Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / Wisconsin Bookwatch

Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 11 November 2018 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Biography Shelf
Art Shelf Wine Shelf Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Business Shelf
Military Shelf LGBT Shelf Gardening Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Woodworking Shelf Automotive Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Fashion Shelf Computer Shelf
Philosophy Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Travel Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Education Shelf Science Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Music CD Shelf DVD Shelf
Sports Shelf Wisconsin Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! 100 Years Ripley's Believe It Or Not, compiler
Ripley Publishing
c/o Ripley Entertainment Inc.
https://www.ripleys.com/publishing
9781609912406, $49.99, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Ripley's Believe It or Not! is globally renowned as the authority on the weird, the eccentric, and the amazing. Ripley's Believe It or Not! provides entertaining books for children of all ages which educates and informs them in a humorous style. The Ripley brand is known around the world as a trend-setting source of family-friendly fun and excitement! Every day the researchers at Ripley's are busy digging up the craziest true stories and the most unbelievable facts. From its inception in 1918 and the days of Robert Ripley's travels and broadcasts to the creation of the first BION and the company's proud publishing history through the years after Ripley's death to the incredible collections and the expansion into a world-class attractions company, fans and friends of the brand will be inspired, awed, and amazed. As a centennial celebration, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not! 100 Years" is a spectacular artifact of an American icon that is an inherently fascinating and impressively entertaining read from cover to cover -- making it unreservedly recommended to the attention of the legions of Ripley Believe It Or Not fans, as well as an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections!

Whine Down
Ashley P. Smith, author
Timothy Banks, illustrator
Whine Down Time LLC
http://whinedowntime.com
9781518653469, $19.99, HC, 32pp, www.amazon.com

Cleverly written by Ashley P. Smith and charmingly illustrated by Timothy Banks, "Whine Down" is the ultimate kids picture book for adults that hilariously captures the "truth" about raising kids. Original, funny, and all-too-true, "Whine Down" is an ideal gift for all struggling mothers and will provide them with a well deserved and much needed laugh. "Whine Down" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections. It is interesting to note for gift giving purposes that "Whine Down" is also available as part of a special holiday appropriate boxed that is comprised of the book and a purple colored, elegantly stylish, insulated wine bottle purse!

An Anarchy of Chilies
Caz Hildebrand
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500021835, $29.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

There are more than 2,000 varieties of chili peppers and they come in a dizzying array of flavors, shapes, sizes, and colors. From time immemorial, chili peppers have had an astonishing ability to transform our food and gardens. "An Anarchy of Chilies" by Caz Hildebrand is a veritable encyclopedia showcasing 100 versatile chili varieties, each of which was chosen to for their impressive range of shape, color, flavor, and heat, ranging from milder everyday favorites such as the jalapeno, ancho, and bell pepper to exotic new superhots like the Dorset Naga and Carolina Reaper. Organized by heat level on the infamous Scoville scale, "An Anarchy of Chilies" tells the story of each variety and offers advice on how to identify, grow, and prepare them. The striking illustrations, in a vivid graphic style inspired by the CMYK process and Mexican oilcloth prints, make "An Anarchy of chilies" an ideal, beautifully presented, and thoroughly 'user friendly' go-to reference that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, family, and community library collections.

Warblers & Woodpeckers
Sneed B. Collard III
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680511369 $24.95 hc / $19.52 digital amazon.com

Warblers & Woodpeckers is the true-life memoir of author Sneed Collard and his thirteen-year- old-son Braden's quest to see as many birds as possible in a single year. They visited the best- known birdwatching locations of America and beyond. They didn't break any world records, but here are stories of natural beauty (and hazards), brief encounters with all sorts of feathered friends, and the close bond between father and son. Warblers & Woodpeckers is both an adventurous read and a celebration of family, with especial appeal to armchair travelers, nature lovers, and birding aficionados. Highly recommended.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents
Jeff Herman
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608685844, $29.95, PB, 544pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and revised 28th edition, "Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents" unmasks nonsense, clears confusion, and unlocks secret doorways to success for new and veteran writers! A writer's best friend, "Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents" reveals the names, interests, and contact information of hundreds of agents and editors. It presents invaluable information about 245 publishers and imprints, lists independent book editors who can help a writer make their work more publisher friendly, and help those writers to spot ripoff scams. "Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents" shows how to outsmart the gatekeepers, break through the barriers, and decipher the hidden codes to getting a book published. Impressively comprehensive, thoroughly 'real world practical', exceptionally informed and informative, notably detailed and accessibly organized and presented, "Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.


The Biography Shelf

Joe De Yong, A Life in the West
William Reynolds
Alamar Media
PO Box 1782, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
http://www.alamarmedia.com
9780989070164, $50.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Joseph Franklin De Yong was a cowboy artist and the only protegee of the legendary Montana cowboy artist Charles Marion Russell. Joe De Yong was also an historical consultant on western films and western television shows with respect to costume designs, scenic sketch art, and historical advice. "Joe De Yong, A Life in the West" by journalist, publisher, and western history buff William Reynolds is the result of ten years of research and is an impressively informative biography that includes a profusion of De Yong's sketches, paintings, watercolors, drawings, essays, letters, notes, and documents drawn from private collections and the holdings of major western museums. An absorbing and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Joe De Yong, A Life in the West" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library 20th Century American Biography collections.

Alfalfa Bill: A Life in Politics
Robert L. Dorman
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806160351, $34.95, HC, 432pp, www.amazon.com

"Alfalfa Bill: A Life in Politics" is the political biography of William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray (November 21, 1869 - October 15, 1956) in which the biographer Robert L. Dorman (Professor of Library Science at Oklahoma City University) deftly traces the career of William H. Murray from his hardscrabble childhood in post - Civil War Texas to his remarkable ascendancy as a nationally known political figure in the mid-twentieth century. "Alfalfa Bill" is both the exploration of a larger-than-life personality and an illuminating account of the birth of political conservatism in Oklahoma. A vivid portrait of an ambitious, domineering, relentless, and unapologetically racist figure whose tarnished legacy seems painfully relevant in America's current political climate, this impressively researched, written, organized and presented account is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American Biography, Oklahoma History, and American Political History collections.


The Art Shelf

The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse
Jessica Ward
Disney Editions
c/o Disney Publishing Worldwide
125 West End Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10023
www.disney.com
9781368011242, $40.00, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

"The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse" by Jessica Ward (who during her nine years as an editor for Disney Publishing contributed to more than eighty books ranging from travel guides to cookbooks, collector's art books to children's storybooks) is a 90th Anniversary celebration of the true original Disney icon, spanning the nine decades that Mickey Mouse has been entertaining audiences with heartfelt performances and humorous antics. "The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse" begins with a comprehensive filmography, listing Mickey's animated performances in shorts, films, and television shows. This impressive resume is followed by an analysis of Mickey's milestones: the firsts he has attained, the achievements he has made, and the recognitions he has received throughout his life thus far. A special double gatefold commemorates Mickey and Minnie's ninetieth anniversary with ninety pieces of artwork depicting the famous pair, from never-before-seen animation drawings to classic comic book covers. The final portion of "The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse" is a jubilant commemoration comprised of new artwork, interpretations of Mickey Mouse contributed by the inspired minds at Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. Here, Mickey is re-imagined in a variety of media ranging from digital renderings to traditional paintings, in styles as unique and different as the artists themselves. An absolute 'must' for the legions of Mickey Mouse fans, "The Art of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse" is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for both community and academic library collections.

Modern Acrylic
Blakely Little
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781633226180, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

A fun, informative, and contemporary exploration of acrylic painting, "Modern Acrylic" by acrylic artist Blakely Little shows that artists, illustrators, art students, and art hobbyists can learn how to use basic painting techniques and concepts to create expressive works of art. "Modern Acrylic" demonstrates how to paint flowers, animals, patterns, and even how to transfer hand-lettering skills to paint. Foremost a beginner's guide, "Modern Acrylic" starts with a brief introduction to the tools needed and continues with explanations of key painting concepts like color mixing and atmospheric perspective. Once the aspiring acrylic artist has a handle on the basics, "Modern Acrylic" moves on to create dynamic color palettes, use basic shapes and techniques to render a range of subjects, and practice mark making and textures. Very highly recommended for personal, community instructional reference collections, as well as art school curriculums, "Modern Acrylic" is an inspiring and accessible guide to painting everything from expressive landscapes to colorful architectural gems. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Modern Acrylic" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.71).


The Wine Shelf

Amber Revolution
Simon J. Woolf
Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
www.interlinkbooks.com
9781623719661, $35.00, HC, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Written by renowned orange wine expert Simon J. Woolf and profusely illustrated with the photography of Ryan Opaz, "Amber Revolution: How the World Learned to Love Orange Wine" is the full, forgotten story of an ancient wine white wine that is made like a red wine -- and its modern struggle to gain acceptance. It is a true life story of lost identity, the fight for survival, and pioneering winemakers ranging from the Caucasus to the Adriatic. White grapes are left in contact with their skins for days, weeks or months during fermentation, creating stunning complexity, unusual aromas and intense flavors. The extended skin contact gives these wines bold amber, russet, or orange tints. The technique is ancient, but the hype is new and fast growing. "Amber Revolution" includes profiles of 180 of the best producers from 20 countries worldwide and is crammed full of all the information the reader needs in order to find the best orange wines worldwide -- together with practical tips for how to buy, enjoy, food-match and age them. Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections, "Amber Revolution" is an essential reference work for any wine lover, sommelier, retailer or producer who loves orange wine -- as well as a must-have volume for all wine lovers in general, and those who enjoy orange wine in particular.


