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The Bookwatch

Volume 1, Number 3 December 2006 Home | BW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Literary Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Photography Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library DVD Shelf Poetry Shelf
Psychology Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
World History Shelf Business Shelf Travel Shelf
Gaming Shelf Military Shelf Art Shelf
Humor Shelf Education Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Interior Design Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Fiction Shelf
American History Shelf Cookbook Shelf Parenting Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Masks From Around The World
Garth Dahl
Granville Island Publishing
212-1656 Duranleau, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6H 3S4
1894694457, $39.95 www.GranvilleIslandPublishing.com

Masks are an important part of aboriginal customs, ceremonial rituals, and cultural celebrations from time immemorial. They are also cultural icons and impressive works of art. "Masks From Around The World: A Personal Collection" by Garth Dahl represents outstanding examples of the ceremonial mask drawn from such culturally disparate ethnic backgrounds as those from communities and peoples of Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. Offering more than just a simple photo gallery of distinctive and colorful mask, "Masks From Around The World" also provides readers with informed backgrounds to their ceremonial meaning and usage. Of special note is Dahl's interview with noted West Coast carver and mask maker Reg Davidson on how makers of masks expresses their particular culture through their creations. Another valued contribution is the 'End of Mourning' section drawing much needed attention to the continuing and wide-spread injustice to sacred burial grounds by treasure hunters – and even occasionally in the name of archaeological and anthropological research. Enhanced throughout with full color photography, "Masks From Around The World" is a unique and enthusiastically recommended contribution to personal, community library, and academic library Ethnological Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Engaging News Media
Mark Kelly
Cowley Publications
4 Brattle Street, Suite 309, Cambridge, MA 02138
1561012769 $14.95 www.cowley.org

Experienced news anchor, reporter, and documentary writer Mark Kelly presents Engaging News Media: A Practical Guide for People of Faith, a guide to evaluating and verifying truthfulness amid the political opinions, bias, and sometimes outright BS strewn across the many lanes of the modern information superhighway. Though written by a person of faith especially to help other Christians sort through news media, Engaging News Media is emphatically not biased toward the hardcore conservative Christian perspective - nor is it biased toward a hardcore liberal perspective. The strategies presented are ones used by (religious or secular!) journalists themselves, and invaluable to anyone trying to understand the truth, regardless of personal faith. One such technique is learning how to triangulate alternative media - rather than accepting any one alternative media's viewpoint as gospel, consult multiple alternative media known to lean toward different sides of the issue and compare their stories. Another is to pay close attention to the very first thing a news story emphasizes, in order to get a better feel for what, if any, bias the story has. Engaging News Media seriously contemplates the question "What is Truth?" in the literal sense more than the metaphysical sense, and is very strongly recommended for readers of all backgrounds especially in today's era of misinformation.

The Quilting Path
Louise Silk
Skylight Paths
PO Box 237, Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, Woodstock, Vermont 05091
159473206X $16.99 www.skylightpaths.com

Written by Louise Silk, a professional quilter of thirty years' experience, The Quilting Path: A Guide To Spiritual Discovery Through Fabric, Thread and Kabbalah is a unique blend of needlecraft and Kabbalah spirituality. Silk presents the mystical traditions of Kabbalah as a contemplative system open to all regardless of individual religious or spiritual background. Chapters walk the reader through the practical steps of crafting ten products ranging from a utility quilts and string-pieced pillows to applique quilts and signature tablecloths, and more while simultaneously introducing the practitioner to the spiritual aspects of cutting and piecing. Each chapter introduces a human attribute as selected in accordance with Kabbalah tradition, and applies the attribute to the quilting project discussed. A deeply reverent and meaningful guide to the higher dimensions of a widely beloved craft and hobby.

Thinkertoys
Michael Michalko
Ten Speed Press
PO Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707
165 Percy Road, Churchville, NY 14428 (author)
1580087736 $19.95 www.creativethinking.com www.tenspeed.com

Critical-thinking expert Michael Michalko has applied his talents to the service of the U.S. Army, the NATO military, and the CIA; now, he offers the updated second edition of Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, a jam-packed wealth of brain-twisting visual and verbal puzzles and exercises designed to stimulate new ways of solving problems and looking at situations. Exercises designed to stimulate logic and reason, intuition, brainstorming skills and much more are offered in accessible and adaptable terms, for self-study or use in a larger creative thinking workshop. Sure to captivate the reader with its thinking-out-of-the-box puzzles and even more important, advice for reexamining old problems with a fresh perspective, Thinkertoys is enthusiastically recommended for anyone striving to expand their creative mindset.


The Literary Shelf

Baum's Road To Oz
Nancy Tystad Koupal, editor
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
0962262188 $29.95 www.sdshspress.com

Edited by Nancy Tystad Koupal (editor of the award-winning journal "South Dakota History"), Baum's Road to Oz is a literary tour de force of early writings by celebrated children's author L. Frank Baum, best known for his fantastic imaginary land of Oz. Baum's Road to Oz includes a sampling of Baum's baseball poems, newspaper editorials, and animal fairy tales, and especially apprises Baum's controversial opinions on topics ranging from women's suffrage to spiritualism and the occult to tolerance, contentment, and dishonest trade practices. Koupal and other literary disseminators Mark I. West and Michael Patrick Hearn lend their own insights into Baum's early works, in this enthusiastically recommended volume for college libraries and serious-minded students, scholars, and fans of L. Frank Baum's classics.

Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings
Michael A. Green and Stanislav A. Shvabrin, editors
Bucknell University Press
c/o Associated University Press
2010 Eastpark Blvd., Cranbury, NJ 08512
0838756018 $45.00 www.bucknell.edu 1-609-655-4770

Skillfully translated from Russian and edited with notes and an introduction by expert scholars Michael A. Green and Stanislav A. Shvabrin, Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings presents one of Russia's least known, non-conformist authors, Mikhail Kuzmin (1872-1936). Kuzmin's earlier "decadent" aesthetic works praising worldly delights have received some accord, but Mikhail Kuzmin: Selected Writings particularly focuses upon Kuzmin's later works, which reflected his endurance and struggle to survive during the early Soviet years. These works, long censored in the Soviet Union due to their absolute loathing of how the state denied individual liberties, to the extent of drawing an allegory between Nero's Rome and Stalin's Russia. Kuzmin as a literary theoretician was a key figure in the reaction against Symbolism for the new generation, and ultimately influential in Russian art, despite a totalitarian state's severe attempts to subdue and utilize art for its own propaganda. Prose, poetry, and plays including "The Trout Breaks the Ice", "Thrall", and "Alexandrian Songs" fill this strongly recommended addition to classic literature shelves.

