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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The Little Black Book of Birthday Wisdom
Mike Kowis, Esq.
https://www.mikekowis.com
Lecture PRO Publishing
9798990013339, $9.99 Paperback/$2.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Birthday-Wisdom/dp/B0D6GXYVN1
The Little Black Book of Birthday Wisdom: Quotes on Aging, Life, and Birthday Cake is the perfect item of choice for a birthday celebration or recipient. Mike Kowis provides over five hundred quotes that juxtapose humor with thought-provoking insights on aging, gleaned from a broad wellspring of sage thinkers. All kinds of birthday concepts are featured here, from toasts and famous sayings to quips that lend a fun countenance to the birthday experience. Contrasts between youth and 'seasoned citizens,' everything to do with candles and cakes, and famous sayings create an inviting synthesis of pleasure and contemplative thoughts that will appeal to a range of readers. Samples of these wide-ranging approaches include:
If you are an actress in L.A., on your 40th birthday they should just hand you the keys to the lunatic asylum.
- Romola Garai
On my 50th birthday in 2005, my discount-wielding AARP card came in the mail. I hurled it in the trash, put on something fabulous, and had a decadent meal. Just the thought of putting it in my wallet felt like a concession.
- Iman
Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.
- Menachem Mendel Schneerson
The Little Black Book of Birthday Wisdom should be on the invite list of any birthday organizer, given to celebrants and toastmasters, and included in any general-interest library for its thought-provoking, fun sayings.
The Military History Shelf
Forgotten Battles of World War II
Dr. Donal McAuliffe
DartFrog Books, LLC
www.DartFrogBooks.com
9798987711644, $12.99 Paper/$3.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Battles-World-War-chronological/dp/B0CZQXG1V3
Forgotten Battles of World War II: A Chronological Survey of The 21 Most Significant But Often Overlooked Battles That Shaped The Outcome Of The War is a 'must have' recommendation for any library considering itself to be definitive in World War II history.
While such a collection might think that such extensive holdings need little further embellishment, the publication of Forgotten Battles of World War II says otherwise, presenting history that often doesn't receive close inspection in either military or historical analyses of the times. Why should the Battle of the Dnieper, the Battle of Hengyang, or Operation Gunnerside be omitted if they are as key and important as Dr. Donal McAuliffe maintains? The answer to these omissions is unique to each struggle as the good doctor considers each event, its underlying politics and struggles, and reasons why each battle was both important and not part of standard World War II history or knowledge.
Partially due to popular media and film depictions, major battles became prominent public knowledge, and those deemed less dramatic (with lesser potential for public entertainment) were thus regulated to back burners, there to lie nearly forgotten -- until this book's publication. Forgotten Battles is not meant to be a definitive expose of all neglected battles. Indeed, Dr. McAuliffe admits that much more remains to be explored even as his book uncovers the tip of the World War II hidden iceberg of history: ...there were hundreds of major battles and thousands of military engagements in the conflict, the vast majority of which have been ignored by Hollywood and forgotten by most everyone other than the experts working on the history of the war.
Clearly not all of these skirmishes can be retrieved from neglect in the pages of one book, but there is certainly room to try to shed light on some of these overlooked battles of the Second World War, which is the purpose of this volume. This contention, viewed in context of the vast research Dr. McAuliffe conducted for this book, offers exciting possibilities for filling in the blanks of WWII history with a renewed focus on facts and events which have received little traditional exploration in the past.
As for the conflicts outlined here, the stories are presented in an analytical manner that not only covers battleground events and military strategy, but the political and cultural ramifications of conflicts that involved differing nations: The Battle of Hengyang was a significant moment on the China Front in the war. Descriptions of it as the "Stalingrad of the East" are somewhat hyperbolic (millions of soldiers fought at Stalingrad), but it was quite an important battle in its own right. Although the Japanese were victorious, it was a Pyrrhic victory in which Japan lost far too many soldiers against a numerically inferior opponent. That news buoyed Chinese morale in a way that was much needed after the loss of Changsha just days before the conflict at Hengyang began.
Ideally, Forgotten Battles of World War II will not just join other histories that command a static spot on a library bookshelf, but will be highly recommended for students and book clubs interested in fodder for lively debates about these events and their underlying contributions to a deeper understanding of cross-cultural and national clashes.