The Fiction Shelf

Season of Wonder
RaeAnne Thayne
HQN
c/o Harlequin Books
9781335005915, $26.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Dani Capelli has never truly belonged anywhere. And from her earliest days as a foster child in Queens, she would have been lost if it weren't for her love of animals. Until high school, when she fell hard for the wrong boy, and found herself pregnant (and married) by graduation. Two daughters later, Dani realized her mistake and filed for divorce, and with the help of scholarships and loans (and a lot of macaroni and cheese dinners) she enrolled in vet school. Things were finally looking up -- until her ex-husband became her late husband, in the most notorious way possible. Now Dani and her daughters need an out-of-town pass more than ever. So when the retiring Haven Point veterinarian offers her a chance to settle in the small Idaho town and take over his practice, she jumps at it. But adjusting to the charming mountain community isn't easy; thirteen-year-old Silver begins acting out while six-year-old Mia is growing too attached to Haven Point and everything in it, especially their next-door-neighbor, Deputy Sheriff Ruben Morales. And Dani can't blame her. Ruben is everything she's secretly wanted and everything she can't bear to risk loving -- and losing. As the holidays draw near, their shared concern for Dani's daughters brings them closer together, giving Ruben the chance to show this big-city woman just how magical Christmas in Haven Point can be -- and that the promise of a home at last is very real in the most wondrous season of the year. Another gem of an impressively crafted novel from the pen of RaeAnne Thayne, "Season of Wonder" is an extraordinary and memorable read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Season of Wonder" is also available in a paperback edition (9781335947932, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Crisis
Felix Francis
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780525536765, $27.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Harrison Foster, a crisis manager for a London firm, is summoned to Newmarket after a fire in the Chadwick Stables kills six very valuable horses, including the short-priced favorite for the Derby. There is far more to the "simple" fire than initially meets the eye -- for a start, human remains are found among the equestrian ones in the burnt-out shell. All the stable staff are accounted for, so who is the mystery victim? Harry knows very little about horses, indeed he positively dislikes them, but he is thrust unwillingly into the world of thoroughbred racing, where the standard of care of the equine stars is far higher than that of the humans who attend to them. The Chadwick family is a dysfunctional racing dynasty. Resentment between the generations is rife and sibling rivalry bubbles away like volcanic magma beneath a thin crust of respectability. Harry represents the Middle Eastern owner of the Derby favorite and, as he delves deeper into the unanswered questions surrounding the horse's demise, he ignites a fuse that blows the volcano sky-high. Can Harry solve the riddle before he is bumped off by the fallout? Another deftly crafted and inherently engaging read by a master of character and narrative driven storytelling, "Crisis" is the latest addition to the 'Dick Francis' novels by Felix Francis. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library suspense thriller fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Crisis" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

The Other Planet
Sheila Ascher & Dennis Straus
McPherson & Company
PO Box 1126, Kingston, NY 12402
www.mcphersonco.com
9781620540336, $16.00, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Is it possible to live in the future? What would it mean to embrace the transformations created by every new thing, and at the same time to escape the depressing discrepancy between events that only happen and those which actually might? For Valeria Florescu, the desirable pathway would lead through "a subtly coherent twining of adventures" in a personal quest for the "extraordinary." But when Valeria quits her job as research chemist at a large industrial laboratory, she discovers first that uncertainty is more than a law of particle physics. Almost immediately she encounters the contradictory allures of two attractive men: Liam Lenehan, whose mad passion for order takes the curious form of repairing obsolescence; and Humberto Vilanescu, alchemical entrepreneur and impresario of futurism. Against the claustrophobic inertia of well-meaning family members, Valeria is propelled by the magnetic promise of self-realization into adventures at supercharged Manhattan parties, orgies in postmodern condos, and tours through the decrepit wilderness of exurbia. And then, as the ruins of reality slip behind, she journeys toward the fulfillment of the ambitious yearnings of an electronic generation. "The Other Planet" by the writing team of Sheila Ascher and Dennis Straus (Ascher-Straus) is an iconoclastic, subversive, deftly crafted, and impressively memorable novel that is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

How to Get a Promotion When Your Boss Is Trying to Kill You
Joseph Patrick Pascale
Waldorf Publishing
2140 Hall Johnson Road 102-345, Grapevine, TX 76051
www.waldorfpublishing.com
9781641368445, $16.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

"How to Get a Promotion When Your Boss Is Trying to Kill You: Accurate Accounts of Office Work" by Joseph Patrick Pascale follows a clerk's adventures through vast government offices as he struggles to make a name for himself on a secret mission for the director. The clerk promised his betrothed he would build a life for them in the city when he moved away from his parents' farm, so he refuses to let any absurd situation prevent him from doing his job so well that he'll be promoted to senior clerk. The clerk comes face-to-face with a philosopher queen leading saboteurs to overthrow the government with philosophy. Inscrutable bureaucratic systems that seem tangled with war crimes ensnare the clerk. He must also shake a hobo who is convinced the clerk's pocket change can transform him from hobo to senator. As the ordeals mount, the clerk takes strength from the little black mouse who lives in his shirt pocket. At turns hilarious, intelligent, exhilarating, and imaginative, "How to Get a Promotion When Your Boss Is Trying to Kill You" is part riotous lampoon of the modern workplace and part existential drama of one's place in society -- a novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "How to Get a Promotion When Your Boss Is Trying to Kill You" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.95).

Training School for Negro Girls
Camille Acker
The Feminist Press
365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.feministpress.org
9781936932375, $17.95, PB, 232pp, www.amazon.com

When you're black and female in America, society's rules were never meant to make you safe or free. In her impressively well crafted anthology of short stories, "Training School for Negro Girls", author Camille Acker's relatable yet unexpected characters break down the walls of respectability politics, showing that the only way for black women to be free is to be themselves. Given the current political climate that overtly encourages racism and sexism, "Training School for Negro Girls" is a particularly timely collection of stories that will have an enduring impact on her readers. While "Training School for Negro Girls" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.55) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781982601898, $24.95, CD).

Lady of Tarpon Springs
Judith Miller
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764231063, $15.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Much to the dismay of her Greek family, Zanna Krykos makes a living as a lawyer in Tarpon Springs, Florida. When her friend Lucy needs legal advice about the business she inherited upon her father's passing, she ends up asking Zanna to run the business instead so she can focus on her medical career. Nico Kalos is a Greek diver who has worked on sponging boats in the Aegean Sea since the age of 14, giving him a vast knowledge of the trade. When he hears of an opportunity to lead a group of spongers to the United States, he seizes it. But his excitement is quickly quelled when he arrives only to discover that a young woman with no experience in the business will be in charge of the new crews. But when the lives of their employees are threatened, Zanna and Nico must set aside their pride and come together to save what matters most. A deftly crafted and inherently riveting read from beginning to end, Judith Miller's "Lady of Tarpon Springs" is an extraordinary novel by a master of narrative driven storytelling. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lady of Tarpon Springs" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99). Librarians note that there is a large print, library binding edition of "Lady of Tarpon Springs" (Thorndike Press, 9781432852986, $31.99, 477pp).

Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane
JoAnn Ross
HQN
c/o Harlequin Books
9781335008169, $26.99, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Jolene Wells is forever indebted to the mother who encouraged her to fly all the way to sunny LA and a world away from Honeymoon Harbor. Although Jolene vowed never to look back, returning home isn't even a question when her mom faces a cancer scare. Which means running into Aiden Mannion all over town, the first boy she ever loved (and lost) and whom she can barely look in the eye. Aiden's black-sheep reputation may have diminished when he joined the marines, but everything he's endured since has left him haunted. Back in Honeymoon Harbor to heal, he's talked into the interim role of police chief, and the irony isn't lost on the locals, least of all Aiden. But seeing Jolene after all these years is the unexpected breath of fresh air he's been missing. He's never forgotten her through all his tours, but he's not sure anymore that he's the man she deserves. Despite the secret they left between them all those years ago, snow is starting to fall on their picturesque little town, making anything seem possible -- maybe even a second chance at first love. "Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane" is another deftly crafted gem of a romance novel by an author who is an impressively consistent master of the genre. While very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted that "Snowfall on Lighthouse Lane" is also available in a paperback edition (9781335556783, $7.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Murder On Moon Mountain
Jean Harrington
Camel Press
PO Box 70515, Seattle, WA 98127
www.camelpress.com
9781603816496, $15.95, PB, 260pp, www.amazon.com

What happens when a hot property meets a cold corpse? Realtor Honey Ingersoll is thrilled to be selling Eureka Falls' biggest mansion -- until her client asks for a special favor. In the estate next door, the Velveteen Vixens, a group of bikini-clad housewives are shooting a pilot film for a red-hot reality show. One more model is needed. Will Honey become a Vixen for a day? She agrees but soon regrets it when she stumbles upon the body of a murdered woman and becomes a person of interest in her death. Determined not to be viewed either as a Vixen or a victim, Honey sets out to find the killer and prove she can do far more than move real estate -- especially now that it seems it's her life up for sale! One of author Jean Harrington's 'Listed and lethal Mystery' novels, "Murder On Moon Mountain" is the stuff of which televison's Hallmark Mystery Movies are made! A simply riveting read with more twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster, "Murder On Moon Mountain" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder On Moon Mountain" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.95).

Six Cats a Slayin'
Miranda James
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780451491091, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

December twenty-fifth is right around the corner, and Charlie is making his list and checking it twice. He is doing his best to show some peace and goodwill toward his nosy neighbor Gerry Arbitron, a real estate agent who seems to have designs on his house (and maybe on him, as well), while preparing for a very important role, indeed -- his first Christmas as a grandfather. The last thing Charlie expects is to gain several new additions to his family. Charlie finds a box on his doorstep with five kittens inside and a note begging him to keep them safe. With Diesel's help, Charlie welcomes the tiny felines into the Harris household just as Gerry decides it is time to throw a lavish holiday party. Determined to make her mark on Athena, Gerry instead winds up dead at her very own party. Though attempts to dig into her past come up empty, Charlie and his girlfriend, Helen Louise, witness two heated exchanges involving Gerry before her death: one with a leading citizen and another with the wife of a good friend. Will one of these ladies wind up on the sheriff's naughty list? Charlie and Diesel have to wrap up the case before the special season is ruined by a sinister scrooge. Another deftly crafted gem of a mystery, "Six Cats a Slayin'" is the latest addition to author Miranda James' simply outstanding 'A Cat in the Stacks Mystery' series. While an absolute 'must have' addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs (and cat lovers!) that "Six Cats a Slayin'" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Fugitive Red
Jason Starr
Oceanview Publishing
1620 Main Street, Suite 11, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608093144, $26.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Jack and Maria have a tortuous history. Currently, they live in a claustrophobic Manhattan apartment with their eight-year-old son, Jonah. Jack has quit booze, but his music career ended abruptly, and he isn't doing much better as a real estate agent. Maria's doing well at her corporate job, but she travels frequently. While they both love their son, they don't seem to have much else in common and their sex life is nonexistent. When a former band member tells Jack about a new extramarital dating app called Discreet Hookups, Jack quickly meets Sophia, who goes by the online name Fugitive Red. Jack and Sophia hit it off and have a steamy online affair. When Jack agrees to rendezvous with Sophia at her townhouse, he discovers her dead -- strangled by a red necktie. Immediately, Jack becomes a person of interest in the murder. Convinced that Sophia's husband is the killer, Jack sets out to prove his innocence and save his marriage. Instead, he leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake, and the police close in on him. Worse, he discovers that he has been the victim of a sinister scheme that may cost him his life! Written by a master of the suspense thriller genre, "Fugitive Red" by Jason Starr is an inherently compelling read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Fugitive Red" is also available in a paperback edition (9781608093281, $16.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.95).