The Bible
Harold Bloom
Chelsea House Publishers
132 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001
0791081370 $45.00

Edited by Harold Bloom, and now in an updated edition, The Bible is part of Bloom's Modern Critical Views series. Essays by a wide range of scholarly authors present diverse perspectives on both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, from the first three chapters of Genesis to the role of myth and symbolic resistance in Revelation 13. All of the essays are by contemporary literary critics and experts, and presented in clear language for lay readers and scholars alike. An excellent and balanced discussion forming an ideal springboard for in-depth Biblical studies from religious or secular perspectives alike.

Faust/Romeo Et Juliette
Mary Dibbern
Pendragon Press
52 White Hill Lane, PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
1576471012 $48.00 www.pendragonpress.com

Expert translator Mary Dibbern presents Faust/Romeo Et Juliette: A Performance Guide, an in-depth translation of two of Charles Gounod's great nineteenth-century operas, which were in turn based on the classic parables of "Faust" by Goethe and "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare. Faust/Romeo Et Juliette juxtaposes each line of the original French dialogue with a pronunciation guide for the French indicating which phrases are stressed in performance, and the English translation. Though footnotes noting where the libretto is an exact quote or a paraphrase of its original literary source are present, Faust/Romeo Et Juliette is far more than a simple scholarly or literary reference; it is intended especially for anyone determined to faithfully produce, conduct, or perform Gounod's great operas regardless of their level of fluency in French, and to this end includes literary source footnotes and essays explaining the development of the libretti. The definitive resource for students, teachers, scholars, and performers of Gounod's masterpieces.


The Social Issues Shelf

Burning Books And Leveling Libraries
Rebecca Knuth
Praeger
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275990079 $39.95 www.praeger.com

Rebecca Knuth (Chair of the Library and Information Science Program, University of Hawaii) presents Burning Books And Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Culture Destruction, a scholarly study of nationalist, ethnic, religious, or political extremism taken to such lengths as to result in the wholesale destruction of libraries as an all-out assault upon cultural values the extremists despise. As Knuth shows, destruction of books goes hand in hand with destruction of people. Burning Books And Leveling Libraries especially focuses upon incidents of biblioclasm in the late 20th and earth 21st century. Chapters examine the annihilation of books and libraries as tactic of political or ethnic protest, and move on to explore the execution and aftermath of libricidal, homicidal, and genocidal conflicts in Germany, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, and more. The final chapter harshly scrutinizes the war in Iraq and the looting and vandalism of Iraqi libraries and other cultural edifices during the American occupation. Ultimately, Knuth reveals that using military might alone to advocate and enforce ideals is futile when humanitarian, security, and cultural concerns are ignored. Deftly researched and bitingly exact in its portrayal of extremist psychology and its terrible consequences, Burning Books And Leveling Libraries is highly recommended, as is Knuth's previous study in the field, "Libricide."

Typecasting
Stuart Ewen & Elizabeth Ewen
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
1583227350 $34.95 www.sevenstories.com 1-800-596-7437

Co-written by recognized consumer culture historian Stuart Ewen, Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality is a plain-terms, no-holds-barred look at the long-running practice of science warped to serve prejudice. Though the word "typecasting" refers to a common practice in cinema and mass-media to pick certain types of actors for certain roles, Typecasting covers discrimination in all aspects of human society. From Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, King George's court physician who subdivided humanity into five unequal categories during the Declaration of Independence era, to early twentieth-century birth control advocate Margaret Sanger's view of birth control as a means to curb the procreation of "socially degenerate" populations "unfit" for democracy, to the 2005 president of Harvard University's claim that "issues of intrinsic aptitude" explain the under representation of women in the sciences and mathematics, Typecasting leaves no stone unturned from ancient taxonomies of human difference to modern-day battlegrounds of ideas. Of particular interest is the elucidation of how religion is often dragged into prejudice, with inequality or second-class citizenship depicted as God's will in past centuries and the current century. An absolute "must-have" for sociology shelves, enthusiastically recommended for public and college libraries alike.

Working Mothers and the Welfare State
Kimberly J. Morgan
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
0804754144 $21.95 www.sup.org

Written by Kimberly J. Morgan (Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University), Working Mothers and the Welfare State: Religion and the Politics of Work-Family Policies in Western Europe and the United States is a scholarly examination of two critical questions for Western nations, in an era when women are increasingly a part of the paid workforce. The questions are: Should mothers of young children work outside the home? And if so, who bears responsibility for the care and well-being of their children? Working Mothers and the Welfare State compares and contrasts governmental policies concerning these issues in France, the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden, especially during the latter half of the twentieth century and modern times. From the politics of child care in France to the consolidation of the private market model in America, Working Mothers and the Welfare State astutely dissects each implementation, exposing its strengths and weaknesses as well as its implications for future generations of mothers and children. A thoroughly researched critical examination especially recommended for women's studies shelves.

Pot Politics
Mitch Earleywine, editor
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
Gulotta Communications Inc. (publicity)
341 Lexington Street, Newton, MA 02466
0195188020 $45.00 www.oup.com 1-800-451-7556

Edited by Mitch Earleywine (Associate Professor of Psychology, University at Albany), Pot Politics is an anthology of essays by learned international authors critically reviewing marijuana policy. Addressing the matter from medical, ethical, religious, and social perspectives, Pot Politics essays include "Marijuana and the Media: Science, Propaganda, and Sloppy Reporting in the U.S. News Media", "Judaism and Marijuana", "A Cautious Case for Cannabis Depenalization", "The [Often Unheard] Case Against Marijuana Leniency", and much more. Enthusiastically recommended for anyone studying law or social policy with regard to marijuana, or seeking to educate themselves about the drug, Pot Politics is particularly helpful in that it presents a diverse spectrum of well-researched, well-argued viewpoints.


The Photography Shelf

Harpers Ferry: A Visual Collection
Stephen M. Cobaugh
DMG Donegal Media Group
231 School Lane, Elizabethtown, PA 17022-8111
1427602913 $23.95

National award-winning photographer and Civil War reenactor Stephen M. Cobaugh presents Harpers Ferry: A Visual Collection, a collection of black-and-white and color photographic images, some modern, some vintage, capturing the landscape of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The images reveal Harpers Ferry dramatic 260-year history, from George Washington's establishment of an armory and rifle factory to John Brown's doomed 1859 raid to free slaves to a Civil War battle three years later and the present-day municipal battle to preserve the local natural landscape. The text brings history alive with colorful anecdotes, historic songs, and an insightfully jocular tone. An extraordinary visual glimpse to small town America's past from its frontier roots to the modern day.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Common Scents Strategies
Richard Combs
Creative Outdoors
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
1580113079 $14.95 www.creativehomeowner.com

Award-winning author and seasoned deer hunter Richard Combs presents Common Scents Strategies: Tricks of the Trade for Attracting Deer, a savvy guide for hunters of all skill and experience levels to stalking the white-tailed deer. Chapters address various ways to mask one's own scent from playing the wind to scent reduction to cover scents and attractant scents, the intelligence of deer and how to outsmart them, decoying and calling deer, Zen deer hunting, and much more. Black and white photographs illustrate this tips and tricks compendium sure to have useful advice and insights even for seasoned experts.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Dying and Rising With Christ
Terrance Callan, Ph.D.
Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
080914395X $19.95 www.paulistpress.com

Written by Professor of Biblical Studies Terrance Callan Ph.D., Dying and Rising With Christ: The Theology of Paul the Apostle is an in-depth theological discussion of Paul's understanding of Christian life, and the critical role that dying and rising with Christ as part of the body of Christ plays in human salvation. Researched in meticulous depth and detail, Dying and Rising With Christ picks apart the scriptures of Paul line by line in its quest to uncover the precise nuances of Paul's vision that may surprise contemporary Christian believers. A scholarly, respectful, yet audacious scrutiny and evaluation of holy scripture.