The Business Shelf
Stories Sell
Matthew Dicks
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608689040, $19.95
https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Sell-Storyworthy-Strategies-Business/dp/1608689042
Stories Sell: Storyworthy Strategies to Grow Your Business and Brand teaches the basics of embedding corporate pursuits with personal draws that appeal to human brains wired for stories over data. It raises the notion that becoming a good storyteller can lend to success not just in business pursuits, but in writing, marketing, teaching, and virtually every arena of life.
Examples from his business pursuits show how such stories can be fine-tuned to achieve marketing objectives, provoking conversations, connections, and consumer interest.
Business libraries and educators will find his approach unique, reinforcing a special blend of artistic and business interests that join forces to promote success.
The Judicial Studies Shelf
Winning Your Jury
Robert G. Klein, Esq.
https://kleinlg.com/robert-g-klein
Miracle Mile Publishing
9798218370459, $24.95 Paperback/$9.99 eBook
https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Your-Jury-Litigate-Advocates/dp/B0CTY6ZHYN
Winning Your Jury: How to Litigate Like the Nation's Top Trial Advocates should not only be in legal libraries, but in general-interest collections for patrons who would better understand jury selection and litigation processes. Both audiences here receive a 'how to' explanation of not just legal process, but the influencers on decisions and outcomes. This will prove invaluable to anyone involved in legal struggles; especially the finer art of predicting jury behavior.
Robert G. Klein, Esq. has extensive background in the legal profession, but his perspective isn't geared to professionals alone. Chapters probe all kinds of courtroom topics, from what makes for a good, successful trial lawyer to developing a case and a 'discovery plan,' understanding the psychology of jurors and what influences their decisions, and the processes of both getting organized for a trial and conducting examinations and cross-examinations.
Surveying the roots of why a lawyer should (or should not) take a case to concluding arguments, Klein provides all the basics to enlighten both aspiring lawyers and laymen who would better understand legal process. From the inherent controversy in punitive damage awards to the surprising legal applications and strategies of Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War to the legal cases, Klein goes far beyond a simple charting of process, considering underlying influences, psychology, options, and opportunities that uniquely reside in the courtroom.
Winning Your Jury should not only be a mainstay of legal student reading, but ideally will be assigned for college-level classroom discussion because of its roots in real-world experience. These pair powerfully with its discussions of legal tactics and the rigors of writing a brief, conducting interviews, and more. Winning Your Jury's attention to detail and examples from trials and research are invaluable, easy to absorb, and shed much light on why some cases are winners and others become losing bets.
The Music Shelf
Intimate Conversations
Larry Ruttman
Torchflame Books
www.torchflamebooks.com
9781611534771, $50 Hardcover; $30 Paperback; $12.99 ebook
https://www.amazon.com/Intimate-Conversations-Face-Matchless-Musicians/dp/1611535050
Intimate Conversations: Face to Face With Matchless Musicians holds many surprises. For one: readers who choose this book expecting the usual author expertise in the music industry will find that Larry Ruttman's background lies not in music or even the liberal arts, but in law and writing biographical cultural histories of his hometown in Massachusetts; particularly the Jewish experience and history of Brookline.
To move from these milieus to the music world might at first seem a dichotomy, but the advantage of an interviewer not immersed in the music scene lies in the very outsider status that Ruttman held until writing this book, lending him the ability to both research and ask questions sans a seasoned insider's perspective in musical culture or politics. From musician mentors and musical wellsprings of inspiration to how they think about, interpret, make, and compose music from the likes of Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin and Bernstein, Ruttman approaches the fine art of classic music study and rendition with an attention to surveying not only the history of classic music, but, more importantly, its potential for ongoing relevance in modern times and its power in any person's life.
In-depth conversations with these classical musicians thus prove far more contemporary and revealing than a reader might anticipate from the usually-staid classical enthusiast.
In Larry Ruttman's book, the issue of the future of classical music is discussed. As revered a figure as John Harbison takes a dim view of that future in his chapter.
In the story in the book on famed English classical conductor of The Sixteen (the group he founded) Harry Christophers (who, for the last several years, has doubled, to great acclaim, as the conductor of Boston's historic Handel and Haydn Society, founded in 1815), Ruttman queried the plain-spoken maestro about the reason why pop music is so popular:
"A question often asked is whether classical music will go on? It is hard to draw young people in, but pop music draws these fantastic crowds. Why does pop music draw young people the way it does?"
"Pop is what young people want to do. It's not cool to go to classical music. It is not cool to sing in a choir at school, or to play sport, it is not cool to play in an orchestra. I think there is room for all types of music. Actually we've got ourselves to blame for the state of the industry, if you wanted to call it that, for not cultivating younger people. It comes all the way back to education, right to young kids at the primary level. When we've got the young kids at school, let them sing pop songs, but let's also be introducing them to a simple aria by Handel done well. It is how we educate young people that makes it possible for them to come to concerts, how we make them realize they don't have to dress up in a suit and tie. Let them come wearing whatever they want. I think Bostonians have accepted me for what I am, wearing training shoes and jeans most of the time. We do need to be breaking down those barriers, and it goes right back to education."
Ruttman also addresses the question in the section of his book entitled "Beyond Genre," which includes chapters on pop star Jazzer Ran Blake, Americana composer and performer Monica Rizzio, and wide-ranging singing, dancing, and violin-playing performer and educator Eden MacAdam-Somer.
Through these examples, it should be apparent that the meat of Ruttman's discourses lies in a close inspection of the role and future of classical music in a changing society. These topics will not only involve anyone interested in music: they will spark important discourses between musicians and their audiences about the culture, adaptations, and information necessary to keep classical music on the radars of future generations.
The interviewees come from a broad spectrum of life and musical connections, from the founder and artistic director of Music for Food and world class violinist Kim Kashkashian to American composer Matthew Aucoin, who is interested in adding contemporary twists to the classical music tradition.
Driven by convictions about connections to others, these seemingly disparate but interconnected classical music supporters offer conversations rich in insight and modernity. This is why libraries seeking close inspections of classical music's contemporary meaning will want to make Intimate Conversations a foundation acquisition for any serious music library. It's a top choice for general-interest collections interested in why music remains so important and necessary to life, highly recommended for book clubs interested in interviews that will prompt discussion, debate, and reflection about the nature and evolution of classical music today.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Greatest Hits
Harlan Ellison, author
J. Michael Straczynski, editor
Union Square & Company
www.unionsquareandco.com
9781454953371, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Herald-Classics-Harlan-Ellison/dp/1454953373
Look in many an online or local library for science fiction by Harlan Ellison and you may be surprised to note that too many of his classic collections have fallen under the library axe of weeding out old texts in favor of bright new covers and authors.
This is why Greatest Hits deserves top billing for any collection considering itself definitive in its science fiction coverage. Packaged in a bright, contemporary, appealingly colorful cover, enhanced by a forward by Neil Gaiman, and edited by J. Michael Straczynski, such classic short stories as '"Repent, Harlequin,' Said the Ticktok Man," "Jeffty is Five," and "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" represents Ellison's most beloved, top hits.
This is an anthology that is quite simply an outstanding gathering worthy of acquisition, re-reading, and enjoyment by a vast audience of newcomers to Ellison's magic as well as prior fans who want a fine sourcebook of his top wonders.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
These two new arrivals are top picks for libraries seeking definitive, engrossing stories from seasoned, already-acclaimed sci-fi writers.
https://www.amazon.com/Down-Deep-Dust-Knights/dp/1982193506
Catherine Asaro's The Down Deep (9781982193508, $28.00) is a Dust Knights novel that rests firmly on issues of class and struggles between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots.' Colonel Lavinda Majda has recruited Bhaaj and her Dust Knights to be her guides and bodyguards on a goodwill mission to resolve disparities in a kingdom, but the Undercity's challenges portend more struggle than resolution as the Dust Knights probe a mysterious world known as the Down Deep. Excellent characterization and involving subplots keep the story vividly engrossing.
https://www.amazon.com/Ribbon-Dance-26-Liaden-Universe%C2%AE/dp/1982193441
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Ribbon Dance (9781982193447, $28.00) is a New Liaden Universe story that will especially be appreciated by prior fans of the series. Here, chaos is kept at bay by the Grid. Trader Padi yos'Galen is a new arrival to the clan divisions and clashes that are part of this world, and has yet to fully utilize or understand her innate psychic abilities. Her learning process forces her beyond her interest in trading and into a deadly political confrontation that ultimately addresses her own disparities and mystery.
Both of these two new titles are fine recommendations for readers seeking a blend of strong characterization, fast-paced story, and vivid scenarios.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
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e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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