Dig Your Grave
Steven Cooper
Seventh Street Books
c/o Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633884809, $15.95, PB, 413pp, www.amazon.com

A killer is on the loose, leaving fresh bodies among the dead in Phoenix cemeteries, and marking the murders with ghoulish signs that warn of more evil to come. It's a crude camouflage that has Detective Alex Mills stumped. As he has done before, Mills turns to his buddy, the reluctant psychic Gus Parker. His visions, as cryptic and baffling as they sometimes are, mean something. But just as the investigation heats up, and Mills needs him most, Gus Parker receives ominous threats from a mysterious source. Is this a crazed fan who is trying to get to Gus's love interest, rock-and-roll legend Billie Welch? Or are these threats related to the spree of cemetery killings? Another skillfully crafted suspense thriller of a read from beginning to end, "Dig Your Grave" by Steven Cooper is an especially recommended addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections where it will be an immediate and enduringly popular addition. An inherently compelling novel, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Dig Your Grave" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

A Gift of Bones
Carolyn Haines
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250193629, $24.99, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Christmas is just around the corner and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are preparing for a festive holiday season. After a turbulent season of solving cases, they're ready for some holiday cheer. Sarah Booth and Sheriff Coleman Peters have finally gotten together, and this is the first holiday they're celebrating as a couple. Sarah Booth busies herself with decking the halls and daydreaming about romantic Christmas nights with Coleman. Then her friend Cece Dee Falcon shows up needing Sarah Booth's help -- right now! She shows Sarah Booth a box that was delivered by courier and left at Cece's front porch. It contains a lock of hair, a photograph of a pretty young woman, very pregnant, and a note demanding ransom for the return of the teen. Cece reveals that this is her cousin's daughter, Eve Falcon, and that she'd lost touch with this part of her family years ago. Eve and Cece had been close, until the family had a terrible falling out, and banished Cece from their lives. The countdown begins as the kidnapper pushes for payment - - or else, he threatens, Eve will meet her maker. It's up to Sarah Booth and her friends to find the girl before something terrible happens on what should be the merriest day of the year. Another deftly crafted gem of a mystery by a seasoned author with a genuine flair for originality and narrative driven storytelling, Carolyn Haines' "A Gift of Bones" is a Christmas seasonal flavored suspense thriller of a read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "A Gift of Bones" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

The Last Sword Maker
Brian Nelson
Blackstone Publishing
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9781538507667, $27.99, HC, 400pp, www.amazon.com

In the high mountains of Tibet, rumors are spreading. People whisper of an outbreak, of thousands of dead, of bodies pushed into mass graves. It is some strange new disease a disease, they say, that can kill in minutes. The Chinese government says the rumors aren't true, but no one is allowed in or out of Tibet. At the Pentagon, Admiral James Curtiss is called to an emergency meeting. Satellite images prove that a massive genocide is underway, and an American spy has made a startling discovery. This is no disease. It's a weapon test. Chinese scientists have developed a way to kill based on a person's genetic traits. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. The success of their new weapon proves that the Chinese are nearing ''Replication'' -- a revolutionary breakthrough that will tip the global balance of power and change the way wars are waged. Now the US must scramble to catch up before it is too late. Admiral Curtiss gathers the nation's top scientists, including a promising young graduate student named Eric Hill who just might hold the missing piece to the replication puzzle. Soon Hill and his colleague Jane Hunter are caught up in a deadly game of sabotage as the two nations strive to be the first to reach the coveted goal. But in their headlong race, they create something unexpected something the world has never seen and something more powerful than they had ever imagined. The first volume in a planned 'Course of Empire' series by author Brian Nelson, "The Last Sword Maker" is a deftly crafted and immediately engaging novel that presents an all-to-believable vision of the future of warfare in the 21st Century. While very highly recommended for community library Contemporary Suspense Thriller Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Sword Maker" is also available in a paperback edition (9781982546526, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.15).

A Vintage Death
Mary Ellen Hughes
www.MaryEllenHughes.com
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
www.midnightinkbooks.com
9780738752273, $15.99, PB, 264pp, www.amazon.com

As the new owner of a music box store in Keepsake Cove, a quaint town full of collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Callie Reed is eager to get more involved in her community. So she volunteers to plan the fall street decorations and welcome a visiting author who's come for a special book signing. But the celebratory mood is cut short when the local B&B owner is found dead, killed with a pair of vintage scissors. Suspicion is cast on the victim's estranged wife, Dorothy, who owns Keepsake Cove's vintage sewing shop. Callie is sure Dorothy is innocent, and the visiting author agrees. Together, they begin their own investigation, only to discover that many people in Keepsake Cove have secrets. Secrets that are worth killing to keep. Another deftly crafted and skillfully presented mystery by a master of the genre, "A Vintage Death" is the second volume in author Mary Ellen Hughes' new 'Keepsake Cove Mystery' series and very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "A Vintage Death" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.44).

Murder at Ochre Court
Alyssa Maxwell
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496703361, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

In the summer of 1898 and after a disappointing year as a society columnist for the Herald and staying with her more well-heeled Vanderbilt relatives in New York City, Emma has returned to the salty air, glittering ocean vistas, and grand stately mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, more determined than ever to report on hard news. But for now she's covering the social event of the season at Ochre Court, a coming-out ball designed to showcase Cleo Cooper-Smith, who will be literally on display, fittingly as Cleopatra, in an elaborate tableau vivant. Recently installed modern electricity will allow Miss Cooper-Smith to truly shine. But as the deb ascends to her place of honor, the ballroom is plunged into darkness. When the lights come back on, Cleo sits still on her throne, electrocuted to death. Quickly establishing that the wiring was tampered with, Emma now has a murder to investigate. And the array of eligible suspects could fill another ballroom -- from a shady New York real estate developer to a neglected sister and the mother of a spurned suitor. As Emma begins to discover this crime has unseen connections to a nefarious network, she puts her own life at risk to shine a light on the dark motives behind a merciless murder. Another superbly crafted and unfailingly entertaining novel by a master of the genre, "Murder at Ochre Court" is author Alyssa Maxwell's latest 'Gilded Newport Mystery' and another inherently riveting read from beginning to end. While especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and Alyssa Maxwell fants that "Murder at Ochre Court" is also available in a paperback edition (9781496703347, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The Devil's Wind
Steve Goble
Seventh Street Books
c/o Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633884847, $15.95, PB, 253pp, www.amazon.com

Set in 1723, "The Devil's Wind" is the story of Spider John, who is longing to escape the pirate life he never wanted, and has an honest seafaring job aboard a sailing vessel at last, and is returning to his beloved Em and their child. But when Captain Brentwood is murdered in his cabin, Spider's plans are tossed overboard. Who killed Redemption's captain? The mysterious pirate with a sadistic past? The beautiful redhead who hides guns beneath her skirt? One of the men pining for the captain's daughter? There are plenty of suspects. But how could anyone kill the captain in his locked quarters while the entire crew was gathered together on the deck? Before he can solve the puzzle, Spider John and his ex-pirate friends Hob and Odin will have to cope with violence, schemes, nosy Royal Navy officers, and a deadly trap set by the ruthless pirate Ned Low. An impressively original and superbly crafted historical mystery by an novelist with a genuine flair for character and narrative driven storytelling that holds the reader's rapt attention from beginning to end, Steve Goble's "The Devil's Wind" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Devil's Wind" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

A Secret to Die For
Lisa Harris
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800735487, $29.99, HC, 366pp, www.amazon.com

Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret -- one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia. Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan -- and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for. Another skillfully crafted novel by a master of the genre, "A Secret to Die For" is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs and Lisa Harris fans that "A Secret to Die For" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800729158, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.87).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Zosma
Jason Michael Primrose
https://www.lostchildrenofandromeda.com
Mascot Publishing
560 Herndon Parkway, #120, Herndon, VA 20170
http://mascotbooks.com
9781643071855, $24.95, HC, 392pp, www.amazon.com

By 2052 A.D., natural disasters have ravaged entire regions of the planet and will continue to inflict irreparable damage. Growing dissent among world powers caused the wealthy few to take matters into their own hands to find a solution, but when their efforts fall to ruin, C20, a rogue organization, is formed. Allister Adams, a young superhuman is searching for Zosma Caster, a missing intergalactic refugee and vessel for an otherworldly energy source from the Andromeda Galaxy. According to C20, this energy source promises the planets salvation. But at what price? As he fights his way to discover the truth about Zosmas power and C20s motives, Allister soon realizes that there is no truth -- there is only perception. An original and deftly crafted work of science fiction that is a simply riveting read from first page to last, "Zosma" by Jason Michael Primrose will prove to be an extraordinary and memorable addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections in general, and the personal reading lists of dedicated action/adventure science fiction fans in particular.


The Business Shelf

Generating Business Referrals Without Asking
Stacey Brown Randall
https://staceybrownrandall.com
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781683509264, $15.95, PB, 162pp, www.amazon.com

Every business needs referrals from satisfied clients. A good referral can lead to a closed sale faster and easier than any other lead. But let's face it. Asking for referrals can be awkward. And asking is often ineffective. That's why Stacey Brown Randall developed a method of getting referrals -- without asking. In the pages of "Generating Business Referrals Without Asking", she shares her system for revolutionizing any business. Her structured approach reduces the hustle and increases productivity and profit. With Randall's system, entrepreneurs and business owners can stop wasting time and money marketing to cold leads and stalking would-be clients on social media. And they can start doing what they love most - providing the excellent service that made them go into business in the first place. In addition to showcasing Randall's five steps to steady business growth, "Generating Business Referrals Without Asking" also includes case studies from business professionals, and a step-by-step roadmap that even the busiest business owner can implement. 'Real world practical, exceptionally well written, accessibly organized, and engagingly presented, "Generating Business Referrals Without Asking" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of MBA students, entrepreneurs, and business owners that "Generating Business Referrals Without Asking" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

8 Steps to High Performance
Marc Effron
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781633693975, $30.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "8 Steps to High Performance: Focus On What You Can Change" talent expert and author Marc Effron uses a "science-based simplicity" approach to identifying what matters most with respect to optimally apply your time and effort to boost your performance with the eight key factors: How to set goals that create higher performance; Which behaviors predict higher performance in different situations; How to quickly develop the most important capabilities; Who to connect with and why; How to understand and adapt to your company's strategy; Why you sometimes shouldn't be the "genuine" you; How to best manage your body to sustain your performance; How to avoid management fads that distract you from high performance. Research-based, practical, and filled with self-assessments, tools, and templates to support individual performance goals at work, "8 Steps to High Performance" is an effective, powerful, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional guide and manual for helping to deliver outstanding results as an individual and/or a team. While very highly recommended for corporate, community, college, and university library Business Management instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "8 Steps to High Performance" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.00).

Unleash Different
Rich Donovan
ECW Press
www.ecwpress.com
9781770414488, $28.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Rich Donovan is Founder/CEO of The Return on Disability Group and is an expert on the convergence of disability and corporate profitability. He has been named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People with Disabilities in the world. In "Unleash Different: Achieving Business Success Through Disability" he draws upon his years of experience and expertise to illustrates how companies like Google, PepsiCo, and Nordstrom are attracting people with disabilities as customers and as employees. Replacing "nice to do" with "return on investment" allows market forces to take over and the world's leading brands to do what they do best: serve a market segment -- in this case, the disability market. "Unleashing Different" shows: how taking a charity-oriented approach to people with disabilities has failed; what action is required to capitalize on the world's biggest emerging market; and how their organizations can grow revenue and cut costs by attracting people with disabilities as customers and talent. "Unleash Different" is also the story of how Rich rose from a Canadian school for "crippled children" to manage $6 billion for one of Wall Street's leading firms. He makes it easy to relate to the business goal of serving disability because he has actually done it! As informed and informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "Unleash Different" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, college, and university library Contemporary Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for MBA students, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Unleash Different" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (ASIN: B07GZY9F9V, $19.98, 8 Hours, 37 Minutes).

