woods' high-stakes tale of murder and deceit. Stone Barrington's trip to Bel-Air to check on business and personal matters turns dangerous, when a case he thought closed reappears to take a deadly toll. To survive, let alone ferret out an unknown killer, Barrington must make the unlikeliest of alliances with a grey operative who is all-but-invisible to whatever passes for law or justice. California's most lavish excesses, from high-stakes poker tables to luxurious beachside resorts, are the stage for this intense drama of life and death! 7 CDs, 8 1/2 hours.

The Good Father
Diane Chamberlain, author
Performed by Kirby Heyborne, Arielle Delisle, and Emily Durante
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781452611938 $39.99 www.tantor.com

The Good Father is an unabridged audiobook about difficult choices with no easy solutions. Single father Travis Brown has been taking care of his daughter Bella for four years, ever since he was nineteen. Their life has been difficult at times, but things take a turn for the worse when Travis loses his construction job and his home. Desperate for work, he jumps at a job offer in Raleigh... which turns out to be a criminal deception. Out of money, and out of options, must Travis resort to accepting a Devil's bargain to provide for his beloved daughter? A complex tale laced with the heartache, The Good Father is thought-provoking from beginning to end. 9 CDs, 10 1/2 hours.

Never Go Back
Lee Child, author
Dick Hill, narrator
Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 5th floor
New York, NY 10019
9780307749666 $45.00 www.randomhouse.com

Never Go Back is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of Lee Child's high-stakes adventure following Jack Reacher, a former military cop with a strong adherence to the principles of justice even amid the most chaotic and trying times. When Reacher travels across America to meet the new commanding officer of his old unit, Major Susan Turner, he receives one unpleasant shock after another. Turner is missing, and Reacher's name is on the line; he must stay ahead of not only criminals, but also the army, the FBI, and the D.C. Metro police in search of the truth! Superbly performed by multiple award-winning narrator Dick Hill, Never Go Back is knife-edge suspense sure to enthrall fans of the genre! 11 CDs, 13 1/2 hours.

Good Kings Bad Kings
Susan Nussbaum, author
Read by Emma Galvin, et. al.
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781622311347 $32.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com

Good Kings Bad Kings is the unabridged audiobook rendition of playwright Susan Nussbaum's prize-winning debut novel. Set in the ILLC, an institution for young people with disabilities on Chicago's South Side, Good Kings Bad Kings follows young people struggling against maltreatment and neglect. They connect with one another, resist their oppression, and change through their friendships - and their love affairs. Vividly brought to life by a cast of seven talented performers, Good Kings Bad Kings is a human saga about hope, highly recommended. 7 CDs, 7 1/2 hours.

The Ludwig Conspiracy
Oliver Potzsch, author
Simon Vance, narrator
Anthea Bell, translator
c/o Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781622311989 $39.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com

The Ludwig Conspiracy is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a high-stakes thriller. When rare book dealer Steven Lukas acquires a mysterious diary encoded by a close confidant of Ludwig II, the Fairy-tale King of Bavaria, it kicks off a whirlwind of intrigue. Ruthless rivals with no qualms about killing compete for the precious volume and its mysterious secrets! Art detective Sara Lengfeld aids Lukas in his search to unravel the diary's riddles, all while being hounded by ruthless thugs in this exciting adventure, superbly translated into English by Anthea Bell and brought alive by the smooth performance of Simon Vance. 12 CDs, 13 1/4 hours.

A Seaside Christmas
Sherryl Woods, author
Christina Traister, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887
Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.SherrylWoods.com
9781480539266 $19.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

A Seaside Christmas is the unabridged audiobook rendition of popular author Sherryl Woods' heartwarming holiday novel. Songwriter Jenny Collins grew up more than a little lonely, as the only child of a single mother; now that her mother has married into the loud (and somewhat raucous) O'Brien family, she isn't sure how to adapt. Collins travels from her established professional territory of Nashville to the shores of Chesapeake to collaborate on a Christmas entertainment event. Trailing her is Caleb Green, the singer who once broke her heart. Caleb is determined to reignite her love, and the O'Brien family welcomes her with enthusiasm, but can the disjoin pieces of her past be reassembled into a brighter future? The depth of character and storytelling adds to the festive sense of joy in this delightful holiday audiobook.

Spider-Man: Drowned In Thunder
Christopher L. Bennett
GraphicAudio
4940 Hampden Lane, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
www.GraphicAudio.net
9781599509945, $19.99, www.amazon.com

The story is pure Spider-Man action/adventure that has made him one of Marvel Comics most popular characters. In "Spider-Man: Drowned In Thunder", J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle, has denounced Spider-Man from the beginning, convincing New Yorkers to see him as a criminal and a menace. But when a robot attack on Manhattan injures Peter Parker's students and Jameson blames Spider-Man, their feud takes on a new, personal dimension. As the embittered webslinger faces further robot attacks, each deadlier than the last, his spider-sense warns that Jameson himself is behind them, possibly colluding with Electro, Alistaire Smythe, or another of Spider-Man's mortal foes. Convinced that his worst critic has become a mortal enemy, Spider-Man declares war on Jameson -- a war the publisher is eager to wage. But in their relentless pursuit of victory, they both risk losing everything that matters to them -- and may both fall victim to the cataclysmic secret behind the robots. GraphicAudio has created a premier audio book experience by converting Christopher L. Bennet's superbly crafted novel into a dynamic 'theatre of the mind' experience. Enhanced with sound effects and music, the multi-cast performance combined with flawless production values makes the 5 CD, five hour "Spider-Man: Drowned In Thunder" very highly recommended for Spidey's legions of fans and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library audio book collections.

Highland Angel
Hannah Howell, author
Performed by Angela Dawe
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781452614656 $39.99 www.tantor.com

Highland Angel is the unabridged audiobook rendition of the seventh volume in Hannah Howell's "Murray Family" series. Entrancingly performed by film, television, and theater actress Angela Dawe, Highland Angel follows Sir Payton Murray and the beautiful Kirstie MacLye, who was nearly murdered by her cruel and ruthless husband. Determined to bring her would-be killer to terms for his many crimes, she beseeches Murray's help; he accedes, aware that her passion for justice will not be denied. Adventure and amore fill this dramatic saga of a personal crusade against a remorseless and powerful enemy! 9 CDs, 11 hours.

Galaxy Press
7051 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200
Hollywood, CA 90028
www.galaxypress.com

Galaxy Press is dedicated to keeping the literary works of L. Ron Hubbard available for new generations of appreciative readers -- and with their audio book productions, new generations of appreciative listeners as well! The twin hallmarks of a Galaxy Press audio book is their flawless production values and their expert multi-cast performances. Among their latest releases are a series of outstanding action/adventure thrillers that even after several decades from their original appearances in the pulp magazines of the 30's, 40's, and 50's, still present an enormous entertainment experience for a modern audience. Among these highly recommended releases for personal and community library audio book collections are: "Golden Hell" (9781592122530, $9.95); "Sky Birds Dare!" (9781592122318, $9.95); "Dead Men Kill" (9781592122504, $9.95); "Loot Of The Shanung" (9781592123124, $9.95); "All Frontiers Are Jealous" (9781592123384, $9.95); "Arctic Wings" ($9.95). Fans of pulp fiction brought vividly to life in expertly produced productions, and community librarians seeking to build up their audio book collections with enduringly popular titles, would be well advised to visit the Galaxy Press web site at www.galaxypress.com for a complete listing of all their audio book productions of L. Ron Hubbard pulp magazine era stories.


