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The Bookwatch

Volume 7, Number 12 December 2012 Home | BW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Environmental Studies Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Computer Shelf Interior Design Shelf Art Shelf
Fashion Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Technology Shelf Law/Justice Shelf Business Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Education Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Audiobook Shelf DVD Shelf Military Shelf
Gardening Shelf Photography Shelf Health/Medical Shelf
Psychology Shelf Science Shelf Mathematics Shelf
World History Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fiction Shelf
Travel Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Biography Shelf Literary Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf
Music Shelf Calendar Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Arms Full of Love
Delilah
Harlequin
225 Duncan Mill Road
Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373892617, $13.95, www.eharlequin.com

ARMS FULL OF LOVE: INSPIRING TRUE STORIES THAT CELEBRATE THE GIFT OF FAMILY provides a fine collection of heartfelt listener stories combined with Delilah's own experiences, and comes form a radio show host where her listeners share their most personal experiences of love, hardship and family. From her experiences with her family growing up and today as a single mother of twelve, this uses family experiences to show how family is an intrinsic part of the human experience, and will prove a pick for any library looking for heart-warming accounts of family love.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Quest
Daniel Yergin
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
NY, NY 10014
9780143121947, $20.00, www.penguin.com

The New York Times best-selling THE QUEST: ENERGY, SECURITY, AND THE REMAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD achieved status as one of the 100 'notable books' in 2011: now it's been revised and updated to reflect the latest information and shows how energy issues drive global political and economic change. Here are inside stories and issues revolving around coal, electricity and natural gas, explaining how climate change became an issue and reviewing the decisions and options that hold importance for the future. The result is a powerful key to understanding not just energy usage and predictions, but how these forces operate in our world.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Giving With Confidence
Colburn Wilbur and Fred Setterberg
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
9781597142045, $22.50, www.heydaybooks.com

GIVING WITH CONFIDENCE: A GUIDE TO SAVVY PHILANTHROPY provides a thoughtful and fine guide to how to give money away and reflects decades of experience in the philanthropy world. Individuals and businesses alike will learn how to donate more effectively, whether it be to a charity or a foundation, and will learn how to access if programs are producing desired results and how donators can see the most from their contributions. A 'must' for any general lending collection, this provides the nuts and bolts of giving more effectively.

The Newest Story of O
Daniel K. Berman
CreateSpace
100 Enterprise Way, Suite A200
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
www.neweststory.com www.createspace.com
9781477609330, $19.95, www.amazon.com

The Newest Story of O: How to Legally Pay 0% Interest on the Money You Owe & Eliminate Your Debt in a Fraction of the Time -- Secrets to Making the Credit System Work in Your Favor offers a powerful series of connections between debt management and personal credit, and offers a solid survey that considers - and dispels - many common myths about debt and credit while explaining credit history, credit scores, and how this impacts a consumer's ability to take advantage of financial benefits. Can you be refused emergency medical treatment because of your credit score? Why does only 1% interest on a 30-year fixed home loan result in a huge amount of total interest paid over the life of a loan? Chapters explain credit profiles, tricks and tips, and pairs personal experience with research to offer the first consumer handbook to draw connections between credit improvement and debt minimization in a recommendation for any general collection appealing to consumers.

The Dark Knight Manual
Brandon T. Snider
Insight Editions
PO Box 3088, San Rafael, CA 94912
9781608871049, $40.00, www.insighteditions.com

The Dark Knight Manual offers a narrowed and in-depth focus on the Batman created by Christopher Nolen, includes removable documents which may not lend to library circulation but are perfect for Batman collectors, and provides an in-depth coverage of Batman's tools and technology. From the high-tech functions of his cowl to the contents of his utility belt, this provides key sketches, diagrams, notes and more, and is a top gift recommendation for avid Batman and Bruce Wayne fans who just can't get enough.


The Computer Shelf

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
www.oreilly.com

Tony Parisi's WebGL UP And RUNNING: BUILDING 3D GRAPHICS FOR THE WEB (9781449323578, $36.99) offers a quick introduction to WebGL, the new 3D standard for rendering on the Web. Web developers will learn a fine set of development and production concepts based on using the JavaScript 3D engine Three.js. From the basics of 3D concepts and how they appear on the web to using the open source library and understanding graphics rendering, animation and more, this is a key acquisition for any serious web developer. Chris Vander Mey's SHIPPING GREATNESS: PRACTICAL LESSONS ON BUILDING AND LAUNCHING OUTSTANDING SOFTWARE, LEARNED ON THE JOB AT GOOGLE AND AMAZON (9781449336578, $19.99) is a key to understanding the shipping process used by the best teams at Google and Amazon, showing how to program, create product, manage its engineering, and ship the right product quickly. It comes from lessons the author learned as a manager at Amazon and Google and covers everything form building metrics to spot problems to communicating clearly: business and software collections will find it a top pick! Jennifer Murphy's DEVELOPING WITH GOOGLE+ (9781449312268, $18.99) follows the progress of a fictional company, Baking Disasters, as it incorporates all the features of the Google+ platform, and is an outstanding survey packed with concrete examples and hands-on projects. Learn to take advantage of Google+ social plug-ins and more as you learn the basics of such functions as changing a blog into a social web application and creating custom plug-ins. Any beginning to work with Google+ and its features will find this the perfect starting point. Kord Davis works with Doug Patterson on ETHICS OF BIG DATA (9781449311797, $19.99), a fine survey telling organizational data managers how to review data-handling practices and create consistent positions on an organization's use of big data. From developing plans to close gaps between values and practices to identifying privacy and identity concerns, this provides methods and techniques to help a business engage in productive ethical inquiry and is a top recommendation for any data manager or database administrator. Kate Eyler-Werve and Virginia Carlson's CIVIC APPS COMPETITION HANDBOOK (9781449322649, $9.99) provides a fine guide to organizing a 'civil apps' competition and is based largely on the authors' own experiences planning and managing Apps for Metro Chicago. From setting and meeting goals and evaluating them to being selective with public datasets and determining participation strengths, this is a fine pick for any planning or organizing such an event! Jan Goyvaerts and Steven Levithan's REGULAR EXPRESSIONS COOKBOOK, 2ND EDITION (9781449319434, $49.99) packs in over 140 proven recipes teaching all the basic skills to solve a range of real-world problems. This revised edition covers regular expressions used by C#, Java, Perl, PHP and more, showing how to use code listings to implement regular expressions, discussing how these differ between languages, and teaching how to parse source code and process log files. The result is a solid pick recommended for any comprehensive computer shelf. Also recommended is Dave Taylor's LEARNING UNIX FOR OS X MOUNTAIN LION (9781449332310, $19.99), a fine survey for Mac OS and Unix users which teaches Max users how to tap into the strengths of the Unix system. From making changes to a Mac's filesystem and directories to using Unix's commands to locate files and run multiple Unix programs at the same time, this is a fine choice for any Mac programmer's library. Dani Nordin's DRUPAL FOR DESIGNERS (9781449325046, $39.99) is a pick for any web development holding and represents a compilation of three shorter guides: PLANNING DRUPAL PROJECTS, DESIGN AND PROTOTYPING FOR DRUPAL, and DRUPAL DEVELOPMENT TRICKS FOR DESIGNERS. From managing Drupal's markup and code generated by the Views module to learning the basics of GIT and setting up a Drupal development atmosphere to work with other designers, this is for any already familiar with HTML and CSS who want a key to absorbing Drupal into the mix. Jennifer Neiderst Robbins' LEARNING WEB DESIGN: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT, AND WEB GRAPHICS (9781449319274, $49.99) provides a 4th updated edition for any who would learn how to build web pages without benefit of prior experience. All the basics of how the Web works and how web pages operate within this environment teaches the latest best practices, web-building techniques, and reinforces such learning using exercises, quizzes and real-world applications. From building HTML pages with text, links and images to making pages display well on mobile devices, this is packed with important step-by-step approaches to success. THINK PYTHON by Allen B. Downey (9781449330729, $39.99) is for any who want to start learning to program, and recommends Python as the perfect place for a beginner. Chapters offer step-by-step coverage of basic programming concepts, offer progressive foundations of knowledge that include exercises and tests that assure knowledge is sound before moving to the next level, and cover everything from working with files and databases to debugging. It's the perfect starting point for beginning programmers. Addy Osmani's LEARNING JAVASCRIPT DESIGN PATTERNS (9781449331818, $34.99) teaches how to apply both classical and modern design patterns to the language of JavaScript, and tells how to keep JavaScript code manageable and up to date using the latest best practices. From learning the structure of design patterns to using different options for writing modular code, this is a top recommendation for any who would improve their JavaScript coding. DEVELOPING WEB APPLICATIONS WITH HASKELL AND YESOD by Michael Snoyman (9781449316976, $34.99) deserves ongoing recommendation as a fine basic reference for any computer collection appealing to web programmers. It uses several real-world, specific examples to show how Haskell and Yesod functions, showing how to create a production-quality web application that includes a blog, a wiki, and many more advanced functions. A 'must' for any web programming collection.

Joomla! (Templates)
Angie Radtke
Addison Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.mcp.com
9780321827319, $39.99, www.informit.com/aw

Joomla! (Templates) is a top pick for any web development collection strong in Joomla guides, and covers all aspects of Joomla websites and their customization with template design. It comes from a Joomla expert who presents keys to everything from usability and CSS to HTML5, offering guidelines to changing a Joomla site's look and using JavaScript to enhance templates and sites. The result is guide for any professional web designer and developer and for nonpros with some background in site development, packed with code and keys to successful website applications.

CompTIA A+ Certification, eighth edition
Mike Meyers
McGraw-Hill
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10121-2298
9780071795128, $60.00, www.mhprofessional.com

The eighth updated edition of CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide has been completely revised for exams 220-801 and 220-802, and is a complete coverage that can be used as either a study guide for the exam or as a reference for the job. It's written by the leading expert on CompTIA A+ training and packs in chapters of learning objectives, facts, exam tips, practice questions, and detailed explanations. From installing and configuring hard drives to troubleshooting common PC issues and installing wired and wireless networks, this is packed with keys to success, and a 'must' for any contemplating studying for the exam.

Artificial Intelligence in the 21st Century
Stephen Lucci and Danny Kopec
Mercury Learning
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9781936420230, $99.95, www.merclearning.com

Artificial Intelligence in the 21st Century is a fine college-level advanced text for computer collections strong in AI science and technology, and provides a technical yet accessible survey of the foundations of AI theory and applications. Color images, human interest boxes, and numerous examples accompany discussions of machine learning, video game applications, genetic algorithms, natural language processing and much more. From production and expert systems to neural nets, this covers both basics and advanced topics key to any understanding of modern AI.


The Interior Design Shelf

Junk Genius
Juliette Goggin and Stacy Sirk
Cico Books
c/o Ryland Peters & Small
20-21 Jockey's Fields, London WC1R 4BW, UK
9781908170835, $29.95, www.cicoboks.com

'Repurposing' turns junk into gems, and often results in artistic and unique home decor items that make for fine gifts. JUNK GENIUS: STYLISH WAYS TO REPURPOSE EVERYDAY OBJECTS, WITH OVER 80 PROJECTS AND IDEAS provides a fine key to locating and using these objects in the home, and is a pick for interior designers and craftsmen alike. From wooden drawer pulls to easy lace glass tealights and a patchwork mirror, it's packed with color photos and home enhancement projects that turn 'junk' into 'art'. A 'must' for any home decor library and crafts collection!

Country
Jasper Conran
Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781840916089, $19.99, www.octopusbooksusa.com

COUNTRY goes beyond most books focused on lifestyles or home design and provides a fine survey of country life, from houses and people to traditions and the author's own experiences. From seasonal changes to interior and exterior details, Country documents life lived in the modern English countryside and pairs photos with Jasper Conran's poetic words to capture the feel and sentiments of English country style and living. A fine guide for any seeking a celebration of the country way of life!


The Art Shelf

BIS Publishers
Het Sieraad, Postjesweg 1
1057 DT Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.bispublishers.nl

THE STONE TWINS AND GERT DUNBAR'S LOGO R.I.P. (9789063692902, $19.95) offers up a compact study of classic business logo designs, and celebrates logos from a range of endeavors. Many are considered icons or international design classics, while others are short-lived: all disappeared and are no longer used to signify a brand or idea. LOGO R.I.P. documents the rise and fall of business branding, cultural identification, and more. Some fifty color photos and obituaries are written and photographed by the Stone twins in a revised, updated classic highly recommended for arts and business holdings alike. Moniek Paus' GRADUATION GUIDE FOR DESIGN STUDENTS (9789063692865, $19.00) is a top recommendation for any arts collection appealing to design students and is specifically tailored for their most stressful years in college: their final semester. Design advice, ways to make graduation less stressful and more successful, and practical advice presented as double-spread posters with text makes this a most accessible, practical survey filled with important and specific insights key to the graduate design student's final year.

Thames and Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Patrick Mauries's JEWELRY BY CHANEL (9780500516287, $95.00) provides a compendium of jewelry designs by a woman who spent her life creating lovely works of art, and is based on archival research and interviews with Chanel's colleagues and others involved in her life and career. Classic jewelry images blend with new photos to make for an inspirational account of her signature style and her many contributions to jewelry-making and style. Any jewelry history holding will find this to be a definitive survey, packed with color and stunning images. Mathieu Lommen edits THE BOOK OF BOOKS: 500 YEARS OF GRAPHIC INNOVATION (9780500515914, $65.00) and provides a fine visual history of books representing changes to some five hundred years of Western book design. Any with an interest in book design evolution will find this begins in 1471 with an edition printed by Nicholas Jenson in Venice, and ends in 2010 with a design by Irma Boom. From reference books to art books, picture books and collector's paperbacks, the wide range of coverage sets this apart from any other consideration and makes it a pick for graphic design, arts and collector's libraries alike. Olivier Dupon's THE NEW JEWELERS (9780500516294, $45.00) profiles the works of new and established jewelry designers alike, covering a variety of their work and showcasing all kinds of jewelry with color photos displaying both finished products and artists at work. All kinds of jewelry are represented in this survey, which includes global designs and designers and offers a wide-ranging history suitable for any arts holding strong in jewelry-making and global trends. Frances Borzello's THE NAKED NUDE (9780500238929, $45.00) packs in over 130 illustrations - 116 in color - to provide a fine survey contrasting different types of nude art. Kenneth Clark's classic THE NUDE: A STUDY IN IDEAL FORM is contrasted with today's raw depictions which provide more provocative poses and different perspectives of nudity. Borzello here explores the changing role of the nude in 20th and 21st century art, examining the works of a number of international artists and providing a fine lacing of critical text and color illustrations throughout. Any arts library will find this a winner.

A Mine of Beauty
Linda S. Ferbe, et.al.
Hudson Hills
3556 Main Street, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953829, $40.00, www.hudsonhills.com

A Mine Of Beauty: Landscapes By William Trost Richards offers a catalog of his watercolors, recently gifted to Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, and appears concurrently to accompany a traveling show of the same name. Watercolors and oils represent Richards' view of nature and its many scenes, offering accompanying critical insights and ideas on the pre-Raphaelite painter and providing a fine survey of history of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Philadelphia landscape painting and Richards' influences and place in it. Any arts collection strong in landscape artistry will find this a powerful gathering.

Artists' Textiles 1940-1976
Geoff Rayner, et.al.
ACC Editions
6 West 18th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10011
Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Woodbridge
Suffolk, United Kingdom, IP12 4SD
www.accdistribution.com
9781851496297, $49.95, www.americancollectorsclub.com

Artists' Textiles 1940-1976 surveys the history and evolution of the textile as an art form, which actually is a newer collaboration of effort between artists and textile developers, and is a key acquisition for any arts collection strong in textile history. Some two hundred color images accompany a historical and artistic survey of textiles as an art form in Britain and America, following individual artists and the movement as a whole and providing color examples of textile development throughout. It's a fine recommendation for any textile history library.


The Fashion Shelf

Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue
New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com

New editions of the Design Museum's 'Fifty Fashion Looks That Changed the World' arts series offers any arts collection strong in fashion a lovely era-by-era showcase of fashion looks that reflected each decade. Paula Reed's THE FIFTIES (9781840916034, $20.00) gathers fashions and models from Marilyn Monroe to Christian Dior and charts the rise of teen styles and other trends, THE SIXTIES (9781840916014, $20.00) surveys sixties looks from peasants to moon girls and features Audrey Hepburn, Julie Christie and other movie greats whose looks influenced the fashion world, and Paula Reed's THE SEVENTIES (9781840916058, $20.00) charts the rise of punk, bell bottoms and more, along with the movies and actresses who displayed the evolving styles. The result packs in photos and fine fashion images, and is a top pick for any arts collection strong in fashion design.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

For the Love of Dogs
Animal Rescue League of Iowa Inc.
Landauer Publishing
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
9781935726128, $24.95, www.landauercorp.com

For the Love of Dogs: A Hands-On Journey is culled from knowledge the ARL staff has gained caring for and training thousands of dogs of all sizes, and covers everything from puppy development and training a dog to teaching a dog self-control and solving common problems. The ARL trainers use only positive reinforcement techniques to train behaviors: their techniques are packed into over two hundred pages of information and advice, and accompanied by dog-and-puppy training videos and rescue stories any new dog owner will relish.

Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Suzanne Easton's Practical VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING (9780470656488, $59.99) provides a key guide to the various diagnostic imaging modalities used in veterinary practice, moving from basic math principles to discussions of equipment and pairing line diagrams and photos with self-assessment questions in each chapter. Students and veterinary nurses alike receive a handy reference to everything needed to know about diagnostic imaging in veterinary practice, including the basic principles of physics: all accompanied by illustrations key to understanding. Jamie M. Burkitt Creedon and Harold Davis edit ADVANCED MONITORING AND PROCEDURES FOR SMALL ANIMAL EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE (9780813813370, $129.99), which deserves ongoing recommendation and mention as simply an outstanding practical reference providing hands-on information key to vets and technicians working in the field. A Team of vets offer step-by-step protocols for performing advanced emergency and critical care procedures and monitoring, organizing chapters by body system for quick reference and providing general overviews and basics followed by specific troubleshooting, instructions and emergency procedures. Any vet student or staff member needs this reference close at hand! Also recommended for immediate reference is Timothy B. Hackett and Elisa M. Mazzaferro's VETERINARY EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE PROCEDURES (9780470958551, $59.99) appears in its second updated edition to provide a step-by-step guide to key emergency and critical care procedures encountered in general and specialty practice. The second edition includes several new procedures, two new chapters covering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and more, and packs in hints to make the account useful in a veterinary setting. From protocols for common emergency techniques to procedures information, this is supported by video clips online and makes for an outstanding survey. Mary Anna Thrall, et.al.'s VETERINARY HEMATOLOGY AND CLINICAL CHEMISTRY, 2ND EDITION (9780813810270, $99.99) offers a key to understanding veterinary laboratory diagnostic techniques and interpretation and covers hematology and chemistry for a range of species to include fish, amphibians and birds. This second edition includes many revisions and additions, from new chapters on molecular diagnostics of hematologic malignancies to updates in advancements on diagnostic technology and revisions to data interpretation. Both elementary basics and advanced laboratory techniques are covered in a guide that offers over seventy case studies to help readers understanding the entire laboratory process, making for a top recommendation for veterinary reference collections. CANINE AND FELINE DERMATOLOGY DRUG HANDBOOK by Sandra N. Koch, et.al. (9781405198967, $69.99) provides a solid vet's reference summarizing dermatological drugs for dogs and cats, and is a 'must' both for a practicing vet's office and for students at the college level. It provides chapters covering systemic and topical dermatological agents, specific conditions and the latest drugs used to treat the diseases, and lists oral, injectable and topical drugs alphabetically for quick reference. The use of both American and European trade names makes this a winning choice. Douglas M. Macintire, et.al.'s MANUAL OF SMALL ANIMAL EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE (9780813824734, $89.99) provides the second updated edition of a classic vet's desk reference covering common emergencies in small animals. From injuries and wound management to new chapters on revisions to treatment protocols and expanded toxicology information, this reflects the latest science and discoveries and is a 'must' emergency vet's reference, arranged in quick consultation format for fast lookup. Linda Merrill's SMALL ANIMAL INTERNAL MEDICINE FOR VETERINARY TECHNICIANS AND NURSES (9780813821641, $79.99) deserves ongoing recommendation as a basic reference - the first written - for the veterinary technician. Chapters cover everything from diagnostic testing to evaluating clinical signs, and includes reviews of nursing requirements for a wide range of conditions. All are top picks for any vet's practice.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Purses Bags & Totes
Moya's Workshop
American Quilter's Society
PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
9781604600292, $22.95, www.americanquilter.com

Purses Bags & Totes tells how to make fashionable and easy purses, bags and totes for all occasions and even includes backpacks for kids and eco bags for shopping. Full-size patterns on an accompanying CD compliment step-by-step photos and color illustrations of finished products. There are many other needlework options for purses and bags, but the wide-ranging projects included here added to the different styles makes this a top pick for needlework collections and any who want a wider range of production options.

Make Your Own Quilting Designs and Patterns
Woodworth
American Quilter's Society
PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
9781604600353, $21.95, www.americanquilter.com

Make Your Own Quilting Designs and Patterns comes from an award-winning longarm quilter who here describes how to design a quilt, and covers different methods for making and marketing quilting patterns. From marking wholecloth quilts to quilting thread-painted quilts and creating homemade patterns from scratch, this is a solid pick for any avid quilter who wants to move to the next level of quilting.

Contemporary Cube Bead Designs
Virginia Jensen
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871164360, $19.95, www.kalmbach.com

Contemporary Cube Bead Designs: Stitching with Herringbone, Peyote, Ladder Stitch, and More is for stitchers and jewelry makers alike, and tells how to create designs with cube beads using a series of nearly thirty projects that teach basic stitching. Cube beads offer new takes for enthusiasts working with seed beads: chapters offer beaders explicit directions for working with different kinds of stitches and will especially appeal to jewelers and needleworkers looking for different kinds of projects.

Martingale
19021 Avenue NE
Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Jill Finley's HOME SWEET QUILT: FRESH, EASY QUILT PATTERNS FROM JILLILY STUDIO (9781604680867, $24.99) provides twelve new quilt patterns for the whole house and tells how to combine applique with traditional patchwork quilts for maximum benefit. From quilts and pillows to towels and table runners, this packs in projects easy for beginners and experts alike, packing in full-page color photos with step-by-step smaller photos outlining the entire quilt-making process. Any quilter will find this filled with original insights not to be found elsewhere! Ana Paula Rimoli's AMIGURUMI ON THE GO: 30 PATTERNS FOR CROCHETING KIDS' BAGS, BACKPACKS, AND MORE (9781604682137, $21.99) provides a collection of accessories for boys and girls and features some zany designs, from a ladybug crocheted bag to a pig backpack and a little owl purse. Materials, finished sizes, and step-by-step crochet instructions are accompanied by lovely color photos of completed projects, making for a 'must' for any who would crochet appealing kids' accessories. Christine Porter & Darra Williamson's CUDDLE ME QUICK: 11 BABY-QUILT DESIGNS (9781604681512, $24.99) is a fine title for any who would make baby quilts, and comes from quilting experts who present eleven variations. From traditional pieced quilts and tips for projects for boy or girl to quilt patterns that include detailed quilting ideas, this is a fine pick for any planning on a baby gift. Quiltmaker Magazine's EASY QUILTS FOR BEGINNERS AND BEYOND (9781604682373, $24.99) presents fourteen designs for beginners wanting to produce a quick quilting gift, and uses scraps, precuts and yardage in designs that feature batiks, polka dots and more. Photos show different color options for nearly all projects while the quilting instructions are completely illustrated and assume no prior knowledge. SKIP THE BORDERS: EASY PATTERNS FOR MODERN QUILTS by Julie Herman (9781604680812, $24.99) tells how to create modern quilts with simple designs and comes from a popular blogger and the owner of Jaybird Quilts. Fifteen easy patterns feature fine combinations of design and fabric choice and encourage newcomers to enjoy the finer art of quilting. Mimi Dietrich's BALTIMORE BLOCKS FOR BEGINNERS: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE (9781604681727, $19.99) comes from a best-selling quilting author who here teaches the foundations of producing the Baltimore block. It comes packed with illustrations and color photos throughout, offering an outstanding set of clear directions for any new to the Baltimore block quilting motif, and is a solid recommendation for quilting libraries appealing to beginners.


The Technology Shelf

Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com

Jeffrey Nanzer's MICROWAVE AND MILLIMETER-WAVE REMOTE SENSING FOR SECURITY APPLICATIONS (9781608071722, $149.00) provides a fine resource outlining the basic principles of microwave and millimeter-wave remote sending for security applications, and provides engineers and collections catering to them with an array of designs for security and imaging systems alike. This is packed with the formulas and basics practitioners need to understand, including the basics of receiver design and discussions of interactions between electromagnetic waves with human tissues and various materials. It also explores newly developed detection techniques and packs in illustrations and over a thousand supportive equations, making this an engineer's 'must have' reference. Peter S. Hall and Yang Hao's ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION FOR BODY-CENTRIC WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS (9781608073764, $169.00) appears in a fine updated second edition that packs in discussions of "body centric" electronic systems that will change the face of mobile computing. This offers new material on new developments from advances in physical phantom design and production and simulations to methods for simulating moving bodies. The result is an extensive update reflecting new approaches and technologies, and is a winning pick for any engineering collection strong in wireless communications technology and communications.


The Law/Justice Shelf

Legal Research, 16th edition
Attorney Stephen Elias & Editors of Nolo
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413316186, $49.99, www.nolo.com

The 16th updated edition of LEGAL RESEARCH: HOW TO FIND & UNDERSTAND THE LAW tells how to locate key laws and cases either online or in a law library, how to draft legal memoranda, and how to make the most of the Web and a legal library to locate statutes, cases, background information and answers to specific legal issues. Chapters offer keys to organization, 'shepardizing', prioritizing, using indexes, and analyzing the effect of a case on your particular issue: in short, it outlines the basics of an attorney's research and judgment process and will help users save hundreds of dollars in attorney fees just by doing some of the legal legwork that anyone can do. Very highly recommended!


The Business Shelf

LinkedIn for Business
Brian Carter
Que
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780789749680, $24.99, www.quepublishing.com

LINKEDIN FOR BUSINESS: HOW ADVERTISERS, MARKETERS, AND SALESPEOPLE GET LEADS, SALES, AND PROFITS FROM LINKEDIN provides a complete system for profiting from LinkedIn and comes from a successful social media marketer who concentrates on how to use it to promote advertising, business-to-business marketing, and more. Case studies show how innovative businesses are achieving solid results using this method, and teaches specific lessons that can be applied to the LinkedIn system, making this a fine recommendation that pairs business sales success with a LinkedIn marketing program.

Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way
Boston, MA 02163
www.hbr.org/books

Michael J. Silverstein, et.al.'s THE $10 TRILLION PRIZE: CAPTIVATING THE NEWLY AFFLUENT IN CHINA AND INDIA (9781422187050, $30.00) discusses the new consumer atmosphere in these developing countries, offering business readers insights into how to develop new customers in these two rapidly growing countries. There will be nearly a billion middle-class consumers in China and India within the next ten years - and this book provides the first in-depth documentation of their growing middle class and its need for more products and services. Any company looking for global growth will find this a solid pick! William N. Thorndike, Jr.'s THE OUTSIDERS: EIGHT UNCONVENTIONAL CEOS AND THEIR RADICALLY RATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS (9781422162675, $27.00) is a recommendation for business managers and collections catering to them and discusses what makes a successful CEO. Here eight very different CEOs whose firms' average returns outperformed the S&P 500 by a factor of twenty provide their formulas for success, discussing the strategies and approaches that led to these exceptional successes. A fine guide for any business holding.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Refocus
Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310331766, $19.99, www.zondervan.com

REFOCUS: LIVING A LIFE THAT REFLECTS GOD'S HEART comes from the leader of Focus on the Family and encourages Christians to transcend political agendas and partisan battles and connect with each other in a different way. Our culture has become polarized and makes it difficult to spread religious insights: here are true stories and history that provide accounts of church breakthroughs based on Daly's own life and ministry, pointing out the basics of his Refocus approach to building better spiritual and social connections. Any Christian library will find it filled with insights and applications.

The Best Advice I Ever Got on Marriage
Jim Daly
Worthy Publishing
134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, TN 37027
9781936034499, $16.99, www.worthypublishing.com

The Best Advice I Ever Got on Marriage packs in spiritual and psychological insights from Greg Smalley, Gary Thomas, Lee Strobel, Joni Eareckson Tada and many others, outlining marital conflicts and how passages from the Bible helped smooth the road. This solid link between perception, action and spiritual advice offers tried-and-tested insights from respected couples - nearly twenty modern Christian authors, speakers and entertainers - and relates their failures and triumphs and how belief turned to wisdom. Any who cultivate a spiritual perspective on daily life will find this packed with insights, perfect for any general spirituality holding.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The God Problem
Howard Bloom
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616145514, $28.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

THE GOD PROBLEM: HOW A GODLESS COSMOS CREATES offers a fine survey of how an inanimate universe contributes to spiritual meaning, and how it can create new forms of life without a Creator. Chapters consider how the cosmos creates, offering a range of historical and scientific clues to consider the nature of an inventive, driven and ambitious cosmos. Science and spirituality holdings alike will find this an intriguing survey that considers the mysticism of the universe and how a world operates if it has no God, no religion, and no spiritual insights.


The Cookbook Shelf

D.I.Y. Cookbook
America's Test Kitchen
9781836493081, $26.95, www.cookscountry.com

D.I.Y. COOKBOOK offers a new cookbook from America's Test Kichen that provides a step-by-step coverage of over 100 favorite D.I.Y. kitchen projects from start to finish. From corn chips and ketchup to making cheese and smoking bacon, this focuses on core ingredients that can be produced at home with better results. Each recipe has been tested by the Test Kitchen and refined for maximum results, making this a top pick for any cook's collection.

The Big Book of Cookies
Betty Crocker
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118177426, $19.99, www.wiley.com

The Big Book of Cookies is a comprehensive collection of the best cookies in the Betty Crocker collection and packs in nearly two hundred easy appealing recipes that can be made from scratch or from a Betty Crocker mix. Fueled by the traditional and trustworthy Betty Crocker brand, these pack in a range of flavors and variations and offer everything from cookies for kids to alternatives for holiday treats, adding over 100 color photos of finished products plus step-by-step photos for baking and decorating. The result is a fine guide highly recommended for any cookie cookbook collection!

True Food
Andrew Weil, MD and Sam Fox, with Michael Stebner
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316129611, $29.99, www.littlebrown.com

TRUE FOOD: SEASONAL, SUSTAINABLE, SIMPLE, PURE packs in over a hundred recipes from True Food Kitchen in Phoenix: dishes from a diner noted for its delicious and healthy fare. True Food now has six locations across the country, and these dishes cover everything from breakfast to pasta, meats, desserts and more. From Curried Cauliflower Soup to a noodle-seafood blend from Spain, Seafood Fideo, this pairs full-page color photos with recipes that promote healthy eating and pack a punch. At-home cooks and collections catering to them will find this an outstanding pick!

Latin Evolution
Jose Garces with April White
Lake Isle Press
2095 Broadway Suite 301, New York, NY 10023
9781891105371, $38.00, www.lakeislepress.com

LATIN EVOLUTION is chef Jose Garces' debut collection of recipes which blends recipes from around the world inspired from the Basque region of Spain, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and the beach restaurants of Ecuador. Delicious dishes such as Calamari Linguini with Sweet Onion Cream and Diver Scallops and Roasted Chicken Breast With Poblano Cornbread, Charred Pineapple, and Red Chile Sauce are loaded with gourmet flavor, unusual combinations and Latin influences, and represent some of the best of Chef Garces' repertoire.

The Great Meat Cookbook
Bruce Aidells with Anne-Marie Ramo
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10003
9780547241418, $40.00, www.hmhpub.com

The Great Meat Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Cook Today's Meat is the item of choice to buy if it's only one meat cookbook you want in your collection. The author published The Complete Meat Cookbook decades ago - since then, meat cookery has changed dramatically. Between the focus on affordable meats and the emergence of 'pasture-raised', 'heirloom' and 'organic' meats, this revision offers a definitive new guide for new meat cooks and covers everything from the differences in terminology to how to choose and cook different cuts. Hundreds of color photos illustrate individual cuts of meat, while sidebars of information and user-friendly recipes make it a snap to put a roast on the table or locate underutilized cuts of meats that are affordable picks for a family. Highly recommended for any home cook looking for a guide to today's meats.

Now Eat This! Italian
Rocco DiSpirito
Grand Central Publishing
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, NY, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780446584517, $26.99, www.hbgusa.com

NOW EAT THIS! ITALIAN: FAVORITE DISHES FROM THE REAL MAMAS OF ITALY - ALL UNDER 350 CALORIES is Italian homestyle cooking with a twist: an emphasis on classic Italian recipes re-done to lower calories and fat and emphasize flavor. Pastas, sauces, and desserts are profiled in a classic cookbook packed with full-page close-up color photos of completed dishes and commentary on the cooks who inspired them. From Lemon Pasta with Shrimp to Black Bass Acqua Pazza, this is a top recommendation for any Italian food lover who has long wanted healthier yet authentic variations on the theme.

The Red Hot Chile Cookbook
Dan May
Ryland Peters & Small
20-21 Jockey's Fields
London England WC1R 4BW
9781849752244, $24.95, www.rylandpeters.com

THE RED HOT CHILE COOKBOOK: FABULOUSLY FIERY RECIPES FOR CHILE FANS pairs lovely color photos by Peter Cassidy with recipes celebrating a range of different chilies and varieties, and offers ideas for chili-enhanced dishes ranging from soups and salads to sauces. Each recipe comes with recommendations for specific kinds of chiles to use, and is loaded with color photos of both the pepper and the finished dish. Any who would experiment with chile cookery will find this an appealing, fun guide!

Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

COMFORT ME WITH OFFAL: RUTH BOURDAIN'S GUIDE TO GASTRONOMY (9781449427481, $19.99) provides a fine parody of foodies and the world of gourmet eatery, with subjects widely ranging from everything from the importance of celebrity chef hairstyles and the orgasmic potential of chocolate to preparing for a vegan apocalypse and undertaking 'gastro-yoga' with Rick Bayless. You have to be a culinary fan to get many of the references; so this is reviewed here for its special recommendation for any food-oriented collection. Spicy humor at its best! Judith Fertig's I LOVE CINNAMON ROLLS! (9781449120697, $19.99) features some fifty recipes for all kinds of rolls, from Coffee-Maple Glazed Cinnamon Rolls to No-Knead Pumpkin Pull-Aparts, and is a fine pick for cinnamon roll fans who want an entire cookbook of variations on the theme. It's packed with color photos and a host of different approaches to cinnamon roll cookery, making for an outstanding gathering of appealing desserts that move far beyond the classic roll!


The Education Shelf

Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com

Howard M. Knoff's SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, & STUDENT SELF-MANAGEMENT (978141293968, $41.95) offers a blended approach to Positive Behavioral Supports and Interventions and is based on Project ACHIEVE, a nationally recognized model of school improvement. Educators will find this provides a step-by-step assessment of the processes, practices and applications of the system, offering keys to adopting a school wide discipline program that teaches students about social problem-solving and conflict resolution. Joan Franklin Smutny, et.al.'s DISCOVERING AND DEVELOPING TALENTS IN SPANISH-SPEAKING STUDENTS (9781412996365, $36.95) tells how to identify strengths in Spanish-speaking students, and is a special pick for any education collection strong in bilingual challenges. It comes packed with strategies and materials teachers can use to enhance instruction and assessment alike, includes case histories and examples of successful communication approaches, and provides inspirational stories from adults who overcame language barriers. Packed with keys to success, it's a winning pick for a wide range of educators: both are fine picks for any education library! Howard M. Knoff's SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT, & STUDENT SELF-MANAGEMENT: A PBS IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE (9781412993968, $41.95) provides an integrated approach to Positive Behavioral Supports and interventions, and will help teachers dealing with students who act out or shut down due to emotional or academic issues. It's based on a nationally recognized model of school effectiveness and continuous improvement, and shows how to construct and implement a schoolwide discipline program, teach students interpersonal skills, and help staff and community handle such students: principals in particular will find this a powerful survey which includes classroom charts, implementation steps, worksheets and more. Dean T. Spaulding and Gail Smith's INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES AND THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM: A GUIDE FOR SCHOOL-BUILDING IMPROVEMENT (9781452226385, $31.95) provides a fine school improvement program teaching instructional coaches how to blend theory and practice to show how coaches can help teachers improve their practice. It addresses the common problems of such coaches and leadership teams as they assess classrooms and situations, offering journal entries based on real-world experiences and shows how to reach out to resistant teachers and adapt data into information for the entire team. Any collection strong in coaching training will find this specific and useful. Harvey F. Silver, et.al.'s MATH TOOLS GRADES 3-12, 2ND EDITION (9781452261393, $38.95) appears in its second updated edition to show math teachers how to create more engaged students while keeping to common core and differentiation standards. A set of Common Core-aligned tools and techniques covers everything from lesson design to math-specific learning styles and teaches better ways to work with all students, reaching out to a range of comprehension levels. Reproducibles and learning-style charts offer teachers all the tools needed to teach math more effectively. Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley's THE GLOBAL FOURTH WAY: THE QUEST FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE (9781412987868, $27.95) provides a sequel to The Fourth Way and draws upon new research that challenges educational leaders and teachers to employ proven strategies to enhance student learning and achievement. Success stories from diverse systems around the world are gathered in a new vision for education aimed at blending best practices to school development. Luanna H. Meyer and Ian M. Evans' THE TEACHER'S GUIDE TO RESTORATIVE CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE (9781412998611, $36.95) tells how to build a positive, accountable classroom environment using restorative discipline processes, and provides a step-by-step approach to introducing it to a classroom. From peer support and group problem solving among students to partnering with families and the community, this provides a wide-reaching assessment of techniques proven successful. Education collections will find these to be fine additions! Joseph F. Murphy's Homeschooling in America: Capturing and Assessing the Movement (9781452205236, $34.95) details the birth and rise of the homeschooling movement in this country, from a small fringe movement only a few decades ago to its popular rise and modern growth. It describes not only homeschoolers and their families, but their approaches to education and considers instructional approaches, academic outcome, and social issues raised by modern homeschooling. Any interested in homeschooling's history will find this a fine and comprehensive overview. Lynn Schrum, et.al.'s EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES FOR LEADING 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS (9781412997294, $34.95) deserves ongoing recommendation for its powerful set of inspiring educational tips from award-winning schools, and is a companion to the best-selling book Leading 21st Century Schools. Any education holding seeing popularity with this predecessor will find here even more keys to using evidence-based strategies in leadership efforts, with real-world examples offering concrete applications ideas. Thomas McCann, et.al.'s TEACHING MATTERS MOST: A SCHOOL LEADER'S GUIDE TO IMPROVING CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION (9781452205106, $34.95) offers a clear, three-step process to cover exactly what great teaching looks like and how it can be translated to a classroom environment, and is a recommendation for any teacher who would blend some of these real-world tips into their own classroom management strategies. Chapters will appeal both to principals who can use this to involve faculty in discussions of good teaching approaches and educators who can directly apply these principles to their own styles.

Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307944887, $18.99, www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview

The 2013 edition of Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam pairs two full-length practice tests with detailed explanations of basic AP chemistry concepts, and is a solid study guide for any taking the test. It includes tables, charts and diagrams, it includes new strategies which reflect modifications to the AP scoring approach, and it succeeds in mirroring actual AP test questions and approaches, making this the study guide of choice for any planning to take the chemistry exam.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

American Flyer Pocket Price Guide 1946-2013
Roger Carp, Editor
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780897785457, $15.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Greenberg's Guides: American Flyer Pocket Price Guide 1946-2013 provides a 2013 edition of a valuable resource for S gauge toy train values, newly updated in its 28th edition to feature well over four hundred variations of the American Flyer train and its accessories. 1,500 prices have been revised and the pocket guide features the latest Lionel products in American models and S-Helper Service trains, making this a handy 'must' for any searching for vintage or newer items in garage sales or secondhand shops.

Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
www.krausebooks.com, www.shopnumismaster.com

George S. Cuhaj and William Brandimore's 31st edition of the STANDARD CATALOG OF UNITED STATES PAPER MONEY (9781440230875, $31.99) packs in the latest market prices, over 10,000 small images - some 750 in color - and provides a quick reference for everything from small notes and small size currency to national gold bank notes, interest-bearing notes, and much more. Chapters pair short descriptions with these images and the latest vetted values, and cover values in up to four conditions for all kinds of currency and notes, including those of the Philippines under U.S. administration, encased postage stamps, and military payment certificates. Collectors will consider this a top reference. David C. Harper edits 2013 NORTH AMERICAN COINS & PRICES (9781440230844, $21.99), which appears in its 22nd updated edition to provide the latest updated prices for the world's best-selling U.S., Canadian and Mexican coins. Small black and white illustrations accompany the latest values in a coin collector's bible organized by country, denomination and date of issue. Highly recommended, this new edition features extensive revisions to the Mexico listings and new issues from the Royal Canadian Mint.


The Social Issues Shelf

Aging and the Art of Living
Jan Baars
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421406460, $60.00, www.press.jhu.edu

Aging and the Art of Living compares and contrasts the works of modern thinkers to show how people in the classical period had a better idea of the provisional nature of living, which led to philosophical and religious ideas on living and wisdom that contrast sharply with modern society's ideas on aging. Jan Baars argues that living longer doesn't necessarily mean living better - and that there's been a loss of respect for the aging process that has placed emphasis on health issues over the accumulation of wisdom and new skills. Any college-level collection strong in aging and social insights on the process will find this a thought-provoking discussion.

After Tocqueville
Chilton Williamson Jr.
ISI Books
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19807-1938
1610170229, $27.95, www.isibooks.org

AFTER TOCQUEVILLE: THE PROMISE AND FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY offers a critical view of the future of democracy that belies the positive assessment of democratic institutions and processes around the world, challenging the popular notion that the spread of democracy after the fall of communism was inevitable. Changes in ideologies and aspects of 21st century life are charted in a guide that considers what is democracy, how systems in small-scale societies adapt to a globalized world, and whether Western countries are really more free after two centuries of democratic process. Any political studies collection strong in discussions of the nature and possibilities of democratic systems in the world will find this filled with a satisfying blend of history and insights.

Fatal Invention
Dorothy Roberts
The New Press
38 Green Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10013
9781595588340, $19.95, www.thenewpress.com

Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-Create Race in the Twenty-first Century was named one of the ten best black nonfiction books of 2011 by AFRO.com, and is here presented in paperback to reach new audiences with its hard-hitting analysis of race, science and politics. It comes from a legal scholar and social critic who considers how an archaic concept of belief underlies - and undermines - perceptions of race and equality, and it hones in on and exposes the misguided beliefs involved in the basic biological concept of race itself. A 'must' for any civil rights or social issues holdings.

The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9780143122012, $20.00, www.penguin.com

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined offers a blend of psychology and social insights to explore the nature and history of violence and the influences that pull humans away from violent tendencies. Despite the news, war, crime and overall violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history: this offers an in-depth probe of influences on both violence and perceptions of it in modern society, exploring how the world is actually becoming more enlightened. Human sacrifice, torture and slavery have been largely abolished in today's world: this charts a course of history that holds positive perspectives on the future, and is a pick for general libraries as well as college-level sociology and criminal history collections.

Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue
Boulder, CO 80301
www.westviewpress.com

Jack Donnelly's fourth updated edition of INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS (9780813345017, $37.00) focuses on the domestic politics of human rights and links this to the overall theory of international human rights, offering in-depth examination of human rights violations and completely reorganizing a section covering multilateral, bilateral and transnational action for better understanding. A new focus on international reactions to human rights violations in China adds to an updated volume perfect for college-level collections strong in international politics and social issues. John M. Headley's THE PROBLEM WITH MULTICULTURALISM: THE UNIQUENESS AND UNIVERSALITY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (9781412847629, $39.95) provides college-level sociology and cultural studies collections with a powerful survey representing decades of the author's studies and writings on Western Christendom's changes, and is a solid pick for any studying the history of multiculturalist thought. Chapters develop a foundation of Western civilization history, then apply it to multiculturalism issues and evolution worldwide in a scholarly study recommended for any multicultural studies collection. Robert Traer's DOING ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS, 2ND EDITION (9780813347417, $40.00) offers a fine college-level survey covering applied ethics - as applied to environmental issues. Philosophy blends with issues of environmental justice, religious and secular insights, ecology activists and more to provide a fine guide for students to analyze the latest key issues and developments in environmental conservation. Science and sociology collections alike will find this a winner!


The Audiobook Shelf

Ghost Story
Peter Straub
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781455830176, $29.99, www.brillianceaudio.com

GHOST STORY is performed by Buck Schirner who lends a passionate and professional stage voice to the engrossing story of four aging men in a terror-stricken small town whose youth has returned to literally haunt them. Murder and supernatural retribution are the themes of a powerful account highly recommended for any audio collection strong in supernatural thrillers.

Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachetteaudio.com

Joel Osteen's I DECLARE: 31 PROMISES TO SPEAK OVER YOUR LIFE (9781611132335, $23.98) is narrated by the author and provides a set of powerful blessings in Scripture encouraging listeners to make a declaration a day for a month. From acknowledging God's blessings over life to getting through the day and declaring a legacy of faith, this is packed with easy admonitions and spiritual reflections Christians will find inspirational. Joyce Meyer's CHANGE YOUR WORDS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE: UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF EVERY WORD YOU SPEAK (9781619691940, $26.98) offers a fine survey of the impact of words and provides dozens of scripture verses supporting insights on words that convey thoughts and vehicles in a healthy, healing way. Joyce Meyer is a leading Bible teacher and here pairs her religious insights with a basic communication primer recommended for any who would use religious support to improve overall daily communication and life. J.K. Rowling's THE CASUAL VACANCY (9781619695009, $44.98) receives a vivid reading by Tom Hollander, an experienced stage and screen star with many credits to his name, who brings to life this story of small town controversy when one of its members dies and the empty seat he leaves on the parish council becomes a bone of contention threatening civil war. Entwined relationships and discoveries keep THE CASUAL VACANCY a fast-paced story that comes to life in audio format. Kevin Powers' THE YELLOW BIRDS (9781519690325, $26.98) features the award-winning voice of veteran audiobook narrator Holter Graham, and is written by a veteran of the war in Iraq as it provides a strong story of friendship and loss in Iraq. Here a young private and a teen private cling to life during a bloody battle for an Iraq city, experiences the traumas of fatigue, battle, and constant danger on all sides. Their friendship will help them both survive impossible situations in this riveting story. Christopher Hitchens' MORTALITY (9781619691889, $22.98) documents the evolution of his ordeal battling esophageal cancer, during which he refused religion and here describes the ailment's torments, evolution, and how disease changes our relationship to the world. Veteran narrator Simon Prebble's voice brings this account to life, adding tense drama to an already-powerful story of facing mortality with eyes wide open. Jamie Freveletti's THE JANUS REPRISAL (9781619691865, $29.98) comes from one of Robert Ludlum's scenarios but is written by another, offering a new 'covert-one' novel in which an operative at a conference finds the hotel the object of a deadly terrorist attack. Covert-one is the U.S. president's own clandestine group, used as a last resort for global threats - and the hotel's bloodbath is only the beginning of a gripping series of encounters. Jeff Woodman, a seven-time audio award winner, provides the gripping voice to engrossing thriller, recommended for any audio collection strong in powerful thriller novels. OUR SARAH: MADE IN ALASKA by Chuck Heath Sr. and Chuck Heath Jr. (9781611132199, $29.98) is narrated by the authors and provides a personal portrait of Sarah Palin by her father and brother. A .pdf file of photos accompanies a rich survey of Sarah's life, from her childhood and coming of age to her family history and values. It's an intimate collection of memories and insights perfect for any audio collection strong in politics and biographies. James Patterson and Marshall Karp's NYPD RED (9781611137101, $34.98) receives a fine dual narration by Edoardo Ballerini and Jay Snider, both actors and winning voices, who bring to life this account of a detective who works with a beautiful new partner to hunt a deranged psychopathic killer. It's up to special task force NYPD Red to find the killer - and to stop chaos that is involving all of New York in a dangerous game. Any audio collection strong in thrillers will relish this audio. Nelson DeMille's THE PANTHER (9781619691803, $29.98) is narrated by Scott Brick and provides a fine abridgement of a best-selling thriller centered around an Anti-Terrorist Task Force agent and his FBI agent wife, who become involved in a mission involving a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative known as The Panther who has eluded authorities for a long time. Soon the two realize they have been chosen as bait in the hunt - and find themselves stuck between two deadly forces in a battle against terrorists. Dr. David Jeremiah's GOD LOVES YOU: HE ALWAYS HAS - HE ALWAYS WILL (9781619692244, $29.98) provides a fine survey examining the most basic definition of God found in the Bible - God is love - and showing what it means to have God's love in your life. From believing in the face of adversity to understanding examples of his love, this outlines many different circumstances involving God's affection and is a pick for any spirituality holding. John C. Maxwell's THE 15 INVALUABLE LAWS OF GROWTH (9781607885184, $26.98) offers the third in Maxwell's Laws series and focuses on growth, offering keys to developing yourself for maximum potential realization. It's packed with specific insights and exercises key to self improvement, and in audio the words and their impact are even more compelling. Any collection seeing popularity with his prior books and audios should consider this a 'must have' addition.

Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 8th floor
New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouseaudio.com

Lee Child's new Jack Reacher novel A WANTED MAN (9780307749604, $45.00) is narrated by veteran reader Dick Hill, who has received numerous audio awards, and thus springs to life in audio format. Four people in a car hope to make Chicago by morning, leaving behind them a mysterious death that's quickly hushed up by the FBI. Jack Reacher just wants a ride to Virginia - but soon finds himself on a journey to Hell in this riveting drama, packed with twists and turns. Gretchen Rubin's HAPPIER AT HOME (9780449014387, $40.00) provides a fine narration by Kathe Mazur, who has worked extensively as an actress and has recorded over a hundred audiobooks. Her evocative voice powers a fine autobiography by Gretchen Rubin who felt homesick in her own home, seduced by an unrealized love for home itself, leaving her on a journey to identify what she wants from her home. HAPPIER AT HOME identifies and reviews all the elements that make for a better home environment - and is a pick for any general lending library.


The DVD Shelf

Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
www.anchorbayentertainment.com
www.collagevideo.com.fordummies
www.amazon.com

Three new DVDs are highly recommended picks for any exerciser looking to do cardio routines at home. Joining others in the '10 Minute Solution' series is TIGHTEN & TONE PILATES (013132548692, $16.98), lead by Pilates instructor Lara Hudson who has over 15 years experience in the industry. Classic and proven Pilates routines are spiced with ballet toning techniques and a Pilates band to increase the effectiveness of each exercise. Five 10-minute sessions here can fit into even the busiest lifestyle. '10 Minute Solution' also offers CARDIO HIP HOP (013132548791, $14.98) consisting of five ten-minute complete workouts and featuring dance star and actress Heather Graham, who has appeared on 'Dancing With the Stars' and other shows. Hip hop basics are taught and then dance routines are built around them. DANCE OFF THE INCHES: LATIN CARDIO PARTY (013132578699, $14.98) provides Latin dances led by Emily Naim with choreography by Jennifer Galardi, and provides high intensity workouts based on sexy and fun Latin moves. Three Latin routines, cumbia, reggaeton and samba, are taught in a fine series of dance workouts that teach the basics of learning the moves at both a slow and fast pace. All are fine picks for any at-home exerciser who would follow the DVD instructions.


The Military Shelf

Viper Pilot
Dan Hampton
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street,l New York, NY 10022-5299
www.williammorrow.com
9780062130358, $27.99, www.harpercollins.com

VIPER PILOT: A MEMOIR OF AIR COMBAT shares the story of a decorated F-16 fighter pilot and tells of his experience with the elite Wild Weasels from 1986 to 2006, whose mission was to take out surface-to-air missile sites. His experiences in the Iraq invasion, Kosovo conflict and first Gulf War would lead to riveting experiences that ranged from evading heat-seeking missiles to being wounded in a terrorist attack and escorting a Delta airliner to the ground during 9/11. Gripping, true action makes this an outstanding winning account of not just one war or one experience, but a series of them lending to the making of a decorated fighter pilot: a special recommendation for aviation and military collections alike.

Osprey Publishing
4402 - 23rd Street, Suite 219
Long Island City, NY 11101-5058
www.ospreypublishing.com

Mark Stille's SANTA CRUZ 1942: CARRIER DUEL IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC (9781849086059, $21.95) provides a fine history of the carrier battle of 1942 and tells how the Japanese carrier force was not destroyed at Midway, but was rebuilt in time to join the Guadalcanal campaign. The battle of Santa Cruz involved a standoff between two American carriers and four Japanese carriers, the Americans were defeated, and the Japanese suffered heavy losses that limited their victory and ultimately resulted in Santa Cruz being the last time during the war that the Japanese carrier force was able to confront the U.S. Navy on equal ground. Vintage photos accompany illustrations by Howard Gerrard in a powerful presentation recommended for any World War II collection. David Nicolle's EUROPEAN MEDIEVAL TACTICS (2): NEW INFANTRY, NEW WEAPONS 1260-1500 (9781849087391, $18.95) provides a fine history of military forces and techniques of early warfare and represents the second part of the author's study of tactical changes during a thousand years of European history; so belongs in the holdings of any interested in methods armies use to achieve tactical advantage. It's a powerful survey including illustrations throughout by Adam Hook, and is especially recommended for any collection seeing popularity with his first volume. Peter Davies' REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF (9781780961736, $18.95) tells of the fastest, most successful strike fighter of the Cold War designed to delivery nuclear weapons at low altitudes, and is a fine pick for any military aircraft reference collection. It considers the history of the craft's development, its missions and deployments, and its campaigns during the Vietnam war, and comes packed with black and white and color photos throughout. Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestley's BOLT ACTION: WORLD WAR II WARGAMES RULES (9781780960869, $34.95) provides all the rules needed to bring the battles of World War II to a tabletop game, and is a pick for any who would re-enact army encounters. Force selection is versatile and allows players to build the kind of army that lends to a particular style of play, while everything from determining the size of the game to handling artillery and action is accompanied by color photos. Discussions of team and strategy make-up make this a real winner. Wargamers will also appreciate EMPERORS AND EAGLES (9781849089302, $34.95), which holds a French Revolution setting and provides a companion for FIELD OF GLORY NAPOLEONIC. Readers of this predecessor will find the sequel gives players all the details needed to recreate the French Revolutionary wars and document the rise of Napoleon, making for a powerful, provocative wargaming strategy reference. Martyn Chorlton's ALLISON-ENGINED P-51 MUSTANG (9781780961514, $18.95) offers aircraft fans and military collections a fine, specific focus on the Allison-engined variants that preceded the Merlin engine, and provides full color artwork and illustrations to survey the Allison Mustang's service. From service in the RAF to America, this provides an excellent, detailed guide suitable for any military aircraft fan. Ryan Noppen's AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN BATTLESHIPS 1914-18 (9781849086882, $17.95) covers the design and history of warfare machinery and considers the Austria-Hungarian empire and its navy. In the 1890s it built a formidable fleet: this history tells how, and follows the battleships during the first world war, surveying all five classes in service at the time and providing fine artwork throughout. Rene Chartrand's OLDEST ALLIES: ALCANTARA 1809 (9781849085885, $18.95) provides a detailed survey of the raiding parties that occupied Alcantara in 1809, becoming one of the most successful anti-French operations in history. It provides an illustrated survey of the Loyal Lusitanian Legion's raids and counter-raids which successfully isolated three French corps for months, and documents the culminating battle of Alcantara for any who seek an in-depth naval history. Philip Haythornthwaite's BORODINO 1812: NAPOLEON'S GREAT GAMBLE (9781849086967, $21.95) tells of the most important battle of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, and covers the entire campaign from his initial entry into Russia through his retreat. The battle of Borodino is the focal point and is covered in its entirety, including illustrations throughout and packing in fine detail for any student of the times. Andrew Wiest's THE BOYS OF '67: CHARLIE COMPANY'S WAR IN VIETNAM (9781780962023, $25.95) documents the experiences of the 9th Infantry Division, reactivated as part of the military build up during the Vietnam War, and provides a personal story of the men of Charlie Company and their camaraderie. These men trained and were deployed together: their story isn't just about fighting experiences - though of course these are part of the account - it's about underlying truths about the war in Vietnam, horrors of battle, and personal associations throughout. As such it's a powerful Vietnam testimony that's a 'must' for any military collection! J. Kenneth Eward's US MARINE INFANTRY COMBAT UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT 2000-12 (9781849087995, $18.95) provides a fine history of military forces and equipment of war, focusing on the U.S. Marine Infantry combat uniforms of 200-12 and its changing appearance and advancements in combat camouflage clothing. From body armor developments to new commercial items, this identifies and explains many new uniform developments and provides color photos throughout.


The Gardening Shelf

Rosemary Verey
Barbara Paul Robinson
David R. Godine, Publisher
PO Box 450, Jaffrey, NH 03452
9781567924503, $30.00, www.godine.com

ROSEMARY VEREY: THE LIFE & LESSONS OF A LEGENDARY GARDENER could've been reviewed in our biography section, but is featured here because no avid gardener or collection catering to them should miss this. Verey was self-taught and embraced gardening late in life, and wrote her first book at age 62. She was known for taking inspiration from large public gardens and translating this to smaller-scale home gardens, and her own garden at Barnsley House became a stop for horticulturalists touring Britain. Surprisingly, this is the first biography of Verey to see print, making it a 'must' for any collection appealing to gardeners.

Hydroponic Food Production, seventh edition
Howard M. Resh
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
9781439878675, $59.95, www.crcpress.com

Hydroponic Food Production: A Definitive Guidebook for the Advanced Home Gardener and the Commercial Hydroponic Grower appears in its seventh updated edition to gather the latest science and technology surrounding hydroponics, and is a recommendation for any advanced gardening collection strong in home or commercial hydroponics or agriculture. This edition has been completely revised and expanded in an update that follows many new developments in the field since the publication of the prior 2001 edition. From how to set up a basic hydroponic operation to understanding plant physiology and calculating nutrient formulations, this is a key pick for any concerned with implement soilless gardening.


The Photography Shelf

Sixty Tips for Creative iPhone Photography
Martina Holmberg
Rocky Nook
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
9781937538125, $24.95, www.rockynook.com

Sixty Tips for Creative iPhone Photography provides a powerful survey of some sixty tips that cover everything from shooting and editing photos using iPhone features to third-party apps for creating artistic images, and uses full-page color photos throughout to illustrate each tip. Two guest galleries showcase iPhone photos from two professional photographers while the keys to using third-party apps and shooting photos and videos go beyond the 'how to produce snapshots' realm to cover artistic approaches to the medium. Any photographer serious about making the most of the iPhone environment must have this!

Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual
Barbara Brundage
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9781449316136, $44.99, www.oreilly.com

Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual covers both Windows and Mac versions and provides a fine guide to Photoshop Elements 11, outlining the basics needed to import, organize and make quick fixes. From sharing photos and making art from text to customizing Elements and retouching images, this is packed with step-by-step keys to working with Elements, and is a basic reference that should be given to any new user of Photoshop Elements 11. The color photo examples of polished, finished results are outstanding.


The Health/Medical Shelf

Patient Care Case Law
George D. Pozgar
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
9781449604585, $77.95, www.jblearning.com

Patient Care Case Law: Ethics, Regulation, and Compliance supplies students and practicing healthcare professionals with case studies covering the legal and ethical issues of their field, considering key components of patient and professional rights and responsibilities under the law and providing a wide range of case studies organized around the patient's encounters with the health system from admittance to discharge. From diagnosis and treatment to follow-up care, this accompanies examples with quotes from laws, offers discussion questions for each case, and makes for a particularly strong addition to any healthcare or legal medical library.


The Psychology Shelf

New Harbinger
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com

Jennifer Taitz, PsyD's END EMOTIONAL EATING: USING DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY SKILLS TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT EMOTIONS AND DEVELOP A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP TO FOOD (9781608821211, $17.95) offers skills based on using behavior therapy to reduce emotional eating patterns. New research indicates that this therapy can have wide-ranging benefits to improve anyone's ability to handle out-of-control emotions: readers learn how to recognize and acknowledge their food cravings without following through on them, and receive a fine key to understanding emotional eating's connection to psychological disorders, such as numbing feelings with food. It's a fine pick for any trying to handle emotional eating patterns. Henry Emmons, MD, et.al.'s THE CHEMISTRY OF JOY WORKBOOK (9781608822256, $21.95) provides a fine self-help guide to rediscovering joy and rebalancing one's body, showing how to manage emotional crises and how to tap into inner wisdom and self-acceptance. Any who feel their natural resilience has been sapped will find this workbook offers exercises to rebuilding positive energy chemistry, making it a fine pick for mental health and general-interest holdings alike.

Borderline Personality Disorder and the Conversational Model: A Clinician's Manual
Russell Meares
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393707830, $29.95, www.wwnorton.com

Borderline Personality Disorder and the Conversational Model: A Clinician's Manual offers one of the most important clinical assessments to the treatment of borderline pathology that has appeared in quite some time, providing a companion manual to Meares's A DISSOCIATION MODEL OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER and providing physicians with a therapy that has proven successful in treating patients, the Conversational Model. It blends data from the fields of neurophysicology, child development, trauma studies, linguistics and more and provides clinicians a clear path to helping patients recover a sense of self. A 'must' for any psychology collection, this will prove a basic reference on the subject for years to come.


The Science Shelf

The Secrets of Triangles
Alfred S. Posamentier and Ingmar Lehmann
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616145873, $26.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

The Secrets of Triangles: A Mathematical Journey comes form two veteran math educators who here explore relationships between triangles, approaches to making them, and keys to using triangles to solve problems. The lines and points associated with the triangle contain relationships that led to understanding of other basic math concepts, and this exploration of the triangle's geometrical properties provides lay readers an entertaining survey that uses the triangle to explain various geometry and math concepts. Any science or math holding, especially those catering to lay readers, will find this a winner!

Louder Than Words
Benjamin K. Bergen
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465028290, $27.99, www.basicbooks.com

LOUDER THAN WORDS: THE NEW SCIENCE OF HOW THE MIND MAKES MEANING argues that there are inherent skills in all humans to create meaning - and that understanding how language and the mind make this meaning is key to understanding the world. Bergen offers up a history of the science of meaning, its social interactions and capabilities, and its influence on life. It uses the author's own studies to provide a way to measure meaning - and it provides behavioral and thought experiments that help outline how the mind understands words and meaning. Any collection strong in cognitive science will find this a winner!

The Rocks Don't Lie
David R. Montgomery
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393082395, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com

The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood tells of a geologist who, upon hearing of a great flood in Tibet, began examining the world's flood stories, and used works by historians, theologians and scientists to consider the geological foundations supporting the idea of a global flood. His survey goes beyond religious, social or scientific realms to consider how these stories of disasters become reflected in scientific and social circles, and how their accounts are passed down and changed over the centuries. Illustrations and maps accompanying an intriguing approach linking geology to perspectives on human history, making this a pick for science and religious holdings alike.


The Mathematics Shelf

Mathematical Expeditions: Exploring Word Problems across the Ages
Frank J. Swetz
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421404387, $30.00, www.press.jhu.edu

Mathematical Expeditions: Exploring Word Problems across the Ages comes from a mathematics educator who gathers hundreds of word problems from around the world to provide a fun introduction to the concept of math and its applications. Some five hundred culturally and historically diverse word problems are chosen to teach students from middle school through college levels, but this book should reach far beyond the school library setting to involve general-interest readers interested in puzzles, history, and mathematics, and is thus reviewed here for its recommendation for all kinds of collections.


The World History Shelf

There Was A Country
Chinua Achebe
Penguin Press
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9781594204821, $27.95, www.penguin.com

THERE WAS A COUNTRY combines an autobiography with an account of the Nigerian civil war - also known as the Biafran War of 1967-70 - and tells of a conflict that had a terrible impact on Chinua Achebe's people. Achebe took the Biafran side in the conflict and became a roving cultural ambassador to his country, then spent the next forty years in the U.S., silent about the events that changed his nation and his life. THERE WAS A COUNTRY breaks this silence and charts Nigeria's history along with his own upbringing in the country, and is a key acquisition for any who would understand modern African events.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling
Little, Brown
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316228534, $35.00, www.littlebrown.com

The Casual Vacancy is set in a small community and opens with the death of Barry, in his early forties, which shocks the idyllic English town. What seems like a placid, gentle town on the outside is really a fa‡ade mired in social and political controversy underneath - and with the sudden death of parish councilman Barry a whole new underbelly is exposed which involves war, revolution, and an election packed with puzzling twists and turns. Highly recommended for any who enjoy politically charged novels about local areas.

Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com

Laura Childs's POSTCARDS FROM THE DEAD (97804252758, $25.95) is set in New Orleans which is in the middle of another Mardi Gras celebration when murder strikes at a party. It's up to a scrapbooking sleuth to catch the killer amidst the chaos and strangers that flock the town during the season - but shop owner Carmela has no experience in sleuthing. Nonetheless, someone is leaving strange postcards at her shop, signed by the dead woman - and it's up to Carmela and her friend to find the killer in this inviting, engrossing reference recommended for any solid mystery holding. Margaret Coel's BUFFALO BILL'S DEAD NOW: A WIND RIVER MYSTERY (9780425252710, $25.95) is especially recommended for prior fans of the Wind River mystery series and begins with the theft of regalia worn by an Arapaho chief in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The cartons containing the relics were empty on arrival, leading Indian artifact collector Trevor to maintain they must've been stolen en route. When he's found murdered, however, it's up to Vicki and Father John to find the killer - which involves opening up new wounds in a blood feud between two Arapaho families. An excellent mystery, this is a pick for any general collection.

The Chocolate Moose Motive
JoAnna Carl
Obsidian Mystery
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451238023, $22.95, www.penguin.com

The Chocolate Moose Motive provides chocolate fans with a fine chocolate-laced mystery revolving around a free-spirited employee with a troubled past. Lee Woodyard's newest hire is Sissy, granddaughter of the town's only remaining hippie. Last winter Sissy's husband was found shot to death and Sissy was the suspect even with her ironclad alibi. But now Sissy's greatest critic is found dead - and it's up to Lee to prove her employee innocent in this absorbing thriller, perfect for any mystery holding.

The Hiding Place
David Bell
NAL Trade
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451237965, $15.00, www.penguin.com

THE HIDING PLACE tells of one Justin Manning, a boy who was murdered twenty-five years earlier, and whose killer has just been released from prison in the small southwestern town of Dove Point. Local detective Frank is concerned he may have put the wrong man in prison - and begins re-considering the case, questioning witnesses again and re-opening the case against Justin Manning. The answers he will uncover will change not only Justin's life but will challenge the entire community in this engrossing story of murder and redemption.


The Fiction Shelf

Ghost Town
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner
Gallery Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451613827, $15.00, www.simonandschuster.com

GHOST TOWN provides a fine novel from the authors of Ghost Hunting and introduces the setting of Exeter, the 'most haunted town in America' thanks to a flood that introduced an army of ghosts to the town decades ago. Three ghost trackers attend a conference during Exeter's spookiest week of the year, which sparks a series of mysterious killings that point to the involvement of a spirit. The team must stop the paranormal killings - but the spirit of an old friend may be on the line in this powerful supernatural tale, recommended for any supernatural mystery or fantasy collection.

Resident Evil: Retribution
John Shirley
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9781781163153, $7.99, www.titanbooks.com

Resident Evil: Retribution is a horror film adapted into an official tie-in novel and offers the fifth installment in the successful RESIDENT EVIL film empire. Here Alice is battling against the resident Umbrella Corporation and the undead, expanding on the zombie apocalypse theme and adding more details to round out the horror theme. Fans of the prior RESIDENT EVIL novels will find this a smooth and satisfying continuation of a theme. Highly recommended for any prior collection seeing popularity in John Shirley's gripping action series!

In Sunlight and in Shadow
Mark Helprin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
9780547819235, $28.00, www.hmhpub.com

In Sunlight and in Shadow is set in 1946 and tells of one Harry Copeland, who has returned after fighting the 82nd Airborne from North Africa to find his new position in the family business isn't satisfying. One day he spots a lovely woman on the ferry, and falls in love instantly, to find she feels the same despite her engagement to a much older man. Their romance will involve New York society and beyond and provides a sweeping epic of emotion and color which will be hard to put down - and which is highly recommended for any collection strong in contemporary literary novels.


The Travel Shelf

Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street
Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com

Timothy Hornyak & Rebecca Milner's TOKYO (9781742200408, $21.99) packs in destination-oriented details for any planning on visiting the city, covering over a hundred of its best restaurants, museums and galleries, and adding nearly twenty color maps plus a pull-out map. These are detailed listings filled with sidebars of information, color photos and more, and make for an outstanding city guide that should be a take-along tote for any heading to Tokyo. Josephine Quintero's DUBAI & ABU DHABI (9781742200224, $21.99) packs in reviews of bars, restaurants and more, and pairs cultural and area histories with sidebars of specific local information for at-a-glance surveys perfect for destination visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. From hiring your own car for longer excursions outside the areas to local knowledge, this packs in keys to local trips and is a top reference for any bound for Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Carolyn McCarthy, et.al.'s CHILE & EASTER ISLAND (9781741795837, $25.99) packs in travel details to the islands and makes for a fine coverage packing in the basics of how to get around within and between Chile and Easter Island. Sidebars of information accompany small maps and specifics on where to eat and what to do, making for the perfect take-along travel planner. Dean Starnes, et.al.'s FIJI (9781741796971, $19.99) is for any destination-oriented traveler to the country and packs in nearly forty maps to cover over three hundred islands. Blue sidebars of information offer quick, at-a-glance coverage of everything from cultural rituals to back roads destinations worthy of going off the beaten path, while keys to travel throughout the Fiji islands provide fine insights for any who would journey on their own. Jenny Walker's JORDAN (9781741796711, $24.99) appears in its eighth updated edition to cover major Biblical sites, lesser-known cultural interactions and opportunities, and much more, and is a pick for any planning a trip to the country. The usual maps and candid assessments of places to go and things to see are accompanied by opportunities unique to Jordan, making this a fine item of choice for the independent visitor. Celestine Brash and Jean-Bernard Carillet's TAHITI & FRENCH POLYNESIA (9781741796926, $22.99) packs in maps, keys to dive sites, and discussions of the various islands and their options, and is a fine pick for any planning to travel to the islands. It's filled with both common tourist destinations and offbeat locales, and includes all the maps, comments and keys to making a successful trip from a notoriously expensive region. Any budget-minded, independent traveler needs this.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Daughter of the Sword
Steve Bein
Roc
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451464774, $16.00, www.penguin.com

Daughter of the Sword: A Novel of the Fated Blades provides a fine fantasy telling of one Mariko Oshiro, the only female detective on the Tokyo police force who is assigned not to a high-stakes drug investigation, but a property theft that turns out to be only an attempted theft. What seems like a boring case turns into a quagmire of twists and turns as Mariko finds the intended heist involves an ancient samurai sword rumored to possess magical qualities, and finds herself immersed in learning how to handle the sword and a dangerous curse associated with it. Any fantasy holding which includes a healthy dose of mystery and detective atmosphere will find this a thrilling read.

1635: The Papal Stakes
Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
9781451638394, $25.00, www.baen.com

1635: The Papal Stakes is set in 1635 in spring - where uptimer Frank Stone and his pregnant downtime wife are in the clutches of would-be Pope Cardinal Borgia, with the real Pope on the run. Religious assassins, power politics, murder and more lead to dangerous encounters, special rescue teams, and more in a swashbuckling alternate history/timeslip novel packed with thrills and action. A 'must' for any collection that's seen popularity with the prior 1635 timeslip scenarios, this winning story offers yet another twist on the topic.

The Martian War
Kevin J. Anderson
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
97801781161722, $12.95, www.titanbooks.com

The Martian War provides a new take on H.G. Wells' classic WAR OF THE WORLDS and considers what would happen if that account proved not to be fiction, and if Wells actually witnessed something that spurred him to write his novel as not science fiction, but a warning of coming doom. THE MARTIAN WAR focuses on Wells and his companions who, in the wake of the first Martian assault, have united with scientists - including the Invisible Man - to seek a weapon that will stop the invasion. Their journey will take them literally out of this world in a powerful recommendation for any collection.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
10956 SE Main Street
Milwaukie, OR 97222
www.darkhorse.com

ARCHIE VOLUME SIX (9781595829153, $49.99) is a fine collection and adds to an ongoing archive series, gathering all of the Archie stories from Archie Comics #19-22 and Pep Comics #57-58. Some two hundred pages pack in ongoing adventures of Archie, Betty and Veronica and the rest of the cast, providing gorgeous bright artwork and even including a bonus story featuring a cast of MLJ Magazine's early characters. The result is a powerful, highly recommended graphic novel collection suitable for any Archie fan or graphic novel history collection. The board-book format usually is limited to beginning readers, but it's a durable and striking choice for adult graphic novels readers and Steve Niles and Scott Morse's CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE IRON SPIRIT (9781595829757, $19.99) is thus a top pick for any looking for a riveting story packaged in an unusual, durable binding. Monster hunter Cal McDonald investigates a creepy subterranean military base where mad-science experiments were conducted on US soldiers when a haunted veteran enlists his aid in this engrossing saga, which is impossible to put down and an original 'must' for any graphic novel holding.

Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels
Daniel Cooney
Barrons
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
9781438000985, $24.99, www.barronseduc.com

Complete Guide to Figure Drawing for Comics and Graphic Novels comes from the creator and illustrator of the assassin series, Valentine, and more, and is a pick for any who want to draw for comic books or graphic novels. It teaches the basics of how to pose and photograph models, how to use these photos as a reference for finished drawings, and covers the basics of cartooning composition, characters, and more. From handling backgrounds to working with dialogues and creating consistent, winning art, this is a 'must' for any aspiring cartoonist.

Comics Sketchbooks
Steven Heller
Thames and Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
9780500289945, $44.95, www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Comics Sketchbooks features work from the private notebooks of over eighty of the world's best artists, from Bill Griffith and Matt Madden to R. Crumb and Seth. Brief biographies accompany full-page, full-color sketches and cartoon renditions to capture the private lives and creations of some of the best comic artists of our time, making this a top pick for any comprehensive comics and cartoons collection.

Andrews McMeel
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Stephan Pastis' BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA DRAW A COVER WITH YOUR LEFT HAND (9781449410230, $12.99) provides a fine new Pearls Before Swine collection which pairs black and white and color strips from the popular syndicated series. From Rat's intention on running for political office to Zebra and the crew, this gathers a host of clever panels and is especially recommended for prior fans who may miss some of the syndicated panels. Pastis' PEARLS FREAKS OUT (9781449423025, $16.99) gathers over two years of comic strips and commentary from their creator and offers keys to understanding their hidden meaning. Once again, black and white and color panels are provided in a fine gathering selecting some of the best, most memorable Pearls for any collection catering to either prior fans or fans of Gary Larsen's style.


The Biography Shelf

As Good As She Imagined
Roxanna Green with Jerry B. Jenkins
Worthy Publishing
134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, TN 37027
9781617950124, $24.99, www.worthypublishing.com

As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson Christina-Taylor Green tells of the youngest victim of the killer who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in 2011. Christina-Taylor Green wanted to become a politician and so was at the gathering when violence broke out. This chronicles her life, the aftermath of her death, and one family's grief in an outstanding chronicle recommended for spiritual and general biography holdings alike.

The Whitney I Knew
Bebe Winans with Timothy Willard
Worthy Publishing
134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, TN 37027
9781617950841, $19.99, www.worthypublishing.com

The Whitney I Knew provides a powerful memoir of Whitney Houston from Bebe Winans' memories of his close friend, and is a fine addition to any collection strong in soul music, musician biographies, or Whitney in particular. BeBe Winans and Whitney Houston first met in 1985: this follows their friendship up until the day he delivered the tribute at Houston's funeral. It's a personal collection celebrating her life and charts her triumphs, failures, and her ultimate defeat, and will involve and delight any Houston fan.

True Strength
Kevin Sorbo
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738216027, $16.00, www.dacapopress.com

What if you were chosen to act in a TV series that portrayed you as the strongest man in the world? And what if at the peak of your youth and physical prowess you developed a sudden medical condition that led to three strokes despite their seeming impossibility? This happened to the star of the popular TV series Hercules, when actor Kevin Sorbo's sudden crisis reduced his ability to work from 18 hour days to a few hours at a time, prompting doubles to be used and scenes written around him. His memoir goes public about his health crisis and the long physical and mental battle to recover. It's a powerful pick for any general lending library, offering a riveting blend of an insider's view of Hollywood's reaction to illness and the long road back from the brink of death.

I Am Jennie
Jennie Ketcham
Gallery Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451644760, $24.99, www.simonandschuster.com

I Am Jennie recounts the life and stormy personal world of actress Jennie Ketcham, best known for her role of Penny Flame. What was less known was her struggles with porn, addiction, and love: all of which is documented in her eye-opening and passion-filled autobiography. General-interest collections strong in accounts by media stars will find this a vivid and popular pick, detailing the life of a woman talented at shutting down her emotions off-screen. It's a fine account that any leisure reader will find moving.

The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss, and Life
Marie Tillman
Grand Central Publishing
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10017
9780446571456, $23.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss, and Life by Marie Tillman is an ongoing recommendation for any collection or individual strong in autobiographies of grief, loss and recovery, and tells of the author's loss of her husband in the course of his military service. Before he left he provided her with a letter to be opened in case of his death: later it was the words in this letter which would sustain her and aid in her journey to rebuild her life without him. Filled with insights Marie gained from the entire experience, this is an emotionally packed, positive story of recovery and is a pick for any military or general lending library.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Against Democracy
Simon During
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue
University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823242559, $24.00, www.fordhampress.com

Against Democracy: Literary Experience in the Era of Emancipations provides a fine cultural and literary survey recommended for literature and political science holdings alike, arguing that it's important to come to new terms with the idea that pre-1945 literature was usually hostile to political democracy. Literature of the times was conservative and counter-democratic: Against Democracy blends history, political theory and literary criticism to examine the techniques of refusing democracy in literature, and the history of conservatism as it affected writers of the times, and is a pick for any college-level collection.

Fakes
David Shields and Matthew Vollmer
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393341959, $18.95, www.wwnorton.com

FAKES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF PSEUDO-INTERVIEWS, FAUX-LECTURES, QUASI-LETTERS, "FOUND" TEXTS AND OTHER FRAUDULENT ARTIFACTS comes from a cultural critic and a fiction writer who join forces to explore the effect of modern civilization on literature. In our modern world there's a constant stream of documents, forms, tweets, status updates, traffic tickets and documentation that is resulting in virtual enslavement to information. The short works of fiction in FAKES seek to provide modern readers with insights on how these forms can be subverted - and provide a fine collection of stories here defined as 'fraudulent artifacts', with each form pretending to be a form of writing but actually questions that which is supposed to be 'real'. Some of the most important novelists and essayists contribute to this collection, recommended for any college-level literature holding.


The Political Science Shelf

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues, second edition
Sheldon Anderson, et.al.
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813345888, $55.00, www.westviewpress.com

The second updated edition of An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues is a recommendation to any college-level political issues collection strong in international studies, and explores connections across multiple disciplines, blending history, geography, politics, anthropology, economics and more. Regional chapters cover different areas of the world and provide a fine survey of global issues affecting them, while chapters reflect extensive updates to include important events over the past four years, from the global financial crisis to discussions of global population. The result is a powerful assessment perfect for any classroom discussion.


The Music Shelf

Rolling Stones 50x20
Chris Murray, Editor
Insight Editions
PO Box 3088, San Rafael, CA 94912
9781608871322, $34.99, www.insighteditions.com

Rolling Stones 50x20 provides an oversized, lovely edition to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones band, and gathers the works of some twenty world-class photographers in a chronological celebration of the Stones' career. Over eighty black and white and color photos document the band's evolutionary process, with each photographer's work accompanied by a personal essay that provides background for each image. A lovely recommendation for any Stones fan and for any music collection strong in rock music photography.

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
Willie Nelson
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.williammorrow.com
9780062193643, $22.99, www.harpercollins.com

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road is for any fan of country music and collections catering to them, and presents Nelson's musings about his influences and the things that are important to his music and his life. Photos of friends and family, sidebars of information and notes, and first-person observations from on and off the road make for a fine personal collection of musings that Nelson fans will find both insightful and vivid. This joins other Nelson books in revealing some of the inner perspectives of Willie Nelson and will prove a popular lend for any country music collection.


The Calendar Shelf

That Patchwork Place Quilt Calendar 2013
Martingale
19021 Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011
9781604681901, $16.99, www.martingale-pub.com

Quilters receive a fine wall calendar with That Patchwork Place's QUILT CALENDAR 2013, which includes a pullout instruction booklet with complete directions for each quilt, projects that can be completed using easy machine applique, pinwheels, precut designs and more, and featuring new ideas by noted quilt designers. Pair this with twelve months of gorgeous picks and you have a lovely gift choice for any avid quilter!


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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