Sick Success
Hilary Jastram
Sound Wisdom
167 Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg, PA 17257
www.soundwisdom.com
9781640950306, $15.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

After a diagnosis of a rare neurological disorder, Hilary Jastram was forced to leave her job and literally become the mother of invention. She has found success working with the world's one percent and is paying her fortune forward through the creation of Sick Biz, an organization dedicated to helping sick and disabled entrepreneurs. In the pages of "Sick Success: The Entrepreneur's Prescriptions for Turning Pain Into Profit and Purpose" by Hilary Jastram (who is the founder of J. Hill Marketing & Creative Services, an agency specializing in premier copywriting, editing and book editing for Fortune 500 brands and the ''one-percent,'' superstar entrepreneurs) shares the crucial truths of what it means to be an entrepreneur today who is struggling to keep a business afloat while also managing health crises. The reader will learn how to turn on an abundance mindset, to channel anxiety into productivity, why faith and trust must always be honed when progressing toward established goals. "Sick Success" provides prescriptive insights to improve life, no matter what the mindset challenges might be. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs that "Sick Success" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Military Shelf

The Body Burning Detail
Bill Jones
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476675176, $29.95, PB, 202pp, www.amazon.com

"The Body Burning Detail: Memoir of a Marine Artilleryman in Vietnam" is the poignant autobiography of Bill Jones that recounts his hair-raising (and occasionally hilarious) experiences as a young, but not especially gung-ho Marine artilleryman in Vietnam. Gritty and disturbing, his unvarnished narrative probes the lasting physical and emotional wounds of war and offers a combat veteran's wry insight into the influence and relevance of America's long and indecisive misadventure. An extraordinary and inherently riveting read from beginning to end, "The Body Burning Detail" will prove to be an enduringly valued contribution to the growing body of Vietnam War literature. While very highly recommended for community, college, and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections in general, and Vietnam War supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for students, academia, and the non- specialist general reader public that "The Body Burning Detail" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

The Phantom Vietnam War
David R. 'Buff' Honodel
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574417326, $29.95, HC, 330pp, www.amazon.com

Lieutenant Colonel David Honodel flew 4,400 hours in F-4, A-10, OV-10, and T-33 aircraft during his 22-year Air Force career. He served overseas in Korea and Germany, and flew two tours in the Vietnam War. His decorations include two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Meritorious Service Medals, and nineteen Air Medals. "The Phantom Vietnam War: An F-4 Pilot's Combat over Laos" is his detailed and eyewitness account of the American air campaign over Laos in an effort to cut off Viet Cong supply lines and 'safe areas'. The reader will experience Buff's war from the cockpit of a supersonic F-4D Phantom II, doing 5-G pullouts after dropping six 500-pound bombs on trucks hidden beneath triple jungle canopy. These were well defended by a skillful, elusive, determined enemy firing back with 37mm anti-aircraft fire and tracers in the sky. The man who left the States was a naive, self-centered young pilot. The man who came back 137 missions later was much different. "The Phantom Vietnam War" is an extraordinary and very highly recommended addition to both community and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections in general, and Vietnam War supplement studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted that "The Phantom Vietnam War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.96).

How the Navy Won the War
Jim Ring
Seaforth Publishing
c/o Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781473897182, $34.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Verdun, the Somme, Tannenberg and Passchendaele. These epics of destruction and futility are such bywords for the World War I that (Jutland apart) we forget the role played by sea power in the war to end war. The great global conflict is too often narrowed to the fields of Flanders and the plains of Picardy. Now in the pages of "How the Navy Won the War: The Real Instrument of Victory 1914-1918", award-winning biographer and naval historian Jim Ring has revisited the story of World War I to redress the balance. He emphasizes how Great Britain, "the great Amphibian" (in Churchill's words), was able to move its army anywhere in the world. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, historic photos, a two page listing of Sources and Acknowledgements, a seven page Select Bibliography, and a five page Index. An impressively researched, deftly written, accessibly organized and presented work of scholarship, "How the Navy Won the War" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library 20th Century Military History collections in general, and World War I supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The LGBT Shelf

Claiming the B in LGBT
Kate Harrad, editor
Thorntree Press
PO Box 301231, Portland, OR 97294
www.thorntreepress.com
9781944934606, $24.95, PB, 344pp, www.amazon.com

Even as the broader LGBT community enjoys political and societal advances in North America, the bisexual community still today contends with decades of misinformation stereotyping them as innately indecisive, self-loathing, and untrustworthy. Knowledgeably compiled and edited by fiction and nonfiction writer, bi activist, event organizer, and parent Kate Harrad, "Claiming the B in LGBT" strives to give bisexuals a seat at the table. "Claiming the B in LGBT" is a guidebook to the history and future of the bisexual movement and fuses a chronology of bisexual organizing with essays, poems, and articles detailing the lived experiences of bisexual activities struggling against a dominant culture driven by norms of monosexual attraction, compulsory monogamy, and inflexible notions of gender expression and identity. A unique and extraordinary anthology of a thriving identity yearning to realize itself provides a vision of bisexuality that is beyond gay and straight, rather than left to merely occupy the space between, "Claiming the B in LGBT" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library LGBT collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Claiming the B in LGBT" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Gardening Shelf

Orchids Handbook
Michael Tibbs
CompanionHouse Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781620083055, $19.99, PB, 261pp, www.amazon.com

"Orchids Handbook: A Practical Guide to the Care and Cultivation of 40 Popular Orchid Species and Their Hybrids" by Michael Tibbs (who is a distinguished orchid grower and breeder, the author of several important books on orchids, who lectures widely and is an accredited judge in South Africa and a senior judge with the American Orchid Society, and where his orchid nursery is located in Franschhoek, South Africa, specializing in Disa Orchids) provides the beginner with commonsense advice on getting started with orchids, understanding the basics of orchid biology, caring for orchids in variety of settings (for example in the house, under a shade cloth or in the greenhouse) and mastering techniques for repotting, dividing and growing from seed. The "Orchids Handbook" also offers a comprehensive and well-illustrated plant directory of 40 popular varieties, covering all the major orchid families and their characteristics, with advice on choosing the plant that is right for your climate conditions. Additionally this useful handbook covers pests and diseases and everything you need to know to enter your orchids in competition. Covers all of the major orchid families, the "Orchid Handbook" provides comprehensive advice on: The care and cultivation of orchids from getting started to repotting, dividing, growing from seed, to dealing with pests and diseases, how to choose the right orchid for any climate condition and establishing a collection. Growing orchids has never been more popular. In the pages of "Orchids Handbook: A Practical Guide to the Care and Cultivation of 40 Popular Orchid Species and Their Hybrids" is to be found everything needed to know about successfully growing and caring for orchids -- all deftly packed into one fascinating, easy-to-use, beautifully illustrated volume, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Gardening/Horticulture instructional reference book collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Instant Pot Miracle 6 Ingredients or Less
Ivy Manning
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.hmhco.com
9781328557124 $21.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Interspersed with eye-catching color photography, Instant Pot Miracle 6 Ingredients or Less: 100 No-Fuss Recipes for Easy Meals Every Day lives up to its title with healthy, delicious, easy-to- prepare dishes ideal for the "Instant Pot" device known for its wide array of cooking options including pressure cooking, slow cooking, and even creating things like homemade yogurt and ricotta. From Banana-Nutella Stuffed French Toast, to Creamy Eggs Florentine, to Barbecue Chicken-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, to Sweet Sriracha-Glazed Acorn Squash and more, Instant Pot Miracle 6 Ingredients or Less is a delight for gourmets with a passion for flavor but a shortage of time! Highly recommended.

Charred & Smoked
Chef Derek Bugge & James O. Fraioli
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510731578, $22.99, HC, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Charring, searing, smoking, burning are all traditional culinary techniques for achieving mouth watering dishes with crispy textures and deep, robust flavors that are no longer limited to the world of barbecue. Many in the culinary industry who've mastered the exciting art of food and fire refer to the savory result as the "fifth taste" after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. In fact, dishes infused with fire and smoke are showing up everywhere on today's menus across the country. With Charred & Smoked, you can prepare these same innovative and delicious meals from the comfort of your own kitchen or backyard grill with recipes that range from Roasted Stuffed Mushrooms; Grilled Caesar Salad with Anchovy Dressing and Soft-Poached Egg; Grilled Bison Burger with Caramelized Onion Jam and Charred jalapeno Aioli; to Grilled Fish Tacos; Burnt Avocado Toast; and Charred Summer Squash. "Charred & Smoked" also includes recipe chapters on rubs, seasonings, dressings, marinades, sauces, creative cocktails, and even desserts using fire and smoke, as well as a deeper dive into proper techniques and cooking methods used throughout this unique culinary volume along with essential kitchen equipment and tools that should be on hand. Beautifully illustrated with the color photography of Mary Dee Mateo, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.99) "Charred & Smoked" will be an immediately popular and unique addition to family, personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Pillsbury Baking Hacks
Pillsbury Editors
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.hmhco.com
9781328497857, $19.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

For more than 140 years, the Pillsbury name has been synonymous with creating memories and wows in the kitchen, helping generations of home cooks to make and create palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly dishes. The newest Pillsbury cookbook is "Pillsbury Baking Hacks: Fun and Inventive Recipes with Refrigerated Dough" showcasing the use of refrigerated dough in the form of crescent rolls, pizza crust, biscuits, pie crust, cookie dough, and cinnamon rolls, as already a 'baking hack' that allows kitchen cooks to make classic recipes quickly and easily. Now, the experts from the Pillsbury Kitchens show readers how to take dough basics and create even more recipes that "hack the hack" with recipes ranging from a Sheet Pan Grilled Cheese from pizza dough, to Brown Butter Peach Crumble Bars from refrigerated sugar cookies, and more than 125 other easy to make and bake recipes. Special features call out specific product hacks, and icons throughout note 30-minute recipes and recipes made with three ingredients or less. A unique resource for time stressed kitchen cook menu planning, "Pillsbury Baking Hacks" is very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Pillsbury Baking Hacks" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Leon Happy One-Pot
Rebecca Seal & John Vincent
Conran
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781840917765, $19.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

In "Leon Happy One-Pot", Rebecca Seal and John Vincent have successfully collaborated to create a collection of more than 100 fuss-free, full-of-flavor recipes for main course dishes that any kitchen cook can easily create with only one cooking pot, pan or baking tray. Whether looking for a simple mid-week supper, a quick weekend lunch, or something impressive (but easy) to serve to friends, "Leon Happy One-Pot" has the culinary answer ranging from one-pan pastas to warming tagines, from fragrant tray-baked fish, and from vegetarian to Asian-inspired stir-fries. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Leon Happy One-Pot" is a delight to browse through and ideal for menu planning for all manner of dining occasions. While very highly recommended for community library cookbook collections, it should be noted for personal use that "Leon Happy One-Pot" is also available in an inexpensive digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Taste of Home Instant Pot Cookbook
Taste of Home, editor
Taste of Home Books
c/o Reader's Digest Trade Publishing
44 South Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601
www.rdtradepublishing.com
9781617657665, $15.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Taste of Home is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love. Taste of Home magazine has a circulation of 2.5 million and publishes Simple & Delicious magazine six times a year. Now the editorial staff of Taste of Home focuses on the use of an Instant Pot to create palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly-to- prepare dishes that would be appropriate for any dining occasion from family fare to elegant celebratory dinners. Profusely illustrated throughout, the recipes comprising the "Taste of Home Instant Pot Cookbook" range from a Sweet & Sour Beet Salad; Char Siu Pork; Chicken Mole; and Beef Osso Bucco; to Carolina-Style Vinegar BBQ Chicken; Flan in a Jar; Honey-Butter Peas & Carrots; and Veggie Corn Muffins. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to family and community library collections, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), the "Taste of Home Instant Pot Cookbook" is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended.