The Music CD Shelf

Azucar Canela
Rebeca Vallejo
WMB
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.rockpaperscissors.biz
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Madrid's native singer Rebeca Vallejo presents Azucar Canela, a Spanish-language album that also draws upon the multifaceted legacy of jazz, Brazilian music, and joyous flamenco. The result is work that celebrates Spanish history and culture, heady with nostalgia yet brightly optimistic about the future. A joy to listen to, Azucar Canela ("Sugar Cinnamon") is enthusiastically recommended for international music collections. The tracks are "El Ciego Sol", "No Sabes", "Despertar", "Cravo e Canela", "Canicas", "Azucar, Canela", "Los Pilares de la Tierra", "Sin Piedad", "Verde Sobre Azul", and "Lullaby".

Flight 14
Uwe Gronau
Time Rider Music
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Evoking the free spirit of flying about of the clouds, whether by airplane or hang-glider, Flight 14 is a new-age album with instrumental songs ranging in composition from solo piano to piano-synthesizer, electric-piano, synth, and more. Relaxing and inspirational, the soaring music takes the listener on a journey to stimulate the imagination. An audio treasury for new age connoisseurs, not to be missed! The tracks are "At the Beginning" (3:27), "Magic Tree - Part I" (2:05), "Night Train" (3:09), "Lend Me Your Heart" (3:30), "Looking For" (3:42), "Prince (of the Darkness)" (4:01), "Magic Tree - Part 2" (3:30), "Father, I Miss You" (2:52), "Market" (3:43), "Lazy Morning" (3:19), "Flight 14" (4:18), "The Cleaning" (2:13), "Celebration" (3:32), "Can't Explain" (3:38), "Elegy" (1:45), "Heaven" (4:06), "The Other Way" (4:36), "Holiday" (3:30), "The Ghost Behind You" (5:14), and "What I Forgot To Say" (1:32).

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio
Kenny Barron, Gerry Gibbs, & Ron Carter
Whaling City Sound
1310 Tucker Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747
c/o Mixed Media (publicity)
20 Lockmere Road, Cranston, RI 02910
www.mixedmediapromo.com
$14.98 www.whalingcitysound.com

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio is the album of a three-man band of experienced jazz players. Some songs are debut originals; others remix member's favorite compositions from decades past. All showcase the dexterity, passion, and soul of three talented musicians dedicated to sharing their dreams. A must-have for jazz connoisseurs! The tracks are "Epistrophy" (4:39), "Promises, Promises" (4:26), "When I Dream" (8:52), "The Shadow of Your Smile" (4:33), "The Woman on the TV Screen" (6:00), "The Eye of the Hurricane" (3:29), "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" (5:06), "A Feeling" (4:07)', "Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing" (5:57), "Sunshower" (5:50), "Hear Comes Ron" (3:48), "Impressions" (4:57), "The Thrasher" (5:56), "Mr. Clean" (6:24), and "The Theme" (0:35).

California Dreaming
Afrolicious
Privately Published
c/o Press Junkie PR
9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 160, PMB 221
Austin, TX 78748
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 www.amazon.com

California Dreaming is the debut album of tropical dance music from the energetic collective of Afrolicious. Drawing upon the rich legacies of jazz and funk, California Dreaming is brimming with love for feel-good nightlife, and the joy of losing oneself to the dance! The tracks are "California Dreaming" (4:08), "Revolution" (4:06), "Never Let No One" (4:09), "Crazy" (5:33), "Pleasuretime" (4:11), "Pleasure Power" (4:26), "Thursday Swing" (5:25), "Do What You Got To" (5:23), "Foolin'" (4:21), and "Horizons" (5:17).


The DVD Shelf

With God On Our Side
A film by Porter Speakman Jr.
Rooftop Productions
c/o Vision Video (distribution)
P.O. Box 540
Worcester, PA 19490
$19.99 www.visionvideo.com

With God On Our Side is a documentary that questions the theology and political aspirations of Christian Zionism, which throws unquestioning support behind the Israeli government. But some of Israel's policies cause injustice and suffering to its Palestinian citizens. Is there a Biblical way to support Israel while also promoting peace and reconciliation for Jews and Palestinians alike? Sober, thought-provoking, and directly addressing modern-day practical, moral, and theological dilemmas, With God On Our Side is highly recommended especially for church DVD libraries. 1 hour 22 min., English and Arabic languages, English subtitles over Arabic dialogue, widescreen.

Mister Scrooge to See You!
Featuring David Ruprecht, Matt Koester, & Shannon Moore
Vision Video
P.O. Box 540
Worcester, PA 19490
$19.99 www.visionvideo.com

Mister Scrooge to See You! is an original, imaginative DVD sequel to Charles Dickens' timeless classic, "A Christmas Carol". Scrooge's holiday tale of greed, guidance and redemption is well-known - but one year after his change of heart, the ghost of his business partner Jacob Marley returns with another task at hand. Scrooge is sent on a journey 170 years into the future, into a world beset with more greed than ever; it's Scrooge's appointed task to show the young, ruthless businessman Timothy Cratchit VI the error of his ways, and teach him the true meaning of Christmas! Veteran stage and television actor David Ruprecht brings the titular role of Scrooge to life, in this heartwarming and family-friendly holiday tale. 115 min., optional English subtitles, coded for all regions.

With Love... from the Age of Reason
A film by Yann Samuell with Marton Csokas
Starring Sophie Marceau
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213
New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

With Love... from the Age of Reason is an absorbing movie on DVD about a woman a crossroads. Margaret is a successful executive at a multinational construction firm. Her tightly scheduled lifestyle, down to micromanaged time blocks set aside for sex with her partner, is shaken when she receives a stack of letters that she wrote to her future self when she was seven years old. "...I'm writing you this letter to help you remember the promises I made when I was 7, and also to remind you of what I want to become..." Realizing that she misses the carefree happiness and idealism of her youth, Margaret sets out for childhood home, on a search reconnect with a side of herself long suppressed. A story of the pursuit of happiness and meaning to one's life, even if it contrasts with mainstream pressures, With Love... from the Age of Reason is heartfelt, touching, and highly recommended. 89 min., French with English subtitles.

Approaching Midnight
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569943755 $26.95 www.montereymedia.com

Approaching Midnight is a dark movie blending elements of action and crime drama. Army staff sergeant Wesley Kent returns to his small hometown after serving in Afghanistan, beset by painful tragedies... his best friend died in the war, and his girlfriend Aspen perished in a car accident while he was away. But when he tries to learn more about the accident that claimed her life, he uncovers evidence of corruption, greed, and ruthlessness permeating the locality. Could Aspen's father, the town Mayor aspiring to run for Governor, be at the center of the criminal web? Edge-of-one's-seat suspense permeates Approaching Midnight, right up to the shocking climax! Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes video journal, conversations with the cast and crew, and more. 86 min., closed captioned, rated PG.

Line of Duty series 1
Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
9781621721062 $39.99 www.acornonline.com

Line of Duty is a critically acclaimed British police drama; now, series one of the tensely plotted and vividly characterized saga is available on DVD for the first time. The story is about Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates, and the suspicions that Superintendent Ted Hastings holds about Gates' stellar track record. Gates has earned the loyalty of his teammates, and the best crime stats of anyone on the force - but his success really legitimate? Could the rising star of the force be a corrupt cop under the surface? Hastings conscripts new arrival Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott to help uncover the truth, for good or for ill! Complex personalities drive this suspenseful show, highly recommended especially for fans of quality British television. 5 episodes on 2 DVDs, 305 min., widescreen, SDH subtitles. Line of duty is not rated, but does contain coarse language and disturbing images.

Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga
Hilaria Baldwin
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781621721253 $16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Certified yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin presents Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga, a DVD of three safe and proactive prenatal yoga workouts, designed especially for expectant mothers. The workouts offer suggested modifications for each trimester, and each has a different focus: one relieves back pain and develops the muscles responsible for good posture and alignment; one helps mothers open their hips in preparation for childbirth; and one aids in the relief of stress. Gentle exercise and activity throughout pregnancy is vital not only for good health, but also easier childbirth; Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga is invaluable especially for soon-to-be first-time mothers, and makes an excellent baby shower gift! 59 min. plus 5 min. bonus (partner stretches, featuring Hilaria's celebrity husband Alec Baldwin).

Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
$14.98 each www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Three new fitness DVDs from Anchor Bay Entertainment are readily accessible to viewers of all backgrounds, especially those who are short on time. Pilates expert Elizabeth Ordway's "Targeted Toning Pilates for Beginners" (65 min.) is part of the "Element" series of workouts, and consists of three twenty-minute programs created to strengthen those muscles that are most difficult to access, including the core, abs, and "seat lifters". A ten-minute "core strengthener" rounds out this user-friendly, strength and grace-building workout. Leslie Sansone's "Walk to the Hits: Radio Remixes" (48 min., www.walkathome.com), part of her "Just Walk" series, encourages the viewer to get active to lively music. Her High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) method alternates short bursts of high effort and periods of recovery, the better to stay burn more calories in a compact time frame. Christine Bullock leads "10 Minute Solution: Butt Lift" (65 min.), part of the excellent "10 Minute Solution" series perfect for squeezing into the busiest routines. The short, mix-or-match sessions include exercises designed specifically to tighten one's rear; a cardio "booty" camp; a standing workout that lifts the buns, a butt & thigh workout inspires by ballet, yoga, and Pilates; High Intensity Interval Training for the glutes; and an "Amazing Abs" bonus workout. All three DVDs are quality additions to enrich one's personal fitness library!

Pentrex
2652 East Walnut St.
Pasadena, CA 91107
$29.95 each www.pentrex.com

Three railroading DVDs from Pentrex continue their tradition of presenting the quality railroad entertainment for train enthusiasts. "California Western Railroad" (1563423383, 1 hour) is a narrated tour of the historic shortline headquartered in Northern California's Ft. Bragg, that winds through a coastal mountain range on its journey to the town of Willitis. Filmed in 1991, California Western Railroad takes the viewer on a scenic tour, using multiple special camera perspectives for a "you-are-there" feel! "Eastern Quebec's Ore Lines Volume 1" (156342312X, 1 hour 20 min.) explores the Cartier, an Alco-powered railroad with long trains, and the Quebec Iron & Titanium Romaine River Railway, one of the most remote railroads in North America. Visits to locomotive and car shops, as well as the computerized dispatcher's office round out this beautiful tour, complemented with descriptive narration. "Into the Allegheny Range Volume 4" (1563423057, 4 hours on 2 DVDs) is an extensive scrutiny of the CSX's Sand Patch Grade in western Pennsylvania, one of the most popular American sites among railroad fans. The narrated journeys include a ride on a pusher engine, visits to obscure branch lines, and breathtaking mountain scenery. All three make great gifts for railroad fans!


The Computer Shelf

Easy Computer Basics Windows 8.1 Edition
Michael Miller
Que
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780789752321 $24.99 www.quepublishing.com

Featuring clear, full-color screenshots complementing its instructions on virtually every page, Easy Computer Basics Windows 8.1 Edition is a hands-on, no-nonsense instructional guide, accessible to even the most neophyte of computer users. Written especially for those running a personal computer with the Windows 8.1 operating system, chapters cover everything from setting up one's PC and a wireless home network to using the new interface of windows 8.1, personalizing Windows, Microsoft Word, learning the ropes of the Internet, communicating with email, Facebook and other social networks, watching TV/movies/other media online, safeguarding one's computer, and much more. "If you want to browse anonymously, without any traces of your history recorded, activate IE's InPrivate Browsing mode on a new tab. Display the Address bar and click the "three dot" (...) button, and then click New InPrivate Tab from the pop-up menu." Easy Computer Basics 8.1 Edition deserves to be a "pack-in" manual for anyone brand new to Windows 8.1!

Murach's Android Programming
Joel Murach
Mike Murach & Associates
4140 North Knoll Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722
9781890774714, $57.50, www.amazon.com

Android is a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google backed financially and later bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007 along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance: a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. The first Android-powered phone was sold in October 2008. Android is open source and Google releases the code under the Apache License. This open-source code and permissive licensing allows the software to be freely modified and distributed by device manufacturers, wireless carriers and enthusiast developers. Additionally, Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of devices, written primarily in a customized version of the Java programming language. In October 2012, there were approximately 700,000 apps available for Android, and the estimated number of applications downloaded from Google Play, Android's primary app store, was 25 billion. A developer survey conducted in April - May 2013 found that Android is the most popular platform for developers, used by 71% of the mobile developer population. "Murach's Android Programming" by Joel Murach is an accessibly written, superbly organized, 702 page training manual that is as user friendly as it is informed and informative. A complete course of instruction under one cover, "Murach's Android Programming" is a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library technology instructional reference collections.

The Official Ubuntu Server Book
Kyle Rankin & Benjamin Mako Hill
Prentice Hall Professional
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com www.ubuntu.com
9780133017533, $44.99, www.amazon.com

Ubuntu is an operating system based on the Linux kernel and the Linux distribution Debian, with Unity as its default desktop environment. It is distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu which often is translated as "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity". The collaborative effort of Ubuntu computer language experts Kyle Rankin and Benjamin Mako Hill, "The Official Ubuntu Server Book" is now in a newly updated and expanded third edition and continues to be the premier instruction manual for launching, maintaining, and using this outstanding (and free) server operating system. Absolutely user friendly and immediately accessible, "The Official Ubuntu Server Book" offers a complete course of instruction including automate Ubuntu installs; and deploying Ubuntu servers in the cloud. Comprehensive, informed and informative, "The Official Ubuntu Server Book" is an extraordinary manual and highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library Computer Science reference collections. It should be noted that "The Official Ubuntu Server Book" is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.79).

Python In Practice
Mark Summerfield
Addison Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com www.informit.com/aw
9780321905635, $39.99, www.amazon.com

Python is a widely used general-purpose, high-level programming language. Its design philosophy emphasizes code readability, and its syntax allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code than would be possible in languages such as C. The language provides constructs intended to enable clear programs on both a small and large scale. "Python in Practice: Create Better Programs Using Concurrency, Libraries, and Patterns" by Python computer language expert Mark Summerfield is a 336 page instruction manual that emphasizes design patters for coding elegance, faster processing through concurrency and compiled Python; high-level networking, and graphics. Comprehensive, accessibly written, and taking an especially 'user friendly' approach, "Python in Practice: Create Better Programs Using Concurrency, Libraries, and Patterns" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly valued addition to personal, professional, and academic library Computer Science instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Python in Practice: Create Better Programs Using Concurrency, Libraries, and Patterns" is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.27).

HTML5 Unleashed
Simon Sarris
Sams
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com informit.com/unleashed
9780672336270, $44.99, www.amazon.com

HTML5 is a markup language used for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web and a core technology of the Internet. It is the fifth revision of the HTML and, as of December 2012, is a candidate recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices (web browsers, parsers, etc.). HTML5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but also XHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML. "HTML5 Unleashed" by HTML5 expert Simon Sarris is a 432 page instruction manual covering the creation of such key web components as the creation of web apps and solutions for state-of-the-art media content and interactivity with new Audio, Video, and Canvas elements. Deftly written, superbly organized and accessibly presented, "HTML5 Unleashed" is profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly'. Covering all the new HTML5 features, "HTML5 Unleashed" is an especially recommended guide for anyone upgrading from previous HTML editions and a welcome addition to personal, professional, and academic library Computer Science reference collections. It should be noted that "HTML5 Unleashed" is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.79).

AutoCAD 2014: Beginning and Intermediate
Munir Hamad
Mercury Learning
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
97811938549625, $54.95, www.amazon.com

AutoCAD is a software application for 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting - available since 1982 as a desktop application and since 2010 as a mobile web- and cloud-based app, currently marketed as AutoCAD 360. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, Inc., AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 - having been purchased a year prior in its original form by Autodesk founder John Walker. The software is currently marketed in its eighteenth generation. "AutoCAD 2014: Beginning and Intermediate" by certified AutoDesk instructor Munir Hamad, is a 720 page compendium that provides a complete course of instruction on using AutoCAD 2012 - 2D Drafting. Specifically designed for those new to AutoCAD, "AutoCAD 2014: Beginning and Intermediate" is a complete course of illustrated step-by-step instruction that includes more than one hundred 'mini-workshops'; an accompanying DVD featuring drawings, practice and finished plots, 4-color figures, etc.; the use of both English and metric units in examples, exercises, projects and descriptions; covers three full projects for architectural and mechanical designs; and is a basic textbook for preparing to take AutoCAD certification examinations. "AutoCAD 2014: Beginning and Intermediate" is very strongly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library Computer Science reference collections.


The Travel Shelf

The Civil War Lover's Guide to New York City
Bill Morgan
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
9781611211221 $18.95 www.savasbeatie.com

The Civil War Lover's Guide to New York City lives up to its title as a detailed guide to the monuments, historic sites, and landmark resources connected to the turbulent history of the American Civil War. Though New York was a Northern state, its citizens voted against President Abraham Lincoln twice, and the state was notably sympathetic to the South. Yet over the course of the war, New York provided more men, equipment, and supplies to the Union than any other city in the North. Striking, full-color photography on almost every page coupled with detailed descriptions of each point of interest make The Civil War Lover's Guide to New York City as appealing to armchair travelers as it is to vacationers with a keen interest in history!

1000 Ultimate Adventures
Brett Atkinson, et al.
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781743217191, $22.99, www.amazon.com

Whether planning for an on-site adventure or merely an armchair traveler, readers will find "Lonely Planet 1000 Ultimate Adventures" to be an outstanding, profusely illustrated, 348 page compendium packed from cover to cover with short succinct descriptions of interesting places to visit for a very special experience, the kind that create memories for a lifetime. Deftly organizing the recommended itineraries into thematic sections that range from Animal Encounters; Archetypal Africa; Mountain Highs; No-Sweat Adventures; and Active Americas; to Intrepid Antipodes; Ventures by Foot; Exhilarating Europe; Aquatic Escapades; and Awesome Asia. Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Lonely Planet 1000 Ultimate Adventures" is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library Travel Guide collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Woodland Knits
Stephanie Dosen
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781627100243, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Stephanie Dosen's 'Tiny Owl Knits', has quickly gained iconic status among knitters: her patterns are brisk sellouts (at $5.50 per pattern) online, and she has been given feature coverage in both mainstream and knitting magazines, including Bust, Handmade Living, Simply Knitting, and Yarn Forward. Now she has gathered together and showcases the patterns for more than twenty of her whimsical creations in "Woodland Knits", a 128 page, profusely illustrated compendium. Along with descriptive instructions are the occasional 'tip' boxes. All in all, "Woodland Knits" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and a very highly recommended addition to both novice and experienced knitter instructional reference collections.

Thimbleberries Scrap Quilts
Lynette Jensen
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
www.landauercorp.com
9781935726456, $24.95, www.amazon.com

A quilt is a type of blanket, traditionally composed of 3 layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. A quilt is distinguishable from other types of blankets because it is pieced together with several pieces of cloth. "Thimbleberries Scrap Quilts" is a superbly illustrated, 80 page, instructional compendium of scrap quilt projects that even the most novice of quilters can readily follow to produce outstanding patchwork designs. Included are step-by-step designs for making throws, runners, wallhangings, band pillows, and more. Each showcased quilting project includes fabrics and supplies, patch creation and assembling, and full color pictures of the finished result. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Thimbleberries Scrap Quilts" is very highly recommended for novice quilters and has substantial value for even the more experienced needlecrafter.

Sewing Leather Accessories
Skills Institute Press Editorial Staff
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N.
East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781574216233, $14.99, www.amazon.com

Leather is one of the oldest 'fabrics' that humans learned to sew into form fitting garments and bags. It is also one of the most difficult 'fabrics that a needlecrafter can work with. That's why "Sewing Leather Accessories", an 80 page, superbly illustrated instruction guide will prove to be an invaluable and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft reference collections. Offering 'user friendly', do-it-yourself projects for creating custom made leather belts, gloves and clutches, "Sewing Leather Accessories" begins with a guide to working with leathers that includes adjusting patterns for leather, preparing both natural and synthetic skins, various methods of cutting and marking, the basics for stitching leathers, and specific techniques for zippers and buttonholes. The projects include a double-buckle leather belt, a snakeskin belt with two-piece buckle, a cinched sash belt, gloves, and a clutch with snakeskin trim. Enhanced with a glossary and an index, "Sewing Leather Accessories" is a truly exceptional contribution to any needlecrafter seeking to expand their expertise to include working with leather.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks: Volume 3
Best of Bridge Editorial Staff
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804598, $29.95, www.amazon.com

The hallmark of this third volume of outstanding recipes from the Best of Bridge editorial staff is drawn from their folksy Foreword: "simple recipes with gourmet results". As with the first two volumes of this culinary series, "The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks: Volume 3" is a spiral bound hardcover that allows the cookbook to lay flat upon a kitchen counter or table. The recipes are nicely organized into four main sections: Brunch and Lunch; Starters and Sides; Entrees; and 'Baddies' But Goodies. The thoroughly kitchen cook friendly recipes range from Cheddar Apple Muffins; Papaya Avocado Salad; Mexican Black Bean Soup; and a Shrimp, Rice and Artichoke Casserole; to Beef Tenderloin with Peppercorn Sauce; Tortellini with Three Cheeses; Chocolate Truffle Cookies; and a Margarita Fruit Cocktail. "The Complete Best of Bridge Cookbooks: Volume 3" is enthusiastically recommended as ideal for creating simple meal menus with elegant, palate pleasing, and appetite satisfying results.

The Little Book Of Home Preserving
Rebecca Gagnon
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
www.peterpauper.com
9781441313041, $10.95, www.amazon.com

Compiled by Rebecca Gagnon, "The Little Book Of Home Preserving" is a compact, pocket-sized, spiral-bound, hardcover, 160 page collection of instructions preserving seasonal agriculture products for later use in home recipes. After an informed and informative course on preserving basics (including safety issues), the recipes are organized into Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter seasons. Profusely illustrated in full color thoroughly out, the recipes range from Kumquat-Habaneior Marmalade; Limey Rum Sour Cherry Preserves; and Watermelon Caynne Jelly; to Autumn Spice Pear Sauce; Figgy Conserve; Pickled Beets; and Chipotle Mustard. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', "The Little Book Of Home Preserving" is especially recommended for the novice homemakers wanting to begin making preserves for their families, and has a great deal of value for those already experienced and familiar with home preserving.

Choosing Sides
Tara Mataraza Desmond
Andrews & McMeel
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
9781449427115, $24.99, www.amazon.com

A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entree or main course at a meal. Compiled by culinary expert Tara Mataraza Desmond, "Choosing Sides: From Holidays to Every Day, 130 Delicious Recipes to Make the Meal" is a beautifully and profusely illustrated, 240 page compendium showcasing 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for side dishes that would grace any meal, please any palate, and satisfy any appetite. The clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes range from Cinnamon Challah Muffins; Baby Spinach with Oranges and Manchego; Ginger Honey Carrots; and Lemon Couscous with Olives and Oven Tomatoes; to Grilled Halloumi and Eggplant with Almond Mint Pesto; Layered Esquites Corn Salad; Baked Stuffed Mushrooms; and Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Herb Stuffing. Very highly recommended, "Choosing Sides: From Holidays to Every Day, 130 Delicious Recipes to Make the Meal" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Choosing Sides: From Holidays to Every Day, 130 Delicious Recipes to Make the Meal" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Mormon Mama Italian Cookbook
Shannon M. Smurthwaite
Front Table Books
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781462111091 $18.99 www.cedarfort.com

Featuring full-color photography throughout, Mormon Mama Italian Cookbook is a treasury of easy-to-prepare, authentic Italian dishes equally suitable for family dinners or special occasions! Delights such as "Italian Fruit Salad", "Simple Creamy Fettuccini", "Cousin Bill Rosa's Metaball Sub Casserole", "Basilica Cookie Bars", and more fill this sumptuous repository of mouth-watering meals, side dishes, sauces and desserts. An excellent introduction to the home-grown joys of Italian cuisine!

No Girls Allowed Cookbook for Men
Greg Ford
Front Table Books
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781462111947 $18.99 www.cedarfort.com

Despite its title, No Girls Allowed Cookbook for Men is a prime pick for cooks of any gender, skill, or experience level - provided they enjoy traditional "man food"! Recipes such as "Cheese and Potato Soup", "Hamburger Stroganoff", "Barbecue New York Steak", "Texas Sheet Cake" and more have several commonalities - they are all easy to prepare, given with user-friendly directions, and sure to stroke a man's appetite! Color photography, a measurement conversion chart, and an index round out this choice cookbook especially recommended for bachelors or any man fending for himself in the kitchen!


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Assault on Priesthood
Rev. Lawrence B. Porter
Wipf & Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3
Eugene, OR 97401-2960
www.wipfandstock.com
9781610972925, $46.00, www.amazon.com

Over last couple of decades the Catholic Church has been rocked by scandals among its priests and bishops over issues of pedophilia and sexual misconduct. This has resulted in court convictions and imprisonments of offending priests, and law suits by their victims that have wreaked serious havoc on church finances. The traditional respect accorded to the Roman Catholic priesthood has been significantly eroded in many quarters and has not been so severely challenged since the era of the Protestant Reformation. "The Assault on Priesthood: A Biblical and Theological Rejoinder" by Lawrence B. Porter (a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey and current Professor and Chair of the Department of Systematic Theology in the Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey) is a 422 page scriptural and theological tradition based response to that challenge. Erudite, comprehensive, compelling, "The Assault on Priesthood: A Biblical and Theological Rejoinder" is as informed and informative, as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, making it very strongly recommended reading for anyone concerned with the restoration of the classic place and function of priests within the Roman Catholic tradition.


The Civil War Shelf

Torn by War
Mary Adelia Byers, author
Samuel R. Phillips, editor
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive
Norman, OK 73069
9780806143958 $19.95 www.oupress.com

Torn by War: The Civil War Journal of Mary Adela Byers is the personal diary of Mary Adelia Byers (1847-1918), which begins during the 1862 Union occupation of Batesville and closes shortly before the war's end. (The Union occupied Batesville three times as the war progressed). Though Byers was only fifteen when she started her diary, her writings belie her maturity and intelligence. She speaks of the local society, survival during a crisis, "setting up" through the night with dying soldiers, and much more. Though Torn by War is not an unbiased perspective (Byers had lost her father when she was young, and depended on the financial support of her uncle, a slave owner and Confederate sympathizer), it is an exceptionally memorable and worthy contribution to Civil War shelves, particularly those with an emphasis on how ordinary people weathered the war's hardships. Highly recommended.


The Photography Shelf

Fearless Photographer: Travel
Marc pangani
Course Technology
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
www.cengage.com
9781285063874, $34.99, www.amazon.com

"Fearless Photographer: Travel" is a 272 page compendium written and profusely illustrated by professional photographer to instruct aspiring photographers on how to select their destinations and adjust to new cultures, decide on the best equipment to travel with, avoid the cliche when finding and shooting subjects, getting and keeping organized, and storing photos for later use and sharing. Of special note is the chapter on Shooting Wildlife. An ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manual, "Fearless Photographer: Travel" is strongly recommended for photography students, as well as non-specialist general readers who would like to take truly memorable photos of their excursions abroad. Also available in a Kindle edition ($24.49), "Fearless Photographer: Travel" would prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Photography instructional reference collections.

Oregon Unforgettable
Dennis Frates
Marketing Department
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9781560375630, $32.95, www.amazon.com

"Oregon Unforgettable" is a 120 page compendium showcasing the stunning full color photography of Dennis Frates who takes as his subject matter the incredible natural beauty of Oregon landscapes. These are images that will linger in the mind long after browsing the pages of "Oregon Unforgettable" is concluded and this coffeetable sized pictorial is set back upon the shelf. A master photographer with an artist's eye, Dennis Frates has done full justice to presenting Oregon's incredible variety of 'rugged coastlines, soaring mountains, and emerald forests'. Highly recommended for personal and community library American Photography collections, "Oregon Unforgettable" would well serve as a template for other aspiring fine art photographers wanting to visually record outstanding landscape images of their own!


The Biography Shelf

Lowell Thomas Jr.
Lowell Thomas Jr. with Lew Freedman
Alaska Northwest Books
c/o Graphic Arts Books
PO Box 56118, Portland, Oregon 97238-6118
9780882409146 $27.99 www.graphicartsbooks.com

Lowell Thomas Jr.: Flight to Adventure, Alaska and Beyond is the high-spirited autobiography of Lowell Thomas Jr. (b. 1923), reporter, bush pilot, fifth Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, filmmaker, and conservationist devoted to preserving Alaska's beautiful wilderness. With the assistance of award-winning journalist Lew Freedman, Thomas speaks of climbing an Alaskan mountain at age sixteen, flying around the world on his honeymoon, meeting the fourteen-year-old Dalai Lama, and much more. His lifetime of accomplishments, exploration, and appreciation for nature's beauty make for a thoroughly engaging and inspirational true story, highly recommended.

General Edwin Vose Sumner, USA
Thomas K. Tate
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9780786472581, $35.00, www.amazon.com

Edwin Vose Sumner (January 30, 1797 - March 21, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. His nicknames "Bull" or "Bull Head" came both from his great booming voice and a legend that a musket ball once bounced off his head. Sumner fought in the Black Hawk War, with distinction in the Mexican-American War, on the Western frontier, and in the Eastern Theater for the first half of the Civil War. He led the II Corps of the Army of the Potomac through the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, the Maryland Campaign, and the Battle of Fredericksburg. "General Edwin Vose Sumner, USA: A Civil War Biography" by Thomas K. Tate is a meticulously researched and deftly written 240 page biography that is an invaluable contribution to the growing library of Civil War studies. Enhanced for the reading with an Epilogue, and appendix, extensive chapter notes, a substantial bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "General Edwin Vose Sumner, USA " is a very highly recommended and informative addition to personal, community, and academic library Civil War Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "General Edwin Vose Sumner" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Gun Shelf

The Gun Book For Girls
Silvio Calabi, et al.
Down East Books
PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843
www.downeastbooks.com
9781608932030, $24.99, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Silvio Calabi, Steve Helsley, and Roger Sanger, "The Gun Book for Girls" is a 256 page compendium that provides and informed and informative instruction on guns and shooting for young women with no prior experience with firearms. Replete with illustrative anecdotes and examples, "The Gun Book for Girls" emphasizes the importance of gun safety and the proper use of firearms. Of special note is the practical advice on using and maintaining a gun. "The Gun Book for Girls" provides excellent coverage of various kinds of firearms, shooting methods, and using guns for self protection. There is even useful coverage of clothing and accessories for female gun enthusiasts and profiles of women who work in the gun trade and shoot for sport, in competitions, and in their employment. Thoroughly 'user friendly', non-political, and progressively organized, "The Gun Book for Girls" is highly recommended for personal and community library instructional reference collections. Also very highly recommended are two companion titles from Down East Books: "The Gun Book for Boys" (9781608931996, $24.95 hc; $10.09 Kindle) and "The Gun Book for Parents" (9781608932016, $14.95 hc; $7.69 Kindle).


The Architecture Shelf

Chateau Country
Daniel DeKalb Miller
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764344152, $59.99, www.amazon.com

Historically, a Chateau was a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French-speaking regions. Most chateaus are described in English as a term for "country house". Originally immigrating from France, the du Pont family settled in the Brandywine River Valley of Delaware. Their first home had six rooms. One hundred years later, their largest house had 176 rooms and thirty-six servants on 2,300 acres of land. "Chateau Country: Du Pont Estates in the Brandywine Valley" is an intimate, informative, 272 page, stunningly illustrated portrait of the houses built by generations of the du Pont family. The informative text is superbly enhanced with the inclusion of full color photography of both interior and exterior images of the individual buildings. Alphabetically presented, the profusion of individual chateaus range from Applecross, to Greenville House, to Mount Cuba, to Owl's nest, to Xanadu. Of special note is the appendices article 'The Siege of Guyencourt'. Enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary and a directory of du Pont houses, a list of resources, and a comprehensive index, "Chateau Country: Du Pont Estates in the Brandywine Valley" is highly recommended for community and academic library American Architectural Studies collections.

Infinite Measure
Rachel Fletcher
George F. Thompson Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781938086021, $45.00, www.amazon.com

"Infinite Measure: Learning to Design in Geometric Harmony with Art, Architecture, and Nature" is a 400 page compendium in which geometer and theater designer Rachel Fletcher (New York School of interior Design), Rachel Fletcher provides visual designers of all disciplines and art forms with geometric methods and techniques for composing spaces and places harmoniously. Organized into two major sections (Geometry's Shapes and Symbols & Composing Space Plans) readers are presented with a wealth of diagrams illustrating geometric design concepts of balance and proportion. A unique work of impressive scholarship, "Infinite Measure: Learning to Design in Geometric Harmony with Art, Architecture, and Nature" is an important and strongly recommended addition to professional and academic library collections, as well as the supplemental reading lists for art and architecture students.


The Beer/Wine Shelf

Boutique Beer
Ben McFarland
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, NY 11788
www.barronseduc.com
9780764165740, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat. Most beer is also flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The preparation of beer is called brewing. Beer is the most popular drink in the world after water and tea. A new phenomenon in America is the rise of 'boutique' beer, that is, beers made with a wide variety of ingredients and ingredient combinations, usually by very small companies that usually have quite limited production and are often restricted to local community consumption. Compiled with expert commentary by Ben McFarland, "Boutique Beer: 500 Quality Craft Beers" is a 224 page compendium showcasing five hundred examples of the very best in boutique beer production. After a succinct and informative introduction (What Is Boutique Beer?), and an opening chapter (The Knowledge), the beers themselves are organized into nine distinctive chapters: Quench; Lager; Hop Beers; Grain; Old School classics; Curiosities; Sipper Beers; Wild and Wood; and Cellar Beers. Of special note is the "Desert Island Dozen' extensive listing. Profusely illustrated throughout and enhanced with the inclusion of a Directory and an Index of Beers, "Boutique Beer: 500 Quality Craft Beers" is highly informative and recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.


The Aviation Shelf

Early US Jet Fighters
Tony Buttler
Hikoki Publications
c/o Specialty Press
99 Spring Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10012
9781902109305 $49.95 www.specialtypress.com

Early US Jet Fighters: Proposals, Projects and Prototypes lives up to its title with an extraordinary wealth of detail documenting the birth of the jet engine fighter in the 1940s, eclipsing the old piston-engined fighter. Black-and-white (and a few color) photographic images and vintage drawings pepper virtually every page of this technical, in-depth reference, record, and resource, covering the many planes designed for army and navy use, all-weather fighting, interception, long range escort, and much more. A "must-have" for aviation history collections!

Wings Of The Navy
Eric 'Winkie' Brown
Hikoki Publications
c/o Specialty Press
99 Spring Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY 10012
www.specialtypress.com
9781902109329, $56.95, www.amazon.com

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, specifically fixed-wing, but also rotary-wingcraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project airpower worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations. They have evolved from wooden vessels used to deploy balloons to nuclear-powered warships that carry dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and various others. "Wings of the Navy" by Captain Eric Brown is a 272 page compendium showcasing the British and American military aircraft associated with naval aircraft carriers. Each individual aircraft is shown in a period photograph accompanied by a detailed explanatory text, line drawings, and complete schematic with all the individual parts listed and numbered. The planes themselves range from the Fairey Swordfish, to the Blackburn Firebrand, to the Grumman Hellcat; to the Douglas AD-4 Skyraider, to the McDonnell F-4K & FGA-1 Phantom. Informed and informative, "Wings of the Navy" is strongly recommended as a core addition to professional, community, and academic library Aviation History and Military History reference collections.


The Botany Shelf

Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism
Donald R. Yance
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620551004, $50.00, www.amazon.com

Adaptogens are plants that practitioners of herbal medicine claim decrease cellular sensitivity to stress. "Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism: Elite Herbs and Natural Compounds for Mastering Stress, Aging, and Chronic Disease" by clinical master herbalist and certified nutritionist Donald R. Yance is a 672 page compendium providing the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the role of adaptogens in human health. Organized into two major sections: 'Adaptogens: Keys to Optimal Health' focuses on a series of health issues ranging from stress, aging, thyroid and cardiovasuclar health to the immune system, cancer therapy, bone health, and weight management. 'Materia Medica' is an alphabetically organized presentation ranging from Acerola (Malpighia glabra) to Whey Protein Concentrate. Comprehensive and extensive, "Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism" should be considered an essential and core addition to professional, community, and academic library Alternative Medicine & Human Health reference collections. It should be noted that "Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism: Elite Herbs and Natural Compounds for Mastering Stress, Aging, and Chronic Disease" is also available in a Kindle edition ($28.78).


The American History Shelf

A Decisive Decade
Robert B. McKersie
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive
SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
9780809332441 $29.95 www.siupress.com

Award-winning nonfiction author Robert B. McKersie (Society of Sloan Fellows Professor emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management) presents A Decisive Decade: An Insider's View of the Chicago Civil Rights Movement During the 1960s, an in-depth examination of how the civil rights movement transformed the Windy City, and its legacy for America as a whole. Chapters meticulously reconstruct key historical events, from Tim Black and the Motorola Campaign to the many marches of spring and summer 1965, to the campaign for open housing, to how the movement ultimately wound down with the decade, though efforts continue particularly in the university and the Unitarian church. A handful of black-and-white photographs, notes, and an index round out this meticulous, exhaustively researched and accessibly presented chronicle, ideal for American History or Social Issues collections.


The Sports Shelf

Yoga for Runners
Christine Felstead
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076
Champaign, IL 61820-5076
9781450434171 $19.95 www.HumanKinetics.com

Yoga for Runners is a straightforward, easy-to-follow guide to using yoga stretches to help one's body rise to the challenges of running, from sprints to marathons. Step-by-step instructions with black-and-white photographs of poses demonstrate this basic program to promote strength and flexibility, reduce aches and pains, and improve one's performance while minimizing the risk of injury. Accessible, user-friendly, and relying on no expensive equipment (just a floor mat and/or a simple chair), Yoga for Runners is enthusiastically recommended for anyone who loves to practice any sports or fitness activity with plenty of running involved!

Spitballing
Mike Lackey
Orange Frazer Press
PO Box 214
Wilmington, OH 45177
9781939710055 $19.99 www.orangefrazer.com

Spitballing: The Baseball Days of Long Bob Ewing is an in-depth biography of George Lemuel "Bob" Ewing (1873 - 1947), a baseball player in the majors from 1902-1912, and a pitcher for consistent winner teams including the Philadelphia Nationals, the Cincinnati Reds, and the St. Louis Cardinals. A scattering of vintage black-and-white photographs enhances this intimate portrait of not only Ewing's life and sports career, but also sport of baseball as it was played over one hundred years ago. Vignettes come alive in this thoroughly accessible life story, highly recommended especially for baseball enthusiasts.

The 50 Greatest Players in Boston Red Sox History
Lew Freedman
Camino Books, Inc.
PO Box 59026
Philadelphia, PA 19102
9781933822747 $17.95 www.caminobooks.com

Veteran journalist and sportswriter Lew Freedman presents The 50 Greatest Players in Boston Red Sox History, a survey of the Boston team's most outstanding individuals of its storied 112-year history. A few pages and sometimes a black-and-white photograph are dedicated to each spotlighted individual, touching on their origins and the most outstanding moments of their careers. An excellent, reader-friendly browse for Red Sox fans and baseball trivia buffs!

New York City Baseball: The Golden Age 1947-1957
Harvey Frommer
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781589798908 $16.95 www.rlpgbooks.com

Now with a new introduction for its 2013 edition, New York City Baseball: The Golden Age 1947-1957 explores the post-World War II heyday for baseball in New York, including the rivalries of the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers. Rare interviews with the baseball stars of the era - including Monte Irvin, Mel Allen, Duke Snider, Phil Rizzuto, and many more - pepper this "must-have" for baseball history enthusiasts and armchair time-travelers. Highly recommended!


The Fiction Shelf

As Flies to Whatless Boys
Robert Antoni
Akashic Books
PO Box 1456
New York, NY 10009
9781617751554 $15.95 hc / $9.99 Kindle www.akashicbooks.com

Set in 1845 Trinidad, As Flies to Whatless Boys is an original novel about a doomed British voyage, from the perspective of a young boy blinded by its utopian dream. Erratic engineer John Adolphus Etzler believes that his mechanical invention will revolutionize humanity, and organizes the Tropical Emigration Society of London citizens to form a proto-socialist community. But the remote Trinidad swamp he has chosen is an unforgiving place, that ravages its would-be colonists with the deadly "Black Vomit" plague. The teenaged Willy is one of Etzler's dedicated followers; on the sea voyage he falls in love with a noblewoman who can't speak; they communicate through writing. Fortunately, she is not part of Willy's high-minded yet survival-impaired expedition. When Willy's father contracts the dread disease, Willy, their African helpmate John, and two Warrahoon Indians labor to carry the sick man through jungle and mountains. A bittersweet coming-of-age tale of tragedy, chicanery, high ideals, harsh realities, and the hard choice between love and family duty, As Flies to Whatless Boys is highly recommended.


The Memoir Shelf

The Lightkeeper
Gerald Butler with Patricia Ahern
The Liffey Press
www.theliffeypress.com
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781908308252 $25.95 www.dufoureditions.com

The Lightkeeper: A Memoir is the wistful recollections of author Gerald Butler, one of Ireland's last lightkeepers before its lighthouses were fully automated in the 1990's. During his twenty-one years of service, Butler worked at the lighthouses of Bull Rock, Mizen Head, the Old Head of Kinsale, and Fastnet Rock. His true stories include tales of crews battling the elements in a fight for survival, and a detailed, eyewitness recollection of the 1979 Fastnet yacht race of 3,000 competitors; when a deadly storm surprised the racers, over 4,000 rescuers labored to save lives. An extraordinary glimpse into both the daily life and the crisis moments of a storied profession, The Lightkeeper is an excellent choice for public library memoir collections and personal reading lists.


The Autism Shelf

My Book Full of Feelings
Amy V. Jaffe, M.S.W. and Luci Gardner
Autism Asperger Publishing Company
PO Box 23173
Shawnee Mission, KS 66283
1931282838 $29.95 www.aapcpublishing.net

My Book Full of Feelings: How to Control and React to the Size of Your Emotions is an interactive workbook with laminated pages that can be written in with dry-erase marker, then wiped clean for new writings on a different day. Though designed especially to be helpful for children with autism and Asperger's, My Book Full of Feelings is a valuable tool for working with any child. Colorful tabs and cartoony faces correspond with different strong emotions - "Happy", "Sad", "Angry", "Calm", "Worried", and "Frustrated" - and the dry-erase pages allow a child to write down things that make him or her feel the emotion, as well as coping strategies for dealing with it. For example, a sample coping strategy for dealing with the medium-sized Worry of "Going somewhere I have never been" is "ASK: 'What is it like there?' or 'How will it go?'" Paper tear-out home-school collaborative worksheets round out excellent, easy-to-use resource for parents and professionals.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Simple Qigong Exercises for Health
Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480
Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781594392696 $16.95 www.ymaa.com

Simple Qigong Exercises for Health is a beginner-friendly guide to learning qigong (chi kung), an ancient Chinese system of breathing, stretching, and strength-building movements that make an excellent supplement to any exercise regimen. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams demonstrate the proper postures and poses, complemented by easy-to-follow instructions. Anecdotes drawn from Chinese history, translations of classic Chinese poetry, and discussion of the principles behind qigong round out this handy, compact guide to exercises that have benefitted practitioners for over 1,000 years. Highly recommended!


The Relationship Shelf

X that Ex
Kristin E. Carmichael, LISW
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914
Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9780897936408 $15.95 www.hunterhouse.com

X that Ex: Making a Clean Break When the Relationship is Over lives up to its title as a self-help guide to resolutely ending a harmful relationship (marriage, dating, or even a friendship gone sour). Though written especially for women struggling to free themselves from abusive, manipulative, thieving, or even violent partners, the strategies and wisdom of X that Ex will also prove useful to men trying to break from a toxic significant other. Domestic violence specialist Kristin E. Carmichael identifies and clarifies the emotional manipulation techniques common to bad exes everywhere, as well as ways in which people sabotage themselves when trying to leave a bad relationship. In addition to the psychological insights, X that Ex also offers information on domestic violence hotlines and other resources created to help women in the most dire trouble. Highly recommended.


The Crafts Shelf

Project: Necklaces
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871167514 $17.99 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Project: Necklaces continues Kalmbach Books' longstanding tradition of quality crafting guides. A detailed, user-friendly introduction to using simple tools, seed beads, wire, and basic knots prefaces thirty striking necklace designs. Each project features meticulous step-by-step instructions and full-color photography. Project: Necklaces is an excellent resource for creating distinctive, beautiful handmade gifts or "just-for-fun" jewelry, highly recommended.


The Wisconsin Shelf

One Small Farm: Photographs of a Wisconsin Way of Life
Craig Schreiner, author/photographer
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
816 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
9780870206177, $24.95, www.wisconsinhistory.org

"One Small Farm" is a poignant collection of daily life images on an authentic small dairy farm proudly owned and worked by the Lamberty brothers, Gordy and Jim, from the 1950's to 2012-13. Sensitive, story-telling portraits and paintings by camera are the fine specialty of photojournalist Craig Schreiner, who was taken by the wealth and human detail of rural evocative images found at Whistling Pines farm, near Pine Bluffs, Wisconsin. Here are multiple, seasonal, moving photos of daily dairy farm life, starkly composed and sparsely narrated. Some of the best pictures are of aging, arthritic hands, bent with years of daily labor. Many excellent shots show vintage or near vintage farm machinery in use, such as a 1948 John Deere tractor. Another photo shows the careful plaques in the barn giving the names of each dairy cow in the herd. A touch of whimsy and humor shows in a photo of a barn cat cuddling up on a Holstein cow's warm back at milking. Many photos show the brothers going about their chores together, working in rhythm. Some of the photos are of Marie Lamberty, their mother, taking potatoes to a shed to dry and helping clean out the barn after milking. The Lamberty brothers care about their work, their animals and machines, their farm and family. Craig Schreiner has captured a time tablet which may or may not be a passing way of life. "One Small Farm" is an experience in reverence for daily work, thankfulness for a good life well lived.

Wisconsin Lighthouses, revised edition
Ken and Barb Wardius
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
816 State Street
Madison, WI 53575
9780870206092 $24.95 www.wisconsinhistory.org

Now in a revised edition, Wisconsin Lighthouses: A Photographic and Historical Guide is filled with striking, full color images as well as some black-and-white vintage photographs paired with extensive anecdotes and true tales from the people who used to work with historic lighthouses on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Winebago. Maps, "how to get there" directions, the latest status reports of each location, and more round out this accessible tribute. Wisconsin Lighthouses is a wonderful historical treasury, and an excellent giftbook for lighthouse aficionados everywhere!


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


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