Sacred Space
Jesuit Communication Centre, Ireland
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
159471097X $14.95 www.avemariapress.com

Inspired by the successful interactive website www.sacredspace.ie, created in 1999 by Alan McGuckian, S.J. and Peter Scally, S.J. of the Jesuit Communication Centre in Ireland, Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2007 is a useful tool to aid Christians in daily prayer. For each day of December 2006 through November 2007, Sacred Space presents a scriptural passage followed by points of inspiration to contemplate when considering the passage's relevance in daily life. Weekly themes are also present, and six stages of prayer are outlined for the theme of each week. For example, the passage for Thursday Aug 2 is Psalm 83(84) "My heart and my soul ring out their joy to God, the living God. They are happy whose strength is in you. They walk with ever growing strength." One of the points for that day's contemplation is, "Is my strength in the Lord? Or is it invested in these mortal limbs, this limited mind of mine?" A deeply reverent aid to setting aside a little time each day to think about God.

The Christian Right... or Wrong?
John Cord
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959-0008
1577331427 $16.95 www.bluedolphinpublishing.com 1-800-643-0765

Written by a committed Christian, for committed Christians and those of all faiths who are committed to selfless good works in the name of the divine, The Christian Right... or Wrong? Of Corporate Christianity and its Leading Media Evangelists is a scathing dissection of the self-serving hypocrisy, idolatry, and divisive claims of forty influential, modern-day American Christian leaders, including Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, and Jimmy Swaggart. Winner of the 2005 Ethos Award, The Christian Right... or Wrong? denounces the greed of corporatized church tithing (especially in terrorizing one's flock with accusations of thievery from God if they do not relinquish 10% of their income), the Catholic Church's idolatry of its system of concentrated power that does not hold child-molesting priests accountable for their crimes (though it is a myth that child molestation happens only in Catholic churches - it occurs in Protestant and other churches as well), the harm in exhorting that man is saved through faith alone, neglecting the importance of good works in bringing one's spirit closer to the divine, and much more. Author John Cord does not shy from such thorny topics as homosexuality, abortion, and reincarnation. Cord refutes self-serving scriptural arguments from corrupt religious leaders with an honest and refreshing "common sense" look at scripture that emphasizes the importance of bringing one's soul closer to God through one's noble and charitable deeds. Highly recommended.

Fabric of Faith
Kimberly Winston
Morehouse Publishing
c/o Church Publishing
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
0819221937 $23.95 www.churchpublishing.org 1-800-242-1918

Written by Kimberly Winston, recipient of the 2005 American Academy of Religion Award for Best In-Depth Reporting on Religion, Fabric of Faith: A Guide to the Prayer Quilt Ministry is a how-to guide to the physical and spiritual process of creating a prayer quilt. Chapters discuss a history of the prayer quilt, the basic methodology and finishing techniques for making a prayer quilt, the power of quilting contemplatively or quilting from the heart, spiritual expression through quiltmaking, and much more. Fabric of Faith tends to focus on the devotional side of quilting rather than "how-to" nuts-and-bolts instructions, and is geared more toward mildly experienced to intermediate and expert quiltmakers seeking to express their faith than novice quilters. Sidebars on most pages with insightful quotes from great religious leaders and an inset section of color plates enhance this superb introduction to expressing one's faith through needlecraft. A sample prayer provided for the dedication or rededication of quilts is, "Your promise, O God, Giver of all Life / That wherever we go / You will be with us. May we never forget your comforting care / And may our growing faith be a sign to [recipient's name] / That you will never stop loving us."

Slavery in Early Christianity
Jennifer A. Glancy
Fortress Press
c/o Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
0800637895 $22.00 fortresspress.com

Jennifer A. Glancy (Professor of Religious Studies, LeMoyne College) presents Slavery in Early Christianity, a highly scholarly examination of the prevalence of slaves and slaveholders among early Christians, particularly in the Roman Empire. Chapters scrutinize how the social histories of emerging Christian churches had their rhetoric affected by the influence of slavery, the life experiences of slaves and what it meant to be a slave in the first Christian centuries. Of particular interest is the figure of the slave in the sayings of Jesus Christ, an aspect examined at length in historical and social as well as a religious context. A welcome addition to both university library and private religious studies collections.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial
Peter Goodchild
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
1580813526, $24.95 www.latw.org 1-800-708-8863

"The Great Tennessee Monkey Trail" is a brilliantly written and flawlessly produced play by Peter Goodchild who drew from original sources and the actual trial transcripts. This audiobook production was directed by Gordon Hunt and features the talented contributions of Edward Asner (who plays William Jennings Bryan), Mike Farrell (as Clarence Darrow), Matthew Patrick Davis (the defendant, John Thomas Scopes), Shaon Gless as the narrator, and a superb supporting cast that includes James Gleason, Matthew Underwood, Robert Pescovitz, David Alan Novak, Rob Nage, Jon Matthews, Jerry Hardin, and Harry Groener. This infamous 1925 trial that sought to allow the teaching of Darwinian theories of evolution in the Christian fundamentalist oriented public school systems of a southern state is compelling recreated and is as dramatic a confrontation as those going on today between proponents of 'Intelligent Design' and science with respect to the evolution of species. Strongly recommended for both school and community library collections, "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial" offers the listener a perfect 'theater of the mind' experience on two compact discs with a combined total running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Soldier
Karen DeYoung
Books On Tape, Inc.
400 Hahn, Westminister, MD 21157
1415933421, $144.00 www.booksontape.com 1-800-541-5525

Complete and unabridged on 18 compact discs and with a total running time of 23 hours and 17 minutes, "Soldier: The Life Of Colin Powell by Washington Post journalist Karen DeYoung is superbly narrated by Coleen Marlo. This is a combination memoir and biography of a genuine American hero who was universally respected among his peers and associates during a lifetime of military and political service to his country. "Solider" lays out a life which began as the son of Jamaican immigrants and was to lead into the highest levels of government during four presidential administrations. Perhaps his most important military contribution was the development of what came to be called the "Powell Doctrine" that called for the necessity of going into any military engagement with overwhelming force. Perhaps the most calamitous results of abandoning this doctrine by the Bush administration (and while Powell was serving as the American ambassador to the United Nations) resulting in the catastrophic American engagement in Iraq. Drawing upon interviews with both American and foreign sources, as well as with Colin Powell himself (and being given unprecedented access to Power's personal and professional papers), "Soldier" is an informed and informative presentation of an American icon who was both inspiring and fallible. This is a very highly recommended addition to community library audiobook and American Biography collections.

Faith And Politics
John C. Danforth
Listen & Live Audio
PO Box 817, Roseland, NJ 07068
LL181, $29.95 www.listenandlive.com 1-800-653-9400

Former three-term Republican U.S. senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth offers an insider's perspective on the changes in his party and their alliance with Christian fundamentalists. Alarmed at the excesses and compromises he saw, Senator Danforth has written and narrator "Faith And Politics: How The 'Moral Values' Debate Divides American And How To Move Forward Together", an informed and informative account of how the Republican Party became a co-proponent with the Christian Right in employing wedge issues ranging from abortion, to stem-cell research, to gay marriage, to the Terry Schiavo case, to unconstitutional public displays of religion on federal and state properties, all for the primary purpose of seizing political power by driving the American people apart in a kind of 'divide and conquer' strategy. Now with the latest sea-change in the American political scene on a national level, "Faith And Politics" can continue to contribute to the national dialogue with Senator Danforth's suggestions and recommendations of how to heal the divisive wounds caused by the last sixteen years of political demagoguery from politicians who courted favor with Christian fascists. With a total running time of ten hours spread over eight compact discs, "Faith And Politics" is a welcome and critically important addition to personal, academic, and community library collections.

The Harsh Cry Of The Heron
Lian Hearn
Highbridge Audio Books
33 South Sith Street, CC-2205, Minneapolis, MN 55402
159887067X, $46.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com 1-800-847-5515

After years of battle and sacrifice, Ord Otori Takeo and his wife, Shirakawa Koede, have brought unity, peace and prosperity to the Three Counties. But Takeo's success is haunted by a prophecy that he can die only at the hand of a member of his own family. When the hard won peace is destroyed and everything Takeo and Koede have achieved is under threat, a fight of epic proportions is about to begin. A welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal and community library audiobook collections, "The Harsh Cry Of The Heron" is a fascinating and extended saga of warfare and sacrifice in ancient Japan. Interwoven into a compelling narrative are betrayals, love, acts of revenge, all within the context of a complicated world of Samurai obligation and cultural tradition. This complete and unabridged audiobook production is skillfully narrated by the team of Julia Fletcher and Henri Lubattii. Expertly produced and providing a perfect 'theater of the mind' experience for listeners, "The Harsh Cry Of The Heron" has a total running time of 20 hours on 16 compact discs.

Riders Of The Dawn
Louis L'Amour
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969 , Ashland, OR 97520
0786165960, $36.00 www.BlackstoneAudio.com 1-800-729-2665

"Riders Of The Dawn" is one of the first western novels by the legendary author Louis L'Amour (1908-1988). It is the story of a young gunslinger who falls in love with a beautiful woman and changes his life. A simple theme made grand by the literary talent of a man who could write compellingly and with authority, whose stories became popular as they have passed from generation to generation and never going out of print as new readers encountering him for the first time are motivated to read all they can of what he wrote in an extensive lifetime as a gifted novelist. In this complete and unabridged audiobook production, "Riders Of The Dawn" is distinctively narrated by Jim Gough who brings tension and immediacy to this classic western story. Flawlessly produced and with a total running time of 4 hours, 30 minutes on 4 compact discs (with tracks every 3 minutes for easy bookmarking), "Riders Of The Dawn" is a 'must' for the legions of Louis L'Amour fans and a welcome, popular addition to community library audiobook collections.

Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome
M. Jane McIntosh
Context Audio Guides, LLC
PO Box 414, ringoes, NJ 08551
0976905221, $19.95 www.JanesSmartArt.com

One of Rome's lesser known but truly outstanding cultural and artistic icons are wonderfully showcased and informative presented in "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome", a two CD disk audiobook that has a total running time of 1 hour, 55 minutes (consisting of an 18 minute pre-visit and a 97 minute on-site excursion) and guides the listener through a remarkable church with its modest early Renaissance facade masking an interior adorned with an wealth of Italian art treasures and rare architectural features that includes the first Renaissance dome, the last Baroque tomb, as well as works by such celebrated artists as Algardi, Bernini, Bramante, Bregno, Caravaggio, Pinturicchio, Raphael, and others. This audiobook format is ideal for the 'armchair traveler' and a simply wonderful 'hands free' guide for on-site visitors as the narration covers details far beyond the 'highlights only' superficiality of many ordinary guidebooks. Thoroughly researched and expertly produced, as well as enhanced with the inclusion of an 8-page booklet including the track list, floor plan, a glossary, tips, and twelve photographic images, "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Sta. Maria Del Popolo In Rome" is nicely paced, well organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly'. Also very highly recommended are the companion audiobook guides: "Jane's Smart Art Guide To St. Peter's Basilica In Rome And Its Remarkable Art Treasures" and "Jane's Smart Art Guide To Our Lady Cathedral In Antwerp And its Remarkable Art Treasures".


The Library DVD Shelf

Frederick Douglass
Legacy Audio Books
PO Box 11183, Cincinnati, OH 45211
0977988325, $29.95 www.legacyaudiobooks.com 1-877-843-8489

Superbly narrated by Andrew L. Barnes, "Frederick Douglass: narrative Of An American Slave" tells the story of a journey from enslavement to freedom and a life spent in the 19th century cause of abolishing slavery and the advocacy of civil rights for African-Americans. Douglass was involved in pivotal movements and meetings, associating with leading Americans on the most critically important social issues of his day. This is the story of a remarkable man who, after failing to purchase his freedom from his master, escaped from slavery in September 1838 by dressing as a sailor and traveling by train and steamboat to New York. Eventually he married and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts where he addressed the August 1841 convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and allied himself with the leading anti-slavery abolitionists. This deftly produced CD audiobook showcases a life in service to the betterment of human society and will prove a informative, engaging, and welcome addition to both school and community libraries.

Back In Action
Jon Mello
MyFitnessQuest.com
411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
20324-12 $14.95 www.myfitnessquest.com www.411videoinfo.com

With a total running time of 98 minutes (that includes a 45 minute workout), "Back In Action" is a specifically designed series of exercises to prevent and relieve back pain and back related problems that are the result of physical inactivity or negligence. Experienced exercise expert and certified personal fitness instructor Jon Mellow leads the viewer through more than two dozen abdominal and back related exercises and stretches that are based on the work of professional chiropractor Aaron Hinde. Offers an easy to follow, do-it-yourself series of exercises for preventing and minimizing back pain, "Back In Action" can also assist with sleeping better, improved posture, enhanced muscular flexibility, relieve the tensions and stresses of daily life, raised energy levels, and even extend longevity by slowing down the aging process. Highly recommended for personal and community library exercise video collections, the DVD format allows for the inclusion of three extra exercises, 'Fitness Product Essentials, a music only soundtrack, and comments from Dr. Aron Hinde.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 4
WGBH Boston Video
c/o SSA Public Relations
148 Madison Avenue, 16th floor PH-1, New York, NY 10016
WG41079, $39.95 www.shop.wgbh.org 1-800-949-8670

Newly released and now available for fans and enthusiastically recommended for community library DVD collections, "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 4" is a boxed set of 4 DVDs which continue the adventures of one of Britains most sophisticatedly presented investigators, Inspector Lynley (Nathanial Parker) and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Havers (Sharon Small) who unravel particularly convoluted mysteries based on the stories of acclaimed mystery author Elizabeth George. The four new mysteries comprising this outstandingly produced boxed set include: In Divine Proportion; In the Guise of Death; The Seed of Cunning; and The Word of God. These riveting 'whodunnits" are packed with memorable characters, fascinating plot twists, and surprise endings. The DVD format allows the inclusion of such features as scene selection, closed captions, and even access to the Mystery! Website. The earlier three Inspector Lynley boxed sets in this outstanding series are still available on the WGBH website for anyone needing to complete their collections.


The Poetry Shelf

She Alone
John Menaghan
Salmon Publishing
c/o Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
190339256X $18.95 www.dufoureditions.com 610-458-5005

Prize-winning poet John Menaghan presents She Alone, a sequene of poetry in book form that follows the life of a woman from birth to death and beyond. Changing forms from free verse to heroic couplets and other poetic devices as suits the story, She Alone encapsulates its nameless protagonist's struggle to find her own sense of place and identity in a rapidly evolving world. Alternately passionate, tender, ironic, and erotic, She Alone is a unique experience in epic poetry and enthusiastically recommended.

Shell Island
Ian Parks
Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
1904130194 $17.95 www.dufoureditions.com 610-458-5005

Ian Parks, named one of the National Poetry Society's New Poets in 1996, presents his second poetry collection Shell Island, an anthology that dwells upon Parks' cherished themes of love, loss, and the connections between individuals and society. Personifying the transitive instants in which life-changing decisions are made, the free-verse poems of Shell Island alternately evoke tenderness, distance, or mourning. "The Catch": When my father married, / he gave up fishing for good / and sold his rod and line / to buy the marriage bed. / But his dreams are haunted still / by dam p river-banks and mist / where he stoops to dip a net, / lifting the catch from memory / in a rehearsal of regret. / The reel unwinds inside his head.

Juniper Street
Vona Groarke
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
193063028X $11.95 1-336-758-5448

Juniper Street is poet Vona Groarke's collection of free-verse work stemming from both her Irish heritage and her life experiences in America. Personalizing the link between people and lasting historical and social conditions, Juniper Street evokes a delicate brilliance in its interplay of relationships, expression, and the human search for meaning amid an increasingly modernized world. "The Undercurrent": Anywhere. So long as there's a flicker of the sea, / a far-fetched train, a lighthouse nodding off / between tea-time and that moment when / your father brightly takes you by the hand / to a place that is the opposite of home. / 'Not over the rocks in darkness, Paddy. / You don't mean to tell me that.'

The Joy of a Ming Vase
Ruth Dallas
Otago University Press
c/o ISBS
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 07213-3786
1877372307 $29.95

Written by senior poet and children's author Ruth Dallas, The Joy of a Ming Vase is a compilation of brief, poems expressing the quiet pleasure of contemplation, whether of priceless objects of art, a cactus on the windowsill, or tombstones within a still cemetery. Most poems are free-verse, though a few are haiku; all are compact gems of sparkling wisdom and shining expression. "A Stem of Bamboo": I cut a new shoot / From a young bamboo / And place it in water. / The glass is a copy / Of a Greek oil-vessel, / The bamboo is for poet Po Chui / And for certain meditative / Artists who could reveal / In a few strokes of a brush / The movement of unmoving reeds.


The Psychology Shelf

Psychotherapy as Religion
William M. Epstein
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV, 89557-0076
0874176786 $24.95 1-877-682-6657

Professor William M. Epstein of the School of Social Work, University of Nevada presents Psychotherapy as Religion: The Civil Divine in America, a studious yet sharply critical look at the flaws of America's modern system of psychotherapeutic treatment (drug therapy and psychopharmacology are not covered). Psychotherapy as Religion sharply denounces psychotherapy as failing to provide sufficient scientific credibility that it is helpful for treating depression, anxiety, eating disorders, juvenile violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ills, picking apart the inaccuracies and lack of rigorous professional standards in studies that attempt to show positive benefits from psychotherapeutic practice. Psychotherapy as Religion goes on to demonstrate how psychodynamic psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are all rooted in an American mythology that exalts "heroic individualism", placing responsibility squarely on the individual's shoulders and utterly ignoring contributing factors from society. Thus, perhaps the greatest harm done by the (according to Epstein) religious adherence to psychotherapy to the point of virtual worship is that it forestalls efforts to find social solutions to problems caused by social ills. Though severe to the point of militancy, Psychotherapy as Religion promotes some serious criticisms that need to be heard regarding an institution that has to be held accountable with the same exacting rigor as required for all other branches of science and medicine.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik
Gordon Rennie & Ian Edginton
2000 AD
c/o Titan Books Ltd.
144 Southwark Street, London, England, SE1 0UP
1904265944, $23.99 www.titanpublishinggroup.com 020-7620-0200

The latest volume in a simply outstanding science fiction action/adventure series, "Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik" continues the story of a genetically designed soldier who can survive the horrors and lethal environments of 'New Earth' as Northers and Southers battle for dominance over a ruined planet. His combat buddies are now just 'memory chips' controlling his rifle, helmet and backpack. The collaborative work of writers Gordon Rennie and Ian Edginton, "Rogue Trooper: Realpolitik" is superbly enhanced with the collaborative efforts of artists Staz Johnson, David Roach, Dylan Teague, Skimon Coleby, Mike Collins, Paul J. Holden, and Steve Pugh – and features the striking cover art of Colin MacNeil. The entire and enthusiastically recommended Rogue Trooper series is characterized by imagination, superb storytelling, detailed artwork, and the kind of entertaining engagement that grips and keeps the reader total attention from first page to last.

The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics!
Alessandro Mainardi, author; Werner Maresta, artist; Federico Pietrobon, colorist
Papercutz
c/o Holtzbrinck Publishers (dist.)
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
1597070394 $16.95 www.papercutz.com 1-888-330-8477

The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! is a full-color, graphic novel biography of Karol Wojtyla, a pious youth of Poland who matured to become Pope of the Catholic Church and accept the name of his predecessor John Paul out of veneration. Wojtyla's path was a hard one, enduring the loss of his mother at a young age, followed by the oppression of the Nazi occupation of Poland... then the substantially different yet still severe oppression of the Russian occupation and Communist government that denounced his faith with militant force. It is a testimony to Wojtyla's courage that he persevered in his faith despite the dark times in which openly professing religious beliefs could easily lead to imprisonment or execution at the hands of the authorities. The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! traces his early ambitions to be in the theater, which eventually gave way to his heart's calling as a priest. As pope, he set a new high standard in diplomacy, openness, and outreach; he was the first pope to set foot in a synagogue or a monastery, and traveled the globe - in his own words, he wished to be like Paul the Apostle, always on the move spreading the Good Word. The crisp color art vibrantly illustrates the true story of a remarkable religious leader; The Life of Pope John Paul II... in Comics! is enthusiastically recommended especially for Sunday school shelves and church libraries, as well as for introducing readers of all ages and backgrounds into the dedicated life of a great leader.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss
John M. Burkey
Rutgers University Press
100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8099
0813538815 $27.95 http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu 1-800-446-9323

Written by audiologist and award-winning author John M. Burkey, Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss: A Guide to Prevention and Care is a no-nonsense guide to the prevention and treatment of hearing loss, including solid information about the use of hearing aids. Though written especially for the baby boomer generation, which is beginning to confront hearing loss as the result of advancing age, Baby Boomers and Hearing Loss is enthusiastically recommended for anyone confronting an encroaching hearing problem. Chapters cover common causes of hearing loss, how hearing aids work, satisfaction and dissatisfaction with hearing aids, non-hearing aid solutions, and much more. An invaluable and highly readable "must-have" resource for anyone making difficult choices about hearing loss.

Life and Love
Zosia Zaks
Autism Asperger Publishing Company
PO Box 23173, Shawnee Mission, KS 66283
1931282935 $19.95 www.asperger.net 1-877-277-8254

Zosia Zaks, who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age 31, presents a "peer-to-peer" guide for fellow adults with Asperger's and high-functioning autism drawn from the creative strategies she has devised to cope since her childhood, in Life and Love: Positive Strategies for Autistic Adults. Chapters discuss practical means for handling sensory issues including strategies for navigation, how to facilitate maintaining a clean and orderly home, how to shop for necessities without becoming distracted or vulnerable to impulse purchases, health care and vocational challenges, issues to keep in mind when dating from health and safety concerns to inappropriate versus appropriate behavior, things to keep in mind when trying to make autism spectrum/non-spectrum relationships work, advice for when and how to disclose one's autism spectrum diagnosis, and much more. An utterly invaluable guide for autism-spectrum adults to dealing with the large and small trials of ordinary life one day at a time.

Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul
Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Mary Olsen Kelly
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
0757305210 $14.95 www.hcibooks.com 1-800-441-5569

Co-written by breast cancer survivor Mary Olsen Kelly and bestselling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor's Soul is an inspirational anthology of brief true stories about breast cancer patients and their family members dealing with chemotherapy, surgery, and side effects one day at a time. Each tale is only a couple pages long, but all nurture the healing power of optimism. A handful of black-and-white cartoons intersperse this heartwarming collection.


The World History Shelf

Gauntlet
Barbara Masin
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
1591145155 $29.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Gauntlet is the true story of five dedicated anti-Communist young men whose epic journey and struggle in the 1950's could have altered the course of the Cold War in Europe. Though grounded heavily in historical testimony and evidence, Gauntlet reads like a novel, as it follows the group's fugitive attempt to deliver a message from a Czechoslovak general to U.S. authorities. An inspirational tale of courage, daring, and absolute commitment to ideals of freedom.


The Business Shelf

Exceptional Selling
Jeff Thull
John Wiley and Sons Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Jane Wesman Public Relations (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
0470037288 $24.95 www.wiley.com

Written by Jeff Thull (President and CEO of Prime Resource Group), Exceptional Selling: How the Best Connect and Win in High Stakes Sales is a guide especially for people who work in the high-pressure realm of complex sales. Chapters discuss the general negotiating tools for selling to businesses, corporations and corporate representatives, from entry-level workers to CEOs. Exceptional Selling dispenses with harmful traditional sales mindsets, such as the impression that the salesperson must use any quoted hard figures against the customer, or that the best thing to do with any potential surprises in the transaction is to hide them until the last minute. Exceptional Selling draws upon the author's expertise to build the practical, confident, cooperative and highly persuasive mindset necessary to succeed in the increasingly connected and fast-paced world of twenty-first century sales. Highly recommended for any aspiring or practicing professional in the field.

Branding a Store
Ko Floor
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
0749448326 $45.00 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223

Author Ko Floor applies his nearly forty years of retail experience in Branding a Store, a guide to the core competency of developing and differentiating retail brand identities. Chapters instruct the reader in retail brand positioning, differentiating brand personality, retail brand communications, the four different types of consumer shopping (speedy, low-cost replenishment shopping, solution-driven shopping, self-expression shopping, and sense of discovery shopping), forecasts for the future (such as his prediction that each retail sector will become dominated by two or three megabrands), and much more. Written in straightforward, no-nonsense language, Branding a Store is a "must-read" especially for retail marketers big and small.

Getting To Scale
Jill Bamburg
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576754162 $14.95 www.bkconnection.com

Written by Jill Bamburg (dean of the MBA program at the Bainbridge Graduation Institute), Getting To Scale: Growing Your Business Without Selling Out draws upon interviews with more than thirty growth-oriented entrepreneurs to deliver readers the straight scoop on what to take into account when deciding just how much one's business should expand. Debunking myths such as "you have to sell out to grow", Getting to Scale addresses how to responsibly increase business size while maintaining ownership and control, how to adapt to corporate culture, how to access greater capital and markets, and much more. Written in plain, no-nonsense terms, Getting To Scale is emphatically recommended for anyone scaling up the size of the business - whether simply opening a second storefront, taking the step to incorporate, or going global.

Small Business Accounting Simplified
Daniel Sitarz
Nova Publishing Company
1103 West College Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
1892949172 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Now in a newly updated fourth edition, Small Business Accounting Simplified: Everything Necessary to Skillfully Manage Your Business Finances is an easy-to-use guide to the nuts and bolts of small business finance. Written by attorney-at-law Daniel Sitarz in a plain-terms style immediately accessible to lay readers, Small Business Accounting Simplified covers how to track business assets, expenses, income, and payroll, keep a chart of accounts, prepare a profit and loss statement, set up a practical recordkeeping schedule, and much more. Numerous full-page sample forms, including business tax forms, round out this invaluable and handy guide, highly recommended for small business owners everywhere.


The Travel Shelf

Big Island of Hawai'i
Robert Nilsen
Moon Handbooks
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
1400 - 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville, CA 94608
1566919592 $19.95 www.avalonpub.com 1-800-345-5473

Big Island of Hawai'i Including Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is the Moon Handbooks guide for tourists and travelers, and like all books in the Moon series, is packed cover to cover with absolutely everything one needs to know to make the most of a Hawai'i vacation or business trip. Focusing specifically on Hawai'i's Big Island rather than the rest of the chain, chapters cover Kona, South Kohala, North Kohala, The Saddle Road, Hamakua Coast, Hilo, Puna, and Ka'u and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. From tips for getting around to health and safety advice to extensive directions, maps, black-and-white photographs, recommended hotels, hours for ideal eateries and gift shops, sports and recreation facilities, and much more, Big Island of Hawai'i is a compact, information-laden guide that no traveler to Hawai'i's Big Island should be without.


The Gaming Shelf

How To Play Winning Poker
Avery Cardoza
Cardoza Publishing
857 Broadway 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10003
1580421695, $14.95 www.cardozapub.com 1-800-577-9467

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "How To Play Winning Poker" continues to establish itself as an invaluable instructional guide to successfully playing poker whether it's a kitchen table game or a world class tournament. This newest and thoroughly 'user friendly' edition includes No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Hold'em, and the diverse aspects of tournament play. Players seeking to enhanced and refine their poker skills will be instructed in winning strategies for the main home and casino poker games that also include 7-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Omaha Cash Games; and playing poker online. Features include twenty-one of poker's essential winning concepts, fifteen critically important bluffing strategies in poker, advice on reading opponents, how to calculate and use 'pot odds', the importance of player position, professional money management. There's even a poker glossary. If you only have time to read one 'how to' book on playing poker for fun and profit, then you would be well advised to make it Avery Cardoza's "How To Play Winning Poker".

Discovering Chess Openings
John Emms
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
1857444191 $23.95 www.everymanchess.com 1-800-243-0495

British Grandmaster and opening chess move expert John Emms presents Discovering Chess Openings: Building Opening Skills from Basic Principles, a solid guide written especially for intermediate to advanced chess players seeking to hone their skills and familiarize themselves with the basic principles underscoring the hundreds of different opening options. Chapters cover everything from the simple checkmate-in-four-moves trap to dealing with a blocked center in the board due to pawn play to the advantage of applying gambits to keep one's opponent off-guard and much more. Numerous diagrams and sample games clarify the points and principles in this rock-solid guide sure to enhance the overall strength of the studious reader's game. Highly recommended for chess enthusiasts regardless of their personal stylistic leanings.


The Military Shelf

Charlie Battery
Andrew Lubin
Hellgate Press
c/o PSI Research
PO Box 3727, Central Point, OR 97502-0032
1555716423, $16.95 www.hellgatepress.com 1-800-795-4059

"Charlie Battery: A Marine Artillery Unit In Iraq" by Andrew Lubin (American Military university, Charles Town, West Virginia) is the fascinating and informative account of a Marine Corps artillery unit and their experiences on the front line in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Professor Lubin is the father of one of the Charlie Battery Marines and has a very special perspective in relating the history of the unit's preparation for war, deployment to the front lines, and eventual return home. Drawing upon interviews with the Marines, their commanding officers, and their families, "Charlie Battery" provides a true and accurate account of the early days of the Iraqi War – a war that unlike any other America has waged, allowed the families of the marines to watch the progress of the war and their son's participation in it live on CNN and MSNBC. A critically important contribution to community and academic library Military Studies reference shelves, "Charlie Battery" is a compelling, informative reading – and especially commended to the attention of military buffs and civilians with an interest in the on-going Iraqi conflict.


The Art Shelf

The Book of Angels
Todd Jordan, author
Ruth Thompson, L.A. Williams, and Renae Taylor, illustrators
Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
1402738374 $17.95 1-800-805-5489

Stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color original artwork by popular fantasy artists Ruth Thompson, L.A. Williams, and Renae Taylor, The Book of Angels is a celebration of angelic beings as remembered in mythology, Biblical scripture, and historic visions. Written for lay readers and anyone curious to experience an overview of angelic beings, The Book of Angels covers the nine types of angels, portrays the notable angels of Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Azriel, Uriel, and Lucifer (once called Samael) in depth. Relatively modern lore concerning angels, such as their presence in classical works such as John Milton's "Paradise Lost", Dante Aligheri's "Divine Comedy", and Wolfgang von Goethe's "Faust" is also contemplated with highlights. Yet the true mark of grace for The Book of Angels is unquestionably its artwork, from the two-page spread of Uriel unleashing destruction upon Hell itself to Michael doing battle against Lucifer in the form of a monstrous dragon. Highly recommended for its sheer visual beauty.


The Humor Shelf

Try Rebooting Yourself
Scott Adams
Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
0740761900 $10.95 www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Featuring eight bonus stickers to liven up anyone's cubicle, Try Rebooting Yourself is cartoonist Scott Adams' latest compilation of Dilbert cartoons, which savagely mock and jeer corporate ineffectualness, human obnoxiousness, and the literally cutthroat (or shove-off-a-roof) competition of office politics. A special point of interest is a short series of strips in which Adams dares to break the fourth wall and draw himself into a few cartoons! As wickedly funny as always, Try Rebooting Yourself is the perfect dose of humor anywhere and anytime, but especially recommended as an inexpensive gift of gut-busting laughter for Secretary's Day, Boss' Day, or co-worker birthdays. "You know what two things are very similar? Unpaid overtime and death. They both deny me the pleasures of being alive."


The Education Shelf

Learning Later, Living Greater
Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M.Ed. & Jon F. Merz
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810477 $16.95 www.sentientpublications.com

Lifelong learning expert Nancy Merz Nordstrom and critically acclaimed writer Jon F. Merz present Learning Later, Living Greater: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years, a guide to reaping the benefits of lifelong learning. From why learning is important to stimulate activity in the aging brain, to pros, cons and distinctions of classroom learning as compared to learning through educational travel or through volunteer work, to where to find the most innovative lifelong learning programs, Learning Later, Living Greater effectively demystifies the fun and life-enriching promise of improving one's knowledge. Highly recommended.

Study Abroad Paris
John Chrisman & Audrey Queyreyre
Angevin LLC
PO Box 1785, Midland, MI 48641-1785
Independent Publishers Group, dist.
0977432394 $19.95 www.abroadparis.com

Written by French native Audrey Queyreyre and university Peer Advisor John Chrisman, both of whom have extensive personal experience studying abroad, Study Abroad Paris an in-depth, everything-you-need-to-know guide to getting the most out of studying abroad in France's most famous city. From financial and insurance issues, to which Parisian news and media sources are available in English, to shopping tips, safety advice (including which public transportation lines and city areas are more prone to crime than others), housing recommendations and much more. An absolute "must-have" for anyone seriously contemplating or undertaking the life-transforming experience of studying abroad in Paris, and a valuable resource for Paris tourists of any season.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide
Richard W. Thorington Jr. & Katie Ferrell
The John Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
0801884039 $24.95 www.press.jhu.edu

Written by Richard W. Thorington Jr., curator of mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and his former research assistant Katie Ferrell, Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide is an information-packed primer all about various species of squirrels, from the common grey squirrel to black-tailed prairie dogs to flying squirrels. Presented in a question-and-answer format, Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide covers topics ranging from "Can squirrels see color?" to "Why do squirrels commit infanticide?", "Do squirrels make good pets?" and "What do squirrels have to do with the Cinderella story?" (Cinderella's famous slipper was originally a comfortable squirrel slipper; it became an impractical glass slipper due to a mistranslation!) Black-and-white photographs and a handful of color plates illustrate this fascinating book sure to entertain readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Through Animals' Eyes, Again
Lynn Marie Cuny
The University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
1574412167 $22.95 www.unt.edu/untpress

Written by the founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, which now rescues more than 7,000 animals annually and releases native animals back to the wild when restored to full health, Through Animals' Eyes, Again: Stories of Wildlife Rescue is a compilation of true tales sure to dispel the myth that animals are devoid of reason, emotion, or compassion. From an orphaned baby Rhesus monkey who finds a new mother in an old monkey rescued from a lab, to an illegally shot red-tailed hawk that gradually regained the ability to soar, to the quixotic friendship between an elderly rabbit and a young porcupine, Through Animals' Eyes, Again brings the reader on a journey of discovery, insight, and wonder. Also highly recommended is Cuny's previous book, "Through Animals' Eyes: True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary".


The Interior Design Shelf

Green Design
Buzz Poole, editor
Mark Batty Publisher
202 West 40th Street, 5th Floor, New York ,NY 10018-1504
0976224585 $34.95 www.markbattypublisher.com

Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Buzz Poole, Green Design by is an amazing and enthusiastically recommended showcase of eco-friendly products ranging from vinyl records recycled into bowls ideal for dry good storage, to stylish bags crafted from discarded boat sails, to traditional chabah sandals handmade by locals at a fair wage, and so much more. Full-color photography displays the innovative, inventive, practical, and beautiful creations, while the text describes recycling or creation processes tailored to avoid waste, pollutants, or the use of unfair or inhumane practices. A marvelous treasury of ideas, suggestions, and recommendations for the consumer searching for products not created through harmful or overly consumptive practices. Indeed, Green Design is virtually an artbook given the distinctive visual flair of the ordinary, useful household items it showcases.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West
Raymond E. White
Popular Press
c/o University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, third floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
0299210049 $29.95 www.wisc.edu/wisonsinpress

Professor Raymond E. White, author of numerous published articles concerning Roy Rogers and cowboys in film, presents King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West, an in-depth biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, two of twentieth-century America's most celebrated personifications of the American West mythos in popular culture and entertainment. King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West naturally focuses on both actors' careers in film, recordings, television, and even comic books, but also covers their meticulous maintenance of their public image and how their Christian faith was incorporated into their performances. Vintage black-and-white photographs intersperse this solid and highly readable reference for fans and media scholars alike.


The Fiction Shelf

Mamie and the Root Woman
Elizabeth Bowles
Outskirts Press
10940 S. Parker Rd. - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
1598004816 $14.95 www.outskirtspress.com 1-888-OP-BOOKS

Written by veteran teacher Elizabeth Bowles, Mamie and the Root Woman is a novel based on the true story of a young girl who was almost murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. In 1879, years after the Civil War, the Klan murders fifteen-year-old Mamie's mother and severs Mamie's legs. Yet with the help of the mysterious voodoo practitioner Root Woman and a repentant former Klansman, Mamie gradually heals, makes her way to Charleston, and discovers a surprising new life. Mamie and the Root Woman is a profound story of connections, recovery from inhuman treatment, and finding the inner strength to withstand life's seemingly unbearable challenges. Highly recommended.


The American History Shelf

Past Tents
Susan Snyder, editor
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
1597140392, $17.95 www.heydaybooks.com 1-510-549-3564

"Past Tents: The Way We Camped" by Susan Snyder (director of Access Services in The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley) is a photographic and descriptive history of family outings during the first years of the automobile, and of campgrounds and campfires against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, of the special gear and 'helpful' hints for vacationing in the newly formed state and national parks and forests. "Past Tents" is a work of nostalgia, memory, and a yesteryear that saw the beginnings of ordinary people being able to sample and experience the extraordinary outdoors. An informed and entertaining history of early camping in the American West, "Past Tents" is superbly enhanced with historic photos and makes a welcome and much appreciated addition to academic and community library Popular Culture and American History collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Off The Shelf Baking
Better Homes & Gardens
Meredith Books
1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50336-0001
0696232685, $14.95 www.meredithbooks.com 1-800-678-8091

Spiral bound so as to be laid flat on a kitchen counter or table, "Off The Shelf Backing" is another outstanding cookbook from Better Homes & Gardens and features more than 200 recipes; special chapters on kids' baking, potluck dishes, and holiday favorites; icons identifying fast and easy recipes; 'make ahead' tips for baking, freezing and reheating; and lists of the latest bakeware for perfect results in the kitchen. With a section of full-color photographs of finished dishes, the recipes range from Green Onion parker House Biscuits; Neapolitan Pound Cake; Banana-Nut Sandwich Cookies; and Chocolate-Kissed Date Puffs; to Peach Melba Crisp; Double-Berry Vanilla Cream Pie; Home Run Garlic Rolls; and Bean Enchilada Casserole. "Off The Shelf Baking" is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' and an enthusiastically recommended addition to family and community library cookbook collections!


The Parenting Shelf

Parenting Outside The Box
Diane Hawkins Summers
Summerville Spirit
c/o Seven Locks Press
3100 West Warner Avenue, Suite 8 Santa Ana, CA 92704
0977486605 $19.98 www.severnlockspublishing.com

Written by child development specialist Diane Hawkins Summers, Parenting Outside The Box: Honoring the Spirit in Your Child is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for parents to bolster the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses in their chosen parenting styles. Chapters cover the different expectations of a child's life stages, how to recognize and nurture the different inclinations towards types of learning in children - roughly 15% of children are auditory learners, 40% visual learners, and 45% kinesthetic learners - to avoiding negative spirals of behavior when trying to enforce discipline and much more. An eye-opening and thought-provoking approach to the mental and emotional challenges of raising well-adjusted, well-rounded children prepared to follow their own dreams in today's complex world.


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


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