The Woodworking Shelf

Cane Topper Woodcarving
Lora S. Irish
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781565239593, $19.99, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Lora S. Irish is an internationally known artist and author, whose acclaimed books include Great Book of Carving Patterns, Great Book of Celtic Patterns, Great Book of Dragon Patterns, Great Book of Tattoo Designs, The Official Vampire Artist's Handbook, Relief Carving Wood Spirits, World Wildlife Patterns for the Scroll Saw, and many more. In "Cane Topper Woodcarving: Projects, Patterns, and Essential Techniques for Custom Canes and Walking Sticks" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide woodworkers with a profusely illustrated, step-by-step instruction manual for making unique and creative tops for wooden canes. Of special note is her commentary regarding the use of found wood and her useful tips for making custom features. "Cane Topper Woodcarving" is a unique, fun, and thoroughly woodworker friendly addition to personal, professional, and community library woodworking instructional reference collections.

Classic Handplanes and Joinery
Scott Wynn
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781565239623, $24.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

An absolute 'must' for aspiring amateur woodworking instructional reference collections, "Classic Handplanes and Joinery: Essential Tips and Techniques for Woodworkers" by Scott Wynn is an illustrated instructional manual showing how to choose, set up, maintain, and master the most popular joinery planes, including plow planes, rabbet planes, router planes, shoulder planes, specialty planes, and more. "Classic Handplanes and Joinery" also teaches beginning and intermediate handplane users how to cut perfect dado, groove, rabbet, mortise, and tenon joints. A wonderful guide for any woodworker who is interested in using hand tools, it's loaded with technically rich diagrams and is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library Woodworking collections.


The Automotive Shelf

COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova
Matt Avery
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613253915, $44.95, HC, 204pp, www.amazon.com

The COPO Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas of the 1960s and early 1970s were the ultimate high-performance GM muscle cars. In "COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova: Chevrolet's Ultimate Muscle Cars", Chevy muscle car aficionado and author Matt Avery deftly retraces the history of the COPO program and the creation of these premier muscle cars. Avery has scoured archives and tracked down owners and personnel involved in the program to deliver a comprehensive story and complete guide to the COPO cars. The COPO muscle car and racing program produced a storied and remarkable journey, and "COPO Camaro, Chevelle & Nova: Chevrolet's Ultimate Muscle Cars" includes all of these facets in a profusely illustrated, informative, entertaining, and memorable history -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Automotive History collections in general, and General Motors History supplemental studies list in particular.

Corvette Special Editions
Keith Cornett
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613253939, $44.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Keith Cornett is the founder of VetteFinders.com, the Internet's first Corvette-only classified ads website launched in 1996 and CorvetteBlogger.com, the popular Corvette news and lifestyle blog started in 2005. He's a longtime member of the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) and a Lifetime Member of the National Corvette Museum. When he is not blogging about the latest Corvette news or highlighting interesting Corvettes for sale, Cornett travels around the country and can be found covering the major Corvette shows, races, and auctions. In "Corvette Special Editions: Includes Pace Cars, L88s, Callaways, Z06s and More", Keith draws upon his years of experience, research, and expertise to create what is essentially a profusely illustrated encyclopedia of information about some of the rarest Corvettes ever made. Especially recommended for community and academic library Automotive History collections, "Corvette Special Editions" will serve as a guide if any Corvette enthusiast seeking to add one of these special machines to their collection. Exceptionally well organized and presented, it is no exaggeration to note that everything anyone could ever want to learn about collectible Corvettes is to be found in the pages of Keith Comett's "Corvette Special Editions"!

Mustang Special Editions
Jonathan Klein & Jeffrey Klein
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613254066, $44.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

When Ford rolled out the Mustang in April 1964 it was an instant hit. Even with its immense popularity it didn't stop Ford Corporate, zone managers, and dealerships from taking it an extra step further. Just two short months later, the first special-edition Mustang debuted at the Indianapolis 500 tasked with pacing the race, and it's been full throttle ever since. "Mustang Special Editions: More Than 500 Models Including Shelbys, Cobras, Twisters, Pace Cars, Saleens and More" examines the more than 300 special-edition Mustangs from 1964 through today. Coverage includes factory offerings such as the 2001 Bullitt and SVT Cobras, regional promotions including the Twister Special, third-party tuners such as Roush and Saleen, and factory race cars including the 1968-1/2 Cobra Jets and the 2000 Cobra-R. Authors and Mustang experts Jonathan Klein and Jeffrey Klein have taken their decades of research and logged them into this single and profusely illustrated compilation. Each individual Mustang showcased is accompanied by production numbers, key features, and photos of surviving cars whenever possible. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Automotive History collections, "Mustang Special Editions" is a 'must' for all Mustang car enthusiasts and owners.

Mustang by Design
Jimmy Dinsmore & James Halderman
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613254073, $42.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

The 1964-1/2 Mustang is one of the most important and influential cars in American automotive history. In "Mustang by Design: Gale Halderman and the Creation of Ford's Iconic Pony Car" Mustang enthusiasts James Dinsmore and James Halderman go beyond the front doors at Ford into the design center, testing grounds, and Ford facilities to get the real, unvarnished story with unique behind-the-scenes perspectives and firsthand accounts of the inception, design, development, and production of the original Mustang. The process of taking a car from sketch to clay model to prototype to preproduction and finally finished model is retraced in insightful detail. The Mustang changed public perceptions of the automobile and ushered in the pony car era as a nimble, powerful, and elegantly styled sports coupe. This is the remarkable and dramatic story of how the Mustang came to life, the demanding design and development process, and, ultimately, the triumph of the iconic American car. A 'must' for all Mustang enthusiasts, "Mustang by Design: Gale Halderman and the Creation of Ford's Iconic Pony Car" is extraordinarily informative, profusely illustrated, and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Automotive History collections in general, and Mustang supplemental studies lists in particular.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Contemporary Paper-Pieced Quilts
Jeannie Jenkins
Landauer Publishing
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.landauercorp.com
9781947163027, $22.95, PB, 80pp, www.amazon.com

A professional longarm quilter and designer of beautiful quits, Jeanie Jenkins is a life-long sewer and award-winning quiltmaker. Jeanie shares her quiltmaking passion by teaching both beginner and intermediate classes. In "Contemporary Paper-Pieced Quilts" Jeanie draws upon her years of experience and expertise to introduce novice quiltmakers to foundation piecing with 8 sensational projects that range from a lovely wall hanging to an intricate bed quilt. This instructive compilation begins with simple, skill-building projects that progressively build your confidence to try more involved patterns. Paper piecing is a time-honored method to achieve precise, sharp points and perfectly matched seams in quilt blocks. The method is ideal for making small blocks with intricate angles and is experiencing a surge in popularity with the trend towards mini- and pictorial quilts. Absolutely 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Contemporary Paper-Pieced Quilts" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Creating Art Quilts with Panels
Joyce Hughes
Landauer Publishing
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.landauercorp.com
9781947163164, $24.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

A stunning pictorial quilts instruction manual with step-by-step photos, "Creating Art Quilts with Panels: Easy Thread Painting and Embellishing Techniques to Create Your Own Colorful Piece of Art From Panels", by experienced quilter and fiber artist Joyce Hughes offers even the most novice of quilting making enthusiasts creative methods for creating visually memorable quilts and explore endless options for creativity with free-motion quilting, thread painting, trapunto, overlay, three-dimensional effects, machine techniques, raw edge applique, and a variety of embellishments. "Creating Art Quilts with Panels" also shows how to take an ordinary fabric panel and turn it into a beautiful work of art, and how to make gorgeous seasonal panels, beautiful florals, and magnificent panel replicas. From simple beading to more advanced three-dimensional pieces, "Creating Art Quilts with Panels" presents techniques clearly and concisely with detailed photographs in a step-by-step format that is certain to please both traditional and contemporary artists alike. An ideal addition to personal, professional, and community library Quilting instructional reference collections, "Creating Art Quilts with Panels" is especially and unreservedly recommended!


The Fashion Shelf

Denim Branded
Nick Williams & Jenny Corpuz
Schiffer Fashion Press
c/o Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764355776, $45.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Most of us simply take for granted that a pair of jeans is not considered complete without patches, rivets, buttons, and other trims. The existence of such design elements is not questioned because they are seen as the standard. The collaborative work of Nick Williams (a graphic designer who has studied and worked with original Levi Strauss & Co. archived pieces and who continues to work with some of the leading denim houses) and Jenny Corpuz (a writer who has a background in sourcing, designing, and product development), "Denim Branded: Jeanswear's Evolving Design Details" is exclusively dedicated to denim branding and deconstructs every element that goes into branding a pair of jeans. These elements are a jeans' identity, its source code, a marker from which to discover the jean's provenance. Through beautiful and inspirational photography, "Denim Branded" tells the fascinating and sometimes surprising history of denim branding from the 1870s to current day. Primary source materials for this book come from the historical archive departments of Levi Strauss & Co., Lee Jeans, Wrangler, Carhartt, and Cone Mills, as well as some of the best contemporary denim brands of today, including Rogue Territory, Dawson Denim, Denham, Kings of Indigo, Endrime, Evisu, Eat Dust, Butcher of Blue, and Tellason. Impressively informative, detailed and documented, "Denim Branded" is an extraordinary historical study and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Fashion History collections and supplemental studies lists.

Fashion in the Middle Ages
Margaret Scott
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606065853, $17.95, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

From the costly velvets and furs worn by kings to the undyed wools and rough linens of the peasantry, the clothing worn by the various classes in the Middle Ages played an integral role in medieval society. In addition to providing clues to status, profession, and/or geographic origin, textiles were a crucial element in the economies of many countries and cities. Much of what is known about medieval fashion is gleaned from the pages of manuscripts, which serve as a rich source of imagery. In "Fashion in the Middle Ages" Margaret Scott (who is the former head of the History of Dress Department at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a world-renowned authority on medieval clothing.) provides a beautifully illustrated and detailed look at both the actual fabrics and composition of medieval clothing as well as the period's attitude toward fashion through an exploration of illuminated manuscripts in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The last portion of "Fashion in the Middle Ages" is dedicated to the depiction of clothing in biblical times and the ancient world as seen through a medieval lens. Throughout, excerpts from literary sources of the period help shed light on the perceived role and function of fashion in daily life. An extraordinary, informative, and simply fascinating read from first page to last, "Fashion in the Middle Ages" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library History of Fashion and Medieval Studies collections.


