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Reviewer's Choice
Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty
Ann McCellan
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804847018, $24.95, HC, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bonsai-Penjing-Ambassadors-Peace-Beauty/dp/0804847010
Synopsis: "Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty" by Ann McClellan details their valuable role in
international diplomacy and as instruments of American presidential influence. It also describes their inclusion in world's
fair exhibitions, in Asian-inspired gardens around the country, and as a window onto the extensive cultivation of bonsai in
North America today. A lengthy first-hand account by Dr. John L. Creech is included about the first extraordinary gift of 53
bonsai from Japan to the U.S. in 1976 which prompted the founding of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.
"Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Beauty and Peace" also describes how Chinese penjing and North American bonsai
were later added to the Museum, making its collection the most comprehensive in the world. Stories of individual trees and
forest plantings are featured, as are the roles played by the skilled and talented creators of these living art forms -- people
such as John Naka, Saburo Kato, Yuji Yoshimura, Harry Hirao, and Dr. Yee-Sun Wu. Armchair travelers can experience
what a visit to the Museum is like, including the discovery of its remarkable viewing stones.
"Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Beauty and Peace" will delight anyone intrigued by these living works of art and
curious about the stories they bring to life.
Critique: This large format (10.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches, 2.31pounds) hardcover edition of Ann McClellan's "Bonsai and
Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty" from Tuttle Publishing is fascinating, informative, and a pleasure to browse
through from start to finish. Elegantly illustrated in full color throughout, "Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace &
Beauty" will hold a very special value for readers with an interest in Japanese, Houseplant, and Ornamental Gardening and
is unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Gardening/Horticulture collections. It
should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace & Beauty" is also readily
available in paperback (9780804857840, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Ann McClellan (https://annmcclellan.com) is author of books about the flowering cherry trees of
Washington, D.C.: "Cherry Blossoms" and "The Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Celebration". These books reflect the
lifelong love of trees that she developed while growing up in New Jersey on an arboretum-like campus laid out by Frederick
Law Olmsted. Her professional career has included executive positions at nonprofit organizations, such as the Smithsonian
Institution, World Wildlife Fund, and the American Association of Museums. She treasures the living collections of the
National Museum of Bonsai & Penjing as profound expressions of the best that people together with nature can create.
Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon
Jeff Burger, editor
Chicago Review Press
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9780912777696, $19.99, PB, 480pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lennon-Conversations-Musicians-Their-Words/dp/0912777699
Synopsis: John Lennon who came to fame with his band The Beatles, was a highly opinionated and controversial figure with
a commanding personality and quick wit. And he made a point of living his adventurous life as openly as possible.
Whether he was experimenting with LSD, Transcendental Meditation, primal therapy, macrobiotic diets, or recording
techniques, the public was on board every step of the way. He spoke candidly about his intense, sometimes tumultuous
relationship with Yoko Ono, his split with the Beatles, his squabbles with Paul McCartney, and just about everything else,
baring his emotional ups and downs for all to see.
By the time he granted his (and this book's) final interview, only hours before his death, he had become one of the most
famous people on the planet and an articulate commentator on politics, human relations, and world peace.
"Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon" is an authoritative, chronologically arranged anthology of some of
Lennon's most illuminating interviews, spanning the years 1964 to 1980.
The majority have not been previously available in print, and several of the most important have not been widely available
in any format. Interspersed throughout the book are key quotes from dozens of additional Q&As.
Together, this material paints a revealing picture of the artist in his own words while offering a window into the cultural
atmosphere of the sixties and seventies.
Critique: An absolute 'must' read selection for the legions of John Lennon fans, this amazing compendium of his comments
and commentaries, deftly edited, organized and presented by music critic Jeff Burger will prove an immediately welcome
and enduringly appreciated pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library 20th Century
Musician Biography & Popular Culture collections. It should be noted for dedicated Beatles fans that this paperback edition
of "Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon" is also readily available from Chicago Review Press in a digital
book format (Kindle, $12.00).
Editorial Note: Jeff Burger (https://byjeffburger.com) is the editor of "Springsteen on Springsteen" and "Leonard Cohen on
Leonard Cohen". He has contributed to Barron's, Family Circle, GQ, the Los Angeles Times, Reader's Digest, and more than
seventy-five other magazines, newspapers, and books.
The View from Hadrian's Wall
Mark Clegg & David Wilmot
Toplight Books
c/o McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476685069, $19.99, PB, 205pp
https://www.amazon.com/View-Hadrians-Wall-Friends-Frontier/dp/1476685061
Synopsis: Built almost 2,000 years ago by the Roman occupiers of Britain, Hadrian's Wall is one of the most famous and
identifiable World Heritage Sites. When two old friends, one, Mark Clegg, American and one, David Wilmot, British, are
reunited for the purpose of trekking the length of the Wall, all while reminiscing about the past while sharing apprehension
about the future.
"The View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" is a co-authored memoir of Mark
Clegg and David Wilmot's coast-to-coast voyage examining Roman history, drawing parallels between the fall of the
Roman Empire and the recent political developments and uncertainties in the United Kingdom and the United States. The
authors also share their often humorous encounters with locals they met along the way while hiking in incessant rain.
Critique: Blending Roman history with personal accounts of exploring Hadrian's Wall, along with an apt and fascinating
take on contemporary political parallels between the US and the UK with those of Ancient Rome and Britannia, "The View
from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" is an engaging, thoughtful, and thought-
provoking read from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended as a unique contribution to Roman
History and British Travelogue collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The
View from Hadrian's Wall: Two Friends Hike Along the Ancient Roman Frontier" from Toplight Books is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note #1: Mark Clegg works in financial services and is co-owner of Raison de Retro, a vintage books and antiques
business. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Editorial Note #2: David Wilmot is a partner in a European fund management company. He lives in London and
Cornwall.
American Mother: A Life Reclaimed
Colum McCann & Diane Foley
Bloomsbury Publishing
www.bloomsbury.com
9781639735679, $17.99, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/American-Mother-Reclaimed-Colum-McCann/dp/1639735674
Synopsis: In late 2021, Diane Foley sat at a table across from Alexanda Kotey, a member of the ISIS group known as "the
Beatles," who pled guilty to the kidnapping, torture, and murder of her son James Foley seven years before. She asked the
legendary writer Colum McCann to be there. The results of that meeting and the story behind it is that subject of "American
Mother: A Life Reclaimed".
Critique: A unique, deftly written, and simply fascinating read from start to finish, "American Mother: A Life Reclaimed"
co-authored by Colum McCann and Diane Foley will hold a very special appeal for readers with an interest in stories of
politically motivated murder, its aftermath and impact on others -- especially family members of the victims. A compelling
blend of biography and memoir, "American Mother: A Life Reclaimed" is sensitive, insightful, emotionally compelling, and
memorable making this paperback edition of "American Mother: A Life Reclaimed" from Bloomsbury Publishing especially
and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists as well as community and college/university library Contemporary
American Biography collections and supplemental Political Terrorism curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Colum McCann is the author of seven novels, three collections of stories, and two works of nonfiction.
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he has been the recipient of many awards, including the National Book Award, the
International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an
Oscar nomination. He has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review, The Guardian, and
Granta, among others, and is a member of both the Irish arts academy and the American Academy of Arts. His work has
been translated into over 40 languages.
Editorial Note #2: Diane M. Foley co-founded the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in the weeks after her son, a
journalist, was beheaded by members of ISIS in the Syrian Desert in 2014. Inspired by the life, work, and moral courage of
her son, Diane has worked with Congress and every presidential administration since, catalyzing action, research, and policy
to win freedom for all US Nationals wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
Self-Care for Winter
Suzy Reading
Aster
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781783256358, $19.99
https://www.amazon.com/Self-Care-Winter-thriving-colder-months/dp/1783256354
Self-Care for Winter: Seven Steps to Thriving in the Colder Months addresses a common form of depression that hits many
in the cold of winter. It covers an alternative, better way of embracing the season without its usual impact on energy,
productivity, and self-expectations. Psychologist and self-care author Suzy Reading creates seven easy steps that encourage
extra nourishment and health in the winter, applying lessons from nature to strengthen these revised approaches to life.
From maximizing light and color to outdoors meditation, star gazing, and woods baths, a wide range of rituals that embrace
the season provide satisfying alternatives to those tired of dreading winter months.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Dramatic Storytelling and Narrative Design, second edition
Rose Berger
CRC Press
c/o Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032571621, $160.00, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dramatic-Storytelling-Narrative-Design-Transmedia/dp/1032571624
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Dramatic Storytelling and Narrative Design" by Professor
Ross Berger provides an industry professional's first-hand perspective on narrative design's practical usage, day-to-day roles
and responsibilities, and keys to breaking in and succeeding.
"Dramatic Storytelling and Narrative Design, second edition" from the CRC Press delves into the foundations of compelling
storytelling through structural analysis and character archetype breakdowns.
The understanding of game narrative is widened to include examples from other media as Professor Berger breaks down the
structure of popular games and show how the structural elements are applied in practice.
In addition to discussing industry trends, Professor Berger illustrates how the leveraging of transmedia can make a video
game franchise endure over time.
This updated new second edition also contains brand new chapters on Conflict and The Future of Interactive Storytelling, as
well as deepened coverage on Character and World and Roles and Responsibilities. Additionally, Professor Berger adds new
discussion to the Analysis of Narrative in Contemporary Games through an examination of the HBO television adaption of
The Last of Us.
Critique: A complete and detailed textbook level course of DIY instruction, "Dramatic Storytelling and Narrative Design,
second edition" will be of great and particular interest and relevance to aspiring writers and novice authors interested in the
craft of storytelling, narrative design, and game writing. Especially recommended for personal, professional, community,
and college/university library the writing elements of Computer/Game Designing/Programming, it should be noted for
students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Dramatic
Storytelling and Narrative Design, second edition" from CRC Press is also available in paperback (9781032571614, $64.99)
and in a digital book format (Kindle, $51.99).
Editorial Note: Ross Berger (www.rossberger.space/bio) is a writer, narrative designer, and transmedia strategist based in
Los Angeles. His screenwriting credits include: Law & Order and the Webby-Award winning LonelyGirl15. He also served
as the supervising producer for the social media/television experience The Runner. Ross has also worked extensively in
virtual reality as a writer for Meta's Oculus Rift launch title Farlands and the award-winning thriller Eclipse: Edge of Light
for the Google Daydream and Oculus Go. As a narrative designer in the video game industry, he has written AAA and
mobile games for Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Niantic Labs, and many others. Ross is also the author of literary non-fiction
(Purdue University Press, Intellect Books) and short stories including "Football with Leatherman" (2020), "Evie A.I."
(2021), and "Kleiner in the Woods" (2022), published by TulipTree Publishing. A graduate of Brandeis (BA, Philosophy)
and Columbia (MFA, Playwriting) universities, Ross is a member of the Writers Guild of America West (animation caucus)
and the Television Academy and is currently an adjunct professor at University of Southern California's School of
Cinematic Arts and ArtCenter College of Design.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Global Climate Crisis
Hoda Mahmoudi, editor
Kate Seaman, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
www.e-elgar.com
9781035308873, $110.00, HC, 170pp
https://www.amazon.com/Global-Climate-Crisis-Environmental-Equality/dp/1035308878
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Hoda Mahoudi and Kate Seaman, "Global Climate Crisis: Seeking
Environmental Justice and Climate Equality" is topical book whose contributors outline one of the most ubiquitous
challenges facing humanity and the planet today: the damaging impact of anthropogenic climate change. Humanizing the
climate debate, it discusses solutions to the crisis and devises a moral framework centered on justice and equality.
The expert contributing authors find environmental justice at the intersection of human stability, accountability, rights, and
dignity, and examine it across distributional, recognitional, and procedural justice dimensions and a capabilities approach.
To advance tangible solutions to climate change, they recommend a plan of action which is sensitive to issues of
implementation for vulnerable populations, such as discrimination, inequality, and injustice.
The individual chapters comprising "Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Environmental Justice and Climate Equality" call for
practical and moral responses from politicians, corporations, and institutions who have the power and capacity to engage in
non-partisan united action. Ultimately, "Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Environmental Justice and Climate Equality"
engages with the complexity of environmental justice to understand the intersectional, multi-scalar, embedded nature of the
problem.
Interdisciplinary in scope, "Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Environmental Justice and Climate Equality" is invaluable to
students and scholars of climate change; environmental governance, regulation, politics, and policy; international relations;
sustainable development studies and human geography. It is also a useful resource for policy advisors and activists
concerned with climate change and environmental justice.
Critique: A compendium of seven informative, seminal, and erudite contributions, and deftly co-edited by the team of Hoda
Mahmoudi and Kate Seaman, "Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Environmental Justice and Climate Equality" also features a
five page listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a five page Index. A seminal and ground-breaking work,
"Co-edited by Hoda Mahmoudi and Kate Seaman" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, and college/university library Contemporary Environmental Studies collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Hoda Mahmoudi is an American academic and scholar, specializing in religion and peace studies. Since
July 2012, she has held the Baha'i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoda_Mahmoudi)
Editorial Note #2: Kate Seaman is the Assistant Director of The Baha'i Chair for World Peace at the University of
Maryland. (https://www.bahaichair.umd.edu/kate-seaman)
The American History Shelf
The Declaration in Script and Print
John Bidwell
Penn State University Press
www.psupress.org
9780271097305, $29.95, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Declaration-Script-Print-Americas-Founding/dp/0271097302
Synopsis: Perhaps the single most important founding document of the United States of America, the Declaration of
Independence became both a work of art and a mass-market commodity during the nineteenth century. With the publication
of "The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America's Founding Document", graphic arts historian John
Bidwell traces the fascinating history of Declaration prints and broadsides and reveals the American public's changing
attitudes toward this iconic text.
The new and improved intaglio, letterpress, and lithographic printing technologies of the nineteenth century led to
increasingly elaborate reproductions of the Declaration. Some were touted as precious relics; others were aimed at the
bottom of the market. Rival publishers claimed to have produced the definitive visualization of the document, attacking the
character and patriotism of other firms even as they promoted their own artistic abilities and attention to detail.
Meanwhile, painter John Trumbull attempted to sell subscriptions for an engraved version of his Declaration painting, and
John Quincy Adams (then secretary of state) commissioned an official 1823 edition in response to the feuding facsimilists
seeking government patronage. Bidwell unravels the intricate web of rivalries surrounding these competing
publications.
Featuring a comprehensive checklist of nearly two hundred prints and broadsides drawn from various collections, this
engrossing history highlights the proliferation and widespread influence of the Declaration of Independence on American
popular culture. It will be equally esteemed by general readers interested in American history, print and autograph
collectors, and art and book historians.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America's
Founding Document" is as fascinating as it is informative from cover to cover. A unique and singular contribution to
American history from Penn State University Press, "The Declaration in Script and Print: A Visual History of America's
Founding Document" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library collections and supplemental American History curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for
students, academia, and non-professional general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Declaration in Script and
Print: A Visual History of America's Founding Document" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.39).
Editorial Note: John Bidwell is Curator Emeritus at the Morgan Library & Museum. He is the author of Graphic Passion:
Matisse and the Book Arts, also published by Penn State University Press.
(https://rarebookschool.org/faculty/history/john-bidwell)
Building a House Divided
Stephen G. Hyslop
University of Oklahoma Press
www.oupress.com
9780806192734, $32.95, HC, 328pp
https://www.amazon.com/Building-House-Divided-Westward-Expansion/dp/0806192739
Synopsis: By the time Abraham Lincoln asserted in 1858 that the nation could not "endure permanently half slave and half
free", the rift that would split the country in civil war was well defined. The origins and evolution of the coming conflict
between North and South can in fact be traced back to the early years of the American Republic, as Stephen G. Hyslop
demonstrates in "Building a House Divided: Slavery, Westward Expansion, and the Roots of the Civil War", an exploration
of how the incipient fissure between the Union's initial slave states and free states (or those where slaves were gradually
being emancipated) lengthened and deepened as the nation advanced westward.
Independent historian Hyslop focuses on four prominent slaveholding expansionists who were intent on preserving the
Union but nonetheless helped build what Lincoln called a house divided: Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson,
and James K. Polk and Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who managed a plantation in Mississippi bequeathed by his
father-in-law. Hyslop examines what these men did, collectively and individually, to further what Jefferson called an
"empire of liberty" -- even though it kept millions of Black people in bondage.
Along with these major figures, in all their conflicts and contradictions, he considers other American expansionists who
engaged in and helped extend slavery (among them William Clark, Stephen Austin, and President John Tyler) as well as
examples of principled opposition to the extension of slavery by northerners such as John Quincy Adams and southerners
like Henry Clay and Thomas Hart Benton, who held slaves but placed preserving the Union above extending slavery across
the continent.
The long view of the path to the Civil War, as charted through the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian eras in "Building a House
Divided", reveals the critical fault in the nation's foundation, exacerbated by slaveholding expansionists like Jefferson,
Jackson, Polk, and Douglas, until the house they built upon it could no longer stand for two opposite ideas at once.
Critique: A seminal work of original and ground-breaking historical research, this hardcover edition of Stephen Hyslop's
"Building a House Divided: Slavery, Westward Expansion, and the Roots of the Civil War" from the University of
Oklahoma Press is informative enhanced for the reader's benefit with an Introduction (Lincoln's Architecture and the Fault
in the Nation's Foundation), the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography, twenty-eight pages of Notes, and a fourteen page
Index. Also featuring the occasional B/W illustration, "Building a House Divided" is an especially and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 19th Century American History
collections and supplemental American Civil War curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Building a House Divided" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $26.95).
Editorial Note: Stephen G. Hyslop is an independent historian and the author of several books, including Contest for
California: From Spanish Colonization to the American Conquest; Bound for Santa Fe: The Road to New Mexico and the
American Conquest, 1806 - 1848; and The Old West. He also served as editor of a 23-volume series on Native Americans
for Time-Life Books. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/501559.Stephen_G_Hyslop)
The World History Shelf
Roman Fever
Benjamin Reilly
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476686554, $39.95, PB, 221pp
https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Fever-Malaria-Transalpine-Travelers/dp/1476686556
Synopsis: During the last 1500 years, Rome was the inspiration of artists, the coronation stage of German emperors, the
distant desire of pilgrims, and the seat of the Roman popes. Yet Rome also lies within the northern range of P. falciparum
malaria, the deadliest strain of the disease, against which northern Europeans had no intrinsic or acquired defenses. As a
result, Rome lured a countless number of unacclimated transalpine Europeans to their deaths in the period from 500 to 1850
AD.
With the publication of "Roman Fever: Malaria, Transalpine Travelers and the Eternal City", environmental historian
Benjamin Reilly examines how Rome's allure to European visitors and its resident malaria species impacted the historical
development of Europe. "Roman Fever" covers the environmental and biological factors at play and focuses on two of the
periods when malaria potentially had the greatest impact on the continent: the heyday of the medieval German Empire and
its conflicts with the papacy (c. 800-1300) and the Protestant Reformation (c.1500).
Through explorations into the history of religion, empire, disease, and culture, "Roman Fever" tells the story of how the
veritable capital of the world became the graveyard of nations.
Critique: A unique, seminal, and ground-breaking study on a hitherto obscure element of European history, "Roman Fever:
Malaria, Transalpine Travelers and the Eternal City" by Benjamin Reilly will prove of immense value to readers with an
interest in Italian history in general, and the history of the City of Rome in particular. An impressive application of forensic
medicine to our understanding of how disease shaped and influenced European history, "Roman Fever: Malaria, Transalpine
Travelers and the Eternal City" is a welcome, unusual, informative, and recommended addition to community and
college/university library European/Italian History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students,
academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "Roman
Fever: Malaria, Transalpine Travelers and the Eternal City" from McFarland & Company is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).
Editorial Note: Based in Doha, Qatar, Benjamin Reilly is an environmental historian working at Carnegie Mellon
University's branch campus in Qatar. His publications have included French Revolutionary ideological discourse, and
information on lactose tolerance amongst Arabian Bedouins
(https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/people/faculty/reilly.html)
Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years
Paula Fredriksen
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691157696, $29.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Christianities-First-Hundred-Years/dp/0691157693
Synopsis: The ancient Mediterranean teemed with gods. For centuries, a practical religious pluralism prevailed. How, then,
did one particular god come to dominate the politics and piety of the late Roman Empire?
With the publication of "Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years", Professor Paula Fredriksen traces the
evolution of early Christianity (or rather, of early Christianities) through five centuries of Empire, mapping its pathways
from the hills of Judea to the halls of Rome and Constantinople.
This is a story with a sprawling cast of characters: not only theologians, bishops, and emperors, but also gods and demons,
angels and magicians, astrologers and ascetics, saints and heretics, aristocratic patrons and millenarian enthusiasts. All
played their part in the development of what became and remains an energetically diverse biblical religion.
The New Testament, as we know it, represents only a small selection of the many gospels, letters, acts of apostles, and
revelations that circulated before the establishment of the imperial church. It tells how the gospel passed from Jesus, to the
apostles, thence to Paul. But by using our peripheral vision, by looking to noncanonical and paracanonical texts, by availing
ourselves of information derived from papyri, inscriptions, and archaeology, we can see a different, richer, much less linear
story emerging.
Professor Fredriksen brings together these many sources to reconstruct the lively interactions of pagans, Jews, and
Christians, tracing the conversions of Christianity from an energetic form of Jewish messianism to an arm of the late Roman
state.
Critique: Viewed from a 1st through 4th century pagan perspective, Jesus Christ was simply another demigod (fathered by a
god upon a mortal woman). But among the Christian communities there was a wide spectrum of interpretations and
variations of who and what Jesus of Nazareth was and/or became. Then with Emperor Constantine's legalization of the
Christian movement a steady emergence of the demigod status of Jesus became dominant -- often at the cost of violent
confrontations between the warring factions of the Christian movement.
"Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years" is a masterpiece of biblical, apocryphal, and Roman research and
scholarship into the history and development of the Christian movement from many different competing factions (which
would continue down through the continuing centuries that would include the Orthodox churches from the Roman Catholic,
and eventually culminating in the Roman Catholic - Protestant divisions that continue to this very day) upon those ancient
Christian communities and their eventual impact on the Roman empire, including its governance and attitudes toward the
ancient pre-Christian gods.
Exceptionally and impressively comprehensive, throughout 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, informative
enhanced for the scholar and the non-specialist general reader alike "Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years"
by Paula Fredriksen includes an 18 page Timeline, a 4 page Glossary, a 22 page bibliographic listing of Supplementary
Reading, a 10 page Sources Index, a 5 page Names/Places Index, and a 4 page Subject Index. An extraordinary and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, church, seminary, and college/university library
Christian History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, clergy,
seminary studies, and members of the Christian community with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of
"Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years" from the Princeton University Press is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $16.17).
Editorial Note: Paula Fredriksen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Fredriksen) is the Aurelio Professor of Scripture
Emerita at Boston University and professor emerita of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is a
member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of When Christians Were Jews: The First
Generation; From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus; Sin: The Early History of an Idea
(Princeton); and other books.
The Education Shelf
Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools
Emily Kircher-Morris, author
Amanda Morin, author
Free Spirit Publishing
www.freespirit.com
9798885543972, $39.99, PB, 344pp
https://www.amazon.com/Neurodiversity-Affirming-Schools-Transforming-Practices-Professional%C2%AE/dp/B0D81QW
SX8
Synopsis: The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that considers the diversity
within sensory processing, motor abilities, social comfort, cognition, and focus as neurobiological differences.
(Wikipedia)
Co-authored by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin, "Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So
All Students Feel Accepted & Supported" is a guide for K-12 educators to better understand neurodivergence and help
neurodivergent students thrive. Inside, is the background information and concrete practices needed to create a school or
classroom culture where neurodivergent students feel safe, valued, and understood. There are also clear explanations of
behaviors common in neurodivergent learners, such as masking, rejection sensitivity, and novelty seeking -- enabling the
discovery specific practices that can be employed immediately.
"Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools" is an accessible book specifically designed to help the reader to take action. By the end
of each chapter, the reader will understand how the key takeaways apply to a particular situation and how they can be meet
neurodivergent students' needs in ways appropriate to their unique cognition.
"Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools" includes:
Using established practices like strengths-based instruction in neurodiversity-affirming ways
Preventing neurodivergent students from checking out and becoming burnt out
Identifying the unique ways that neurodivergent children express their needs and difficulties
Emphasizing and modeling emotional regulation skills at the classroom level
Creating more effective, strengths-based IEPs and 504 Plans
Of special note is how "Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools" also provides real-world examples in the form of vignettes of
neurodivergent students and the educators that support them. These features contextualize what you've learned to help you
feel confident as you implement change. eurodiversity-Affirming Schools is your practical and comprehensive guide to
creating opportunities for neurodivergent learners to succeed.
Critique: This large format (7.25 x 0.79 x 9.25 inches, 1.53 pounds) paperback edition of "Neurodiversity-Affirming
Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported" from Free Spirit Publishing is of particular
relevance for educators dealing with children who are gifted, requiring a special education approach to learning, or dealing
with autism. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools" is an ideal curriculum
textbook for Inclusive Education curriculum and Teacher Training In-service Workshop studies lists, as well as a core
addition to personal, professional, school district, and college/university library Special Education collections. It should be
noted that this paperback edition of "Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$26.25).
Editorial Note #1: Emily Kircher-Morris, M.A., M.Ed., LPC, is the author of Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in
Today's Classroom, Raising Twice-Exceptional Children, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools. Emily hosts the
Neurodiversity Podcast, which explores parenting, counseling techniques, and best practices for enriching the lives of
neurodivergent people. Emily has taught in gifted classrooms and is now in private practice as a licensed professional
counselor.
Editorial Note #2: Amanda Morin is an educator and the author of five books, including The Everything Parent's Guide to
Special Education, Adulting Made Easy, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools. She played an integral role in launching
Understood.org and has worked with organizations and publications like Bright & Quirky, Matan, Hidden Sparks Without
Walls, and Edutopia.
What Are We Teaching?
Richard Bustin
Crown House Publishing
www.crownhousepublishing.com
9781785837180, $22.95, PB, 180pp
https://www.amazon.com/What-Are-Teaching-Richard-Bustin/dp/1785837184
Synopsis: With the publication of "What Are We Teaching?", Professor Richard Bustin discusses the importance of having
a subject-based curriculum in schools and explores the responsibility that teachers, through their subject specialisms, have to
help ensure this is achieved.
"What Are We Teaching?" moves ideas beyond the traditional vs progressive debates that have dominated education
discourse. Teachers are burdened by the overarching emphasis on exam performance at the expense of the broader benefits
of teaching their subject, expressed here as capabilities.
Professor Bustin suggests that subjects are key to enabling young people to develop the powerful knowledge needed to
flourish in a complex modern world. He introduces the key theories on which his book is based, including different ways of
making sense of knowledge, skills and values in the curriculum, powerful knowledge and educational capabilities.
"What Are We Teaching?" is research-based, using voices of real teachers who engaged with the question 'what makes your
subject a powerful knowledge for young people', and it is their testimonies that provide a provocation for each chapter in
section two which focus on different subject areas.
Finally, Professor Bustin offers advice on building a powerful knowledge, capabilities curriculum in schools.
Critique: A seminal and ground breaking study, "What Are We Teaching?" must be considered to be essential reading for
teachers, senior and subject leaders, curriculum coordinators, school district administrators and policy makers. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "What Are We Teaching?" from Crown House Publishing is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.77).
Editorial Note: Dr Richard Bustin (www.lancingcollege.co.uk/dr-richard-bustin) teaches Geography and leads the
department at Lancing College, where he is responsible for staff development and teacher training. Richard's research on
curriculum has resulted in multiple publications, invitations to speak at education conferences and work with trainee
teachers around the world.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth, and Families
The National Academies Press
www.nap.edu
9780309721943, $64.00, PB, 616pp
https://www.amazon.com/Launching-Lifelong-Improving-Children-Families/dp/0309721946
Synopsis: Ensuring every child is on an optimal trajectory to a healthy and productive adulthood is imperative for the
nation's future.
Private and governmental Investments in children and families improves child health, but also health equity, education
outcomes, workforce productivity, and cost-effectiveness in public spending. Despite advances in health care, children,
especially those from historically marginalized groups, face rising rates of chronic diseases, obesity, and mental health
challenges.
"Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth, And Families" presents a vision for
transforming the child and adolescent health care system. This report also examines how the health care system can be better
positioned to equitably address the needs of all children and families and leverage community supports.
This requires transforming key components, such as health care financing, public health investment, community
partnerships, and accountability strategies, to encourage team-based care delivery models and attention to and health
promotion, prevention, and root causes of health disparities.
Critique: Impressively comprehensive, detailed, organized and presented, "Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health
Care for Children, Youth, and Families" from the National Academies Press is a seminal and ground-breaking study that is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university
library Public Health/Medicine Policy & Planning collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It will prove to be
an essential resource and reference for private sector and governmental Health Care policy makers, health care reform
activists, concerned members of the medical community, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject.
Editorial Note: The National Academies Press (NAP) was created to publish the reports issued by the National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the
National Research Council. It publishes nearly 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in the sciences. The NAP's stated
mission is seemingly self-contradictory: to disseminate as widely as possible the works of the National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and to be financially self-sustaining through sales. This mission has led to great
experimentation in openness regarding online publishing. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Academies_Press)
The Cookbook Shelf
Taste of Home Vintage Recipes Made Easy
Taste of Home, editor
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889771005, $22.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Vintage-Recipes-Made/dp/B0D6WJLYVY
Synopsis: Rediscover the charm and flavors of yesteryear dishes with "Taste of Home Vintage Recipes Made Easy". This
beautifully curated and beautifully illustrated cookbook features 285 retro dishes and nostalgic baked goods, perfectly
revamped for today's kitchens. Whether it's a comforting-roasted chicken, a green bean casserole like mom used to make, or
a slice of pecan pie right out of your childhood memories, this culinary compendium has it all.
Of special note are the simplified recipes for air fryers, slow cookers, and Instant Pots that will allow you and your family to
enjoy the tastes of classic home-cooked meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Every recipe includes clear
instructions with short ingredient lists and tips designed to save time while preserving authentic flavors.
From hosting a retro cocktail party, baking an old-fashioned dessert, or preparing an unforgettable Easter brunch, "Taste of
Home Vintage Recipes Made Easy" fully lives up to the promise of its titles with kitchen cook recipes ranging from
appetizers to sides, hearty entrees, and timeless sweets, and features:
285 Classic Recipes: Discover retro-inspired dishes, snacks, and desserts adapted for modern kitchens.
Simplified Cooking: Enjoy short ingredient lists, faster preparation, and the convenience of slow cookers, air fryers, and
Instant Pots.
Nostalgic Baking: Indulge in cakes, pies, cookies, and treats inspired by classic family recipes.
Practical Tips: Includes nutrition facts, helpful shortcuts, and meal prep guidance for today's cooks.
Creative Inspiration: Perfect for hosting retro dinner parties, brunches, or recreating grandma's culinary magic.
And a bonus chapter with secret pasta sauces, jams, flavored butters, and more!
Critique: If ever you wanted a nostalgic family cookbook, make it "Taste of Home Vintage Recipes Made Easy: 285 Retro
Dishes and Baked Goods for Today's Cooks". A delight and pleasure to browse through one illustrated recipes at a time, this
classic culinary collections will inspire palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying, memorable and nourishing meals for all formal
and informal dining occasions and events. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and
community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Taste of Home Vintage Recipes
Made Easy" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is America's #1 food/lifestyle brand, inspiring togetherness through cooking, baking and
entertaining. Featuring recipes shared by today's home cooks, Taste of Home magazine has hundreds of thousands of
subscribers throughout North America and publishes best-selling cookbooks and newsstand specials. The brand's web site is
a top destination, featuring kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and more. Taste of Home has more
than 6.4 million fans on Facebook, 2 million followers on Instagram, 2.7 million Pinterest followers and receives more than
28 million unique monthly visitors. You can visit Taste of Home on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to learn more.
Mississippi Current Cookbook
Regina Charboneau, author
Ben Fink, photographer
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493086498, $29.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mississippi-Current-Cookbook-Culinary-Americas/dp/1493086499
Synopsis: Originally published in May 2014, and now available in a large paperback format, "Mississippi Current
Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Down America's Greatest River" enables family chefs and kitchen cooks to discover the
diverse food and culinary traditions from the ten states that border America's most important river (and the heart of
American cuisine) with 200 contemporary recipes for 30 meals and celebrations, -- as well as illustrated more than 150
stunning photographs.
Starting at the river's source in Minnesota, renowned chef/restaurateur Regina Charboneau introduces readers to a Native
American wild rice harvest dinner, a Scandinavian summer's end crayfish party, and a Hmong Southeast Asian New Year's
Eve buffet. Next this culinary compendium moves to the river's middle region, from Hannibal to New Madrid, featuring a
dinner to honor the man most associated with the Mississippi -- Mark Twain.
Recipes are supplied for imaginative menus for such occasions as a St. Louis Italian spread featuring the city's famous
toasted ravioli, a farmer's market lunch, and an Arkansas farm supper influenced by the vast farmlands on both sides of the
Mississippi. The lower region, from Beale Street to the Bayous of the Gulf of Mexico, gives an insight into the author's river
roots in Natchez. Included are biscuits, shrimp, smoked tomatoes over creamy grits, a New Orleans-style Reveillon dinner,
and a blessing of the fleet dinner inspired by the Vietnamese fisherman who shrimp at the mouth of the river.
Scattered throughout are intriguing sidebars on such topics as how the paddlewheel steamboat came to ply the waters of the
Mississippi, the traditional canoe method of harvesting Minnesota wild rice, and the 3,000 mile River Road lining the
waterway.
Throughout the "Mississippi Current Cookbook" are stunning photographs of local scenery, dishes, and ingredients taken by
renowned photographer Ben Fink on the magnificent American Queen riverboat and at farms, historic homes, and towns
along the length of the river.
Critique: An inspiring pleasure to browse through, as well as planning memorable menus and dining experiences with, the
new paperback edition of "Mississippi Current Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Down America's Greatest River" is a
welcome source of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, body nourishing, DIY recipes drawn from Mississippi River
communities and their culinary traditions. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.00), "Mississippi
Current Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Down America's Greatest River" is a prized and unreservedly recommended pick
for personal, professional, and community library American Cuisine Cookbook Collections.
Editorial Note #1: Regina Charboneau (www.ReginasKitchen.com) has launched numerous top restaurants, including Kings
Tavern in Natchez, Mississippi, and Regina's at the Regis and Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco. She is the Culinary
Director of the American Queen, a luxury paddlewheel boat that travels the Mississippi, and was a long-time Southern
foodways columnist for The Atlantic. She hosts visitors at Twin Oaks Bed and Breakfast, her antebellum home in
Natchez.
Editorial Note #2: Ben Fink (https://benfinkphoto.com/life-style) ably demonstrates photography as an art form.
Vietnamese Food and Food Culture
Paul B. Kennedy
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804857413, $25.00, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vietnamese-Food-Culture-Life-changing-Ingredients/dp/0804857415
Synopsis: In 2018 veteran restaurateur, author, foodie and all-around travel junkie Paul Kennedy embarked on a
life-changing journey to Vietnam. His main goal was to explore the nation's rich cuisine and food culture, which had always
fascinated him from afar, but which he could never quite understand fully.
Subtitled 'A Life-Changing Journey through the Street Foods, Regional Cooking Styles and Local Ingredients of Vietnam',
Paul Kennedy's "Vietnamese Food and Food Culture" is the result of five years spent traveling the length and breadth of the
country, experiencing Vietnamese food up-close as no other food writer has before.
Through 60 recipes, 100 photographs and cultural notes, Kennedy shares his experiences with you and includes:
Engaging stories about tantalizing local foods and drinks - such as the unparalleled Nam Dinh City bahn mi and fresh bia
hoi beer, as well as palate-challenging local delicacies like bitter melon and the foul-smelling durian.
Intriguing myths, rituals and beliefs - such as the legendary sword-snatching golden turtle of Hoan Kiem Lake and the
outlawed "Coconut Religion"
Information on Vietnamese herbs, condiments and ingredients - from fish sauce to rice paper wrappers to fresh basil, green
onions and sawtooth coriander
Recipes for classic street food dishes like Rice Paper Pizza, Banh Mi Sandwiches and Steamed Coconut Rice Cakes with
Toasted Shrimp Flakes
Iconic restaurant and homestyle dishes like Spicy Lemongrass Chicken, Crispy Pan-Fried Trout and Baby Basket Clam
Rice
Unusual drinks and desserts like Egg Coffee, Mango Margaritas, Coconut Cream Martinis, Tofu Pudding and Vietnamese
Layer Cake
Plus many other unique flavors, recipes, food discoveries and dozens of cultural observations from the author while living in
Vietnam
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, browsing through this large format hardcover edition
of "Vietnamese Food and Food Culture: A Life-Changing Journey through the Street Foods, Regional Cooking Styles and
Local Ingredients of Vietnam" is the next best thing to an on-site culinary excursion of Vietnamese restaurants and street
vendors. Inspiring for American family cooks to plan memorable and authentic Vietnamese themed meals with,
"Vietnamese Food and Food Culture" will prove a unique and valued addition to personal, professional, and community
library Ethnic Cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Paul B. Kennedy has worked in the restaurant industry for 30 years - bringing delicious meals and
welcoming environments together to create fond memories. Paul studied hotel management and received a degree in
culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University. He then moved to New York where he established himself in the restaurant
world while honing a passion for writing and photography. In 2018, with only a backpack and a sense of adventure, Paul
headed off to Vietnam. He has traveled extensively around the country ever since, documenting Vietnamese food culture
and capturing its flavors. In addition to writing, cooking and traveling, Paul is passionate about teaching and volunteers his
time to help others learn and grow. This is his first cookbook.
Secret Sauces
Vanessa Seder
Kyle Books
Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804192900, $19.99, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Sauces-Flavorful-Recipe-Pairings/dp/1804192902
Synopsis: A great sauce has the ability to transform even the humblest ingredients, to elevate the everyday to the sublime.
But a great sauce does not have to be complicated. Gone are the days when sauce meant mainly a concoction based on
butter, flour, and reduced stock. Now with the publication of "Secret Sauces: Over 65 Fresh & Flavorful Sauces with Recipe
Pairings" by Vanessa Seder you can celebrate a new generation of sauces that are simple to whip up and rely on fresh and
healthy ingredients such as nuts, yogurt, and vegetables.
"Secret Sauces" provides you an arsenal of "mother" sauces that fit today's kitchen and are infinitely adaptable. Each one can
be made in advance and then customized to enliven different meals throughout the week. With every sauce comes a recipe
for a full finished dish that's an ideal showcase, followed by many ideas for other uses. Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges come
alive drizzled with Bengali Spiced Yogurt. Seared Red Snapper rises to a new level with Grilled Pineapple and Chipotle
Salsa. Coconut Lemongrass Cream finishes off Fruit Kebabs.
Aimed at the home cook, "Secret Sauces" removes the intimidation of traditional sauces and makes sauces approachable for
everyone. Inspired by cuisines from around the world, these sauces bring a new level of excitement to any meal. Plus, they
deliver maximum flavor with a minimum of effort.
Critique: Nicely illustrated in color throughout, "Secret Sauces: Over 65 Fresh & Flavorful Sauces with Recipe Pairings" is
a unique and extraordinary culinary collection that can enhanced and augment a wealth of dishes with truly impressive
sauces. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, this hardcover edition of Vanessa Seder's
"Secret Sauces" from Kyle Books will prove a prized and popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community
library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Vanessa Seder (www.vanessaseder.com) has more than a decade of experience developing recipes for
magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Health, and Cooking Light. A graduate of the
Institute of Culinary Education in New York, Vanessa has also worked as a personal chef and as a food stylist. She is a
regular culinary instructor at the Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine.
Bento Lunch Box
Sara Kiyo Popowa
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804192948 $22.99
https://www.amazon.com/Bento-Lunchbox-Brilliantly-Balanced-Recipes/dp/1804192945
Synopsis: Many people bring their lunch to work to save money, time and to help control what they are eating (with no
hidden nasties from processed store-bought food), but sometimes it's hard to think of interesting, nutritious things to
make.
Sara has come to the rescue with her vibrant, fun and inspirational approach to lunch boxes. She concentrates on having 5
clear elements: complex carbs, protein, fruit and veg, and sprinkles as well as the 5 colors used in authentic Japanese
cooking: red, white, black, yellow and green. With just a few essential ingredients, you add your extras to create highly
nutritious, vegetarian, colorful boxes of joy.
Sara includes ideas for bento breakfast boxes (Sesame Snap Granola Bento and Mighty Muesli), 15-minute bento (Busy
Days Instant Noodles and Lazy Tamago Bento), Everyday bento (Red Velvet Quinoa Bento, Green Theme Bento and Zen
Bento) and the Fantasy bento (Starry Sky Bento and Fairy Jewel Box Bento).
With tips on how to stock your bento store-cupboard and basic ingredients and recipes to get you going, now is the time for
bento to bounce into your breakfast, lunch box, or even into your dinner parties, filling you with bento power!
Critique: Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography throughout, Bento Lunch Box: Brilliantly Balanced Lunchbox
Recipes is a cookbook and extensively detailed guide to the Japanese culinary art of crafting delicious, visually appealing,
and nutritious boxed lunches. All recipes are vegetarian and dairy-free; many are vegan and gluten-free. There are 15-minute
Bento recipes, designed to be assembled quickly; Fantasy Bento recipes, designed to stimulate the imagination as well as the
palate; and much more. Bento Lunch Box is choice pick for personal and public library cookbook collections, especially
since its recipes have everyday practical use in addition to their visual and culinary flair. Highly recommended!
The 5-Minute Japanese Noodles Cookbook
Etsuko Ichise
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805318843, $16.99, HC, 96pp
https://www.amazon.com/5-Minute-Japanese-Noodles-Cookbook-Ramen/dp/4805318848
Synopsis: Etsuko Ichise is a woman on a mission to spread Japanese homestyle cooking that is delicious and
easy-to-prepare. With the publication of "The 5-Minute Japanese Noodles Cookbook: Ramen, Soba, Udon, Somen and
More!" she shows American family cooks how to make simple, homestyle noodles that are incredibly flavorful and healthy
yet take only minutes to prepare. Her recipes are light, tasty and healthy thanks to the use of fresh seasonal ingredients
purchased at your local supermarket.
And, you will never have to make the same noodles twice! Her mix-and-match ingredients and toppings use chicken, beef,
pork, bacon, tofu, eggs and vegetables -- whatever you have in the fridge. Each recipe has multiple variations and extra
toppings for flavor and complexity - green onions, grated cheese, corn kernels, roasted peanuts, shredded nori, grated ginger,
toasted sesame, bean sprouts or chili oil... to name just a few!
With "The 5-Minute Japanese Noodles Cookbook" you will discover an entire universe of noodle flavors including:
Noodles in a Soy-Based Broth - Like Hot and Sour Noodle Soup with Pork and Mushrooms or Pork, Kimchi and Soy Milk
Udon
Noodles with a Dipping Sauce - Like Ramen with Crab Sticks and Lemon Dipping Sauce or Mixed Soba with Tuna,
Wakame and Ginger
Noodles in a Miso Flavored Soup - Like Sesame Miso Somen Champuruu with Spinach or Simmered Miso Udon with Pork
Belly and Leek
Stir-fried Noodles - Like Yakisoba Stir-fried with Shirasu, Tomato and Egg or Stir-fried Soba with Sausage and Buttered
Corn
Cold Noodles & Noodle Salads - Like Salad-style Hiyashi Chuka with Bacon and Lettuce or Somen with Thinly Sliced
Pork, Umeboshi and Cucumber
This is the ideal culinary guide to creating creamy, slurpy, saucy noodles or to dipping noodles into an umami-rich broth.
Whether piping hot, or chilled and finished with delightful fresh toppings, with this much variety, your every noodle craving
will be fulfilled!
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated with color photos of finished dishes, "The 5-Minute Japanese Noodles
Cookbook: Ramen, Soba, Udon, Somen and More!" is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation. A
delight to plan memorable and authentic Japanese meal menus with, this hardcover edition of Etsuko Ichise's "The 5-Minute
Japanese Noodles Cookbook" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, family, professional, and
community library Ethnic/Japanese Cuisine cookbook collections.
Editorial Note #1: Etsuko Ichise is an expert Japanese chef who has published and contributed to hundreds of cookbooks.
She also devotes herself to introducing children to the joys of cooking, and supervises the cooking for NHK Educational
TV's Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main. Her publications include Bento: Lunches from Scratch, A Catalog of 300 Small Bento
Side Dishes, Salad Lessons and The Book of Somen.
Onigiri Rice & Miso Soup
Megumi Fujii
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805319055, $18.99, HC, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Onigiri-Rice-Miso-Soup-Superfoods/dp/4805319054
Synopsis: Onigiri rice and miso soup are Japan's answer to the classic American soup and sandwich combo -- but a whole
lot healthier!
Comprised of 100 amazing and 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes, with the publication of "Onigiri Rice & Miso Soup: The
Perfect Pairing: Delicious Japanese Superfoods for Health" Japanese nutritionist Megumi Fujii combines fresh seasonal
ingredients with traditional Japanese superfoods to create deeply nourishing meals -- the perfect antidote to modern
ultra-processed foods.
"Onigiri Rice & Miso Soup" showcases 48 delicious and easy-to-prepare meals including:
Broccoli and Salmon Onigiri + Miso Soup with Clams and Mushrooms
Onigiri Rice with Nori and Sesame + Mackerel and Kimchee Miso Soup
Hijiki Seaweed Onigiri + Miso Soup with Ground Chicken and Carrots
Bright Green Onigiri + Miso Soup with Tofu and Shiitake Mushrooms
Oyster Onigiri + Pork and Turnip Miso Soup
Plus 43 other incredible combinations!
Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs of finished dishes, "Onigiri Rice & Miso Soup" showcases the limitless
possibilities of two classic Japanese homestyle dishes. Fujii highlights the nutritional benefits of the ingredients in each
recipe and introduces to all sorts of ways to use healthy Japanese superfoods like seaweed and miso that are now available
everywhere.
Critique: With its recipes for authentic, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, body nourishing Japanese cuisine, "Onigiri Rice
& Miso Soup - the Perfect Pairing: Delicious Japanese Superfoods for Health" is an inspiring delight to browse through and
ideal to plan memorable dining occasions (formal and informal) with. This hardcover edition of Megumi Fujii's "Onigiri
Rice & Miso Soup" will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated pick for personal, professional, family, and
community library Japanese/Ethnic cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Megumi Fujii is a registered dietician and recipe developer in Japan. A graduate of Kagawa Nutrition
University, she has worked on television cooking programs and as a food coordinator. Her books include Warming Sauces
to Boost Your Immune System, Two-Dish Meals to Stay Healthy After 50, Main Dish Salads, Super Tasty Low-Cal
Appetizers, 200 Essential Homestyle Recipes, and 100 Simple Bentos, all from Shufu to Seikatsu Sha Co.
Forgotten Skills of Cooking
Darina Allen
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopuspublishingusa.com
9781804192764, $39.99
https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Skills-Cooking-Recipes-Time-honoured/dp/1804192767
Forgotten Skills of Cooking is not a typical collection of old-fashioned or lost recipes, but a key to using ingredients that
involve forging, curing meats, growing herbs and vegetables, or smoking food (among other routines and "lost" culinary
traditions). Its 700 recipes draw important links between forgotten food processes that can lend to home achievement and
recipes that make the most of the homemade produce. Dishes such as Crispy Chicken Livers with Lime, Pork and Apple
Burgers, and a Rose Petal Syrup excel in covering production and usage in an inviting manner that returns forgotten skills to
everyday household efforts.
The Wine Shelf
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2025
Hugh Johnson, author
Margaret Rand, editor
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784729592, $17.99
https://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Johnsons-Pocket-Wine-Book/dp/1784729590
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book's annual publication means that a wealth of wine facts are updated, maintaining the
relevancy of wine information for buyers, restaurants, and anyone involved in the wine industry. New to this edition is a
color supplement on Pinot Noir that concludes the book with much discussion and a narrow focus on the grape. The pocket
size, of necessity, translates to small print. Readers should be prepared for a lot of information packed into a very small font
size. That said, the value of a book packed with information on varieties, food pairings, and wine history should not be
underestimated. There's a reason why Hugh Johnson's annual guide has become an industry standard reference. This is
it.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
Mission to China, second edition
John Holliday
Tallai Books
https://tallaibooks.com
https://www.amberley-books.com
9781445661346, $32.95, HC, 336pp
9780648684848, $20.00, PB,
9780648684855, $10.00, Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Mission-China-Englishman-Brought-Orient/dp/1445661349
Synopsis: Originally published in a hardcover edition by Amberley Publishing; UK (September 2016), this new second
edition of "Mission to China: How an Englishman Brought the West to the Orient" by John Holliday from Tallai Books is
the history and biography of Walter Medhurst who, at the age of only twenty, set sail in August 1816 from London, aboard
the General Graham, bound for Malacca to establish a printing facility for the London Missionary Society. Thereby began a
career as missionary, adventurer, printer, writer, translator, teacher and nineteenth-century pioneer to China.
The adventure begins in Madras, where Walter meets and falls in love with his wife Elizabeth and together they move on to
Malacca, Penang and Batavia, preparing for the day when China opens up to the 'foreign devils' so that he can take the
Christian message to the heart of the Celestial Empire.
Following the First Opium War and the signing of the Treaty of Nanking, Medhurst took the opportunity in 1843 to set up
the LMS mission centre in Shanghai. From this base he built churches, schools, a printing works and a hospital (now a
major Shanghai hospital).
During the time of the Taiping Rebellion, Walter maintained contact with the rebel leaders and he became a leading source
of information in Britain and America about the situation in China.
In the years between 1847 and 1850, he led the team that translated the Bible into Chinese. Encapsulated within this life is
the whole history of the nineteenth-century integration of the West and the Orient -- from a new, shared religious belief to
common trade and enterprise.
"Mission to China: How an Englishman Brought the West to the Orient" is a true story of love, adventure, dedication and
tragedy, set during a time of great turmoil, and one that changed the course of history.
Critique: A truly impressive work of detailed and meticulous scholarship, this new second edition of "Mission to China:
How an Englishman Brought the West to the Orient" from Tallai Books is a truly fascinating and informative read. Under
the authorship of John Holliday it is biography and history raised to an impressive level of literary excellence and will be of
immense appeal to readers with an interest in 19th Century Chinese/British history in general, and Christian Missionary
Work in China in particular. Of special note for the reader's benefit is the inclusion in this new edition of a Bibliography
listing relevant books, articles, essays, dissertations, periodicals. and 'Other Sources'. Additionally included in this second
edition is a four page Index.
A seminal, ground-breaking, exceptionally well crafted, informed and informative biography, and originally published in a
hardcover edition (September 2016) of "Mission to China: How an Englishman Brought the West to the Orient, second
edition " is available in a paperback edition (9780648684848, $20.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.00) as is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community, seminary, and college/university
library 19th Century Biography and Christianity in China collections.
Editorial Note: John Holliday (https://tallaibooks.com) was born and grew up in England, where his service in the Royal Air
Force led to an opportunity in the burgeoning computer industry of the 1960s. John moved to Canada in 1968, initially
joining IBM but later breaking out on his own with his first business in a career as a serial entrepreneur. The experiences of
his working life became the subject of a book, 'Toughing It Out: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur', and so started a love
of writing. He is also the author of "Clara Colby: The International Suffragist"
Portrait of a Presidency
R. Barbara Gitenstein
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888245866, $26.95, HC, 178pp
https://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Presidency-Patterns-President-College/dp/B0DMSJZJNW
Synopsis: As public opinion began to sour on higher education, Barbara Gitenstein became president of The College of New
Jersey (TCNJ), today one of the most competitive and successful public undergraduate institutions in the Northeast, second
among New Jersey institutions only to Princeton in successful admission of students to graduate programs.
During her nineteen-year tenure as president, she confronted multiple crises, including 9/11, student deaths, controversial
speakers, and political interference. By partnering with other agencies and working to build a team of esteemed colleagues,
she successfully navigated the complex expectations of a higher education leader -- but not without a few missteps along the
way.
Told with a self-deprecating humor and a spirit of gratitude for all angles of her time as president, "Portrait of a Presidency:
Patterns in My Life as President of The College of New Jersey" is a candid account that offers insights on successful
leadership that will resonate, personally and professionally with the reader.
Critique: Continuing her professional and personal life story begun with the publication of "Experience in the Angled Road:
Memoir of an Academic", R. Barbara Gitenstein has now published "Portrait of a Presidency: Patterns in My Life as
President of The College of New Jersey". With a storytelling skill that raises her memoir to an impressive level of literary
elegance, readers with an interest in an insider's account of an administrative academic life today will find this a fascinating,
candid, and insightful read from start to finish. While unreservedly recommended for community and college/university
library Contemporary Jewish & Educator women's biography/memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading
lists that this hardcover edition of "Portrait of a Presidency" from Koehler Books is also available in paperback
(9798888245842, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: R. Barbara Gitenstein (https://rbarbaragitenstein.com) is the author of numerous articles on Jewish American
literature and academic administration, the monograph Apocalyptic Messianism and Jewish-American Poetry, several
op-eds for the higher education press, and Experience Is the Angled Road: Memoir of an Academic. Although originally,
she wanted to be a prima donna at the Metropolitan Opera Company, her second-choice career took off after receiving her
bachelor of arts from Duke University and PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After fifteen years as
a full-time professor, she served as provost and executive vice president at Drake University and president of The College of
New Jersey.
The General Fiction Shelf
A Fate Far Sweeter: The Story of Love & War
Roger Turenko
Planetary Books LLC
https://planetarybooks.com
9798348228682, $29.99, HC, 222pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Far-Sweeter-Kovalenkos-Adventures/dp/B0DSCHV8R2
Synopsis: Former U.S. Army officer John Kovalenko thought he'd left war behind -- until Ukraine's fight for freedom called
him back to arms. Now, he's joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion and is tasked with destroying a critical Russian missile
facility deep in enemy territory.
But when he joins forces with a band of Crimean Tatar resistance fighters, his mission transforms into something far more
personal. As John works alongside them, he is drawn into their world-and into the heart of Svetlana's beautiful
granddaughter, Yasmina. Their forbidden romance blossoms against the backdrop of gathering storm clouds, as a
treacherous informant threatens to unravel their carefully laid plans.
When the final assault begins, John and his unlikely band of warriors face impossible odds. In one explosive night, they'll
risk everything-their lives, their loves, and their homeland-in a mission that will test the limits of human courage and
sacrifice.
In war-torn Crimea, victory may be impossible -- but surrender is unthinkable.
Critique: Original, compelling, intense, and a fascinating read from start to finish, "A Fate Far Sweeter: The Story of Love
& War" by novelist Roger Turenko deftly incorporates an impressively crafted action/adventure military thriller replete with
ancient hostilities, contemporary European/Russian geo-politics, modern weaponry, romance, personal commitment, and
survival. A memorable work of fiction that could be tomorrow's reality, "A Fate Far Sweeter" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for community library Military Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this
hardcover edition of "A Fate Far Sweeter" from Planetary Books is also readily available in paperback (9798348228309,
$15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: For Roger Turenko, writing it a labor of love. "A Fate Far Sweeter: The Story of Love & War" is his debut
as a novelist. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/50600743.Roger_Turenko)
Unlucky Mel
Aggeliki Pelekidis
Three Hills
c/o Cornell University Press
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
9781501776304, $28.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Unlucky-Mel-Novel-Aggeliki-Pelekidis/dp/1501776304
Synopsis: "Unlucky Mel" is the story of PhD candidate Melody Hollings who is in the final year of her creative writing
program in upstate New York. Her dream life of landing the perfect academic job somewhere far away from her small
hometown and publishing her first novel is so close to becoming a reality. But first she has to finish writing that book. Oh,
and graduate. To do both, she needs her good friend Ben to reciprocate all the help she's given him over the years on his
writing.
But when Mel's widowed father starts acting strangely, she is thrown. After chalking it up to a dramatic attempt to
manipulate her into moving back in with him, she discovers that he really is suffering from dementia. Now she'll need to
stay local to care for him. Her dream is dying and her best option is to win a postgraduation fellowship through her alma
mater.
Despite all the upheaval in Mel's life, rather than helping her, Ben turns on her in a shocking betrayal. For the first time, Mel
has a nemesis! The stress of caring for her father, teaching too many students, and living with so much uncertainty over her
future escalates Mel's desire for retribution -- until one night, she discovers an opportunity to ruin Ben's reputation.
Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "Unlucky Mel" is author Aggeliki Pelekidis debut as a novelist, her
distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style is ideal for a satirical approach to the subject of women and how they are
expected (by themselves and by those that surround them) to sacrifice in behalf of their menfolk. Eloquent, erudite, original,
memorable, and a fun read from start to finish, "Unlucky Mel" is raised by its author to a significant level of literary
excellence, making it especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary
American Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Unlucky
Mel" from Three Hills (an imprint of the Cornell University Press) is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$13.99).
Editorial Note: Aggeliki Pelekidis (https://angiepelekidis.com) holds a PhD in English Literature and Creative Writing from
Binghamton University. Her writing has appeared in many literary journals. She used to work as a public relations executive
in New York City.
The Hunted Heir: A Romantic Legal Drama
Jayna Breigh
Kregel Publications
www.kregel.com
9780825448867, $16.99, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hunted-Heir-Novel-Jayna-Breigh/dp/0825448867
Synopsis: After a tragic loss, private investigator Nona Taylor swore off romantic entanglements and distanced herself from
the world. Once a year, on New Year's Eve, she attends church to beg God for forgiveness, haunted by the guilt of driving
her twin sister to her death.
Attorney DeMarcus Johnson is determined to climb the ladder to partnership by winning high-profile cases at his Los
Angeles law firm, harnessing his ADHD hyperfocus to excel. He's everything Nona knows to steer clear of--an
overconfident ex-jock willing to do anything for success.
Their worlds collide when Nona's pastor receives a mysterious letter claiming he's the sole heir to a substantial estate.
Desperate for answers, Nona infiltrates a lavish charity ball, only to be found out by a suspicious stranger -- so she latches
onto DeMarcus and concocts a fib about being his fiancee.
Now bound by a false engagement, the pair reluctantly join forces to discover the truth about the inheritance. But when an
unseen enemy strikes, they realize the stakes are higher than they thought. Can Nona and DeMarcus overcome their
differences to keep the pastor safe, secure DeMarcus's partnership, and preserve a future for themselves?
Critique: A deftly crafted and original novel that will hold a special appeal to fans of romantic legal dramas, "The Hunted
Heir: A Romantic Legal Drama" by author Jayna Breigh is a fun and fascinating read from start to finish. Emotionally
engaging and memorable characters tangled up in unexpected plot twists and perils, "The Hunted Heir" is an unreservedly
recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Legal Suspense Thriller collections. It
should be noted that this paperback edition of "The Hunted Heir" from Kregel Publications is also readily available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Jayna Breigh is an award-winning writer of Romantic Legal Dramas - Suspenseful, Twist-Filled
Mystery/Thrillers with Romance. She practiced "Big City Law" in Los Angeles for over a decade.
(https://teal-smilodon-aly6.squarespace.com/about-avenue)
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Cold Victory
Karl Marlantes
Grove Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161420, $28.99, HC, 352p
9780802163974, $18.99 PB, $14.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Victory-Karl-Marlantes/dp/0802163971
Synopsis: Helsinki, 1947. Finland teeters between the Soviet Union and the West. Everyone is being watched. A wrong look
or a wrong word could end in catastrophe. Natalya Bobrova, from Russia, and Louise Koski, from the United States, are
young wives of their country's military attaches. When they meet at an embassy party, their husbands, Arnie and Mikhail,
both world-class skiers, drunkenly challenge each other to a friendly (but secret) cross-country wilderness race.
Louise is delighted, but Natalya is worried. Stalin and Beria's secret police rule with unforgiving brutality. If news of the
race gets out and Mikhail loses, Natalya knows it would mean his death, her imprisonment, and the loss of her two children.
Meanwhile, Louise, who is childless, uses the race as an opportunity to raise money for a local orphanage, naive to the
danger it will bring to Natalya and her family.
Too late to stop Louise's scheme, a horrified Natalya watches as news of the race spreads across the globe as newspapers
and politicians spin it as a symbolic battle: freedom versus communism. Desperate to undo her mistake, Louise must reach
Arnie to tell him to throw the race and save Mikhail -- but how? The two racers are in a world of their own, unreachable in
Finland's arctic wilderness.
Critique: A riveting and original story set in the all to often lethal Cold War era of American vs. Russia, "Cold Victory" is
another masterfully crafted novel from author Karl Marlantes. Friendship, love, ideology, totalitarianism, life and death
hanging on decisions and fate, "Cold Victory" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library
Historical Action/Adventure Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of
"Cold War" from Grove Press is also available in paperback (
Editorial Note: Karl Marlantes graduated from Yale University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, before
serving as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals
for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. He is also the author of Matterhorn and What It Is Like to Go to War. He
lives in rural Washington. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marlantes)
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Exception
Marian Bruno
Little Forest Books
9798990020306, $11.99, PB, 338pp
https://www.amazon.com/Exception-Marian-Bruno/dp/B0CZJ6PQQW
Synopsis: Becca and Mark have been trying to have a baby for years. Technically, there's nothing wrong with them. They
fight a lot, but what couple doesn't? Everyone tells them to relax and it will happen. The next logical step is in vitro, but
that's invasive and scary. If it isn't physically meant to be, why force it? The conundrum leaves Becca feeling anxious,
depressed, and alone, until the day her neighbor Macy, a wild-spirited music producer, introduces her to Heathcliff, an
undeniably attractive and attentive photographer. Becca's loins are awakened, and she wonders whether she and Mark are
truly compatible. When Mark's mom, a sociology professor, admits to swinging and preaches about the social imposition of
monogamy, an idea brews: what if they went outside of their marriage?
Before taking the plunge and making a baby in a lab, they need to know, are they truly meant for one another?
They make an agreement: one month, one exception.
Will their relationship survive? Is letting go of each other, their dreams of being parents truly the secret to getting everything
they've ever wanted? Or will their desires change completely?
Every woman knows someone that has struggled or is struggling with infertility. They need this book! Pass it onto your
friends that love a little humorous fiction. The Exception is a wild ride filled with laughter and a few hard truths. You will
not want to put this contemporary romantic comedy down.
Critique: Silver Lake, Los Angeles, is a place where the young artists and lawless musicians roam, comes and is the
backdrop to "The Exception" by Marian Bruno. A deftly crafted, original, and comedic love story, "The Exception" is raised
by this author's narrative driven and distinctive storytelling style to an impressive level of literary excellence that will prove
of special appeal to readers with an interest in the authentically presented passions and problems of a three part polyamory
romance. A fun and fascinating read from start to finish, "The Exception" is especially and unreservedly recommended for
community and college/university Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists
that this paperback edition of "The Exception" from Little Forest Books is also available in a digital book formalt (Kindle,
$2.99).
Editorial Note: Marian Bruno (https://www.marianbruno.com) is an emerging author of humorous women's fiction novels.
She used to be an actress but still considers herself a comedian. She studied at the renowned Second City Conservatory and
Upright Citizen Brigade theaters, performed stand up at The Comedy Store, debuted her own one woman show and created
several web series. She has thoroughly enjoyed the transition to novel writing as it has eliminated the need to do her hair and
face: and besided, she'd much rather be outside under a tree with a book.
My Soul to Keep
Lynette M. Burrows
Rocket Dog Publishing
9781732582231, $37.99, HC, 518pp
https://www.amazon.com/My-Soul-Keep-Lynette-Burrows/dp/1732582238
Synopsis: Miranda yearns for a life of her own. Yet as an elite member of the Fellowship, she must marry the man her
parents choose. Live in his shadow. Be his perfect wife. Her life will never be her own.
She escapes. Creates a new identity. Lives a new life. But her newfound freedom reveals a world far more treacherous than
she'd ever imagined. Each new friend carries the scars of pain and loss.
It's a world where the villains of her childhood nightmares, the mythic Angels of Death who punish unbelievers.
Miranda uncovers secrets disguised as truth. Scandalous, deadly secrets that change her life. But someone desperately wants
to hide the truth. Desperately enough to send the Angels of Death after her friends and after her!
To save her friends and country, Miranda must make a choice: return home or confront her past.
Will she return to her life of comfort and lies and rules? Or will she reveal the truth? Fight alongside the rebels? Even if it
destroys her family? Even if she must face the Angel of Death?
Critique: The first volume of a trilogy, "My Soul To Keep" by Lynette M. Burrows is the story about a woman who dares to
break the rules of her society. But in the dystopia of 1961 Fellowship America, those rules aren't optional -- and they are
enforced with a deadly vengeance. As an author, Burrows raises her dystopian novel to an impressive level of literary
excellence. With misogynist elements that are easily extrapolated from the politics of Christian Nationalism of today, "My
Soul To Keep" is a chilling but inherently fascinating read from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly
recommended for both community and college/university library Literary Fiction and Science Fiction collections, it should
be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in dystopian fiction and the struggle for women's rights that
this hardcover edition of "My Soul To Keep" from Rocket Dog Publishing is also readily available in paperback
(9781732582200, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Lynette M. Burrows (https://lynettemburrows.com) is a survivor. She survived moving to seventeen different
schools before she graduated from high school. She contends that this makes her uniquely qualified to write a dystopian
novel or two. Spiced with a dash of intrigue, a dollop of mayhem, and a liberal dose of automatic weapons her stories aim to
entertain. The White Box stories (her collaborations with Rob Chilson), appeared in Analog Science Fiction Science Fact
magazine. She's also had stories published in regional and national children's magazines. She blogs regularly about
inspiration, books, story research, writing, and other subjects of interest.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
Ticket To Romance
Philippa Carey
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444854213, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 256pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444854213
Synopsis: At Paddington Station, Sir Martin Locke comes across a young woman whose purse, including her money and her
train ticket, has been stolen. Feeling he cannot just walk on by, he purchases his new acquaintance (Miss Veronica Douglas)
a fresh ticket and luncheon. The two spend the journey in companiable conversation. But the line becomes blocked by snow,
and neither can reach their destination as expected. Martin feels committed to Veronica's rescue, so what is he going to
do?
Critique: Chivalry is not dead -- not while Sir Martin Locke is available to come to the resuce of a damsel in distress.
"Ticket To Romance" by Philippa Carey is a fun, pleasant, and rewarding read from cover to cover. This large print
paperback edition from the Linford Romance Library collections is a solid and happily recommended pick for the personal
reading lists of all dedicated romance fans, as well as community library Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Philippa Carey (https://www.pcarey.uk) writes "Cosy" Romance with no overt sex scenes or erotica.
Philippa does extensive research to ensure historical details are as accurate as possible.
Heart of the Glen
Jennifer Deibel
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800746711, $29.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Glen-Jennifer-Deibel/dp/0800746716
Synopsis: When Saoirse Fagan arrives to start her new job as housemaid at Drumboe Castle, she is dismayed to learn that
the lord of the house passed away a week prior. Already running away from the tragedy that claimed the lives of her own
family members, Saoirse wanders the road with nowhere to go until Aileen McCready offers her a lift and possibly a place
to stay for the night.
Sheep farmer and weaver Owen McCready is known for his intricate and impeccably woven tweed. But when he's injured in
an attack by bandits, his entire livelihood is endangered. A new (and distracting) mouth to feed adds fuel to the fire, and
Owen struggles to keep his family afloat. Though Saoirse is eager to help, even offering to learn the weaving craft, Owen is
hesitant to accept aid from this strange young woman, no matter how inexplicably magnetic he finds her.
But Saoirse is not one to give up easily. It may take extra effort on her part, but she's determined to convince the McCreadys
that they need her -- perhaps as much as she needs them.
Critique: Simply stated, author Jennifer Deibel is a true master of the historical romance genre with "Heart of the Glen"
once again demonstrating her distinctive and memorably effective storytelling style. A fun and emotionally engaging read
from start to finish, "Heart of the Glen" will prove a welcome pick for personal reading lists and community library
Historical Romance collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Jennifer Deibel fans that this hardcover
edition of "Heart of the Glen" from Revell is also readily available in paperback (9780800744861, $17.99) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Jennifer Deibel (www.JenniferDeibel.com) is the author of A Dance in Donegal (winner of the Kipp Award
for Historical Romance), The Lady of Galway Manor, The Maid of Ballymacool, and The Irish Matchmaker. With firsthand
immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family.
A listing of her books is available at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20391683.Jennifer_Deibel
The Perfect Rom-Com
Melissa Ferguson
Thomas Nelson Publishers
www.thomasnelson.com
9780840716880, $18.99, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Rom-Com-Romance-Novel-Lovers/dp/0840716885
Synopsis: Aspiring author Bryony Page attends her first writers conference bursting with optimism and ready to sell her
manuscript with long-shot dreams of raising awareness for The Bridge, her grandmother's financially struggling
organization where she teaches ESL full-time. But after a disastrous pitch session, she stumbles into correcting another
author's work in a last-ditch attempt to make a good impression with the agent. And she, as it turns out, is spot on.
No one is more surprised than Bryony when the agent offers her the opportunity to be a ghostwriter for Amelia Benedict,
popular rom-com novelist. Bryony agrees on one condition: she'll write books for this vain, demanding woman just as long
as Jack Sterling, literary agent of the legendary Foundry Literary Agency, works to sell her own book too.
What nobody predicted, however, was that Bryony's books would turn Amelia Benedict into the Amelia Benedict,
household name and bestselling author with millions of copies sold around the world.
She's written dozens of smash-hit romance novels. Too bad no one knows it. And just like that, the Foundry Agency can't let
her go. But on a personal note, Jack is realizing he can't either.
Critique: A Rom-Com lover's delight and a fun read from start to finish, "The Perfect Rom-Com" by author Melissa
Ferguson fully lives up to the promise of its subtitle 'A Romance Novel for Book Lovers". Thoroughly laced throughout
with humor, impressively original in concept, and a deftly crafted romantic comedy masterpiece, that is unreservedly
recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance collections, it should be noted that
this paperback edition of "The Perfect Rom-Com" from Thomas Nelson is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Melissa Ferguson (https://melissaferguson.com) is the author of How to Plot a Payback, Meet Me in the
Margins, and Famous for a Living. Her heartwarming romantic comedies have been featured in such places as The
Hollywood Reporter, Travel + Leisure, and The New York Post. She is on Instagram and TikTok at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse
and offers a newsletter for her fans.
Change of Heart
Falon Ballard
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group
www.penguin.com
9780593712924, $19.00, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Change-Heart-Falon-Ballard/dp/0593712927
Synopsis: Campbell Andrews despises exactly three things in life: incompetence, tardiness, and love stories. Making partner
at her law firm at thirty-four, she has no time for anything or anyone else. And certainly no respect for those who choose
love over work. That is, until she wakes up in Heart Springs -- her own personal hell.
The good news? She's not dead. She's been magically transported to a small town straight out of the Hallmark channel,
complete with a meddling mayor, seasonal festivals, and friendly townsfolk. Cam can't stand it, but in order to make it back
to her real life, she has to fulfill three tasks... foremost among them, experience true love. It seems impossible. But
anything's possible with a change of heart.
Critique: If every there were a romance novel that begs to be a Hallmark Movie Channel movie, it's Falon Ballard's "Change
of Heart". An original, deftly crafted, and thoroughly fun read from start to finish, "Change of Heart" is unreservedly
recommended for community library Contemporary Fantasy Romance collections. It should be noted for personal reading
lists that this paperback edition of "Change of Heart" from G.P. Putnam's Sons is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Falon Ballard is the author of several rom coms and the co-host of the Happy to Meet Cute podcast. When
she's not writing a romance book, reading a romance book, or talking about romance books, you can probably find her at
Disneyland, California.
Dream Girl Drama
Tessa Bailey
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063380776, $30.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Girl-Drama-Rom-Com-Unconventional/dp/0063380781
Synopsis: When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier's car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private
country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates
him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.
Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can't wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to
meet his dad's new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe's mother. Oh,
and they're engaged.
Sig's dream girl is his future stepsister.
Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her
controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston -- but not inside his bedroom.
They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be
stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they
were meant for so much more...
Critique: Fully living up to its promise of being an unconventional love story, "Dream Girl Drama is a spicy and sports
themed Rom-Com by novelist Tessa Bailey. An original, laced throughout with humor, and a thoroughly fun read from start
to finish, "Dream Girl Drama" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance
collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated Rom-Com fans that this hardcover edition of
"Dream Girl Drama" from Avon Books is also readily available in paperback (9780063380783, $18.99) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Tessa Bailey (https://www.tessabailey.com) can solve all problems except for her own, so in her books she
focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue-collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. Tessa writes with spice, spirit,
swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after.
The Western Fiction Shelf
Hired Gun in Hell
Frank Callan
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853360, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 221pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444853360
Synopsis: It is 1858 and the new Texas is expanding, moving closer to the Comancheria, Indian Territory. Around the little
settlement of Bantillo, precariously placed east of San Antonio, the bullets and the arrows fly. The land is teeming with
comancheros, and sometimes the Comanche from up north raid over the Red River. A stage has been chartered, and the
travelers inside all have their own stories.
Leon Brett and Watt Duggan want to assemble a new community (the Liberocracy, living off the land and water by the
shores of the Kimishi River) while Sir Thomas Rowan, speaker and writer, has a message of civilization. Then there is Miss
Emily Nolan, actress and singer, out for her first trip West; politician Harvey Caldy and his dream of railroads; and finally
there is the real celebrity: tall Joe Jardine, infamous gunman known as the Leveller -- a man who puts right what the law has
failed to do.
But Jardine meets an old enemy -- the man who killed the woman he revered -- his wife. He's a hired gun in hell, and he has
to get even with the killer he has hated, while saving the rest of the party from more danger.
Critique: A compulsive suspense thriller of a read from start to finish, "Hired Gun in Hell" by Frank Callan is a truly
memorable read and a 'must' for the legions of dedicated western fans of novels that are skillfully written and feature a
vigilante gunfighter who seeks vengeance against someone who has it coming to them at the risk of his own life and in a
blaze of gunfire. This large print paperback edition of "Hired Gun in Hell" truly lives up to the promise of its title and is a
welcome and recommended pick for western fans and community library collections.
Revenge Riders
Alex Frew
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853407, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 238pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444853407
Synopsis: Hawk lived the life of a peaceful rancher. Until, that is, the bandits came. With his wife dead and his son gone,
kidnapped and beyond finding, Hawk returns to the ways of his Indian forebears. He goes hunting, only this time he is
pursuing the hardest game of all - the evil folk who committed the attack. Along with the men who have worked for him for
most of his life, Hawk finds out that a member of his wife's family has conspired against him. But who is the mysterious girl
with his son?
Critique: A classic action/adventure style western vengeance quest novel, "Revenge Riders" by Alex Frew is original, deftly
crafted, and a fun read for western fans from beginning to end. This large print paperback edition of "Revenge Riders" from
the Linford Western Library series is a well advised pick for community library Western Fiction collections, as well as the
personal reading lists of all dedicated western novel enthusiasts.
Editorial Note: Alex Frew is a descendant of the Canadian branch of the Blackfoot Sioux and has had eight BHWs
published. An avid fan of cowboy films and fiction, Alex also writes short stories and screenplays.
(https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/8103933.Alex_Frew)
The Forsaken Man
Pete B. Jenkins
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853346, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 223pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444853346
Synopsis: Jim Sandford has been elected sheriff of Caldwell by a landslide victory. Riding on a wave of popularity, it looks
like he can do no wrong, even securing the attention of the prettiest woman in town. However, she has another admirer who
isn't happy about the liaison. Then Jim hears Wade Baxter is heading to Caldwell, to settle an old score with the townsfolk
who set him up for a crime he didn't commit. Jim confidently waits for his arrival. However, the men of Caldwell abandon
their new sheriff one by one, until Jim is forced to face Wade alone.
Critique: If you liked the movie 'High Noon' with Gary Cooper then you will fully enjoy Pete B. Jenkins's "The Forsaken
Man". A compulsive suspense thriller of a read, this large print paperback edition of "The Forsaken Man" will prove a
welcome addition to both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Pete B. Jenkins has been writing for the past 22 years. "Hell in Paradise" was his first Black Horse Western,
"The Forsaken Man' was his second.
Zococa and the Lady
Roy Patterson
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853278, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 223pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444853278
Synopsis: Flamboyant Mexican bandit Zococa and his mute sidekick Tahoka are hired by Don Pedro Sanchez, the ruler of
the mysterious territory of El Sanchez, to escort a valuable and precious cargo (his daughter Isabella) safely to his hacienda.
But what seems a simple and profitable task soon turns out to be a perilous expedition through Apache land. What makes
the journey even more dangerous is the fact that Don Pedro's ruthless brother is intent on killing Isabella before she reaches
the safety of El Sanchez.
Critique: A riveting read from start to finish, "Zococa and the Lady" by Roy Patterson is western themed action/adventure at
its very best. This large print paperback edition of "Zococa and the Lady" from the Linford Western Library collection will
prove a welcome pick for the personal reading lists of western fans, as well as an enduringly popular addition to
public/community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: An extensive listing of books by Roy Patterson is readily avialable online at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16722586.Roy_Patterson
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
It's Showtime!
Carrie Hewlett
Linford Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444854220, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 291pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/us/search/9781444854220
Synopsis: A case for the Lightyear Detective Agency leads Amber to go undercover at the local amateur dramatics group,
the Hampton Players. Money is going missing from their petty cash tin; securing a part in their upcoming production of
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS is the perfect opportunity for Amber to discreetly investigate. But she has no
idea what is waiting in the wings...
Critique: A cozy mystery lover's delight, "It's Showtime" this large print paperback edition of Carrie Hewlett novel is a fun
read from start to finish -- and especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library
Mystery/Suspense collections.
Tangles: A Cold War Love Story and Mystery
Kay Smith-Blum
Black Rose Writing
https://www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685135065, $17.95, PB, 285pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tangles-Cold-Love-Story-Mystery/dp/1685135064
Synopsis: When a harpooned whale offers proof that the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the
Columbia River Basin, brash young scientist Luke Hinson seizes the chance to avenge his father's death but a thyroid cancer
diagnosis derails Luke's research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn.
On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and
her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford's harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.
Critique: Deftly blending a love story with a suspenseful thriller of a mystery, author Kay Smith-Blum presents "Tangles", a
Cold War era novel that showcases the devastating costs to life and the environment with the emergence of the nuclear age.
Featuring the Kay Smith-Blum's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style, "Tangles" reveals 'the courage of
wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual'. Original,
exceptional, emotionally engaging, memorable, and raised by its author to an impressive level of literary excellence,
"Tangles" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and public library Contemporary Fiction collections.
It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Tangles" from Black Rose Writing is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Kay Smith-Blum (www.kaysmith-blum.com) spends her mornings writing stories that debunk the tropes of
the mid-20th century and defy genre. Winner of the Black Fox Lit 2023 Short Story contest, Smith-Blum's other short works
have garnered Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations. She can be followed on Instagram @discerningKSB
Yonders, Illinois
Dennis Noyes
Trebol Editions
https://www.treboleditions.com
9788409542918, $17.00, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Yonders-Illinois-Dennis-Noyes/dp/8409542919
Synopsis: Once a sweetcorn-canning boomtown built by a busy railroad crossing, Yonders, Illinois is a community that now
stands as a proud but fading testament to the relentless march of time.
Back in 1959, a gruesome triple homicide was committed, but the police investigation was obstructed when truth was
overshadowed by convenience. Nearly 40 years later, Keelan Putnam, long suspected but never convicted of the murders,
resurfaces in the town.
Police Chief Buster Lawton, an unwavering beacon of justice, finds himself entangled in a maze of law, truth and
redemption.
Even murderers get homesick and small towns can have long memories in this story of lost love, unsettled dilemmas, and
ghosts that refuse to vanish.
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, and all the more impressive when
considering that it is his debut as a novelist, "Yonders, Illinois" showcases author Dennis Noyes' genuine flair for the kind of
narrative driven storytelling that holds the reader's rapt attention throughout. Especially and unreservedly recommended for
community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of historical thrillers fans
that this paperback edition of "Yonders, Illinois" from Trebol Editions is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $7.99).
Editorial Note: Dennis Noyes (https://dennis-noyes.com) is a short story writer and renowned motorsports author whose
writing style is rich in character depth and moral complexity, yet lightened by humor.
The Bank
A. B. Goodman
Planetary Books
9798348427214, $29.99, HC, 290pp
9798348476229, $15.99 PB, 9798230490463 $9.99 eBook
B0DVPJNPD6 $9.99 Kindle (ASIN)
Synopsis: Jim Bentley has it all: a prestigious position at the powerful Bolton Sayres investment bank, a glamorous career
ahead of him, and a marriage to the CEO's daughter. But his life is about to take a darker turn. When Jim discovers the diary
of a murdered bank employee and stumbles upon a suspicious burial site deep in the woods of upstate New York, his world
is shaken to its core. What begins as innocent curiosity soon escalates into a dangerous game of survival.
As Jim digs deeper, he uncovers a massive conspiracy involving missing gold reserves, illegal market manipulation, and a
global financial cover-up, all orchestrated by a shadowy group of elites. Jim finds himself hunted by a ruthless former KGB
killer, hired by deadly forces who seek to eliminate "loose ends."
At the heart of the conspiracy is THEATRES, a high-tech, AI-driven surveillance system that watches every move, every
digital footprint, every conversation. An omnipresent eye that sees everything and leaves no place to hide. Amazingly, this
system ACTUALLY EXISTS in the real world. It's a massive surveillance system, even now in operation inside New York
City, unknown to most people! This pervasive surveillance is supposed to keep us safe. But, it can also be used as a tool for
the powerful to maintain control. What what makes this novel so unique is that it stands firmly upon pillars of reality.
Jim is desperate to find the truth and to avoid the surveillance that could cost him his life. He enlists the help of two unlikely
allies. A brilliant Silicon Alley engineer, who helps him counter the technology tracking his every move, and a beautiful
widow whose husband's murder holds the key to everything. Jim races against time to expose the truth, but navigates a
labyrinth of deception. Even those closest to him may not be what they seem. Can he trust his own wife? And what happens
when the people who seem to be helping him have their own hidden agendas?
From the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan to the rural Catskill Mountains, "The Bank" by A. B. Goodman is a
heart-pounding, fast-paced thriller that takes readers deep into the financial world, complete with pervasive corruption,
cutting-edge surveillance, and the lengths some will go to maintain power. With every twist and turn, the stakes climb
higher - millions of dollars in missing gold, a high-tech surveillance system that never blinks, and a deadly game where one
wrong move could cost Jim everything.
As the bodies pile up and the walls close in, Jim's fight for justice becomes something much larger than he ever anticipated.
His quest to bring the truth to light could topple the entire financial system - but only if he can survive long enough to
expose it!
Critique: An authentically original and deftly crafted story blending financial technologies and crime, with a compulsive
page turner of a suspense thriller. "The Bank" a compelling work of fiction is extrapolated from existing technologies and
autocracies. It embodies the very real question of how much power and privacy have we sacrificed to the systems that run
our world?
We are clearly living in a second Gilded Age of Robber Barron's where the rich and powerful always seem to have the upper
hand. "The Bank" by A. B. Goodman arises from today's pervasive concerns about how much of our lives can be controlled,
watched, and manipulated by those whose wealth and power are now shaping our politics and governance. Authentically
original, novelist A. B. Goodman raises "The Bank" to an impressive level of literary excellence, and it is an inherently
fascinating and memorable read from start to finish.
This hardcover edition of "The Bank" is also available in paperback and in a digital book format (including Kindle) in June,
2025. A digital audiobook is expected from Apple Books in July, 2025. "The Bank" from Planetary Books is unreservedly
recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Mystery/Suspense and
Dystopian Literary Fiction collections.
Abby's Fire
R. I. Partridge, author
Corinne Malcolm Ibeling, author
Black Rose Writing
www.blackrosewriting.com
9781685132941, $20.95, PB, 273pp
https://www.amazon.com/Abbys-Fire-Mt-Prospect-Mystery/dp/1685132944
Synopsis: After a fire destroys her home, Abby Bennett emerges from the hospital horribly scarred. Her husband has
abandoned her, and her two little boys are gone.
Determined to reclaim her life and get her boys back, Abby returns to her hometown in Iowa. With the help of a reclusive
neighbor, Jack, she begins renovating her sister's rental property. But the old cottage has a tragic past in the form of a grisly
unsolved murder.
When Abby sees images of the victims (a mother and her children) in a mirror above the fireplace, she realizes it holds the
key to solving the decades-old mystery. As Abby embarks on a quest to unmask the murderer, she learns that evil from the
past still has the power to destroy. Will she sacrifice everything she's worked so hard for to set right an old wrong?
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and co-authored by R.I. Partridge and Corinne Malcolm Ibeling, "Abby's Fire" is a simply
fascinating and memorable read from start to finish and will have a very special interest for fans of novels that so skillfully
combine murder mysteries with the supernatural. A unique and unreservedly recommended pick for community library
Mystery/Suspense & Ghost Story collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of
"Abby's Fire" from Black Rose Writing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note #1: Rebecca Inch-Partridge (www.ripartridge.com) is a freelance editor, who specializes in speculative
fiction and mysteries. She's a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions. Her first novel, Escaping the Dashia, was
released earlier this year.
Editorial Note #2: Corinne Malcolm Ibeling comes from a long line of Iowans-farmers, coal miners, and even a couple of
circus owners. Her experiences living in small-town Iowa serves as inspiration for the settings and characters of her novels.
However, her only real-life experience with ghosts was living in an old house where footsteps were occasionally heard at
night going up and down the stairs.
The Last Hanging of Angel Martinez
Kate Niles
University of New Mexico Press
www.unmpress.com
9780826367044, $19.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Martinez-Miller-Southwest-Fiction/dp/0826367046
Synopsis: In Taos County, New Mexico, probation officer Nina Montgomery thinks she knows all about Angel Martinez, a
"frequent flyer" in the judicial system for increasingly sadistic treatment of his ex-partner, Liza Monaghan. When Liza is
found dead on her kitchen floor, everyone suspects Angel -- Nina most of all.
When Angel's aunt Loretta, Nina's neighbor and friend, asks her to look into Liza's murder, Nina reaches out to friend and
sheriff's deputy Larry Baca and becomes embroiled in the case. As Nina delves into Angel's and Liza's lives, she is surprised
to learn that Angel is a santero artist on the rise.
A talented but struggling ceramic artist herself, Nina finds her worlds colliding when a Hollywood celebrity wants her art
just as the entanglements of Angel's family history begin to suggest the source of Liza's death. Amid the cultural and natural
beauty of the Northern Rio Grande Valley, Nina finds herself steeped in the drama of a family gone terribly and violently
wrong.
Critique: An original and fun read from start to finish, "The Last Hanging of Angel Martinez" is a very highly recommended
pick for the legions of cozy mystery fans who appreciated a good 'whodunnit' murder mystery that feature a woman sleuth
and more plot twists leading to an ultimate reveal that plays fair with the reader. While especially and unreservedly
recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this
paperback edition of "The Last Hanging of Angel Martinez" from the University of New Mexico Press is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Kate Niles (https://kateniles.com) is also the author of the novels "The Book of John", "The Basket Maker",
and the poetry collection "Geographies of the Heart".
Gravewater Lake
A. M. Strong & Sony Sargent
Thomas & Mercer
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662518393, $16.99, PB, 364pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gravewater-Lake-Thriller-M-Strong/dp/1662518390
Synopsis: A woman wakes on the shore of a remote lake in the middle of the night, freezing and afraid. With no memory of
who she is or how she got there, she stumbles frantically toward the lights of a house. The handsome stranger who lives
there is shocked to see a woman on his doorstep and takes her in.
Trapped by a winter storm and cut off from the outside world, she starts to suspect that all is not right with the house on
Gravewater Lake -- or the man, who says his name is Gregg. Because there are whispers in the night, and phantom footsteps
pace the halls. Is Gregg hiding a dark secret, or is she losing her mind?
As she struggles to remember her past and make sense of her present, she soon discovers that people are not always who
they seem, and the truth might be more deadly than she could ever have imagined.
Critique: With the publication of "Gravewater Lake", co-authors A. M. Strong and Sonya Sargent have impressively
collaborated to craft an inherently fascinating story about a woman who can't remember her past, encounters a mysterious
stranger, as her plight grows every more unsettling and potentially hazardous. A deftly crafted novel of increasing
psychological suspense, co-authors Strong and Sargent have raised their simply riveting novel to an impressive level of
literary excellence, making it an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Gravewater Lake" from Thomas &
Mercer is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).
Editorial Note #1: A.M. Strong (www.amstrongauthor.com) is the co-author of nine novels, most recently The Last Girl Left
and I Will Find Her. A native of the United Kingdom he also writes under the pen name Anthony M. Strong.
Editorial Note #2: Sonya Sargent (www.twistedthrillers.com) is the co-author of nine novels, most recently The Last Girl
Left and I Will Find Her. A native of Vermont, Sonya now splits her time between sunny Florida and the beautiful coast of
Maine.
She Doesn't Have a Clue
Jenny Elder Moke
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250354983, $31.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/She-Doesnt-Have-Clue-Novel/dp/1250354986
Synopsis: A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for
bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it's more like a nightmare.
Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiance's wedding is its own enigma, but she'll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with
the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she'll try to finish a draft of her latest
Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift.
When the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes
the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the
Hostralian; aka: Kate's biggest romantic regret.
As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface
amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate
doesn't have a clue.
Critique: A beautifully crafted novel blending romance with murder, "She Doesn't Have A Clue" is a cozy mystery fans
delight and a fun read from start to finish. Clearly, novelist Jenny Elder Moke is a master storyteller with a distinctive flair
for fully engaging her readers with memorable characters, unexpected plot twists, and a dramatic finale by way of
conclusion. Simply stated, "She Doesn't Have A Clue" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and
community library collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "She Doesn't Have A Clue" from Minotaur
Books is also readily available in paperback (9781250354969, $17.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Jenny Elder Moke (https://jennyeldermoke.com) is the author of award-winning children's and adult
literature. She enjoys fast-paced adventures with plenty of mysteries, surprising turns, and laughs along the way.
Secrets Between the Shelves
Cynthia Hickey, et al.
Barbour Publishing
www.barbourbooks.com
9798891510319, $14.99, PB, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Between-Shelves-Bookshop-Mysteries/dp/B0D3JB661F
Synopsis: Four cozy mysteries enjoyed in books come to life, threatening four businesses.
Amber's new bookshop and tearoom draws rare book collectors, but when one ends up dead in the mystery section, the
shop's future is questionable.
Lilly's pirate themed bookshop fits right into Harbor Inn, Maine, but she never expected to find a young pirate dead on her
shop's floor.
Abby opens Secret Passages Bookshop in a Wyoming mountain town, not realizing her historic building held a real secret
passage and a missing teenager.
When Kelly Stephens opens her shop Artistic Adventures next to Bayside Books and Reading Room, she witnesses a
suspicious death.
Can the store owners and their patrons solve the mysteries before their businesses go under?
Critique: An anthology comprised of four cozy mysteries by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly, and
Marilyn Turk with the theme of bookshop owners having to solve mysteries at some peril to themselves and their
bookshops, "Secrets Between The Shelves" is an extraordinary and fun read from cover to cover. A special and memorable
delight for all cozy mystery fans, this edition of "Secrets Between The Shelves" from Barbour Publishers will prove to be an
extraordinarily popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal
reading lists of all cozy mystery fans that this paperback edition is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.49) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Cynthia Hickey (https://cynthiahickey.com) has taught writing at many conferences and small writing
retreats. She and her husband run the publishing press, Winged Publications, which includes some of the CBA's best
well-known authors.
Editorial Note #2: Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction flavored with suspense and romance. Marilyn also writes devotions
for Daily Guideposts. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers; Faith, Hope and Love; Advanced Writers and
Speakers Association; and Word Weavers International. (https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/marilyn-turk)
Editorial Note #3: Linda Baten Johnson (https://www.lindabatenjohnson.com) currently writes squeaky-clean romance
novellas, cozy mysteries, and books for young readers. She loves incorporating history into her storie Several of her books
have been converted to audio for listening pleasure.
Editorial Note #4: Teresa Ives Lilly (www.teresalilly.wordpress.com ) has authored a variety of Christian and Clean Novels
and Novellas romance and mystery, historical and contemporary. She has written several chapter books and one picture
book. She has also authored over two hundred unit studies for public and private schools.
Sabotage at Cedar Creek
Janice Thompson
Barbour Publishing
www.barbourbooks.com
9798891510265, $9.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sabotage-Cedar-Creek-Truck-Mysteries/dp/B0D3FQKS8Q
Synopsis: It's summertime in Mabank, Texas, and the Hadley family's new antique business is open and running well with
Tilly, the red antique truck, as its mascot. Raelynn Hadley enjoys driving Grandpa's truck around as she seeks out antiques
for her family's store.
Raelynn is excited that her best friend, Tasha, will soon open a new vacation rental to accommodate the area's growing
tourism, but an unexpected act of sabotage threatens to spoil all that Tasha has worked for.
Raelynn immediately gets to work sleuthing out who could be behind the crime. Could it be the bitter neighbor, intent on
spoiling Tasha's plans? Perhaps it's a nearby resort owner, worried about the potential loss of revenue. Maybe it's the former
owner's daughter who was left out of the will and believes the home should be hers. Or maybe it's the squatter who had
taken up residence in the home before renovations.
Raelynn is determined to solve the mystery for her friend in time for opening day.
Critique: A deftly crafted and thoroughly fun read from start to finish, "Sabotage at Cedar Creek" by author Janic Thompson
is the second novel in the 'Little Red Truck' cozy mystery series. Original, entertaining, "Sabotage at Cedar Creek" is a
prime 'whodunnit' from Barbour Press and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary
Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sabotage at Cedar Creek" is also readily
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).
Editorial Note: Janice Thompson (https://janiceathompson.com) writes romantic comedies, cozy mysteries, nonfiction
devotionals, and musical comedies for the stage. The first title in her "The Little Red Truck Mystery series is "Tracking
Tilley" (Barbour Fiction, 9781636099088, $14.99 PB, $9.99 Kindle, $39.95 Library Binding, 256pp).
Drop Dead Twice
Mark Thomas McGee
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887716367, $30.00, HC, 236pp
https://www.amazon.com/Drop-Dead-Twice-Lawson-Mystery/dp/B0DRNV2MT3
Synopsis: They were but a few steps away from the entrance to the hotel when Annie was stopped dead in her tracks by a
blood-curdling scream. It seemed to be coming from somewhere above them, gaining in volume. Before she could look up,
Mike jerked her into the safety of the archway, just ahead of the body that smacked the pavement where she had been
standing, one hundred and eighty pounds of solid stock.
Annie looked at Mike, her expression one of shock and surpirse. She took another look at the corpse. It was only when she
turned to Mike for the second time that she found her voice."Gadzooks!"
And so begins "Drop Dead Twice" by Mark Thomas McGee.
Critique: A Mark Lawson murder mystery, "Drop Dead Twice" by author Mark Thomas McGee is a hardboiled 'whodunnit'
story -- the kind they used to make film noir movies from. A reviting and fun read from start to finish, "Drop Dead Twice"
is a 'must' for all dedicated Mike Hammer/Mickey Spillane fans. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular
pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of readers with an
interest in traditional detective novels that this hardcover edition of "Drop Dead Twice" from BearManor Press is also
readily available in a paperback edition (9798887716350, $20.00).
Editorial Note: Mark Thomas McGee has written several movie history books including Teenage Thunder, You Won't
Believe Your Eyes, biographies of James H. Nicholson, Robert Lippert and Sam Katzman, as well as a number of
direct-to-video movies. A Vietnam veteran, McGee states that he will continue to write Mike Lawson mysteries until he
drops dead. Twice.
The Last Hamilton
Jenn Bregman
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639109913, $29.99, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Hamilton-Novel-Jenn-Bregman/dp/1639109919
Synopsis: When Elizabeth Walker, the last heir of the Alexander Hamilton line, is tragically killed by a subway train in New
York, foul play is immediately suspected. Elizabeth had been terrified, frantic, and manic during her last days, running
mysterious errands, searching for a strange antique key, and sending cryptic messages to her best friend, Sarah
Brockman.
The morning after Elizabeth's death, a box of tattered documents lands on Sarah's doorstep, confirming her suspicions about
Elizabeth's strange behavior and shocking death. She brings the box to Elizabeth's grieving husband, Ralph. Working
together, they are stunned to discover that Elizabeth was part of a secret society established by Hamilton himself to keep the
United States just and free, its influence woven into every corner of the country's history.
As Sarah and Ralph race through the streets of New York to uncover the truth behind Elizabeth's death, they must stop an
ingenious and sinister plot before someone else catches up to them -- and the secrets of Hamilton's society are lost
forever.
Critique: A swiftly paced, deftly crafted, impressively original, and compelling read from start to finish, "The Last
Hamilton" by Jenn Bregman reveals the author's exceptional storytelling talents in a riveting suspense thriller of novel that
is a truly exceptional and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be
noted that his hardcover edition of "The Last Hamilton" from Crooked Lane Books is available for the personal reading of
cozy mystery fans in paperback (9798892422246, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Jenn Bregman (https://jennbregman.com) is a UCLA Law graduate and former Big Law litigator who
practiced both in Los Angeles and on Wall Street in New York. Author of the critically acclaimed thriller, The TimeKeepers
and published in the UCLA Law Review, she is a closet adventurer, who loves to ski, run marathons, and hike giant
mountains. She lives in Colorado with her family and sweet Havanese dog Babalu.
No Comfort for the Dead
R. P. O'Donnell
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9798892420563, $29.99, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/No-Comfort-Dead-R-P-ODonnell/dp/B0D3YDWSZP
Synopsis: 1988, West Cork, Ireland. Emma Daly has returned to her home in Castlefreke, a small and peaceful village where
everybody knows everybody. She has taken over the local library and is trying not to think about the scandal she left behind
in the city. But when the richest man in the village is murdered and the main suspect is the mysterious son of a local family,
her charming small-town life is turned upside down.
Emma knows for a fact that there is more to the story, and when the family asks her to investigate, she decides to take
matters into her own hands.
Teaming up with a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac, and her high school sweetheart, it is up to Emma to solve the
mystery before either the police or the murderer can stop her.
Critique: Original, cleverly crafted, and a cozy mystery lover's delight from start to finish, "No Comfort for the Dead" by
author R. P. O'Donnell is a fun read and one that will be an immediately and enduringly popular pick for community library
Mystery/Suspense collections. An historical 'whodunnit' mystery featuring an amateur female sleuth, it should be noted for
the personal reading lists of all dedicated cozy mystery buffs that this hardcover edition of "No Comfort for the Dead" from
Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: R.P. O'Donnell (https://rp-odonnell.com) was born to an Irish American family on the South Shore of
Boston, Massachusetts. He was short and wore a back brace for two years, so he really had no choice but to love reading and
writing from a young age. After graduating with a degree in English, he moved to a tiny fishing village in West Cork, where
he lives with his family. He works as a marketing content writer and has published articles in the Irish Examiner and Irish
Times. In 2020, he was chosen by Paul McVeigh as the winner of the J.G. Farrell Award at the West Cork Literary Festival.
He is now planning the second and third novels in the Castlefreke series.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
33 Frivolous Pricks
Michael A. Greco
Independently Published
9798303449244, $13.65 PB, 214pp
https://www.amazon.com/33-Frivolous-Pricks-Michael-Greco/dp/B0DR76PDZR
Synopsis: Danger was not on the agenda as eight time-travelers leave 2025 for a brief excursion into the past. But one of
them commits a big no-no that tears a hole in the dimensions of time and space.
The time-machine, a worn-out device they call The Needs, is now unable to discern the frivolous, or harmless, pricks of
time from the non-frivolous and sends them hurling into a wild spin through history amid a spontaneous parade of perilous
events and dangerous locations. They come face-to-face with some of the goriest disasters and most odious crimes of the
twentieth century, and the longer they stay trapped in the past the deadlier the pricks become.
How to get back home? It's up to a girl with astonishing powers of the mind to help the survivors find a portal homeward --
a girl currently lying comatose in a hospital bed.
Critique: Original, deftly written, and a fun read from start to finish for all dedicated time-travel science fiction fans, "33
Frivolous Pricks" showcases author Michael A. Greco's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style. A cast of
memorable characters caught up in a series of unexpected plot twists and turns, "33 Frivolous Pricks" is especially and
unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading
lists that this paperback edition of "33 Frivolous Pricks" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$5.99).
Editorial Note: Michael A. Greco (www.michaelandrewgreco.com) teaches writing and has jotted extensively about the joy
and frustration of the creative process. Michael shuffles between homes in Japan and Malaysia. His preferred genre is comic
fantasy with temperamental streaks of doom.
Somewhere
Ryan Freerksen
Independently Published
9798990380714, $22.99, HC, 549pp
https://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-Ryan-Freerksen/dp/B0D8FMN95B
Synopsis: Tantalized by stories of a cargo ship that ran afoul of a strange anomaly in the 1935 Atlantic Ocean, biology
professor Alec Dorn joins his gregarious but overbearing older brother on a scientific expedition to investigate.
But when they become marooned on an unnamed island ruled by a violently eccentric tyrant, it becomes clear that this is not
our Atlantic... and this is not just any expedition tale.
Out of the ashes of tragedy, enemies will become allies, rogues will become leaders, and the forgotten will become legends.
But leaving one's mark on history comes at a cost, for not all those who obtain great power are fit to wield it...
Critique: With the publication of "Somewhere", gifted author Ryan Freerksen presents an old-fashioned survival meets
otherworldly science fiction fantasy in the form of a truly mind-bending adventure. Original, deftly crafted, imaginatively
clever, and a fun read from start to finish, Freerksen as a novelist has a genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven
storytelling style that keeps his readers fully entertained from beginning to end. While especially and unreservedly
recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists
of all dedicated time traveling, sea faring, magical realism, action-adventure fantasy fans that this hardcover edition of
"Somewhere" is also available in paperback (9798990380707, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).
Editorial Note: Ryan Freerksen is a storyteller at heart from a young age. As an adult, it was while working a particularly
mind-numbing desk job that his thoughts began to wander and a whole cast of characters began to creep up from somewhere
in his subconscious. They were persistent enough that he found his long-lost narrative voice once again. He began writing
his debut novel that day, and has been lost in the worlds he has created ever since.
Skellig: The Tales of Conor Archer, Vol. 2
E. R. Barr, author
Howard David Johnson, illustrator
Telemachus Press, LLC
https://www.telemachuspress.com
9781948046862, $14.99, PB, 435pp
https://www.amazon.com/SKELLIG-Tales-Conor-Archer-Vol/dp/1948046865
Synopsis: Rumors of magic and murder hung over the tragedy at Tinker's Grove which destroyed a town and killed some
fine people. Aunt Emily thought sending Conor Archer to Ireland to see his godmother was the solution to keep him safe
and out of harm's way. Conor went, and immediately got himself in trouble with a local landowner, a Japanese war criminal,
and a bunch of Otherworld things that wanted to destroy him.
Not everyone was an enemy. There were the secretive Travelers -- the Tinker folk with legends that tended to come true. Of
course, the Roan were there, the People of the Sea, promising to watch over him. But there was something more -- an
ancient being camped out on the mysterious Skellig Islands, intent on protecting him and the land.
He remembered Aunt Emily slapping an envelope into his pocket saying, "Here's your ticket; have a nice flight; stay safe."
Not a chance he thought. Ireland might be a spectacular place, but it was bound to be dangerous. Good thing he had his
shapeshifting powers.
But would his new found abilities be able to defeat the Dark who wanted him dead?
Critique: Although the sequel to "Roan: The Tale of Conor Archer, Volume 1", author E. R. Barr has intentionally written
"Skellig: The Tales of Conor Archer, Vol. 2" as a stand alone story that while continuing the adventures Conor Archer can
be read with intense pleasure and satisfaction on its own. Original, imaginative, and such deftly crafted storytelling that
raises this fantasy saga of a novel to an impressive level of literary excellence, "Skellig: The Tales of Conor Archer, Vol. 2"
is a fun read from start to finish and is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction &
Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of readers with an interest in epic and heroic
action/adventure fantasy fiction that this paperback edition of "Skellig: The Tales of Conor Archer, Vol. 2" from
Telemachus Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).
Editorial Note: Eric R. Barr (https://anamchara.blogs.com/about.html) is a Catholic priest, a university professor, high
school teacher and administrator, a popular speaker on all things Celtic and Tolkienesque. He is the author of the urban
fantasy series, The Tales of Conor Archer. He is also the author of the paranormal thriller collection, The Vatican Archives
series. All of his novels take place in the 'Conorverse'.
Lightfall: Book One of The Everlands
Ed Cocker
St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250287731, $30.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lightfall-Book-One-Everlands-Trilogy/dp/1250287731
Synopsis: For centuries, vampires freely roamed the land until the Grays came out of nowhere, wiping out half the
population in a night. The survivors fled to the last vampire city of First Light, where the rules are simple. If you're poor,
you drink weak blood. If you're nobility, you get the good stuff. And you can never, ever leave.
Palace maid Sam has had enough of these rules, and she's definitely had enough of cleaning the bedpans of the lords who
enforce them. When the son of the city's ruler is murdered and she finds the only clue to his death, she seizes the chance to
blackmail her way into a better class and better blood. She falls in with the Leeches, a group of rebel maids who rein in the
worst of the Lords. Soon she's in league with a sorcerer whose deductive skills make up for his lack of magic, a deadly
werewolf assassin and a countess who knows a city's worth of secrets.
There's just one problem. What began as a murder investigation has uncovered a vast conspiracy by the ruling elite, and now
Sam must find the truth before she becomes another victim. If she can avoid getting murdered, she might just live
forever.
Critique: "Lightfall" by Ed Crocker is an original, pulse-pounding, action-adventure that will hold immense appeal to
readers with an interest in vampire novels and epic fantasy worlds. All the more impressive when considering that it is
Crocker's debut as a novelist, "Lightfall" will have its reader's looking forward to the next two entries in the author's The
Everlands' series. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Lightfall" is also readily available
from St. Martin's Press in a digital book format (Kinde, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Ed Crocker (https://www.ed-crocker.com) is a Manchester England based freelance editor whose clients
include Sunday Times bestselling authors and award-winning indie authors. He also writes book reviews and interviews
authors for various SFF & horror publications.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
New arrivals from Baen offer science fiction and fantasy fans with intriguing plots and original adventures.
https://www.amazon.com/Icarus-Needle-Saga/dp/1982193794
Timothy Zahn's The Icarus Needle (9781982193799, $28.00) features the same nonstop staccato pace of The Icarus Twin,
which will attract prior fans and newcomers to Zahn's world. Gregory and his Kadolian partner Selene are to locate missing
alien artifacts and bring them under the wing of the Icarus Group. When group leadership changes, they find themselves
immersed in a new plan which ultimately lands them on a strange world where aliens aim to use the light-year transport
portals to bolster their power. Intrigue, action, and good characterization mark an adventure that is hard to put down.
https://www.amazon.com/1919-Romanov-Rising-Tom-Kratman-ebook/dp/B0D63HTQR
Tom Katman, Kacey Ezell and Justin Watson's 1919: The Romanov Rising (9781982193812, $28.00) is especially
recommended for sci-fi readers of alternative history who will appreciate its intersection with military sci-fi in this story.
The campaign to defeat the Bolsheviks mires a range of characters in a rescue mission laden with battle, corpses, and
unpredictable outcomes. Readers interested in stories packed with Russian characters and flavors will find this alternative
story to be gripping and completely immersive.
Both of these new titles from Baen Books are excellent choices for sci-fi readers looking for engrossing stories sporting
novel flavors of intrigue and adventure.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
https://www.amazon.com/Depth-Charge-Hank-Davis/dp/1982193824
Hank Davis and Jamie Ibson edit Depth Charge (9781982193829, $18.00), which gathers ocean-oriented sci-fi in a powerful
collection featuring such classic authors as Robert Silverberg, Arthur C. Clarke, and even horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The
diversity and strength of these talents who share the theme of producing aquatic adventures creates an exceptional collection
that proves the depth of the oceans both on Earth and on other planets. Readers will find the juxtaposition of various
premises and environments to be thoroughly immersive.
https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Trials-M-Rothman-ebook/dp/B0CYVPCTHJ
M.A. Rothman and D.J. Butler's Ice Trails (9781982193805, $28.00) is Book Two of the Time Trials series and will attract
fans of timeslip stories where the characters find themselves transported to a very different world. A prophecy, a massive
flood, and more challenges Marty Cohen and his team with new obstacles to returning to their starting point and going home
as leadership creates dangerous connections and struggles.
https://www.amazon.com/Through-Storm-2-TransDimensional-Hunter/dp/1982193840
John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer's Through the Storm (9781982193843, $9.99) is a TransDimensional Hunter adventure that
focuses on teen gaming prodigy Lynn, who has honed her skills under a cloak of anonymity. Her decision to abandon this
disguise in order to compete in the augmented reality game TransDimensional Hunter creates some incongruities not only in
identity, but in reality. The fast pace and powerful representation of this young woman's character and purpose makes for a
read that is filled with technology, threats, and action that is satisfyingly unpredictable and always engrossing.
All of these new titles from Baen Books are fine recommendations for sci-fi readers and libraries seeking to add vivid,
memorable books to their collections.
The Poetry Shelf
The Tears of Things: Poems
Catherine Hamrick
www.catherinehamrick.com
Madville Publishing LLC
https://madvillepublishing.com
9781963695113, $19.95, PB, 84pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tears-Things-Poems-Catherine-Hamrick/dp/1963695119
Synopsis: "Whatever life hands me-love, land, or loss-a way to acceptance means embracing earthly cycles, authentic
connections to others, and the comforting puzzle of words," says Catherine Hamrick, poet author of "The Tears of
Things".
Processing depression and the loss of her parents, in her verse Catherine explores the therapeutic value of nature and poetry.
This very special poetry collection charts her movement through changing relationships, landscapes, and gardens in the
Midwest and Deep South.
Seamus Heaney's interpretation of The Aeneid's famous line sunt lacrimae rerum-"there are tears at the heart of things" -
underpins Hamrick's sensibility as she observes seasonal flourishes and decay to reminds us that love, joy, longing, sorrow,
and gratitude arise from life's imperfection and brevity.
Critique: "Dwarf Iris Blessing":
Blue violet-tongues
sing, rapture swelling,
toned with plum speckles,
titanium blotches,
and yellow-flame licks,
leaves like grass,
spring's early lawn --
a green amen.
If you only have time for a single volume of memorable and emotionally engaging poetry, make it "The Tears of Things:
Poems" by Catherine Hamrick. Her free verse compositions paint word picture images that truly resonate with the reader. A
compendium of word smithing raised to an impressive level of literary excellence, "The Tears of Things: Poems" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Poetry
collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Tears of Things: Poems" from
Madville Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Catherine Hamrick (www.catherinehamrick.com) is a poet, content strategist, copywriter, and editor who has
previously worked at Southern Living, Cooking Light, Southern Accents, Victoria, Better Homes and Gardens, and
Meredith Books. She has also taught writing and communication arts at several colleges and universities. Her poetry has
appeared in The Blue Mountain Review, Appalachian Places, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, storySouth, The Citron
Review, and elsewhere.
Lover Girl
Raegan Fordemwalt
Andrews McMeel Publishing
www.andrewsmcmeel.com
9781524895112, $18.00, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lover-Girl-Raegan-Fordemwalt/dp/1524895113
Synopsis: In her fully illustrated debut collection "Lover Girl", poet Raegan Fordemwalt writes the story of a girl boldly and
devastatingly fond of love. So eager to feel, she proudly walks through Heartbreak, Loneliness, Jealousy, and Acceptance on
the journey to personal growth and self-love.
"Lover Girl" offers fans the collection of original verse that they first fell in love with, as well as a special edition cover and
14 all-new poems and drawings! With candor and vulnerability, Raegan and her Lover Girl continue to give readers a soft
place to land as they fall back in love with themselves and each poem along the way.
Critique: I think I like being a lover girl,
even if there's nobody to love right now,
even if my heart gets broken,
again and again.
Because love is bigger than just lonely me
and Bigger than just heartbreak.
It feels good to love,
even if it hurts, I don't mind.
Simply stated, if you only have time for a single book of poetry, make it "Lover Girl" by Raegan Fordemwalt and published
by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Contemporary American Poetry collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be
noted that this paperback edition of "Lover Girl" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Raegan Fordemwalt (https://raeganspoetry.com) is a poet from Boise, Idaho, whose journey in writing
started as a young teenager. Raegan achieved massive success posting her poetry online via social media platforms
Instagram and TikTok as @raeganspoetry. Through her spoken-word performances and captivating illustrations that delve
into the intricacies of emotions while navigating themes of love, heartbreak, and the enigmatic landscapes of the human
soul, Raegan has garnered widespread acclaim, touching the hearts of millions worldwide.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832
Wilfred Lupano, author
Stephane Fert, illustrator
NBM Publishing
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123486, $24.99, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Americas-First-School-Black/dp/1681123487
Synopsis: In 1832, in Canterbury, Connecticut, a " charming and picturesque" little school for young girls opens to
accommodate around twenty residents. Educating girls is a bit ridiculous and useless, they think in the area and in those
times -- but harmless enough.
Until the day when the "charming school", led by Prudence Crandall, announces that it will now welcome Black girls...
This was thirty years before the abolition of slavery. Some fifteen young people in the Crandall school are greeted by a wave
of hostility of insane proportion. White America is afraid of some of its children.
The story of this school and its legal legacy for civil rights cannot be understated. Crandall v. State (of Connecticut) was the
first full-throated civil rights case in U.S. history. The arguments by attorneys in the Crandall case played a role in two of
the most fateful Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education.
It catapulted Ms. Crandall into a Civil Rights pioneer.
Critique: This graphic novel style presentation provided by author/storyteller Wilfrid Lupano and artist/illustrator Stephane
Fert with the publication of "Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832" from NBM Publishing aptly rescues
a small piece of African-American history that had a major impact in American law, culture, and society. Informative and
fascinating, "Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832" is a fun read from start to finish and will be of
interest to readers and students of 19th Century African-American history. While an extraordinary and highly recommended
pick for community and college/university library Black History collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that
this hardcover edition of "Surrounded: America's First School for Black Girls, 1832" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note #1: Born in 1985, Stephane Fert grew up in the southwest of France, near the Pyrenees mountains. He
obtained a diploma in animation in Paris but nevertheless defined himself as self-taught. It is notably thanks to his taste for
role-playing games that he learns to tell stories. As for images, he was first influenced by modern painting and was
passionate about working with colors, but he was also interested in animation and in particular the artist Mary Blair. He
made his debut in the world of illustration through the Cafe sale collective before launching into comics. In "Morgane"
(Delcourt, 2016), as in "Peau de mille betes" (Delcourt, 2019), for which he received the Imaginales prize, he deconstructs
tales and legends by questioning the position of female characters. With screenwriter Wilfrid Lupano, he signed the
children's comic strip "When the circus came" (Delcourt, 2017), which received the Tibet Prize, and the highly acclaimed
"Blanc Autour"("Surrounded") winner of numerous other prizes. In 2023, he illustrates the new covers of the "Harry Potter"
saga for Gallimard. 2-time Eisner
Editorial Note #2: Award nominee Wilfrid Lupano was born in Nantes in 1971, but it was in Pau that he would spend the
majority of his childhood. His was a childhood spent buried in his parents' comic book collection, even if his wild
imagination and interest in writing is due above all to his love for role-playing games. As a young adult, Lupano worked in
bars to finance his studies - a combination of philosophy and English. He has since blossomed with a multitude of graphic
novels published with many prominent publishers and has been the recipient of a number of awards.
Girl Rebels
Laurent Hopman, et al.
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787743311, $19.99, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Rebels-Thunberg-Inspirational-Courage/dp/1787743314
Synopsis: Six young girls, five empowering adventures. From climate activism to fighting for education and gun control,
each biographical story delves deep into the personal struggles and triumphs of truly remarkable individuals.
In a graphic novel format, :Girl Rebels" shares the extraordinary journeys of six young women who refused to be silenced in
the face of adversity and have since become symbols of change.
Through rich storytelling and stunning visuals, readers will be inspired by the unwavering spirit of Greta Thunberg, Malala
Yousafzai, Yusra Mardini, Emma 'X' Gonzalez and the Parkland Kids, and Melati and Isabel Wijsen.
Each turn of the page will draw readers into the lives of these young girls, who never intended to become spokespeople or
flag-bearers, but have now become inspiring icons and role models for thousands of young people all over the world.
Carefully crafted by a talented team of international authors, the anthology presents a compelling exploration of youth
activism and social change. The noblest battles of the modern world are brought to life by diverse and renowned illustrators,
such as Bret Parson and Gije.
"Girl Rebels" is for fans of thrilling real-life stories and youth activism around the globe. Join these brave young women on
their journey to change the world and discover the power of resilience, determination, and solidarity.
Critique: Inspiring, fascinating, memorable, this hardcover, graphic novel style edition of "Girl Rebels" from Titan Comics
is a simply outstanding and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, middle school, highschool, and community
library Contemporary Bibliography and Women's History collections for teens, young adults, and anyone of any age with an
interest in how six young women are seeking to solve critically important issues that the adults of their generation have been
failing to adequately address. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition "Girl Rebels" from
Titan Comics is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: The co-authors and illustrators of "Girl Rebels" include Laurent Hopman, Julien Derain, Fabien Morin, Brett
"BlitzCadet" Parson, Rebecca Traunig, Jerome Gillet, aka Gije, Jocelyn Joret, and Vittoria Macioci.
This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Graphic Memoir
Kay Sohini, author/illustrator
Ten Speed Graphic
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593836156, $24.99, HC, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/This-Beautiful-Ridiculous-City-Graphic/dp/0593836154
Synopsis: On her first night in New York City, Kay Sohini sits on the tarmac of JFK Airport making an inventory of
everything she's left behind in India: her family, friends, home, and gaslighting ex-boyfriend. In the wake of that untethering
she realizes two things: she's finally made it to the city of her literary heroes (Kerouac, Plath, Bechdel) and the trauma she's
endured has created gaping holes in her memory.
As Kay begins the work of piecing herself back together she discovers the deep sense of belonging that can only be found on
the streets of New York City. In the process she falls beautifully, ridiculously in love with the bustling landscape, and
realizes that the places we love do not always love us back but can still somehow save us in weird, unexpected ways.
Critique: Deftly blending inspiration and heart-break,"This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Memoir" by author/illustrator Kay
Sohini is engagingly enhanced by being presented in a graphic novel style format as presents an intensely personal, yet
universally recognizable relationship between, In Kay's words: trauma and truth, displacement and belonging, and what it
means to forge a life of one's own. A simply fascinating and thought-provoking read from start to finish, this large format
(7.53 x 0.66 x 10.28 inches, 1.55 pounds) hardcover edition of "This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A Memoir" from Ten
Speed Graphic is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary
Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "This Beautiful, Ridiculous City: A
Memoir" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Kay Sohini (https://www.kaysohini.com) is a South Asian researcher, writer, and graphic novelist based in
New York. She holds a PhD in English from Stony Brook University and her essays and comics have been featured in The
Washington Post, The Nib, and more. Her work focuses on utilizing comics in the scholarly examination of healthcare
justice, environmental humanities, resisting disinformation, and creating an equitable future for all.
The Library CD Shelf
The Depths
Monica Logani
www.monicalogani.com
Produced by Gregg Zubowicz
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DP4KG5FY
The Depths is a gentle new age album featuring the mellifluous piano performance of Monica Logani, supported by Gregg
Zubowicz on guitar and Maria Grigoryeva on strings. Ideal for meditation sessions, simple relaxation, or fostering creativity,
The Depths is highly recommended for personal and public library new age music collections, and also makes an excellent
gift. The tracks are Dreams of Zagyva, Stars, The Depths, Silver Lining, Midnight Express, Misty, Intermezzo, Wonder,
Wooden Horses, Solitude, Diamond Gaze, Offering, Resurrection, and Eternal.
Lantern in the Dark: Songs of Comfort and Lullabies
Edie Carey and Sarah Sample
ediecarey.com
sarahsample.com
Independently Published
$20.00 CD / $10.00 digital
https://www.sarahsample.com/merch/lantern-in-the-dark-cd
https://www.sarahsample.com/merch/lantern-in-the-dark-digital-download
Lantern in the Dark: Songs of Comfort and Lullabies is a beautiful music CD for all ages, featuring original songs ideal for
winding down after a long day. Singer-songwriters Edie Carey and Sarah Sample are supported by a variety of talented
musicians: Scott Wiley on bass, guitar, pump organ, banjo, and drum programming; Mai Bloomfield on cello and
background vocals; Paul Jacobsen on acoustic and electric guitar; Dustin Christensen on acoustic guitar; Aaron Anderson on
percussion and drums; Ryan Shupe on fiddle; Sam Cardon on piano; and Maren Gayle on keyboard. Lantern in the Dark is a
treasure for personal and public library music CD collections, and also makes an excellent gift! Highly recommended. The
tracks are I'm Here; In My Arms; Blackbird; Lullaby 101; Lantern; All The Ways you Comfort Me; Time After Time; My
Darling; Shine To Make You Feel My Love; Heaven Now; and You Can Close Your Eyes.
Cookin' at the Queens
Emily Remler
Resonance Records
https://resonancerecords.org
$26.98 CD / $14.99 digital / $64.99 vinyl
https://resonancerecords.org/product/emily-remlercookin-at-the-queens-live-in-las-vegas-1984-1988-2cd
https://emilyremler.bandcamp.com/album/cookin-at-the-queens-live-in-las-vegas-1984-1988
Emily Remler (1957-1990) was an extraordinarily talented American jazz guitarist, whose life ended far too soon from heart
failure at age 32. Cookin' at the Queens is a 2-CD jazz album capturing the her masterful performances, featuring excerpts
from previously unreleased songs broadcast on KNPR Las Vegas in 1984 and 1988. Remler appears in quartet performances
with pianist Cocho Arbe, bassist Carson Smith, and drummer Tom Montgomery (1984) and trio performances with bassist
Carson Smith and drummer John Pisci. The musical passion captured within Cookin' at the Queens transcends decades, and
will enthrall connoisseurs of all ages and backgrounds! Highly recommended. The disc 1 tracks are Moanin'; How
Insensitive (Insensatez); Autumn Leaves; Polka Dots and Moonbeams; Samba de Orfeu; Hot House/What Is This Thing
Called Love?; You Don't Know What Love Is; West Coast Blues; and Tenor Madness. The disc 2 tracks are Out of
Nowhere; Manha de Carnaval; Cisco; Yesterdays; All Blues; Someday My Prince Will Come; So What/Impressions; and D-
Natural Blues.
Live at the Pump House Music Works
Dan Moretti & Brazilia
https://danmoretti.com
Roots Grooves Records
$TBA CD / $7.92 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DMG6MMJR
Recorded live at the Pump House on December 3, 2024, Live at the Pump House Music Works is a music album featuring
Dan Moretti on tenor and soprano saxophones, Oscar Stagnaro on bass, Maxim Lubarsky on piano, Ernesto Diaz on
percussion, and Steve Langone on drums. Together, they present a grand performance dedicated to accomplished jazz
composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Live at the Pump House Music Works adds a Latin jazz rhythmic twist to
Shorter's compositions, creating a vivacious celebration of Shorter's legacy. Highly recommended! The tracks are Black
Nile; Fee Fi Fo Fum; Night Dreamer; Speak No Evil; Witch Hunt; Yes or No; Oriental Folk Song; and Footprints.
Safe Travels
Jerry Kalaf, Tom Ranier, and Trey Henry
www.jerrykalaf.com
Independently Published
$TBA CD / $10.00 digital
https://jerrykalaf.bandcamp.com/album/safe-travels
Safe Travels is a jazz album of original compositions by drummer Jerry Kalaf, performed in collaboration with Tom Ranier
on piano and Trey Henry on bass. The instrumental music takes the listener on a nostalgic journey of the mind, exploring
imagined vistas and getaways through symbolic moments of jazz improvisation, adventurous time signatures, exquisitely
crafted rhythms and harmonies, and much more. Highly recommended! The tracks are 263 Beacon; Another Summer; At
The End of the Day; Bailing; Epilogue; Perspectives; Safe Travels; and Shearing.
Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill
Rick Roe, Robert Hurst, and Nate Winn
roejazz.com
gregghilljazz.com
Cold Plunge Records
$17.95
https://www.gregghilljazz.com/product-page/rick-roe-tribute-the-music-of-gregg-hill-featuring-robert-hurst-and-nate-winn<
br>
Jazz pianist Rick Roe combines his talent with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Nate Winn in Tribute: The Music of
Gregg Hill, a music CD homage to Lansing-based composer. All of the tracks are jazz songs originally created by Gregg
Hill, and arranged by Rick Roe. Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill is a passionate celebration of a venerated music artist's
life and works, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs. The tracks are Elden's Bop; Ducks Night Out; Mr. Pea;
Julie's Tune; Sunday Special; Tribute; Floating Candles; Ballade; Sharrie Sharrie; Soul Element; Summer Nights; & The
Singer.
Yama Kawa Umi
Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, and Ramon Lopez
www.satokofujii.com
www.ramonlopez.net
Not Two
www.nottwo.com
12.00 Euro CD
https://www.nottwo.com/mw1041
Pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, and drummer Ramon Lopez present their second instrumental jazz album
Yama Kawa Umi. The original compositions are sublime in their balanced interplay of rhythm, harmony, and
collaboratively layered performance. Yama Kawa Umi is a choice pick for adventurous connoisseurs of avant-garde jazz,
highly recommended. The tracks are Headwaters; Signpost; Sparkling Water; One Day Later; Cold Water; Yama Kawa
Umi; Dusk Sky; Bolognaise; and Malakoff.
Bill Evans in Norway
Bill Evans, Eddie Gomez, and Marty Morell
Elemental Music
17.95 Euro CD / 11.95 Euro digital
https://elementalmusicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bill-evans-in-norway-the-kongsberg-concert
Bill Evans (1929-1980) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and trio leader, well-known for using impressionist
harmony, block chords, and other innovative singing techniques that continue to inspire jazz pianists to the modern day. Bill
Evans in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert is a never-before-released, two-CD muisc album of a 1970 trio concert recorded
live at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival, where Bill Evans performed with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell. A
"must-have" for jazz connoisseurs, Bill Evans in Norway is highly recommended for both personal and public library music
collections. The tracks are Come Rain or Come Shine; What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?; 34 Skidoo; Turn Out
the Stars; Autumn Leaves; Quiet Now; So What; Gloria's Step; Emily; Midnight Mood; Who Can I Turn To?; Some Other
Time; and Nardis.
B.B. King in France
Deep Digs
c/o Elemental Music
17.98 Euro CD / 11.95 Euro digital
https://elementalmusicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/b-b-king-in-france-live-at-the-1977-nancy-jazz-pulsations-festival
B.B. King (1925-2015) was a legendary African-American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer, well-
known for his unique style of guitar solos that influenced many other electric guitar blues players. B.B. King in France: Live
at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival is a previously unreleased album presented by Deep Digs in cooperation with the
B.B. King Estate, Universal Music Enterprises, and INA France. B.B. King in France is a 2 CD music album that showcases
a B.B. King's standout performance with his seven-piece band. Originally recorded at the titular festival in 1977, B.B. King
in France is a treasure of modern jazz history as well as a singularly captivating blues performance. B.B. King in France is a
"must-have" for connoisseurs of the genre and a welcome addition to public library music collections. Highly
recommended! The tracks are Blue Monk/Caldonia; Sweet Little Angel; I Like to Live the Love; It's Just a Matter of Time;
Why I Sing the Blues; I Got Some Outside Help (I Don't Really Need); The Thrill Is Gone; I Need My Baby; Sweet Sixteen;
Blues Instrumental; To Know You Is To Love You; When I'm Wrong; Have Faith; and Outro Blues Instrumental.
The Blu-ray Shelf
Chained Soldier Complete Collection
Sentai Film Works
https://www.sentaifilmworks.com
c/o RLJ Entertainment (distribution)
$69.98 Blu-ray, 2 discs
https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/collections/pre-order/products/816726020273-chained-soldier-season-1-complete-collecti
on-blu-ray
Intended for mature viewers only (rated TV-MA) due to violence and adult themes - notably a "bondage" theme with literal
and erotic connotations - Chained Soldier Complete Collection is a sci-fi anime where the modern-day Earth has been
invaded by terrifying monsters from the Mato dimension. The monsters are immune to conventional weapons; only women
can wield the superpowers capable of driving them back. As a result, gender equality has become a bygone relic, and
women dominate both politics and the military. Yuuki Wakura lives in this besieged world as an ordinary young man
seemingly doomed to a boring life, until he accidentally enters the Mato dimension and gains extraordinary powers - that he
can only wield as the inhuman, chained slave of the dominating Kyouka Uzen! When Kyouka suggests that Yuuki bind
himself permanently to her, he enthusiastically accepts. But his bargain for power comes at the price of becoming a maid
and indentured servant to Kyouka and her all-female military unit, when he's not fighting monsters as her Chained Soldier!
Action-packed, lasciviously sexy, and intensely enthralling, Chained Solider Complete Collection contains all of season
one. 12 episodes on 2 Blu-ray discs, English and Japanese audio, English subtitles, 300 min.
The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf
Tales from the Whispering Woods
Sarah J. H. Powell
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9781577154396, $19.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Whispering-Woods-Spine-Chilling-Supernatural/dp/1577154398
Synopsis: For students and non-specialist general readers comes an essential guide to the cultural origins behind some of
your favorite urban legends, superstitions, and ghost stories. With the publication of "Tales from the Whispering Woods:
Stories of Fear and Folklore from the Dark Forest", author Sarah J. H. Powell dares her readers to step into the wildwood
and traverse the world's folklore from the comfort of their own homes!
Sarah J H Powell is the spooky thrillseeker behind the podcast The Whispering Woods, and in this remarkable and
compelling volume curates a collection of twenty-one creepy creatures, ghastly ghosts, and paranormal phenomena,
including:
The Wild Hunt: A group of ghostly or supernatural beings in search of souls to chase and steal away, variations are found
throughout European folklore. It is said witnessing a Wild Hunt is an omen of disaster.
El Silbon: A legendary figure in the countries of Colombia and Venezuela and known for his eerie whistle. Why is it that
whistling at night is such a taboo?
The Baubas: An example in a long line of creepy bogeymen intended to scare children into correcting their bad
behavior.
Werewolves: These creatures appear everywhere, from ancient Mesopotomia to Viking-era Scandinavia.
Each individual chapter provides possible explanations for why these creatures, stories, and superstitions came to be. This is
also a compendium of stories about possibly true encounters with the creature or phenomenon in question.
Critique: Hauntingly illustrated throughout, this large format (7.25 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches, 1.25 pounds) hardcover edition of
"Tales from the Whispering Woods: Stories of Fear and Folklore from the Dark Forest" by Sarah J. H. Powell will prove a
fascinating read and compelling read for those with an interest in the supernatural, the metaphysical, the paranormal, and the
unexplained. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99), "Tales from the Whispering Woods" is strongly
commended for personal, professional, community, and college/university Mythology/Folklore collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Sarah J. H. Powell is a co-host of The Whispering Woods podcast, a show that delves into the dark and
mysterious world of folklore, the supernatural, and the unexplained. She has been fascinated by the paranormal since she
was a child, and was given a book by her late grandfather about haunted objects. She would also listen to her mother read,
uncensored, Grimm's fairy tales and lapped up every moment. She hosts the podcast with her son Tobie, who inherited her
love for the spooky and the strange. Together, they share their own experiences and research on various topics, from urban
legends to ancient myths.
The Woodworking Shelf
A Beginner's Guide to Animal Woodcarving
Mio Hashimoto
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805318942, $17.99, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Animal-Woodcarving-Instructions/dp/4805318945
Synopsis: With the publication of "A Beginner's Guide to Animal Woodcarving: Learn to Sculpt Lifelike Figures from a
Japanese Master", impressively talented sculptor Mio Hashimoto reveals the techniques behind her rustic, whimsical and
lifelike animal sculptures. She teaches aspiring woodworkers the entire process of creating an endearing animal sculpture --
from the preliminary sketch and wood selection, to the techniques needed to saw, sculpt and paint it. She even recommends
the tools and materials to buy.
"A Beginner's Guide to Animal Woodcarving" provides 5 detailed tutorials with hundreds of color photos for the following
animal sculptures:
A sweet Kitty with a curlicue tail and soulful eyes
A Baby Penguin with downy feathers
A Dozing Cat with its eyes pinched shut and its paws curled over
A whimsical Bear on a Swing, ready to put on a show
A delightful Donkey with a round belly and stubby legs
Also included are dozens of inspirational photos of wooden animals from Hashimoto's extensive portfolio. Aspiring DIY
wood sculptures will learn the process as they practice with the 5 detailed tutorials, then go on to make their own wooden
animal sculpture.
Critique: An effectively illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of DIY instructions on the fine art of crafting
animal figures from wood, this large format paperback edition of Mio Hashimoto's "A Beginner's Guide to Animal
Woodcarving: Learn to Sculpt Lifelike Figures from a Japanese Master" from Tuttle Publishing is an ideal and highly
recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library woodworking/wood sculpting 'how to'
collections.
Editorial Note: Mio Hashimoto has always had a special affinity for animals. At age 17, she began studying art under
Hiroyuki Nishimura and Shiro Tamura at the Zokei Art Academy in Tokyo, where she learned to carve warm, expressive
creatures. Upon graduation, she began receiving commissions for animal sculptures and held solo exhibitions across Japan.
In 2010, she was commissioned to create sculptures of desert animals during a stay in the UAE. Recently, she has organized
traveling events featuring woodcarving workshops and exhibitions featuring touchable animal sculptures in collaboration
with her sculptor friend, Emiko Honda. Mio lives in Japan, where she continues to create sculptures with her black Shiba
Inu dog, Tsuki-kun, by her side.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Kawaii Crocheted Animals
Marie-Noelle Bayard
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804858021, $16.99, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kawaii-Crocheted-Animals-Adorable-Amigurumi/dp/0804858020
Synopsis: "Kawaii Crocheted Animals: 35 Adorable Amigurumi Critters" by Marie-Noelle Bayard is comprised of basic
patterns, easy-to-follow instructions, detailed diagrams and simple supplies -- making it an essential guide with everything
you need to create 35 different crocheted creatures.
Along with directions for creating these 35 adorable animals, "Kawaii Crocheted Animals" includes:
Essential Crochet Techniques: A step-by-step rundown of basic crocheting techniques with 65 detailed illustrations
Supplies & Materials: All you need to get started are a standard crochet hook and worsted weight yarn!
Basic Building Blocks: Many of the amigurumi animals featured in the book share the same head and body pattern, so the
techniques you learn are carried over from one project to the next!
Critique: With inspiring full color photos of each project, "Kawaii Crocheted Animals: 35 Adorable Amigurumi Critters" is
the ideal DIY instructional guide for making Kawaii style kitties, cute canines, plush penguins, darling dragons, unicorns,
and more -- each of which would be uniquely your own. Whether a novice or an experienced needlecrafter, "Kawaii
Crocheted Animals" will be a highly prized and valued addition to personal, professional, and community library
Needlecraft Instructional Guide/Manual collections.
Editorial Note: Marie-Noelle Bayard is the author of numerous fiber-based craft guides in her native France, including A
Macrame Manual, The Sashiko Guide, The Embroidery Guide and My Course in Sergers.
(https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/715770.Marie_Noelle_Bayard)
The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Ancient Rings: An Illustrated Collector's Guide
T. N. Pollio
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476673851, $49.95, PB, 180pp
https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/ancient-rings
Synopsis: Ancient finger rings made of base metals and low-grade silver alloys are increasingly being unearthed and sold
through a growing assortment of marketplaces worldwide. Reference material on ancient rings has focused mainly on
historic and "high-end" pieces (the precious metals and stones of royalty and the wealthy) while little has been written on the
evaluation of common rings.
With the publication of "Ancient Rings: An Illustrated Collector's Guide", researcher and historian T. N. Pollio has created a
guide describes the composition, structure and imagery of common rings from antiquity -- thus providing merchants,
collectors and researchers with a comprehensive reference on these ancient artifacts that, until now, have gone
unexamined.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with informatively captioned B/W photos, "Ancient Rings: An Illustrated
Collector's Guide" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a fourteen page Glossary, five
pages of Notes, a three page Bibliography, and a three page Index. A seminal and ground-breaking study that is unique,
fascinating, exceptionally well organized and presented, this large format ( x 0.36 x 10 inches, 11.5 ounces) paperback
edition of T. N. Pollio's "Ancient Rings: An Illustrated Collector's Guide" is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Antique/Collectible Jewelry Reference collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: T. N. Pollio is a researcher and historian who lives in Connecticut.
The Gardening Shelf
The Essential Book of Succulents
Kentaro Kuroda
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804856003, $18.99, HC, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Book-Succulents-Varieties-Beginners/dp/0804856001
Synopsis: "The Essential Book of Succulents: A Guide to the 250 Best Varieties for Beginners" by Japanese horticulturalist
Kentaro Kuroda is the beginning gardener's best friend with the publication of this instructional guide covering the 250
succulent and cacti varieties most commonly found at your local nursery or home improvement center -- and the ones that
are easiest to grow and to keep healthy.
For each variety their detailed care and illustrated instructions, a cultivation calendar, and daily maintenance tips. Also
featured are:
A simple but comprehensive care guide explaining placement and repotting so you can keep your succulents thriving
year-round
Step-by-step instructions providing easy, detailed lessons on pruning, plant division and propagation through stem and leaf
cutting
A guide to container arrangements showcasing beautiful succulent combinations and the creative use of containers, so even
your first effort will look fabulous
An extensive illustrated field guide to help you identify over 250 succulents and cacti, with info on each plant's unique
characteristics and needs
The profusely gorgeous full color photos will inspire you to learn more about these enchanting plants. "The Essential Book
of Succulents" is more than just another how-to guide -- it is the start of a beautiful gardening relationship.
Critique: This large format (7.64 x 0.63 x 10.08 inches, 1.58 pounds) hardcover edition of Kentaro Kuroda's "The Essential
Book of Succulents: A Guide to the 250 Best Varieties for Beginners" from Tuttle Publishing is impressively 'user friendly'
in organization and presentation. Comprehensive and an inspiring/motivating browse from start to finish, "The Essential
Book of Succulents" is an essential and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library
Gardening/Horticultural collections.
Editorial Note: Kentaro Kuroda is a horticulturist and founder of Flora Kuroda Gardening in Saitama Prefecture. He
specializes in imaginative group plantings and nostalgic combinations. His blog has a huge following in his native Japan,
and he is the author of The Succulents Design Book and co-author of Container Succulents (both Tuttle Publishing
titles).
The Architecture Shelf
Bridges as Structural Art
Miguel Rosales
ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781961856158, $65.00, HC, 268pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bridges-Structural-Art-Miguel-Rosales/dp/1961856158
Synopsis: "Bridges as Structural Art" showcases twenty-five bridges, each one designed by Miguel Rosales and his firm
Rosales + Partners, Inc.
The firm is characterized by a unique combination of architectural sensitivity, engineering knowledge, and communication
skills that allows it to create iconic, cost-effective and technically innovative bridges. These transformational bridges have
become a source of pride in the areas in which they have been built and tangible expressions of the art of bridge design.
Critique: The large format (11.4 x 1.3 x 11.3 inches, 4.6 pounds) hardcover edition of Miguel Rosales' "Bridges as
Structural Art" from Oro Editions is magnificently illustrated throughout with full color photography, blueprints, and a
succinctly descriptive introduction. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit, "Bridges as Structural Art" also includes
a six page listing of Bridge Awards, a two page listing of Clients and Collaborators, and two pages of Image Credits. Of
special interest is a nine page introduction on Becoming a Bridge Designer, a two page Bridge Locations Map, and a four
page Bridge Comparisons. A fascinating and unique study, "Bridges as Structural Art is especially and unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Bridge Design & Architecture
collections and supplemental Bridge Engineering curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Miguel Rosales is an award-winning bridge designer and architect. He is president of Rosales + Partners,
Inc., a firm that specializes in bridge engineering and design. He started his eponymous firm in 1997. Recognized
internationally as an expert on bridge aesthetics and design, he is also noted for his holistic bridge design approach. Mr
Rosales has designed and built notable landmark bridges across the United States, South America and the Middle East.
Rosales received his Batchelor of Architecture from Universidad Francisco Marroquin and a Master of Science in Urban
Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (https://rosalespartners.com/miguel-rosales)
The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975
Alan Hess, et al.
Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9780847842551, $65.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Springs-School-Modernism-1934-1975/dp/084784255X
Synopsis: Palm Springs is at the center of a unique tradition in architecture marked by invention and a sensitivity to local
conditions that has resulted in design that exerts an influence far greater than the town's small size. "The Palm Springs
School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975" is a seminal and groundbreaking study that fully explores the wide ranging forms
this architecture has taken, from houses to gas stations, hotels to airports, banks to restaurants and spas.
Much more than a California resort destination, Palm Springs has served as an architectural laboratory of the Modern; it was
here that so much architectural innovation and design took form. From the steel-and-glass boxes of Richard Neutra to the
earthy organic homes of John Lautner, and everything in between, the solutions of architects and designers (including
notably William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, and Albert Frey) were diverse and are ever more relevant in the face of
contemporary challenges. Their answers addressed questions that still hold urgency: How to design sustainably in harsh
climates? How to use technology efficiently and creatively to meet those challenges? How to build affordable and
high-quality mass-produced housing? How to reflect a region's culture, economy, and distinctive atmosphere?
Architects here responded to nature's climatological demands, and Palm Springs became a center for innovations that were
rooted in practice more than theory. Benefitting from the architectural freedoms offered by the remoteness of the California
desert, designers explored new approaches that we can now identify as central to the Palm Springs School, shown here in
rich archival and contemporary photography.
Critique: This large format (12.4 x 1.14 x 10.29 inches, 1.25 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Palm Springs School:
Desert Modernism 1934-1975" from Rizzoli is the collaborative work of Alan Hess (architect, historian, and author); Eddie
Jones (an award-winning architect); Ken Lyon (a licensed architect and city planner based in Palm Springs); Christine
Madrid French (an historian and preservationist); George E. Thomas (a cultural and architectural historian); and Sian
Winship (president of the Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter). Exceptionally well organized
and presented, informed and informative, beautifully and brilliantly illustrated with full color photography throughout, "The
Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975" is a unique, special, and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Architectural History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Designing for Empathy
Aybars Asci
ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781957183428, $40.00, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Empathy-Architecture-Connections-Environments/dp/195718342X
Synopsis: "Designing for Empathy: The Architecture of Connections in Learning Environments" explores the deep,
inextricable relationship between developmental psychology and our physical environment. By connecting perspective
taking in psychology to perspectival space in architecture, this seminal and ground-breaking study defines the geometry of
empathy, and it postulates that the forces that operate in our spatial cognition can also shift perspectives, thereby helping us
develop empathy.
The critical question guiding"Designing for Empathy" is: How can architecture influence human development, and by
extension, how can concepts of empathy in development be influenced and catalyzed by architecture?
Planners, architects, and designers are responsible for shaping our physical environment -- from our homes, schools, and
cultural and religious centers to the wider neighborhoods and cities within which human development takes place. However,
architecture is conspicuously absent in most development theories, even though the environment is omnipresent.
Through research and design, architect Aybars Asc explores spatial constructs across a range of scales that situate learning
environments through interpenetrations with their context, while also catalyzing narratives that are generated through
translations between different people, forms of life, ideas, emotions, images, languages, and cultures. The premise of this
approach is the collective rethinking of the learning environments, one that will inherently be more empathic as its spatial
narratives are constructed through the interactions of its learners.
Critique: An illustrated and informative study that will be of particular value to readers with an interest in the
emotional/psychology impact of contemporary architecture, along with its study and materials, "Designing for Empathy:
The Architecture of Connections in Learning Environments" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, professional, architectural school, and college/university library Contemporary Architecture collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Aybars Asc (https://www.kaza.com/designers/aybars-asci) is an architect, an educator, and an advocate of
research-driven design with a focus on designing learning environments. His projects range from planning large scale
campuses to designing play structures. As a practicing architect he has over 25 years of experience, working in New York
and London, on projects located in North America, South America, Middle East, and Asia. Asc is the president and founder
of Efficiency Lab for Architecture, a design practice specializes in the design of Education Facilities.
The Photography Shelf
Hippie India
David Zurick
Goff Books
c/o ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781961856202, $45.00, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hippie-India-Dreamers-Seekers-Nirvana/dp/1961856204
Synopsis: In the 1970s many thousands of young persons traveled from Europe to Asia on the Hippie Trail in search of
adventure, spiritual enlightenment, and personal discovery.
Their sprawling, free-wheeling escapades changed their lives and the places they visited. While the overland route between
Amsterdam and Kathmandu no longer exists, its stopovers in India (Pushkar, Rishikesh, Hampi, Goa, and the Parvati
Valley) continue to attract counterculture travelers from throughout the world. And just as the visitors have absorbed
experiences and material culture, even spiritual wisdom, from their Indian hosts, so, too, have local residents learned a thing
or two from their hippie guests.
During the past half century, an intense cultural intermingling has taken place in these distant locales, where lifeways,
architectures, and philosophies are exchanged as freely as costumes, music, and hairstyles. "Hippie India: Dreamers and
Seekers in the Land of Nirvana" by David Zurick is an impressive volume of captioned full color photography which vividly
captures the beguiling love affair between East and West in its portrayal of modern-day India and the free-spirited people
who travel or reside there -- Westerners and Indians, alike.
Of special note is the informative Foreword, 'The Long Strange Trip" provided by essayist and travel writer Pico Iyer.
Critique: This large format (10.7 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches, 2.5 pounds) hardcover edition of David Zurick's "Hippie India:
Dreamers and Seekers in the Land of Nirvana" by Goff Books also features a one page bibliography of Further Readings. Of
special and particular appeal to readers with an interest in travel photography, travel guides focused on India, and the
cultural history of the Hippie movement and the spread of Hindu philosophy to the West, "Hippie India: Dreamers and
Seekers in the Land of Nirvana" is original, authentic, and an armchair traveler's delight that is a very special and unique
pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections.
Editorial Note: David Zurick (https://davidzurick.com) is an American photographer who first visited India in 1975 on the
Hippie Trail and has been a regular traveler in the country ever since. He is the author of ten books and recipient of
numerous arts and literary awards.
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
The Good, the Bad and the Ancient
Sue Matheson, editor
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476667645, $35.95, PB, 227pp
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Bad-Ancient-Greco-Roman-Influence/dp/1476667640
Synopsis: Although Americans are no longer compelled to learn Greek and Latin, classical ideals remain embedded in
American law and politics, philosophy, oratory, history and especially popular culture.
In the Western cinematic genre, many film and television directors (such as John Ford, Raoul Walsh, Howard Hawks,
Anthony Mann and Sam Peckinpah) have drawn inspiration from Greco-Roman antiquity, and the classical values and
influences in their work have shaped our conceptions of the West for years.
Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Professor Sue Matheson, "The Good, the Bad and the Ancient: Essays on the
Greco-Roman Influence in Westerns" is thought-provoking, first-of-its-kind collection of essays the celebrates, affirms and
critiques the West's movie based relationship with the classical world. Explored are films like Cheyenne Autumn, The Wild
Bunch, The Track of the Cat, Trooper Hook, The Furies, Heaven's Gate, and Slow West, as well as serials like Gunsmoke
and Lonesome Dove.
Critique: A compendium of fifteen erudite and ground-breaking essays by informed and informative contributors, "The
Good, the Bad and the Ancient: Essays on the Greco-Roman Influence in Westerns" also features an informative
Introduction (American and Antiquity: Force and Thumos in the Western), a two page Bibliography, a two page listing of
the contributors and their credentials, and a three page Index. A unique and seminal contribution, "The Good, the Bad and
the Ancient: Essays on the Greco-Roman Influence in Westerns" is a solid pick for personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Cinematic History collections. It should be noted for film students, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that this paperback edition of "The Good, the Bad and the Ancient: Essays on
the Greco-Roman Influence in Westerns" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$25.99).
Editorial Note: Sue Matheson is a professor of English at the University College of the North in Manitoba, Canada.
One with the Force: 18 Universal Truths in Star Wars
Krista Noble
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538198711, $36.00, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Force-Universal-Truths-Star/dp/1538198711
Synopsis: You have watched Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star in A New Hope, seen Yoda merge with the Force in
Return of the Jedi, and heard Rey contact the Jedi of the past in The Rise of Skywalker. But did you know that the Star Wars
films contain a myriad of parallels to religions and philosophies from around the world -- from Christianity to Buddhism,
and from Native American teachings to the Vedic knowledge of ancient India?
With the publication of "One with the Force: 18 Universal Truths in Star Wars", author Krista Noble deftly explores these
many parallels. She discusses the Force, collective consciousness, enlightenment, and immortality, revealing that the Star
Wars films have a universal perspective on life. Readers will learn about the connections between these films and the Vedic
tradition, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Native American/First Nations beliefs.
Readers will also understand that the philosophy of the Jedi doesn't only apply "in a galaxy far, far away"; it is also highly
relevant to everyday living. Like Luke Skywalker, we should all search our feelings to discover the deepest truths of life,
pursue our individual destinies, and strive to reach our full potential as human beings. In these ways, we can embody the
wisdom of the Jedi.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of two Appendices (Different Styles of
Meditation & Scientific Studies), twenty-four pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a four page Index. Fascinating,
thought-provoking, insightful, memorable, and a fun read from start to finish, "One with the Force: 18 Universal Truths in
Star Wars" by Krista Nobel is a unique and welcome pick for community and college/university library Philosophy,
Religion, and Cinematic History collections and supplemental Contemporary Popular Culture curriculums . A 'must' for the
legions of dedicated Star Wars fans, it should be noted for personal reading list that this hardcover edition of "One with the
Force: 18 Universal Truths in Star Wars" is also available from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers in a digital book format
(Kindle, $34.00).
Editorial Note: Krista Noble (www.kristanoble.com) is an expert on the Consciousness Based Vedic paradigm and received
Maharishi International University's Veda Vyasa Award. She is also a lifetime member of the World Association for Vedic
Studies. Dr. Noble is a professor of Vedic studies at Maharishi International University and at the Holmes Institute. In
addition, she has taught this subject at the University of Philosophical Research. Dr. Noble has published works in the
proceedings of the 2018 international World Association for Vedic Studies conference and the 2022 international Science of
Consciousness conference. Her writings have appeared in national magazines and literary journals, including New Age
Journal, Nature Friend, Grit, Farm & Ranch Living, Countryside, Home Educator's Family Times, The Penwood Review,
WestWard Quarterly, The Storyteller, Ceremony, The Acorn, and Advocate: P.K.A.'s Publication.
Hollywood Blackout
Ben Arogundade
Cassell
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781788405492, $26.99
https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Blackout-battle-recognition-white/dp/1788405498
Hollywood Blackout: The Battle for Inclusion at the Oscars documents how minorities and women have largely been left
out of Hollywood awards. It features statistics that follow the process of a system which has embedded discrimination into
its very structure. Ben Arogundade's revisionist history of the Oscars identifies many battles by minorities and women who
fought for inclusion in the past... and are still fighting today. Individual stories of such battles capture the ceremonies,
politics, and costs of Hollywood acclaim. This will prove eye-opening even to the most avid of Hollywood enthusiasts.
Libraries adding Hollywood Blackout to their collections will want to see that patrons beyond the usual Hollywood reader
learn about this title. It should be central to discussions of inclusion, documenting historic struggles that have (until now)
received relatively little public or media attention.
The Art Shelf
A Chronology of Art, second edition
Iain Zaczek, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500298176, $24.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/a-chronology-of-art-a-timeline-of-western-culture-from-prehistory-to-the-pres
ent-softcover
Synopsis: Most surveys of the history of art come neatly packaged. They are divided up into historic periods, artistic schools
and movements, and the careers of individual painters. They may make the subject appear more manageable, but they are
oversimplifications. In reality, movements and careers overlapped and intertwined, reacting to events in the world around
them.
Now available in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "A Chronology of Art: A Timeline of Western Culture
from Prehistory to the Present" compiled and edited by Iain Saczek places developments in the art world into sharp focus.
By prioritizing a purely chronological approach and side-stepping the cliches of conventional, academic pigeonholes, it
presents an entirely fresh perspective on the subject.
"A Chronology of Art" is structured around a central timeline, which features lavish illustrations of artworks, together with
commentaries and additional information about the social, political, and cultural events of the period. The text is divided
into four historical sections, becoming more detailed as it nears the present. From 1800 onward, each spread covers a
five-year span, which is far more comprehensive than other surveys of this kind. These chronological spreads are deftly
interwoven with lively "In Focus" features, highlighting social, stylistic, and technical developments.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a four page listing of the contributors and
their credentials, as well as more than 350 beautifully illustrations, this large format (8.7 in x 10.1 in x 0.9) paperback
edition of Iain Zaczek's "A Chronology of Art: A Timeline of Western Culture from Prehistory to the Present" from Thames
& Hudson is an exceptionally informative, and simply fascinating read from start to finish -- making it an ideal and
unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art History
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Iain Zaczek writes widely on art and design. His many books include: The Impressionists, Essential Art
Deco, Celtic Art and Design, and The Art of Illuminated Manuscripts: Illustrated Sacred Writings. He was also a
contributing author to Art: The Definitive Visual Guide. (www.britannica.com/contributor/iain-zaczek/12835282)
Goya's The Forge
Hisham Matar, author
Xavier F. Salomon, author
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781913875527, $29.95, HC, 72pp
https://www.amazon.com/Goyas-Forge-Frick-Diptych-15/dp/1913875520
Synopsis: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746 - 1828) is among the most important Spanish artists of the late 18th and
early 19th centuries. A late masterpiece, his Forge derives from the mythological theme of the forge of Vulcan, the
metalworker of the Olympian gods. The figures in Goya's monumental, haunting painting are instead muscular laborers at
work around a blacksmith's anvil. Salomon's deeply researched text is complemented by a poetic piece by Matar.
Designed to foster critical engagement and interest specialist and non-specialist alike, each book in the Frick Diptych series
illuminates a single work in the Frick's rich collection with an essay by a Frick curator paired with a contribution from a
contemporary artist or writer.
Critique: The fifteenth volume of the Frick Diptych art criticism series, "Goya's The Forge" by co-authors Hisham Matar
and Xavier F. Salomon features beautifully reproduced paintings accompanied by insightful and informative commentaries.
Also included is a three page Bibliography and a one page Index. A simply fascinating and thought-provoking study,
"Goya's The Forge" is a very specially and recommended addition to personal, professional, community, art school, and
college/university library Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Hisham Matar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hisham_Matar) spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo
and has lived most of his adult life in London. His prize-winning memoir, The Return, was published in 2016 and was the
recipient of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Jean Stein Award, the Prix du Livre Etranger Inter & Le Journal du Dimanche,
the Rathbones Folio Prize, The Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize and Germany's Geschwister Scholl Prize. It was
one of The New York Times' top 10 books of the year. His most recent publication is My Friends (2024).
Editorial Note 32: Xavier F. Salomon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Salomon) is Deputy Director & Peter Jay Sharp
Chief Curator for The Frick Collection, New York.
Bruegel's Three Soldiers
Anna-Claire Stinebring, author
Salman Toor, author
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781913875534, $29.95, HC, 72pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bruegels-Three-Soldiers-Frick-Diptych/dp/1913875539
Synopsis: One of the greatest Netherlandish painters of the sixteenth century, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525 1569) is
best known for his landscapes and peasant scenes. One of only three signed works by Bruegel in the United States, The
Three Soldiers was once in the celebrated collection of Charles I of England.
The small panel in grisaille (shades of gray) represents a trio of Landsknechte, the mercenary foot soldiers whose
flamboyant costumes and poses were a popular subject for printmakers of the period. This volume considers the artistic and
political environment of the time and investigates how a colorful subject is transformed by its translation into
monochrome.
Designed to foster critical engagement and interest specialist and non-specialist alike, each book in this series illuminates a
single work in the Frick's rich collection with an essay by an art historian paired with a contribution from a contemporary
artist or writer.
Critique: Beautifully illustrated in support of informative commentary and analysis, "Bruegel's Three Soldiers", co-authored
by curator Anna-Claire Stinebring and artist Salman Toor is the fourteenth title in the Frick Diptych art series from Giles.
This edition of "Bruegel's Three Soldiers" from Giles is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of
an eight page Bibliography and a two page Index. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, art school, and college/university library Art History & Criticism collections -- and will prove to be of special
interest and value to art history students, art historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject.
Editorial Note: Anna-Claire Stinebring ( is assistant curator of European Paintings, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, NY. Prior to joining The Met, Stinebring served as Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellow at The Frick Collection, NY. At
the Frick she curated a 2023 special display at Frick Madison, Master Printmakers of Northern Europe: Durer, Rembrandt,
Van Dyck. (https://www.codart.nl/guide/curators/anna-claire-stinebring)
Editorial Note #2: Salman Toor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Toor) was born in Lahore, Pakistan. Toor has had
two solo museum exhibitions No Ordinary Love at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2022) and How Will I Know at the
Whitney Museum of American Art (2020 - 21). Recent exhibitions include Living Histories: Queer Views and Old Masters
at Frick Madison (2021-22) and solo presentation The Pleasure Pavilion: A Series of Installations at Luhring Augustine,
New York (2020 - 21). Toor received his MFA from the Pratt Institute.
Animal Sightings
Jodi Cranston
Penn State University Press
www.psupress.org
9780271097633, $99.95, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Sightings-Animals-European-1400-1550/dp/0271097639
Synopsis: With the publication of "Animal Sightings: Art, Animals, and European Court Culture, 1400 - 1550", Professor
Jodi Cranston challenges two common ideas about the depiction of animals in early modern European court art: first, that
the human figure relegated animals to peripheral and often symbolic roles, both compositionally and conceptually, and
second, that the representation of animals during this period was predominantly tied to a growing interest in naturalism
derived from scientific study and discovery.
As an art historian, Professor Cranston considers the diversity of art representing animals common to that time and place,
including dogs, stags, falcons, and even insects. She discusses how early modern European courts (primarily in northern
Italy, Tyrol, Saxony, and southern Germany, where the preponderance of European courtly activity related to animals
occurred) acquired and kept living animals, sponsored hunts in purpose-cultivated forests, and fostered trade in animal
products. The diverse works created by artists associated with those courts reveal an ambivalent and complex view of
animals as beings who shared and shaped the world alongside humans.
Ultimately, "Animal Sightings" explores how early modern artists and viewers thought about human-animal interactions,
how visual representation facilitated and inhibited knowledge about animals, and how animals could reveal the limits and
possibilities of visual representation. It should be of special interest to scholars of early modern studies, art history, and
animal studies.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely enhanced throughout with both color and b/w illustrations, "Animal Sightings: Art,
Animals, and European Court Culture, 1400 - 1550" is further enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a
seventeen page Bibliography, thirteen pages of Notes, a seven page Index, a sixteen page Introduction, and deftly organized
into four major sections (Animal Observations, Small Winged Animals, Hunted Animals, Worn Animals). This large format
(8 x 0.76 x 10 inches, 1.59 pounds) hardcover edition of "Animal Sightings: Art, Animals, and European Court Culture,
1400 - 1550) is a seminal and ground-breaking study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Plant/Animal Art History collections and curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Jodi Cranston is Professor of the History of Art at Boston University. She is the author of The Muddied
Mirror: Materiality and Figuration in Titian's Later Paintings and Green Worlds of Renaissance Venice, both published by
Penn State University Press.
This Is Doug Hall: A Memoir
Doug Hall
ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781961856110, $55.00, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/This-Doug-Hall-Memoir/dp/1961856115
Synopsis: Although lavishly and beautifully illustrated, "This Is Doug Hall: A Memoir" is not a book only to be looked at
but one to be thoroughly read and enjoyed. It is a personal and professional account that is at once both intimate and
historical,
Doug Hall writes eloquently about his development as a person and an artist. He situates his story within the broader
conflicts of the latter part of the twentieth century and shows how these often absurd forces influenced a generation of artists
to adopt radical art practices (video, performance, and installation) as a counter to the modernist aesthetics that preceded
them.
From his hilarious and troubling descriptions of the Altamont Free Concert (1969) and his disorienting confrontation in
Berkeley with an LSD-tripping Indian Saddhu to his thoughts about teaching, making art, and the thinking behind some of
his most important projects, Hall's writing is generous and instructive for all those interested in our humanity and how it is
nurtured through the arts.
Critique: This large format (7.3 x 0.8 x 10.5 inches, 2.25 pounds) paperback edition of "This Is Doug Hall: A Memoir" is
the life story of a multi-media artist, deftly blended with an inherently fascinating treatise on conceptual mid to late 20th
Century American art. Profusely illustrated throughout and with an informative text that is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in
organization and presentation, "This Is Doug Hall: A Memoir" is a unique and especially recommended addition to
personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university library American Art History/Biography collections
and supplemental Mixed-Media/Conceptual Art curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Doug Hall (https://doughallgallery.com) became known in the mid-1970s for his innovative works in
performance, video, and media installation, both as an individual artist and as a founding member of the T. R. Uthco
Collective. In 1979 Hall expanded his studio practice to explore radical aesthetic practices with students at the San
Francisco Art Institute where he taught from 1979 to 2008. He lives and works in San Francisco.
How to Draw Squishy Cats and Kittens
Vera Kay
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760393468, $19.99, PB, 112pp
https://www.amazon.com/Draw-Squishy-Kittens-Step-Step/dp/076039346X
Synopsis: Vera Kay is a rising young artist/illustrator who goes by @veekachoo online. Her new combination instructional
guide, "How to Draw Squishy Cats and Kittens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Totally Floofy Felines and Their
Worlds" teaches the aspiring artist/illustrator in expertly drawing cats in all kinds of cute positions and situations, including
sitting, snuggling, sleeping, swatting, and more.
A fun book from start to finish, "How to Draw Squishy Cats and Kittens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Totally Floofy
Felines and Their Worlds" is divided into chapters focusing on:
Degrees of cat fur floofiness and how to add it
Adding color to line art
Common cat poses
Cats and their kingdoms
A squishy kitty birthday party!
Each chapter comes with a coloring page and is filled with helpful instruction and tips for drawing cats, both digitally and
with traditional drawing tools. Veekachoo's hundreds of thousands of online followers give her lots of positive feedback and
often credit her art with inspiring them to start drawing.
"How to Draw Squishy Cats and Kittens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Totally Floofy Felines and Their Worlds" is the
first book from this trending artist whose career continues to grow through her social media channels and online
classes.
Critique: Unique, unusual, and thoroughly 'art student friendly' in organization and presentation, "How to Draw Squishy
Cats and Kittens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Totally Floofy Felines and Their Worlds" will prove an exceptional and
appreciated pick for personal, school, and community library Animal Art Instruction collections.
Editorial Note: Vera Kay has built a large online following that loves her cute, quirky drawings of cats. A young digital
creator, she's originally from Australia and has an undergraduate degree in law but worked as a professional equestrian
before moving to a small village in northern France to pursue art full-time. Cats are her creative inspiration, and her
drawings spark joy in viewers.
Sketchbook Joy
Katie Moody
Leaping Hare Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9781836000679, $19.99, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sketchbook-Joy-creativity-sketchbooks-Painting/dp/1836000677
Synopsis: Creativity exists in everyone! And with the publication of "Sketchbook Joy: How to embrace your creativity and
fill your sketchbooks with colour" by sketchbook lover, tutor, artist and illustrator Katie Moody.
Art can be accessible, so much fun and positive for your mental health, mindfulness, and memory. Now you can quickstart
your creative and artistic journey with this exciting combination of instructional guide and 'how to' manual in developing
your art skills every day through your own personal sketchbook.
Even if you are a novice and brand new to making art, "Sketchbook Joy the aspirational prompts featured will encourage
you to unlock your creativity and fill your very own gorgeous sketchbook to cherish.
You will learn how to paint through the accessible medium of fun gouache and explore the expressive joy of mixed media
by drawing in pastels & pencils.
"Sketchbook Joy" covers:
Essential sketchbook supplies and how to use them
Basic painting and drawing techniques
Colour theory
Sketching things around you
Projects that include botanicals, birds, rural landscapes, urban scenes, and painting from your window (or phone)
Ideas and way of filling your sketchbook
Tips for building a creative practice and making time for it - and you
Critique: Inspiring, elegant, motivating, and exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Sketchbook Joy:
How to embrace your creativity and fill your sketchbooks with colour" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for
personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university library DIY Art Instruction collections. It should be
noted for art class students, aspiring artists/illustrators, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
this paperback edition of "Sketchbook Joy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Katie Moody (https://www.katiemoody.co.uk) is a mixed media artist living on the south coast of England
and is hugely inspired by nature! She teaches and shares her art on YouTube, Patreon and Instagram, encouraging more
people to pick up their sketchbooks, find their creative joy and get painting. She has worked with Derwent, Windsor &
Newton, and the Tate, and has a successful Etsy shop. Katie is an advocate that creativity is for everyone!
The Egyptology Shelf
The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient Egypt
Euphrosyne Doxiadis
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500027943, $50.00, HC, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Fayum-Portraits-Faces-Ancient/dp/0500027943
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient Egypt", Euphrosyne Doxiadis (a
Greek artist and writer, who trained as a painter in Europe and the United States) has created an impressive survey of the
Fayum paintings from the enigmatic and compelling funerary portraits created by the inhabitants of Roman Egypt in the first
century CE.
An acclaimed survey, this edition of "The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient Egypt" from Thames & Hudson
is presented in an updated format with a new foreword by Egyptian novelist and cultural commentator Ahdaf Soueif, offers
a richly illustrated account of the history and discovery of astonishing funerary portraits from Greco-Roman Egypt.
These remarkable paintings take their name from a district of Roman Egypt, whose inhabitants in the first three centuries
CE included Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Syrians, Libyans, Nubians, and Jews. In the Egyptian tradition, they embalmed the
bodies of their dead; but then placed a painted portrait over the mummified person, preserving the memory of each
individual.
Over one thousand portraits have so far been discovered and include men, women, and children of all ages. Including almost
two hundred of these paintings, Euphrosyne Doxiadis's informative text combines incisive scholarship with a compelling
selection of images of enduring freshness and beauty.
Doxiadis's text sets the people and the paintings in their social, artistic, and geographical context, describing the techniques
used and showing how the Fayum portraits relate to Byzantine icon painting, in a tradition that extends from ancient Greece
to the Renaissance and on to the present day.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illuminated with the inclusion 274 illustrations (124 in color), this large format (8.9 x
1.1 x 11.7 inches, 2.2 pounds) hardcover coffee-table style edition of "The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient
Egypt" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a three page Bibliography, five pages of
Notes, Maps of Fayum and the Nile Valley, 'Problems in the Dating of the Mummy Portraits' by Barbara Borg, a two page
identification of Costumes, Hairstyles and Jewelry, and a three page Index. A seminal and ground-breaking study that would
well serve as a Library Memorial Fund acquisition choice, "The Mysterious Fayum Portraits: Faces from Ancient Egypt" is
an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library
Egyptology collections and supplemental First Century CE Roman Egypt curriculum studies lists.
Mountains of the Pharaohs
Zahi Hawass
American University in Cairo Press
www.aucpress.com
9781649033987, $24.95, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Pharaohs-Untold-Pyramid-Builders/dp/1649033982
Synopsis: Nearly five thousand years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom reigned over a highly advanced
civilization. Believed to be gods, the royal family lived amid colossal palaces and temples built to honor them and their
deified ancestors.
With the publication of "Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders", renowned Egyptologist
Zahi Hawass brings these extraordinary historical figures to life, detailing a soap opera-like saga complete with murder,
incest, and the triumphant ascension to the throne of one of only four queens ever to rule Egypt. It was during this dynasty
that the magnificent pyramids of Giza were built. These monuments attest not only to the dynasty's supreme power, but also
to the engineering expertise and architectural sophistication that flourished under its rule.
Hawass tells the complete story of the pyramids, weaving archaeological data with a history of Egypt's powerful pharaohs,
and argues that the pyramids - including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still
standing -- were built by skilled craftsmen who took great pride in their work.
Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs and drawings, "Mountains of the Pharaohs" is a compelling
account of one of civilization's greatest achievements.
Critique: Originally published in hardcover by the American University of Cairo Press in August 2006, this new paperback
edition of "Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders" by Zahi Hawass will be welcomed by a
new generation of Egyptology students and enthusiasts. A masterpiece of archaeological research and a continuing high
value contribution to Egyptology, "Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders" is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Egyptology collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that
"Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$11.99).
Editorial Note: Zahi Hawass (https://zahilectures.com) is one of the world's best known Egyptologists, former Egyptian
minister of state for antiquities, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. He is the author of many books on ancient
Egypt, including Secrets from the Sand: My Search for Egypt's Past (pbk edition, AUC Press, 2011) and co-author of
Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies (AUC Press, 2016).
The Parenting Shelf
A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids
Alexander Kolevzon, author
Pilar Trelles, author
Robert Jaffe, author
Familius
www.familius.com
9798893960457, $15.99, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Guide-Starting-Psychiatric-Medications/dp/B0DC2PDFF9
Synopsis: For parents and caregivers, considering psychiatric medications for a child can be scary and overwhelming as they
weigh the risks and benefits.
"A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids" boils down the process of evaluating children and deciding
whether to use medication, and then explores different classes of medications in detail, from the side effects to ongoing
monitoring.
Co-authored by three child psychiatrists from New York's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Alexander Kolevzon,
MD; Robert Jaffe, MD; and Pilar Trelles, MD, draw upon their years of research and experience to deliver a
straightforward, accessible Q&A guidebook for parents and caregivers.
Whether considering medications for ADHD, anxiety, depression, or autism for their child, this guide empowers non-
profession and inexperienced parents to ask their medical, child psychologist, and psychiatric service provider all the tough
questions to ensure comfortable and confidence in exploring benefits and side-effects of psychiatric medications for a
child.
Critique: This highly portable paperback edition of "A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids: Start
Low and Go Slow" is thoroughly 'parent friendly' in organization and presentation. Especially and unreservedly
recommended as essential reading for a parent who has psychiatric medication of any kind prescribed for their children, "A
Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids: Start Low and Go Slow" is an critically important addition to
family, community, and college/university library Child Mental Health Diagnosis & Treatment collections for children with
a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or other emotional/mental conditions requiring treatment. It should be noted that "A Parent's
Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids: Start Low and Go Slow" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $13.49).
Editorial Note #1: Alex Kolevzon, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than 20 years of clinical and
research experience. He is a Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New
York where he serves as the Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism for Research and Treatment. His research is focused on
developing new treatments for people with neurodevelopmental disorders, which include behavioral interventions,
medications, and gene therapy. He is also the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for the Mount Sinai Health
System. In this role, Alex is dedicated to ensuring children, adolescents, and families across New York City receive the best
possible care from experts at Mount Sinai, advancing science across childhood psychiatric disorders, and training the next
generation of clinicians specializing in children's mental health. Alex is also passionate about education; he is a frequently
invited speaker nationally and internationally and has won numerous awards as an active teacher, mentor, and clinical
supervisor.
Editorial Note #2: Robbie Jaffe, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai, where he is the Training Director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Robbie teaches the psychiatrists of
tomorrow as the Program Director for Mount Sinai's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. Robbie runs a teaching
clinic working with a team of fellows, psychologists, and social workers to help kids and teens with anxiety,
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and tics and Tourette's disorder. He is also the Director of the Tourette Association
of America's Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai, where he researches novel treatments for Tourette's disorder and
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has written chapters and given invited lectures on tic disorders and how
they interact with anxiety, OCD, and ADHD.
Editorial Note #3: Pilar Trelles, MD, is a native Peruvian but spent 20 years in the New York City area where she completed
her postgraduate training in general psychiatry at New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, and child and adolescent
psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After child psychiatry training, she pursued an additional
specialized fellowship in neurodevelopmental disorders, also at Mount Sinai, where she focused on using genetics to
advance therapeutics in the field. She is currently faculty at Harvard Medical School and works at Boston Children Hospital,
where she leads psychiatric care for children with autism spectrum disorder and efforts to increase diversity and inclusion in
psychiatric clinical trials more broadly. Pilar is passionate about working with caregivers and other stakeholders to bridge
advances in the field of child psychiatry to community care and has participated in multiple research projects and
educational initiatives with this goal in mind.
The Urban Planning Shelf
Approximate Translation
Jonathan Jae-an Crisman
Plural Publishing
www.pluralpublishing.com
9781954081505, $35.00, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Approximate-Translation-Narrative-Experience-Design/dp/1954081502
Synopsis: Cities are infinite cultural hyperobjects that contain layers of history, of contemporary life, of material, capital,
infrastructure, of future dreams of what may come. We sometimes call these dreams "urban design plans" --
two-dimensional drawings that are meant to capture our aspirations for the future of a place. Yet these plans are often static
images -- or, worse, building masses without people, narratives, or even nods to contextual histories.
"Approximate Translation: Media, Narrative, and Experience in Urban Design" by Jonathan Jae-an Crisman is a poetic and
practical rumination on how to incorporate what makes a city a city (stories about place, an unexpected encounter, the
immediacy of experience) into practices of urban design. Using a speculative transformation of the Boston neighborhood of
Allston as a demonstration, "Approximate Translation" proposes that we think seriously about topics as disparate as science
fiction, pop art, theme parks, and DJing if we want to better design the cities in which we live
Critique: A unique, inherently interesting, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community,
and college/university library Architectural Theory collections and supplemental Contemporary Urban Deign curriculum
studies lists, this large format (7 x 0.5 x 10 inches, 1.1 pounds) paperback edition of artist, architect, and academician
Jonathan Jae-an Crisman's "Approximate Translation: Media, Narrative, and Experience in Urban Design" is a prized and
unreservedly recommended addition for architectural/urban design students and practitioners.
Editorial Note: Based in Los Angeles, California, Dr. Jonathan Jae-an Crisman is an artist, teacher, and researcher.
(https://capla.arizona.edu/faculty-staff/jonathan-jae-crisman)
The Music Shelf
Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre
Jeffrey Langford
Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032459806, $200.00, HC, 210pp
https://www.amazon.com/Opera-History-Impossible-Jeffrey-Langford/dp/1032459808
Synopsis: With the publication of "Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre", Professor Jeffrey Langford (Associate Dean
for Doctoral Studies at the Manhattan School of Music) offers an accessible and chronological survey of opera.
Beginning in the 16th century, each chapter comprising "Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre" hones its focus on a
representative opera and composer, and provides discussion on historical and political context. With further reading lists,
key term definitions, and composer biographies to support learning, this book covers the fundamental elements of the genre,
including: subject matter, musical structure, aria and ensemble forms, singing styles, orchestra, and the structure of the
libretto.
"Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre" will also help readers develop an appreciation of opera as a form of musical
entertainment, which, despite seemingly insurmountable financial, philosophical, and artistic hurdles, has overcome the
"impossible" to become one of the most popular and thrilling types of music heard on stage today.
Of special note is the use of "Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre" as an approachable undergraduate textbook for
students of opera and survey courses.
Critique: A seminal and basic history and explanation of Opera as a specific and identifiable music genre, "Opera, a History
of the Impossible Genre" by Professor Jeffrey Langford is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Opera Music History/Theory collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and dedicated opera fans that this hardcover edition of
"Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre" from Routledge is also readily available in paperback (9781032459783, $54.99)
and in a digital book format (Kindle, $37.99).
Editorial Note: Jeffrey Langford (www.msmnyc.edu/faculty/jeffrey-langford) is Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies at the
Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY. He is author of A History of the Symphony (Routledge, 2019) and Evenings
at the Opera (Amadeus Press, 2011).
The Practice of Popular Music
Trevor de Clercq
Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032362908, $183.99, HC, 492pp
https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Popular-Music-Understanding-Songwriting/dp/1032362901
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Practice of Popular Music: Understanding Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, and Form in
Commercial Songwriting", by Professor Trevor de Clercq (Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State
University) presents a music theory and musicianship textbook devoted to explaining the organization of contemporary
popular music styles such as pop, rock, R&B, rap, and country.
Rooted in recent research showing that the structure of popular music differs from classical music in important ways, "The
Practice of Popular Music" offers an accessible approach to teaching music theory that is fully oriented around popular and
commercial genres.
Beginning with fundamentals and requiring no previous training in music theory or notation, "The Practice of Popular
Music" guides the reader through a range of advanced topics, including chromatic mixture, secondary chord function,
complex time signatures, and phrase organization. Each chapter develops concepts in tandem with aural comprehension, and
the included exercises balance written tasks with listening activities. A companion website provides links to playlists of the
music discussed.
With an innovative approach designed to broaden the reach of music theory course work to a wide range of students,
including non-majors and those in modern music degree programs such as audio engineering, songwriting, and music
business, "The Practice of Popular Music" enables readers to gain a deep understanding of music theory in the context of
popular music.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with a five page Bibliography and a three page Index, this large
format (8.25 x 0.99 x 11 inches, 2.42 pounds) paperback edition of "The Practice of Popular Music: Understanding
Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, and Form in Commercial Songwriting" by Professor de Clercq is unreservedly recommended
for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Music Composition/Songwriting collections and Music
Theory curriculum studies lists. Exceptional, comprehensive, as well as impressively organized and presented, it should be
noted that this hardcover edition of "The Practice of Popular Music: Understanding Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, and Form
in Commercial Songwriting" from Routledge is also available to students, academia, aspiring and practicing songwriters,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in paperback (9781032362892, $56.99) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $41.76).
Editorial Note: Trevor de Clercq (https://www.midside.com) is a Professor in the Department of Recording Industry at
Middle Tennessee State University.
Music Business: The Key Concepts, second edition
Richard Strasser
Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032584461, $180.00, HC, 214pp
https://www.amazon.com/Music-Business-Routledge-Key-Guides/dp/1032584467
Synopsis: This newly updated and expanded second edition of "Music Business: The Key Concepts" by Professor Richard
Strasser is a comprehensive guide to the terminology commonly used in the music business today.
This second edition responds to the music industry's increasingly digital and ever-evolving environment, with definitions
from a number of relevant fields, including:
General business
Marketing
E-commerce
Intellectual property law
Economics
Entrepreneurship
In an accessible A-Z format and fully cross-referenced throughout, "Music Business: The Key Concepts" is essential reading
for music business students as well as those interested in the music industry.
Critique: Exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, the second edition of "Music Business: The Key
Concepts" by Professor Richard Strasser is a key and foundational recommendation to personal, professional, community,
and college/university library collections. It should be noted for students, academia, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the music business that this hardcover edition of "Music Business: The Key Concepts" is
also readily available in paperback (Kindle, $52.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $50.34).
Editorial Note: Richard Strasser is Associate Professor in the Department of Music and Entertainment Studies at the
University of Colorado Denver. He is the author of numerous books and articles on and about the music industry and is
author of the on-line blog The Analytical Musician (www.theanalyticalmusician.com)
The LGBTQ Studies Shelf
When the Band Played On
Michael C. Lee
Chicago Review Press
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9780914090304, $30.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/When-Band-Played-Trailblazing-Journalist/dp/0914090305
Synopsis: Randy Shilts was the preeminent LGBTQ+ reporter of his generation. He was the first openly gay reporter
assigned to a gay beat at a mainstream paper and one of the nation's most influential chroniclers of gay history, politics, and
culture.
Shilts wrote three seminal works on the community: The Mayor of Castro Street, on the life, assassination, and legacy of
Harvey Milk; And the Band Played On, detailing the failure of politics as usual during the early AIDS epidemic; and
Conduct Unbecoming, a history of the US military's mistreatment of LGBTQ servicemembers.
Yet the intimate life story of Randy Shilts has been left unwritten. With the publication from the Chicago Review Press of
"When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts, America's Trailblazing Gay Journalist", biographer Michael G. Lee
tells that story, recognizing his legacy as a trailblazing figure in gay activism, journalism, and public policy.
As an author and biographer. Michael Lee conducted interviews with Shilts's family, friends, college professors, colleagues,
informants, lovers, and critics. The resulting narrative tells the tale of a singularly gifted voice, a talented yet insecure young
man whose coming of age became intricately linked to the historic peaks and devastating perils of modern gay
liberation.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a Prologue (A Character in Two Scenes), a
four page listing of Acknowledgments, thirty-six pages of Notes, and a nine page Index, "When the Band Played On: The
Life of Randy Shilts, America's Trailblazing Gay Journalist" is an extraordinarily compelling and impressively
comprehensive life story told in a equally compelling and narrative driven style. Of special and particular interest to readers
with an interest in journalism and LGBTQ histories/biographies, "When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts,
America's Trailblazing Gay Journalist" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university
library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "When the Band Played On:
The Life of Randy Shilts, America's Trailblazing Gay Journalist" from the Chcago Review Press is also readily available in
a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing,
9798228345645, $49.99, CD).
Editorial Note: For more than twenty years, Michael Lee (https://authormglee.com) has had a passion for storytelling that
has fueled a dynamic career of LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS organizing, human services, research, writing, and teaching. He has
taught graduate courses at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota for more than a decade while working as a professional
grant writer. Michael's interest in Randy Shilts came about while he was researching the origins of 1970s-era gay and
lesbian community services and their influence on AIDS organizations of the 1980s. He lives in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
The Mathematics Shelf
Mathematical Puzzles, revised edition
Peter Winkler
CRC Press
c/o Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032709536, $79.99, HC, 450pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Puzzles-Revised-Recreational-Mathematics/dp/1032709537
Synopsis: Research in mathematics is much more than solving puzzles, but most people will agree that solving puzzles is
not just fun: it helps focus the mind and increases one's armory of techniques for doing mathematics.
Now in an updated and revised seconded edition, "Mathematical Puzzles" by Professor Peter Winkler makes this connection
explicit by isolating important mathematical methods, then using them to solve puzzles and prove a theorem.
This newly revised second edition of "Mathematical Puzzles" has been thoroughly edited to correct errors and provide
clarifications, and includes some totally different solutions, modified puzzles, and one entirely new puzzle.
"Mathematical Puzzles" features a collection of the world's best mathematical puzzles. Each individual chapter features a
technique for solving mathematical puzzles, examples, and finally a genuine theorem of mathematics that features that
technique in its proof.
It should be noted that the puzzles comprising "Mathematical Puzzles" from CRC Press are entertaining, mystifying,
paradoxical, and satisfying -- and not just exercises or contest problems.
Critique: Instructive, challenging, illustrative, and great fun for the mathematically inclined, this hardcover revised edition
of Professor Peter Winkler's "Mathematical Puzzles" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
college/university library Math Logic & Games collections. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Mathematical Puzzles" is also readily available from CRC Press in a paperback
edition (9781032708485, $33.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.35).
Editorial Note: Peter Winkler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Winkler) is the William Morrill Professor of
Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College, and for 2019 - 2020, the Distinguished Visiting Professor for the
Public Dissemination of Mathematics at the National Museum of Mathematics. He is the author of 160 research papers, a
dozen patents, two previous puzzle books, a book on cryptographic techniques in the game of bridge, and a portfolio of
compositions for ragtime piano.
The Business Shelf
Nolo's LLC Handbook
Glen Secor, Attorney
Nolo Press
www.nolo.com
9781413332230, $49.99, PB, 350pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nolos-LLC-Handbook-Agreements-Instructions/dp/1413332234
Synopsis: Specific to the United States, an LLC (limited liability company) is a form of business company. It is a business
structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a
corporation. An LLC is not a corporation under the laws of every state; it is a legal form of a company that provides limited
liability to its owners in many jurisdictions.
"Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" by attorney Glen Secor is a DIY
one-stop legal guide for forming and maintaining your multi-member LLC.
The "Nolo's LLC Handbook" explains the forms and agreements you will use to manage the legal aspects of your LLC,
including:
Choosing and reserving a business name
Filing articles of organization
Creating an operating agreement
Creating a buyout agreement
Managing transfers of LLC interests
Maintaining legal and tax compliance
Dissolving your LLC
Critique: Comprehensive, complete, and exceptionally well organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist
general reader wanting to establish an LLC, this outstanding paperback edition of "Nolo's LLC Handbook: A Complete
Legal Guide to Creating and Operating Your LLC" by Glen Secor is a practical, up-to-date, legal fees saving, step-by-step
DIY guide to successfully establishing an LLC format for their entrepreneurial or business enterprise. Especially
recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business/Entrepreneurship collections
and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Nolo's LLC Handbook"
from Nolo Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99).
Editorial Note: Glen Secor is a Nolo editor and a Massachusetts attorney with over 30 years' experience in the practice of
business and intellectual property law. He holds degrees from Suffolk University Law School and Harvard Law School, and
has taught at the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
Responsible Marketing
Lola Bakare
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398611641, $113.00, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Responsible-Marketing-Authentic-Inclusive-Strategy/dp/1398611646
Synopsis: With the publication of "Responsible Marketing: How to Create an Authentic and Inclusive Marketing Strategy",
marketing strategist Lola Bakare takes the reader through a forward-looking approach to inclusive marketing, offering a
compelling blend of case studies, in-depth interviews, social impact marketing principles and inclusive leadership
frameworks.
Bakare demystifies the relationship between today's marketing imperatives and the dynamic global cultural shifts that
current and aspiring marketing leaders need to address. "Responsible Marketing" expands on the power of inclusivity,
corporate responsibility and cultural awareness, helping marketing leaders determine how to make social impact outcomes
an imperative across the entire marketing mix.
"Responsible Marketing" also walks the reader through building a responsible, inclusive marketing strategy that captivates
consumers and delivers long-term growth for a company.
Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, style, organization and presentation, "Responsible Marketing: How to Create
an Authentic and Inclusive Marketing Strategy" offers a complete and comprehensive course of instruction that will prove
invaluable, 'real world' practical, and particularly applicable to entrepreneurs, business managers, and corporate executives
with an interest and responsibility for e-commerce, web marketing, business diversity and inclusion in an increasingly
volatile economics and corporate competition. Especially important and highly recommended pick for community,
corporate, and college/university library Business Marketing/Management collections and MBA curriculum studies lists, it
should be noted for MBA students, individual entrepreneurs, and company executives in charge of marketing and market
development that "Responsible Marketing: How to Create an Authentic and Inclusive Marketing Strategy" is also available
in a paperback edition (9781398611627, $32.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $31.34).
Editorial Note: based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lola Bakare is an Anthem award-winning inclusive marketing
strategist, creator of Maximize The Movement , and founder of be/co, a boutique marketing consultancy. She is a 2022
LinkedIn Top Voice in Marketing & Advertising and a regular at industry events including Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity. A Techstars Marketing Mentor and "Voices" columnist for Adweek, Bakare is regularly featured in
LinkedIn News, Campaign, Marketing Brew, Digiday, Harvard Business Review and Business Insider.
(https://consciousnessleaders.com/expert/lola-bakare)
Growth Marketing Strategy
Rose Jia
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398618367, $131.00, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Marketing-Strategy-Sustained-Business/dp/1398618365
Synopsis: Growth marketing is no longer just a short-term tactical approach suitable only for start-ups and SMEs looking
for easy wins. Instead, it has become a real source of long-term sustainable growth for any business, and a strategic approach
that can deliver results regardless of economic environment.
With marketers under pressure to consistently deliver growth in rapidly changing landscapes, "Growth Marketing Strategy:
Drive Profits and Sustained Business Growth" by Rose Jia is an invaluable guide that will provide a clear roadmap so that
any marketer can develop a growth marketing strategy that delivers.
Packed from cover to cover with cutting-edge insights drawn from companies like Fujifilm, GoPro, Twitch, Disney,
Amazon Grocery, Tesla and American Express, "Growth Marketing Strategy" gives marketers practical ways to drive their
business forward, moving beyond initial organic growth to a strategy that is both sustainable and resilient to changing
market conditions.
From exploring how to shift the mindset of the team to long-term investment and adaptability, to how your marketing team
should be best structured and resourced within your organization to allow your growth marketing team to thrive, "Growth
Marketing Strategy" takes you from the fundamentals of growth marketing to how to apply it and adapt it to any challenge
your business faces.
Critique: A complete and comprehensive course on the subject of growth marketing strategies for entrepreneurs, business
managers, and corporate executives, "Growth Marketing Strategy: Drive Profits and Sustained Business Growth" is
impressively 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation. While invaluable as a DIY instructional guide and 'how
to' manual, it should be noted for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library
Industrial/Business Management and Search Engine Optimization collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies
lists that this hardcover edition of Rose Jia's "Growth Marketing Strategy: Drive Profits and Sustained Business Growth"
from Kogan Page is also readily available in paperback (9781398618343, $39.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle,
$37.99).
Editorial Note: Rose Jia (https://www.rosejia.com) is an award-winning marketing and product leader based in New York
City, New York. She leads growth marketing at Amazon after previously working in marketing and product development at
Twitch and American Express, as well as working as an investment banker and in corporate finance at Citi. She has founded
community-based platforms like The Techseries Company and Whiskey Me Up, been a guest speaker at major conferences
such as AdWeek and Marketing Offensive and appeared on podcasts including The CPG Guys and Looking Outside.
The Complete Copywriter
Alan Barker
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398613553, $92.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Copywriter-Create-Marketing-Works/dp/139861355X
Synopsis: Writing good copy is no longer just about advertising or selling or direct mail. You need to develop a deep
understanding of your customer base and use your imagination to create and curate content that resonates with them.
As marketing becomes more multi-platformed, more measurable and enabled by digital tools and regenerative-AI,
marketing communications must be increasingly nuanced, responsive and with a distinct human touch.
From paid social to press releases, from landing pages to white papers and from internal communications to engaging with
customers, the sheer range of writing challenges can feel daunting. How can you keep it targeted? How can you keep it
personal? How can you keep it conversational?
With the publication of "The Complete Copywriter: The Definitive Guide to Marketing with Words", Alan Barker (who is
the Managing Director of Kairos Training Limited, a specialist consultancy dedicated to developing creativity and
communication skills) gives you all the tools you will need to create exceptional marketing copy.
This comprehensive DIY instructional guide covers every aspect of the copywriting craft, from creativity and planning, to
revision and execution. You will learn how to exercise your creativity, be refreshingly adaptable with your words, generate
ideas, maintain reader attention, hone your empathy and bring words to life, so that you deliver copy that works every
time.
Critique: Of special note are the chapters on Being a Writer; How Copy Works, Storytelling and the Use of Narrative;
Writing Website Copy, Email Marketing, Producing an Email Newsletter; Writing a Press Release; Writing Articles and
Blog Posts; Survival Skills for Copy Writers; and The Copywriter's Toolkit. A complete and thoroughly 'user friendly'
combination of instructional guide and 'how to' manual, "The Complete Copywriter: The Definitive Guide to Marketing
with Words" is essential reading for aspiring entrepreneurs, advertizing managers, online sellers, and novice copy writers.
While an exceptional pick for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university Direct Marketing and
Business Writing Skills collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this hardcover
edition of "The Complete Copywriter: The Definitive Guide to Marketing with Words" from Kogan Page is also available
for students, copywriters, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in paperback (9781398613539,
$28.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99).
Editorial Note: Alan Barker is Managing Director of Kairos Training Limited, a specialist consultancy dedicated to
developing creativity and communication skills. A prolific writer, he is the author of Improve your Communication Skills,
How to be Better at Managing People, 30 Minutes to Brainstorm Great Ideas, 30 Minutes Before a Meeting and How to
Manage Meetings (all published by Kogan Page).
The Money/Finance Shelf
Nolo's Guide to Estate Planning
Liza Hanks, Attorney
Nolo Press
www.nolo.com
9781413331660, $35.99, PB, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Plan-Your-Estate/dp/1413331661
Synopsis: Estate planning sounds difficult -- but most people just need a few basic documents. With the publication of the
"Nolo's Guide to Estate Planning", estate planning expert Liza Hanks shows the non-specialist general readers just how to
protect their loved ones from legal hassles and financial uncertainty with respect to an inheritance left to them.
"Nolo's Guide to Estate Planning" covers:
Wills and living trusts
Avoiding probate
Bypass (AB) trusts
Leaving property to children and naming guardians
Estate, gift, and inheritance taxes
Strategies for business owners
Health care directives, and
Financial powers of attorney.
Critique: Applies in all U.S. states except Louisiana, this paperback edition of estate attorney Liza Hanks "Nolo's Guide to
Estate Planning" is fully updated, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. If your
aim is to establish and pass on 'Generational Wealth' to your children and grandchildren, then "Nolo's Guide to Estate
Planning" is the ideal instructional guide and 'how to' manual. While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$19.99), "Nolo's Guide to Estate Planning" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, senior center, and college/university library Money/Finance Management collections and Estate Planning
reading lists.
Editorial Note: Liza Hanks (https://www.lizahanks.com) has practiced estate planning, trust administration, and probate law
for decades. She has taught Estate Planning and Taxation at Santa Clara University Law School as an adjunct lecturer, is a
graduate of Stanford Law School, a former magazine editor, and the mother of two children (neither of whom has any
interest in becoming an attorney). Liza is also the author of Every Californian's Guide to Estate Planning, and The Trustee's
Legal Companion (with Attorney Carol Elias Zolla).
Banking as a Service
Jason Mikula
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398617902, $134.00, HC, 264pp
https://www.amazon.com/Banking-Service-Opportunities-Challenges-Business/dp/1398617903
Synopsis: Banking as a service (BaaS) is a game changer in the financial services sector, radically transforming both how
consumers experience financial products and the business models delivering them.
With the publication of "Banking as a Service: Opportunities, Challenges, and Risks of New Banking Business Models",
Jason Mikula cuts through the hype to provide a measured overview of BaaS, helping readers to demystify a complex
evolving field and understand its key opportunities, challenges and risks. It provides a framework for understanding where
BaaS came from, how BaaS changes the economics and business models of banking products and services, its impact on
key stakeholders, and its key regulatory implications.
"Banking as a Service" also explains how business and operating models work, exploring different models such as
interchange, deposit gathering, loan origination-to-distribute, legacy, API-first, own licence, match-making and bank service
providers and offers a framework for thinking about whether or not they're sustainable.
Additionally, "Banking as a Service" explores how BaaS operating and business models compare in different global
territories and is supported by real-world examples and cases profiling organizations such as Blue Ridge Bank, Unit,
Synapse, Goldman Sachs, Railsr, Starling, Solaris, Cacao Paycard, QNB, OnePipe, Airwallex, Nium and Pomelo. It also
explains the differences between BaaS, embedded finance and open banking.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Banking as a Service: Opportunities, Challenges, and Risks of New
Banking Business Models" must be considered essential reading and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal,
professional, community, corporate, governmental, and college/university library Contemporary Economics, Banking, and
Money/Finance collections and MBA curriculum reading lists. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit, "Banks as a
Service" features a three page listing of Abbreviations & Definitions, and an eight page Index. Exhaustive, comprehensive,
and exceptionally well presented, it should be noted for students, academia, bank managers, financial service providers, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Banks as a Service" is also available in paperback
(9781398617889, $42.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.80).
Editorial Note: Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Jason Mikula is the publisher of Fintech Business Weekly, a
newsletter going beyond the headlines to analyze the technology, regulatory, and business model trends driving the rapidly
evolving financial services ecosystem at the intersection of traditional banking, payments, fintech, and crypto. He also
advises and consults for and invests in early stage startups. Previously, he spent over a decade building and scaling
consumer finance businesses, including at Enova, LendUp, and Goldman Sachs.
The International Studies Shelf
The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader
BD Publishing LLC
9798332429538, $35.00, PB, 799pp
https://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Israel-Palestine-Reader-BD-Publishing/dp/B0DDY5Z8KZ
Synopsis: "The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader" from BD Publishing is the story and history of the Israel-Palestine
conflict as told by the people who shaped it. A definitive and comprehensive compilation, "The Definitive Israel-Palestine
Reader" offers informative content creating a compelling and readable narrative of the Israel-Palestine conflict, ranging
from the origins of the conflict up through the present day.
"The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader" includes contemporary accounts from trustworthy sources, including:
Declassified intelligence reports
Newspaper articles
Diplomatic correspondence
Also offered are invaluable insights from Israeli leaders, including David Ben-Gurion, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Golda
Meir. contributions from Palestinian leaders including Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, and Marwan Barghouti
Then there are perspectives drawn from Arab leaders including Gamal Abdel Nasser, King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, and Hafez
al-Assad.
Of special note are assessments from historical figures including, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, and
Malcolm X. As well as analysis from leading experts including Henry Kissinger, Noam Chomsky, and Dean Acheson
Additional source material includes historical documents, Congressional reports, United Nations reports and resolutions,
and more!
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader" is an ideal, fundamental, an
essential informational resource for readers wanting to understand the history and complexities of the continuing
Israel-Palestine conflict that currently shows no signs of any resolution in the foreseeable future. While especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, political activists,
governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers that this paperback edition of "The Definitive
Israel-Palestine Reader" from BD Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.00).
Editorial Note: The Definitive Israel-Palestine Reader has a forthcoming second edition (ISBN: 9798218592516).
The Nautical Shelf
The Watch's Wild Cry
Robert T. Weir & Andrew W. German
The Lyons Press
www.lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493081042, $30.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Watchs-Wild-Cry-Voyage-Whaling/dp/1493081047
Synopsis: At the age of nineteen, Robert F. Weir of West Point, New York, ran away to sea, where he spent the next ten
years of his life. Assuming the pseudonym Robert Wallace, Weir sailed aboard the bark Clara Bell out of New Bedford,
Massachusetts, in 1855 for a voyage to the whaling grounds of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Upon the death of one of the
Clara Bell's boatsteerers (harpooners), Weir was promoted to this position of great responsibility. Recording daily events
aboard the Clara Bell over the course of nearly three years, from 1855 to 1858, Weir's journal vividly relates the whaleman's
life, both in prose and in detailed hand-drawn illustrations.
Written by the late Robert T. Weir and edited by Andrew W. German, "The Watch's Wild Cry: A Voyage Aboard the
Whaling Vessel Clara Bell" is a timeless and personal account of life on a nineteenth-century whaler, from the misery of
seasickness and the rigors of sea voyages; to the thrill and violence of whale hunts; to the sights, sounds, and foods of
foreign cultures. The Weir journal is a staff favorite at Mystic Seaport Museum for its compelling story, beautiful
illustrations, and immaculate penmanship.
Critique: A richly informative and exceptional memoir in the form of a personal journal, "The Watch's Wild Cry: A Voyage
Aboard the Whaling Vessel Clara Bell" is Maritime History at it's very best. Of special note is the inclusion of a three page
Bibliography and a nine page Glossary/ Seminal, unique, and an fully recommended as an acquisition choice for personal,
professional, community, of college/university library 19th Century Biography/Memoir collections and as well as a
supplemental American Martime & Whaling History curriculum studies selection, it should be noted for the personal
reading lists of students, academia, Maritime historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject
that this hardcover edition of "The Watch's Wild Cry" from Lyons Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$28.50).
Editorial Note #1: Robert F. Weir (1836 - 1905), the son of a prominent American artist, earned his living in the various
careers of seaman, naval officer, engineer, and freelance artist. His sailing career spanned the better part of a decade, first on
whaling cruises and later as a junior engineering officer on the USS Richmond during the Civil War. During and shortly
after the war, he pursued his own artistic talents, supplying illustrations to Harper's Weekly, then made his career as a civil
engineer in New York.
Editorial Note #2: Andrew W. German is former director of the publications department at Mystic Seaport Museum and
coauthor of multiple books on Mystic and whaling, including America and the Sea: A Maritime History and The Charles W.
Morgan: The World's Last Wooden Whaleship. (www.goodreads.com/author/show/1917146.Andrew_W_German)
The Christian Studies Shelf
12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful Life
Diane E. Arnold
Chozen Books
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9780800772840, $39.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Sound-Mind-Joyful-Life/dp/0800772849
Synopsis: More than 70 percent of adults feel they have a mental health problem. Without a clear path to healing, they've
followed the devastating lies and whims of our ever-shifting secular culture -- causing them even more pain.
Offering real hope and a new road map for inner peace, with the publication of "12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful
Life: Your Road Map to Overcome Daily Stresses and Messes", licensed counselor and author Diane Arnold leads you on a
redemptive journey of twelve life-changing truths that help you live an emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healthy life.
Through uplifting teaching and practical exercises, she provides real-world solutions and a spiritual compass to help
you.
By giving "12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful Life" a careful and prayerful reading you will:
discover--and accept--the REAL you
pursue your purpose
silence shame
experience unconditional love and acceptance
find joy, think soundly, and live with courage
The road to wholeness and lasting healing isn't found in culture's constantly changing map. It IS found in the quiet, narrow
path of true peace and transformation.
Critique: Written from a Christian perspective throughout, "12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful Life: Your Road Map to
Overcome Daily Stresses and Messes" offers information, insight, and inspiration -- thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style,
substance, organization, and presentation, "12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful Life: Your Road Map to Overcome Daily
Stresses and Messes" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, seminary, and
college/university library Christian personal growth, spiritual growth, and Mental Health collections. It should be noted for
personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of Diane E. Arnold's "12 Habits for a Sound Mind and Joyful Life: Your
Road Map to Overcome Daily Stresses and Messes" from Chozen Books is also readily available in paperback
(9780800772819, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.87).
Editorial Note: Diane Arnold is a licensed family and marriage counselor, as well as a certified EFT and EMDR therapist.
Through her study of relationship attachment, she has spoken and written extensively on overcoming trauma and betrayal
with remarkable results. She serves on the boards of WOFL, Shiloh Company, and National Children's Day Foundation
Diane is also one of the founders of The Grace Center, an international emotional healing center located in South Carolina.
Their materials are an excellent blend of the Word of God and psychotherapy models that she uses in counseling. She brings
her testimony of restoring and standing for their marriage along with the grace and love of the Lord and Word of God to
their TFC marriage weekends. (https://www.charlestonchristiancounseling.com/counselors/diane)
Paul the Storyteller: A Narratological Approach
Christoph Heilig
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
www.eerdmans.com
9780802878953, $49.99, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Storyteller-Narratological-Christoph-Heilig/dp/0802878954
Synopsis: The apostle Paul is often thought of as a crafter of numerous and complex arguments, but some scholars, such as
N. T. Wright and Richard Hays, have shown that narratives are vitally important in his letters. Through careful examination
of the texts, New Testament scholar Christoph Heilig demonstrates that Paul is indeed a talented teller of stories -- not only
explicit narratives but also implicit stories.
After a decade of research and writing, and with the publication of "Paul the Storyteller: A Narratological Approach", Heilig
presents his definitive report on narrative in Paul. While Richard Hays and N. T. Wright have argued that Paul's letters
contain implicit narratives, Heilig stresses that a sound methodology requires beginning with text-linguistic investigation of
explicit narratives.
As Heilig argues, focusing on explicit narratives repeatedly redirects our attention to implicit ("almost") stories. On this
basis, he shows that Hays's "narrative substructures" and Wright's "worldview" narratives can also be fruitfully integrated
into a narratological approach.
Paul is a different kind of storyteller than the gospel writers, for example, but at countless points miniature narratives play a
crucial role for Paul's communicative goals.
Students and scholars of the New Testament will welcome Heilig's expert guidance through a hotly debated area of Pauline
studies.
Critique: An original, seminal, and groundbreaking study, "Paul the Storyteller: A Narratological Approach" is
informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography, a three page listing of
Authors, a six page Index of Subjects, and a five page Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources. Informative, insightful,
thoughtful and thought-provoking, Christoph Heilig's "Paul the Storyteller: A Narratological Approach" is an especially and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, seminary, church, and college/university library
New Testament Criticism/Hermeneutics and Paulinian Studies collections. It should be noted for seminary students, clergy,
and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "Paul the Storyteller: A
Narratological Approach" from the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $31.56).
Editorial Note: Christoph Heilig leads a research group at the University of Munich that focuses on the intersection between
literary studies and biblical exegesis. His books include The Apostle and the Empire (2022), Paul's Triumph (2017), and
Hidden Criticism (2015). His previous book on narratives in Paul (Paulus als Erzahler, 2020) received a Manfred
Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise. (https://www.eerdmans.com/author/christoph-heilig)
Wilderness Within
Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN
Ave Maria Press
www.avemariapress.com
9781646802975, $13.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Within-Guided-Journal-Meditation/dp/1646802977
Synopsis: Have you ever wondered why Jesus went into the wilderness? