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The Bookwatch
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Reviewer's Choice
The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball
Christian Sheppard
Greenleaf Book Group Press
www.gbgpress.com
9798886453041, $27.95
https://www.amazon.com/ANCIENT-WISDOM-BASEBALL-Lessons-ODYSSEY/dp/B0DHHK19S6
The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball: Lessons for Life from Homer's ODYSSEY to the World Series is formatted as a series of life "innings" which discuss ancient Greek virtues such as courage, prudence, and temperance. But what especially distinguishes this book are the anecdotes and descriptions of famous baseball players and how they embody these virtues. Ball players such as Carlton Fisk, Andre Dawson, and Ichiro Suzuki are just a few of the players held up as examples.
The philosophical question underlying all this subject matter is "How Do I Live?" This approach forms the foundation of a personal journey that often equates the essence and nuances of succeeding in baseball with important life insights. Though this book will obviously attract baseball fans, it holds the dual ability to reach out to non-sports audiences, from self-help and philosophy students to introspective thinkers forging their own values in life. Indeed, young adults will be an important audience for Sheppard's discussion as the topics unfold. The nuggets of wisdom open with the author's historical review of his home ballpark, Wrigley Field.
This immediately represents the curious juxtaposition of spiritual and sports history that sets the tone for this appealing, thought-provoking work: The veneration of generations that has sanctified Wrigley Field as a place that is, well, sacred. But it emanates an odd sort of holiness. Best memories and imaginings, the famous field of dreams is also filled with boos and booze. If the ballpark is in some way a sacred place, it is always also unapologetically profane. I may be the only one to wonder aloud how what is, after all, only a game works for me better than any religion, but I do not feel alone.
Discussions move from Plato and baseball history to life encounters so smoothly that readers will find the celebratory revelations not just accessible, but thoroughly engrossing because of their vivid presentation: Amor fati, as the ancient philosopher said, love your fate! Love your home team. Love life! I had a feeling like deja vu, not an uncanny feeling, but a feeling of things coming together, of things that were once far apart now being linked. Sheppard fosters a sense of discovery from the outset, leading to a vibrant exploration of a wide range of existential themes.
It should be noted that The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball is not a singular personal discussion. Sheppard provides an extensive chapter-by-chapter bibliography that points the way to further inspirational reading, including Plutarch, articles about Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson, as well as Homer's Iliad.
Libraries that choose The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball are in for a multifaceted treat that can be highly recommended, serve as a smorgasbord of topics for book club discussions, and is a powerful collection of observations and timeless lessons that will attract a large audience.
The AI Studies Shelf
humAIn
Don Roosan, Pharm.D; PhD
Armin Lear Press, Inc.
https://arminlear.com
9781963271515, $24.95
https://www.amazon.com/humAIn-Don-Roosan/dp/1963271513
"humAIn: Unlock Your Potential Using Artificial Intelligence" goes beyond books about AI that discuss potential threats, focusing on solutions and strategies to employing AI in all kinds of human-supportive efforts. Don Roosan offers a breath of fresh air that those facing AI technology and its changes will want to embrace (or, at least think about). The discussions are geared to AI novices who have heard about the coming technology, but hold fuzzy knowledge about its actual incarnation and applications in everyday life.
An introduction points out that many companies are involved in misinformation practices that spin AI as a product rather than a user-controlled enhancement. Roosan refutes this style of business promotion, showing how AI may be controlled by users -- not just sold to them as a done deal.
Discussion groups will want to wrap their debates around the introductory contention Roosan supports: ...here's the reality: AI is just a tool. It's not an omnipotent force poised to take over the world. You can control, adapt, and utilize it to improve your life. In fact, most people are already using AI -- perhaps unknowingly. Further knowledge about its benefits and possibilities will add more options for taking advantage of its applications.
This contention is the crux of Roosan's discussions. humAIn is more than a technological celebration. It provides thought-provoking discussions about the pros and cons of various approaches incorporating AI into daily life, from education and ChatGPT (or Gemini)'s influence on student learning to adopting new critical thinking skills that can identify and address fake news.
Roosan's purpose is twofold: to eliminate fear about AI, and to provide tools that readers can apply to incorporate AI into their lives in ways that are rational, not reactive. Libraries will want to highly recommend humAIn not just to a wide audience of patrons interested in AI technology and issues. It will especially appeal to classroom and book club reading groups interested in lively debate material surrounding AI's potential and incarnation in global society. humAIn's practical approach takes guesswork and fear away from the AI platform, opening the door to new possibilities for its use. Its different, much-needed alternative to the fearmongering that often surrounds AI speculation is refreshing.
The Biography Shelf
The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse
Frances Welch
Short Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781780725215, $29.99 HC, $14.99 Kindle, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lives-Deaths-Princesses-Hesse-granddaughters/dp/1780725213
The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse: The Curious Destinies of Queen Victoria's Granddaughters tells of how the Queen took a special interest in her motherless grandchildren after her favorite daughter Alice died, attempting to direct their lives in a manner that indicated propriety even as their turn-of-the-century world was changing.
Frances Welch creates the first full-length biography of the Hesse sisters, but goes beyond social and political examination alone to consider the personalities and evolving psyches of these young women. Hundreds of previously unseen letters of the sisters and the Queen capture the times and special challenges which buffeted the historical status enjoyed by royalty.
This attention to multifaceted details is why The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse proves a captivating, epic survey that's nearly impossible to put down -- even for those with relative unfamiliarity with the times or subject. It is very highly recommended for lending libraries strong in British and European history.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Pendragon Cycle series
Stephen R. Lawhead
Baen Books
www.baen.com
Three new titles in The Pendragon Cycle series are top recommendations for fantasy readers of King Arthur times, presenting an alternate in-depth vision of Merlin, Arthur, and other characters such as Prince Taliesin who emerge with new high drama and intrigue in this world-building series.
https://www.amazon.com/Taliesin-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193859
Begin with Taliesin (9781982193850, $18.00), which takes place after Atlantis is destroyed. Surviving ships bring a king and his daughter to a new life in a world where Celtic chieftains are taking over as Rome's stranglehold dwindles. The magic, heroism, and struggles that emerge from this introduction build characters and politics that are realistic and thoroughly engrossing.
https://www.amazon.com/Merlin-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193867
This leads to Book Two, Merlin (9781668072370, $18.00), son of the bard Taleisin who is also tasked with a mission fraught with hardship and impossible scenarios. As a magician, he seems to have the power to effect change ... but not before his own heart and ability to create alternative paths comes into play to threaten his life's work - to prepare for the coming of the Pendragon, which involves all of Britain in anticipation and struggle.
https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193875
Arthur is the final book (9781668072387, $18.00) which centers on Arthur's mandate to move from lower-class beginnings to become a force of power and change. His charge, to bring the Kingdom of Summer to the realm, requires him to unite the country under impossible conditions, then follow Merlin's counsel to build upon chaos against all odds.
Readers who love world-building intricacy, powerful characters, and twists on the typical Merlin/Arthur mythology will welcome the fast pace, compelling action, and continually immersive battles and events that emerge in a series that is nearly impossible to put down, making it a "must have" acquisition for any library seeing patron interest in Athurian fantasy creations. Stephen Lawhead's stands out from the crowd in many satisfyingly unexpected ways.
The Self-Help Shelf
The Overthinker's Guide to Joy
Jackie de Crinis
jackiedecrinis.com
JDC Press
9798990952003, $16.95 Paperback/$7.99 eBook/.99 Audiobook
https://www.amazon.com/Overthinkers-Guide-Overachievers-People-Pleasers-Perfectionists/dp/B0DJRYNQJN
The Overthinker's Guide to Joy: A Handbook for Overachievers, People-Pleasers, and Perfectionists is a guide based on author Jackie de Crinis's own life and search for success. It outlines the consequences of identifying success too rigidly, addressing how perfectionists work until they run on empty (and then some).
This is not original news to those who approach life in this manner, but what is especially revealing are tips on how to identify and overcome these ingrained patterns of behavior. Self-help audiences willing to participate in the work of self-examination and attitude adjustment will find its focus on achieving joy especially inviting -- especially given that most books about overachievers adopt a pragmatic approach that misses the ultimate goal of joy in the pursuit of pattern-busting.
Readers won't find graphs, pie charts, and academic credentials here. What they will find is a tried-and-tested series of insights based on de Crinis's thirty years in the television industry, whose pressures and expectations supported perfectionist attitudes and habits. This, in turn, leads to the kinds of analytical insights that draw connections between relationships in life, surveying the kinds of approaches that tend to stymie relaxation, creative ideals of life, and, ultimately, joy.
How de Crinis emerged from a restrictive world to develop more open holds much promise for all kinds of readers -- even those who might think they are "too old" to change:
At the age of fifty-five, I started meditating, blogging, podcasting, and coaching. I have just turned sixty, and this is my first book. So, if nothing else, please remember: You're not broken, you're not too old, and it is never too late to start living the life you want... instead of just surviving the one you have.
The adjustments in habits that better support physical health may be unexpected, but one goal of The Overthinker's Guide to Joy is to point out how to better integrate mind and body. And so the health pointers are but one pathway to revising daily life in a way that supports the goal of joy. Tips on adopting practices that build positive neurochemicals, understanding the subconscious rationale behind people-pleasing coping mechanisms, and embarking on guided conversations between conscious and subconscious thinking all lend to building new choices in relationships and life.
Supportive examples range from de Crinis's life experiences and life coaching efforts to the writings and contentions of others. Tips come from behavioral adjustment approaches in a range of disciplines, including cognitive behavior therapy: Humans love to assume that our thoughts are facts, particularly negative ones. When we have a negative thought, looking for evidence to support it is natural. Once we find evidence, that becomes a magnet for another negative thought. And before you know it, you're in a negative thought loop. This is another example of negativity bias. There's a tool based on a cognitive behavioral therapy technique that teaches us how to reframe our thoughts and break free from negative thought patterns.
Libraries seeking self-help books that promote joy and make it an accessible (rather than an ethereal or impossible) goal will find The Overthinker's Guide to Joy an acquisition that stands out from similar-sounding approaches to perfectionism and self-examination. The book began as a podcast of the same title, and is well worth the time taken to listen and think: We need to become joy hunters and gratitude gurus. Becoming a joy hunter means simply being mindful of what is going right. It means focusing on the most minor details that bring you pleasure or peace.
The Criminology Shelf
Mafia and Britain
Ross Kemp
Cassell
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781788405638, $26.99i HC, $12.99 Kindle, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ross-Kemp-Mafia-Britain-Hiding/dp/1788405633
Mafia and Britain comes from an investigative journalist who focuses on the Mafia's influence in Britain... a surprising subject for readers who have traditionally viewed the Mafia as an American affair.
Ross Kemp does more than focus on the UK. He moves from Britain to the U.S. and then to different countries around the world as he traces the evolution of 100 years of Mafia influence. Readers of organized crime history will especially appreciate the global threads of connection which emerge in Mafia and Britain, making for a much more dynamic, revealing read than the typical localized American Mafia focus.
Libraries will find it a 'must have' addition to their true crime collections.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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