The Computer Shelf

Designing Web APIs
Brenda Jin, Saurabh Sahni, Amir Shevat
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N., Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
www.oreilly.com
9781492026921, $39.99, PB, 232pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative project of API experts Brenda Jin, Saurabh Sahni, and Amir Shevat "Designing Web APIs: Building APIs That Developers Love" is a practical guide for developers, architects, and tech leads wanting to learn how to navigate complex decisions for designing, scaling, marketing, and evolving interoperable APIs. "Designing Web APIs" includes expert advice, worksheets, checklists, and case studies from companies including Slack, Stripe, Facebook, Microsoft, Cloudinary, Oracle, and GitHub. "Designing Web APIs" also provides: An overview of request-response and event-driven API design paradigms; Best practices for designing an API that meets the needs of your users; A template to create an API design process; Scaling a web API to support a growing number of API calls and use cases; Adapting an API to reflect changes to your product or business; Developer resources that include API documentation, samples, and tools. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Designing Web APIs" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Computer Science instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Designing Web APIs" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.35).


The Philosophy Shelf

Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown
Richard Greene & Joshua Heter, editors
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812699913, $19.95, PB, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Few science fiction television series have been as surreal as Westworld -- or has served up so many iconoclastic suppositions and inherently fascinating philosophical quandries. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Richard Greene (Professor of Philosophy, Weber State University) and Joshua Heter (who teaches philosophy at Iowa Western Community College), Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown is comprised of twenty-five erudite essays that are deftly organized into five distinctive sections: The Maze; Mariposa Saloon; The Prairie; Main Street; The Mesa Hub. Provocative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, "Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown" is an extraordinary and memorable read, making it a 'must' for all dedicated Westworld fans and philosophy students. While very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Philosophy collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Christian Studies Shelf

An Introduction to the New Testament
David A. deSilva
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
www.ivpress.com
9780830852178, $60.00, 1008pp, www.amazon.com

David A. deSilva is the Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. He is also an ordained elder in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this newly updated and revised second edition of "An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation", Professor deSilva provides particular and detailed attention to the social, cultural, and rhetorical contexts of the New Testament authors and their writings. This comprehensive introduction students of the New Testament to a relevant facet of interpretation with each portion of New Testament literature with the specific intent of preparing students for the ministry. Each chapter on the New Testament literature closes with a discussion of implications for ministry formation. "An Introduction to the New Testament" enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of maps, photos, points of interest, and aids to learning. Separate chapters explore the historical and cultural environment of the New Testament era, the nature of the Gospels and the quest for the historical Jesus, and the life of Paul. Ideal as a seminary textbook, "An Introduction to the New Testament" is very highly recommended for church, community, college, and university library New Testament Studies collections, as well as an instructive reference for clergy and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

How New Is the New Testament?
Donald A. Hagner
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540960412, $22.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

After some two thousand years, what is so new about the New Testament? In "How New Is the New Testament?: First-Century Judaism and the Emergence of Christianity", Donald A. Hagner (George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Senior Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California) tackles the issue of how distinct early Christianity was from the first-century Judaism from which it emerged. He surveys newness in the entire New Testament canon, examining the evidence for points of continuity and discontinuity between formative Judaism and early Christianity. Professor Hagner's accessible analysis of the New Testament text shows that despite Christianity's thorough Jewishness, from the beginning dramatic newness was an essential aspect of this early literature. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "How New Is the New Testament?" is an invaluable and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, church, seminary, and community library Biblical Studies collections. It should be noted that "How New Is the New Testament?" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.41).

The Bible Unwrapped
Meghan Larissa Good
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513802572, $29.99, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Many members of the Christian community have questions about Scripture that they are too afraid to ask. Drawing from the best of contemporary biblical scholarship and the ancient well of Christian tradition, "The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today" by Meghan L. Good (Teaching Pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Arizona) helps her readers to consider why the Bible matters. "The Bible Unwrapped" delves into issues like biblical authority, literary genre, and Christ-centered hermeneutics, and calls readers beyond either knee-jerk biblicism, on the one hand, or skeptical disregard on the other. "The Bible Unwrapped" also invites readers to faithful reading, communal discernment, and deep and transformative wonder about Scripture. Reading "The Bible Unwrapped" is to participate in an honest conversation about the Bible that is spiritually alive and intellectually credible. Inspired and inspiring, "The Bible Unwrapped" is unreservedly recommended for church and seminary Biblical Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Bible Unwrapped" in a paperback edition (9781513802343, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Off the Hook
Timothy P. O'Malley
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594718212, $15.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Hookup culture is about much more than the quest for pleasure. It offers an easy way out of real communication and lasting relationships. It also teaches us to treat each other as objects for personal satisfaction. Even those who reject the hookup culture can still be negatively affected by it and develop poor habits of relating to others. In "Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World", Timothy P. O'Malley (Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame), shows how God's plan for love serves to heal the wounds of hookup culture and is a medicine for what ails our understanding of sex, romance, love, and marriage. Professor O'Malley also explains how the ethics of hooking up shape relationships between men and women and examines the considerable harm to individuals and society that results. By exploring the sacrament of marriage in its biblical, theological, and liturgical dimensions, he offers Catholic young adults and those charged with their formation and pastoral care a wealth of insight into God's plan for love. Young people will find help grappling with the Church's countercultural understanding of sex, love, and marriage. Parents and pastoral workers will discover a refreshing presentation of the Catholic theology of marriage and wise counsel about forming young people in the Church's vision. Newly married, and even long-married couples will find hope, courage, and the promise of sacramental love that can sustain them for a lifetime. Focusing on one of today's most widespread tragedies in our modern secular world, "Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it unreservedly recommended for church, and seminary collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Off the Hook: God, Love, Dating, and Marriage in a Hookup World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.15).

Living the Sacraments
Joe Paprocki
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
www.loyolapress.com
9780829446593, $11.95, PB, 136pp, www.amazon.com

Too many Catholics view the sacraments as isolated rites of passage disconnected from daily living, hoops to jump through, rather than as gateways to fulfilling lives centered on a spiritual relationship with God. Such a misunderstanding distances Catholics from the heart of their spiritual vitality and renders the Church less relevant to their experience. In a friendly, practical, and accessible style, author and master teacher Joe Paprocki (who has been a catechetical leader and religious educator in the Chicago area for more than thirty years) opens up this critical aspect of Catholic life in Living the Sacraments. He presents the sacraments as a spiritual path. Their power and grace open our hearts to ongoing encounter with God. By inviting readers to delve into the mystery of God's self-revelation through the sacraments, by teaching the essence of each sacrament without being overbearing, and by inviting readers to reflect the divine image of God, Paprocki shows us that the sacraments allow us to experience God's presence in Church rites and through ordinary, tangible experiences. While all members of the Catholic community can, and should, celebrate the sacraments, It is when they live them that they are transformed. Inspired and inspiring, "Living the Sacraments: Finding God at the Intersection of Heaven and Earth" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended reading for clergy and lay members alike.

Salt and Light
Maureen Pratt
Twenty-Third Publications
1 Montauk Ave #200, New London, CT 06320
www.23rdpublications.com
9781627853378, $16.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Parishes can be proud of the strides they re making in welcoming persons with disabilities present and completely engaged in church life. In "Salt and Light: Church, Disability, and the Blessing of Welcome for All", Maureen Pratt deals with the question of how do we as members of a Christian community work best -- both for the benefit of persons with disabilities and for the whole parish community? Filled with stories of her own life with often-disabling health conditions, in "Salts and Light" Maureen Pratt sets out pastoral guidelines and practical steps covering evangelization, catechesis, participation, privacy issues, spiritual vocations, and much more. Every parish, and every parish ministry will be enriched by the full participation of persons with disabilities, as "Salt and Light" shows the way. Exceptionally well written, organized and presents, "Salt and Light" is very highly recommended, especially for personal, seminary, and church Pastoral Care Ministry instructional reference collections and supplemental studies lists.

The Gospel of Luke
Pablo T. Gadenz
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9780801037009, $24.99, PB, 416pp, www.amazon.com

"The Gospel of Luke" by Pablo T. Gadenz (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, and a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey) is the newest addition to the successful Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series, Father Gadenz deftly examines the Gospel of Luke from within the living tradition of the Church for pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students alike. Father Gadenz explains the biblical text clearly and concisely in light of recent scholarship and pays particular attention to the themes, theology, and Old Testament background of Luke's Gospel. Sidebars explain the biblical background and offer theological insights from Church fathers, saints, and popes, and reflection and application sections offer suggestions for daily Christian living. Exceptionally informative and impressively well organized and presented, "The Gospel of Luke" is an unreservedly recommended addition to church, seminary, community, college, and university library New Testament Studies collections and reading lists. It should be noted for clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Gospel of Luke" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.55).

How to Build Children with Integrity
Karen Budzinski
www.KarenBudzinski.com
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973633723 $24.95 pbk / $3.99 Kindle amazon.com

How to Build Children with Integrity is a Christian parenting guide written especially for the modern era, when parents have to compete with more outside influences than ever - and often have to spend more hours than ever away from home, working to make ends meet. How can parents guide their children when their time is so limited? Chapters discuss fundamental virtues to communicate though one's actions as well as one's words, such as "I Am Responsible for my Responses", "I Can Deny Myself", and "I Can Be Perfectly Joyful in an Imperfect World with Imperfect People". "When raising our children, my husband and I adopted various traditions, strategies, and rules strategically. Teaching our children why rules are made, and the correct way to appeal a house rule not only taught them to trust that we had rules for their own best interests, but this training helped our children be able to seek to understand rules of other authorities as they got older." How to Build Children with Integrity is a "must-read" for Christian parents, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that How to Build Children with Integrity is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).

Parenting With the Spirit
Marlene R. Ellingson
Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462122318, $14.99, PB, 201pp, www.amazon.com

With thirteen children and twenty-six grandchildren (and counting!), Marlene Ellingson has spent a lifetime figuring out how to become a better parent. Perhaps not surprisingly, the best answers come from a perfect parent -- our Father in Heaven. Marlene draws upon her years of experience and expertise in "Parenting With the Spirit: The Answer Is More Love" to show her readers how to follow His example as they read through this volume of true-to-life experiences and practical daily parenting wisdom. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Parenting instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Parenting With the Spirit: The Answer Is More Love" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Seeing Green
Tilly Dillehay
Harvest House Publishers
2975 Chad Drive, Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736974943, $14.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Sooner or later we all feel the emotion of envy when someone else receives the very thing we desire. When a best friend announces her engagement. When a sister says she's pregnant. When a coworker gets the promotion. Even while we say that we are happy for her, we feel a hint of something else that's not very nice -- not nice at all. That something is envy. What if, in those moments, we were able to turn away from the green glow of envy, and see the spotlight of God's glory shine on your friend? What if your first response was joy? In the pages of "Seeing Green: Don't Let Envy Color Your Joy" journalist and homemaker Tilly Dillehay reveals the seven common sources of envy -- and challenges us to change the way we think about God's glory. In doing so, we learn to rejoice with others, experience greater contentment for ourselves, and discover how to truly love our neighbor as ourselves. A life changing, life enhancing reade, "Seeing Green: Don't Let Envy Color Your Joy" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted that "Seeing Green" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.10) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Christian Audio, 9781545906750, $19.98, CD).


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

My Himalaya
Olivier Follmi
teNeues Publishing
350 Seventh Avenue, Suite 301, New York, NY, 10011
9783961711406, $95.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

For more than 40 years, the prize-winning photographer Olivier Follimi has documented the landscape and peoples of the Himalayas, a region he first got to know on a hiking trip in the 1980s. Captivated by Tibetan culture, people, and their harmonious coexistence with nature, Follmi returned to the mountain region on numerous occasions -- at times as a mountain guide, at others to live and learn from spiritual leaders in a Buddhist temple. The Himalayas became his destiny, and he became one of the most sensitive and insightful observers of life in Tibet. "My Himalaya: 40 Years Among Buddhists is a stunningly beautiful volume of images that is at once a remarkable retrospective and an homage to the Tibetan culture and spirituality which has so defined and characterized this photographer's life and work. Page after page reveals photographs of extraordinary emotion, color, tradition, and beauty, alongside inspiring anecdotes and stories from the photographer. "My Himalaya" is an enriching and enlightening visually oriented study for anyone looking toward a more mindful way of life, as well as an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Photography, Himalayan Landscape, and Buddhist Studies collections.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

A Course in Tarot
Eleanor Hammond, MM
Red Feather
c/o Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764356087, $19.99, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Properly utilized, the Tarot can help to provide accurate insight into emotions, life events, relationships, career and money matters, family situations, and more. In "A Course in Tarot: In-Depth Training, Exercises, Questions with Answers", veteran tarot reader and teacher Eleanor Hammon draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide a course of instruction designed for Tarot readers to learn and employ easy-to-understand techniques to apply the wisdom of the Tarot to themselves and others with any Tarot deck they might choose. Because everyone will be at different learning stages, the lessons cover the basics all the way through to the deepening influences for seasoned readers. Taking a different approach than other course books, "A Course in Tarot" offers a program that instructs Tarot students to comprehend in simple terms where each Tarot card originates and how to make personal links to each card. Once being able to identify how to connect the 78 cards to your life, Tarot readers will find that they have already experienced each circumstance described in the Tarot, which makes it simple to read the cards. Included are exercises, an in-depth reading look-up sheet, test questions with answers, and even instructions on how to create your own deck. For use with any Tarot deck and appropriate for all skill levels, "A Course in Tarot" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections.

Tarot Correspondences
T. Susan Chang
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738755120, $29.99, PB, 408pp, www.amazon.com

T. Susan Chang bought her first tarot deck in New York, where she moonlighted as a reader while working in academic publishing. After leaving the city, she took her practice underground for many years, re-surfacing in 2015 and taking up the systematic study of esoteric correspondences in tarot. In the pages of "Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to focus on four main systems of correspondences (the elements, astrology, numbers, and Kabbalah) inherent in every tarot deck for the purpose of helping tarot readers to integrate the images, associations, and myths that have allowed the tarot to resonate across many centuries and cultures. "Tarot Correspondences" provides comprehensive correspondence tables for court cards, majors, minors, and the four suits, making this instructive compendium an essential reference and resource that is unreservedly recommended to tarot student, professional tarot readers, spiritual seekers, or magical practitioners. Of special note for metaphysical students is the information relevant to using correspondences to enhance spells and magical rituals. It should be noted that "Tarot Correspondences" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.39).


The Travel Shelf

Explore Europe on Foot
Cassandra Overby
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680511079, $24.95, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Cassandra Overby is a freelance travel and outdoors writer who loves combining her enthusiasm for foreign travel and hiking by encouraging people to explore the world on foot and helping them do it. In "Explore Europe on Foot: Your Complete Guide to Planning a Cultural Hiking Adventure" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to give travelers an alternative way to discover Europe. A hiking vacation offers countless rewards: the time to admire the tidiness of a village farm, soak in the rugged alpine view from a rocky perch, and absorb a country through the smells of its landscape and encounters with locals. "Explore Europe on Foot" is a complete guide to conceptualizing, planning, and executing the slow-travel hike (or hikes!) of a lifetime with overviews of fifteen long-distance trails in Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey, with itineraries that range from one to fifteen days. For those unwilling to go all-in, Cassandra also offers tips on incorporating day-hike outings into a more traditional vacation. The focus is on how to craft that more immersive vacation so users of the guide will be able to apply what they learn to their own dream destinations. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Travel Guide instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Explore Europe on Foot" is also available in a digital book format ($19.95).


The Self-Help Shelf

The Toxic Parents Survival Guide
Bryn Collins, MA, LP
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
www.hcibooks.com
9780757321047 $15.95 pbk / $11.13 Kindle amazon.com

The Toxic Parents Survival Guide: Recognizing, Understanding, and Freeing Yourself from These Difficult Relationships is a guide for people who endured narcissistic, emotionally unavailable, or selfish parents while growing up. With case studies, quizzes, and jargon-free language, author and professional counselor Bryn Collins profiles the most common types of toxic parents and offers tools to free oneself from painful associations without guilt. An index rounds out this excellent, user-friendly, and highly recommended self-help guide.


The Education Shelf

Studio Thinking from the Start
Jillian Hogan, et al.
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
www.tcpress.com
9780807759158, $34.95, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Jillian Hogan (who is a doctoral student in developmental psychology at Boston College). Lois Hetland (who is a professor and graduate coordinator of art education at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a senior research affiliate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education). Diane B. Jaquith (who is co-director of the Teaching for Artistic Behavior Summer Institute at Massachusetts College of Art and Design). and Ellen Winner (who is professor and chair of psychology at Boston College and a senior research associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education), "Studio Thinking from the Start: The K - 8 Art Educator's Handbook" shows how the eight Studio Habits of Mind and four Studio Structures can be used successfully with younger students in a range of socioeconomic contexts and school environments. "Studio Thinking from the Start" features: Habit-by-habit definitions, classroom examples, and related visual artist exemplars emphasizing contemporary artists; Full color mini-posters teachers can hang in their classrooms to illustrate each of the eight Studio Habits of Mind; Sample templates for students to use as they plan, reflect upon, and talk about works of art; Innovative approaches to assessment and strategies for implementation. Photos throughout "Studio Thinking from the Start" showcase signage and activities, students making art, and student artworks.. Of special note are suggestions for using Studio Thinking for arts education advocacy. While very highly recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher Education instructional reference collections, it should be note for personal reading lists that "Studio Thinking from the Start" is also available in a digital format (Kindle, $34.95).


The Science Shelf

Apollo: VII - XVII
Floris Heyne, et al.
teNeues Publishing
350 Seventh Avenue, Suite 301, New York, NY, 10011
9783961711321, $65.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

July 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. That event was a true milestone in the history of humanity. Even some fifty years later, the adventure, courage, and ground-breaking accomplishment behind the NASA Apollo missions remains as compelling as they ever were. The collaborative work of Floris Heyne, Joel Meter, Simon Phillipson, and Delano Steenmeijer, "Apollo: VII - XVII" is an impressive and informative volume enhanced with images (many of which are seen here by the public for the first time!) secured from the vast NASA photo archives and visually showcasing the most outstanding photos of the Apollo missions. A unique and extraordinary volume, "Apollo: VII - XVII" is a 'must' for all space flight enthusiasts and would served as an immediately and enduringly popular Memorial Fund acquisition choice for community and academic libraries.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Brother Nash
Bridgit Connell
Titan Comics
titan-comics.com
9781785864568 $19.99 pbk / $12.71 Kindle amazon.com

Brother Nash is a full-color fantasy graphic novel set in modern times, collecting "Brother Nash" comic issues #1-3. Nashoba ("Nash") is a trucker with supernatural powers, including the ability to see ghosts. Yet far more sinister and bloodthirsty creatures lurk upon American highways; when Nash accepts a mysterious hitchhiker destined for Tuscon, his simple act of generosity snowballs into a wild and deadly adventure against horrifying enemies! Connoisseurs of modern dark fantasy graphic novels will find Brother Nash a must-read. Highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, preternatural storytelling.

Cecil & Jordan in New York: Stories, expanded edition
Gabrielle Bell
Uncivilized Books
uncivilizedbooks.com
9781941250266 $19.95 amazon.com

Now expanded with additional, hard-to-find material not included in the original edition, Cecil & Jordan in New York: Stories is a graphic novel anthology of brief tales about the human condition. The simple line drawings are mostly in black and white, with some pages in color. Here are the difficult realities of living in poverty; the dreams of aspiring artists; the wisdom of a talking cat; and much more. Although Cecil & Jordan in New York: Stories is not particularly violent or sexual, it is suggested for mature or older teen readers, due to a few scenes of drug use. Highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

Nine Perfect Strangers
Liane Moriarty
Read by Caroline Lee
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781427299147 $44.99 amazon.com

Brilliantly performed by Caroline Lee, Nine Perfect Strangers is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Liane Moriarty's witty novel about nine strangers who meet at a local health resort. Some are trying to lose weight; some are trying for a fresh start; and some won't admit what they need most even to themselves. Could ten days at Tranquillum House truly change a person's life for the better? And what mysteries does the unusually charismatic owner/director hide? Elements of romance, comedy, and interpersonal drama combine in this immersive story about human foibles, persistence, and potential. Nine Perfect Strangers is highly recommended for both personal and public library audiobook collections. 15 CDs, 19 hours.

Every Breath
Nicholas Sparks
Read by Sean Cameron Michael and Vanessa Johansson
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781549194696 $35.00 amazon.com

Featuring the memorable performances of Sean Cameron Michael and Vanessa Johansson, as well as an introduction read by author Nicholas Sparks, Every Breath is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a romance novel about personal crossroads. Hope Anderson is thirty-six years old; though she dreams of being a wife and mother, her rocky relationship with an orthopedic surgeon has no wedding bells in sight. When her father is diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord), she takes a week to ready her house for sale and contemplate her plans for the future. She crosses paths with Tru Walls, a safari guide born and raised in Zimbabwe, who has been summoned to North Carolina by a letter from a man who claims to be his father. The two form a connection from their chance meeting, but their growing feelings for one another force them to choose between duty, career, and personal happiness. Poignant, intense, and lingering long in the mind, Every Breath is especially recommended for romance connoisseurs. 9 hours on 8 CDs.

Leverage in Death
J.D. Robb, author
Performed by Susan Ericksen
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781536696936 $39.99 JDRobb.com

Part of the "In Death" series of crime novels, now adapted into an unabridged audiobook, Leverage in Death begins with a shocking suicide bombing at a high-powered business meeting - with all evidence suggesting that the bomber, a loyal employee and loving family man, was coerced into the act by two masked men who held his wife and daughter hostage. Where have the perpetrators vanished to? And what did they hope to accomplish, since the business meetings original plan for a massive merger remains firmly on track? Eve and her billionaire husband Roarke (who has connections in both finance and far less glamorous places) must track down the perpetrators of this terrorist act before they strike again! Complex, captivating, and immersively brought to life with Susan Ericksen's audio performance, Leverage in Death is highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. 11 discs., 13 hours 47 min.

Texas Ranger
James Patterson
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781478975472, $35.00, CD, www.amazon.com

A modern western set in the Lone Star State, Texas Ranger is the story of Rory Yates, an honorable rank of Texas Ranger who arrives in his hometown to find a horrifying crime scene and a scathing accusation -- he is named by the local police as a suspect in the brutal torture- murder of his ex-wife, Anne, a devoted teacher whose only controversial act was ending her marriage to a Ranger. In search of the killer, Yates plunges into the inferno of the most twisted and violent minds he's ever encountered, vowing to never surrender. A simply riveting tale that begins with a violent confrontation and doesn't stop it's roller coaster ride of unexpected plot twists and turns until the final pages, "Texas Ranger" is a flawlessly produced 'theatre of the mind' production from beginning to end -- making it an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library audio book collections and the personal listening lists of James Patterson fans. (6 CDs, 7 Hours).

Fletch
Gregory McDonald
Blackstone Audiobooks
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
ASIN: B07CMWWVZ1, $29.95, CD, www.amazon.com

Twice divorced and owning more alimony than he has income, Fletch is subversive investigative reporter whose methods are a little unorthodox. Currently he's living on the beach and refuses to wear shoes when he is back in his newspaper office. Fletch taking more than a little flak from his incompetent editor (who got the job by sleeping her boss). She doesn't appreciate Fletch's style. Or the expense account items he's racking up. Or his definition of the word "deadline". Or the divorce lawyers who keep showing up at the office. So when multimillionaire Alan Stanwyk offers Fletch the job of a lifetime, which could be worth a fortune, he's intrigued and decides to do a little investigation. What he discovers is that the proposition is anything but what it seems. Then there is the little problem of trying to figure out who is supplying drugs to the junkies on the beach! This first book in Gregory McDonald's series of mysteries featuring our intrepid (if a bit eccentric) reporter and sleuth, "Fletch" is ably narrated by Dan John Miller in a flawless produced and unabridged audio book.


The Music CD Shelf

Calm Waters, Rolling Swells & Roiling Seas
Various Whaling City Artists
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$12.82 amazon.com

Calm Waters, Rolling Swells & Roiling Seas: A Whaling City Sampler is an eclectic music CD showcasing some of the best jazz recordings from a wide variety of music artists. A treasury for connoisseurs of the genre, Calm Waters, Rolling Swells & Roiling Seas is a vibrant, multifaceted delight, highly recommended. The tracks are "Jennifer" (Reggie Young), "Jano" (Rale Micic), "Sophisticated Lady" (Greg Murphy), "What's New" (Terry Gibbs), "Alfie" (Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio), "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio), "The Faction of Cool" (Jason Miles & Ingrid Jensen), "Whaling City Sound" (Greg Abate), "Kojak" (Gerry Gibbs Thrasher People), "Meatsauce" (AGNZ), "Liberian Hummingbird" (Dave Liebman Group), "Receipt, Please" (Marcus Monteiro), "Last Song" (Steven Kirby), and "Lovely Ernestina" (New Bedford Sea Chantey Chorus).

Stranger Days
David Wright
AD Music
https://www.admusicshop.com
$13.03 - $19.88 https://www.admusicshop.com/product/stranger-days

Available both as a double CD and as a digital download in MP3, Flac, or Apple Lossless, Stranger Days is an album of "electronic space rock", drawing upon elements of new age, electronic, and chill genres to evoke visions of the future. Featuring both new material and reworked versions of a handful of artist David Wright's previous tracks, Stranger Days is a mind-expanding journey, and a "must" for connoisseurs of the genre. Highly recommended. The Disc 1 tracks are "A Moment's Contemplation", "Re-Connected", "Beyond Glass Mountains", "Walking With Ghosts Fantasy", "Krystal Halls", "Always Tomorrow", "Once Upon A Dream", "Stranger Days, Part 1", "Stranger Days, Part 2", "Stranger Days, Part 3", "Stranger Days, Part 4", "Stranger Days, Part 5", "Stranger Days, Part 6", and "Stranger Days, Part 7". The Disc 2 tracks are "Rysheara 2018 version", "Call To Me 2018 remix", "Walking With Ghosts 2018", "Melt Away", "Harmonic Heaven, Part 1", "Harmonic Heaven, Part 2", "Light Source, Part 1", "Light Source, Part 2", "Colours of the Night 2018 version", "The Forgotten Symphony First Movement", "Second Movement", "Third Movement", and "Fourth Movement".

Malice, Mercy, Grief & Wrath
Belle Plaine
belleplainemusic.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3 amazon.com

Malice, Mercy, Grief & Wrath is a music album that speaks to experiencing pain and loss, and the difficult search to find meaning after being parted from a loved one. Profound and thoughtful, Malice, Mercy, Grief & Wrath succintly expresses the human search to understand the inexplicable. Highly recommended. The tracks are "For All Those Who I Love", "Golden Ring", "Squared Up", "Taxes and Death and You", "Is It Cheating", "Are We Good", "Laila Sady Johnson Wasn't Beaten By No Train", "Radio Dreams", and "Rock Bottom".


The DVD Shelf

800 Words Season 3, Part 1
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$49.99 www.acornonline.com

800 Words Season 3, Part 1 continues the award-winning dramady television series featuring newspaper columnist George Turner (played by Erik Thomson) and his family, who have now moved from Australia to New Zealand. After the terrible boating accident of the previous season, Season 3 Part 1 shows the townsfolk of Weld embarking on a search-and-rescue mission for the missing victims. Meanwhile, George frets about the possibility of becoming a a father (again) as his editor Jan (played by Bridie Carter) goes into labor, with the paternity of her twins unknown. George's teenage son has relationship problems, and George gets mixed up in a scheme to save Woody's forthcoming wedding from a most perilous predicament! Charming, wistful, and funny, 800 Words is highly recommended. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette (3 min.) and cast interviews (8 min.). 8 episodes on 2 DVDs, 362 min. plus bonus, widescreen, SDH subtitles.

Hidden Series 1
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$49.99 www.acornonline.com

Hidden Series 1 is a dark mystery-thriller television series on DVD, about a serial killer in the isolated mountains of northern Wales. DI Cadi John (played by Sian Reese-Williams) has returned to her quiet hometown to help her sisters care for their ailing father. She investigates the suspicious drowning of a young woman, only to find evidence that the victim was shackled before her death - someone held her captive before killing her. When another girl goes missing, Cadi John and other detectives race against time to find the kidnapper. A chilling tale of cruel secrets buried beneath the surface of small-town life, Hidden Series 1 is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include a 35 minute behind-the-scenes featurette. 8 episodes on 3 DVDs, 477 min. plus bonus, widescreen, SDH subtitles.

Single-Handed: The Complete Collection
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$64.99 www.acornonline.com

Starring Irish Film & TV Award "Best Actor" nominee Owen McConnell as disillusioned cop Jack Driscoll, Single-Handed: The Complete Collection gathers all the episodes of this gritty crime drama set on the remote west coast of Ireland. Sergeant Jack Driscoll returns from the big city of Dublin to the insular small town he grew up in. The land is beautiful, but earning the respect of his neighbors is an uphill battle, and his duty leads him to investigate heinous crimes including child abduction, arson, and a local schoolgirl's connection to a Dublin pimp. Complex characters, morally tenuous situations, and threaded suspense characterize this "must-see" for connoisseurs of the genre, highly recommended. Bonus material includes text interviews with the producer and production notes. 6 episodes plus 3 feature-length episodes on 6 DVDs, 582 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.


The Sports Shelf

Cycling Workout Handbook
Terri Schneider
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578267705, $15.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Whether cycling for fun and fitness or training for a century ride, "Cycling Workout Handbook: Improve Fitness with 100 of the Best Cycling Workouts" by ultra-endurance athlete, speaker, author, coach, and sport psychology consultant Terri Schneider is a thoroughly 'user friendly' comprehensive training resource. "Cycling Workout Handbook" includes training programs with calculated periodization and regular recovery cycles for maximum fitness benefit. "Cycling Workout Handbook" provides easy-to-follow programs divided weekly and by athletic level. Training tips and expert notes are included, as well as gear recommendations. It should be noted that readers can go online for support, additional workouts and more at www.getfitnow.com. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library Health & Fitness instructional reference collections, "Cycling Workout Handbook" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Wisconsin Shelf

Wisconsin Rocks!
Scott Spoolman
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
www.mountain-press.com
9780878426898, $18.00, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Scott Spoolman was fascinated with his native state's forests, waters, and rocks. His early experiences fed into a long career as a science writer, including a stint as geology editor for McGraw-Hill. In "Wisconsin Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Badger State" Spoolman has drawn upon his years of experience and expertise to showcase 52 of the best geologic sites in the state of Wisconsin. Part of the Mountain Press Publishing Company's simply outstanding state-by-state Geology Rocks! series, "Wisconsin Rocks!" is deftly organized into five regions of the state, all of the sites selected are in publically accessible parks and natural areas. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy learning about the rock formations of the state's many glens, gorges, and bluffs. Geology buffs can also explore glacial features along Wisconsin's 1,200-mile-long Ice Age Trail or avoid them altogether in the Driftless Area, a region mysteriously untouched by the massive ice sheets of the Pleistocene Epoch. Profusely illustrated, impressively informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Wisconsin Rocks!" is a 'must' for all Wisconsin school and community library collections. This paperback edition is particularly recommended as a trip planning resource for personal and professional visitations to Wisconsin's most interesting geologic sites.

Cold War Wisconsin
Christopher Sturdevant
The History Press
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.historypress.net
9781467140300, $23.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

As the Cold War gripped the world with fear of espionage and nuclear winter, everyday Wisconsinites found themselves directly embroiled in the struggle. For decades, the state's nuclear missiles pointed to the skies, awaiting Soviet bombers. Joseph Stalin's daughter sought refuge in the small town of Richland Center. With violence in Vietnam about to peak, a cargo ship from Kewaunee sparked a new international incident with North Korea. Manitowoc was ground zero for a Sputnik satellite crash, and four ordinary Madison youths landed on the FBI's most wanted list after the Sterling Hall Bombing. In the pages of "Cold War Wisconsin", Chris Sturdevant (a local Wisconsin author and chairman of the Midwest Chapter of the Cold War Museum) shares the tales of the Badger State's role in this titanic showdown between East and West. Exceptionally informative and impressively well written, organized and presented, "Cold War Wisconsin" is enhanced with the inclusion of black/white period photography and is very highly recommended for all Wisconsin highschool, community, college, and university library 20th Century Wisconsin History collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Cold War Wisconsin" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).


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


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design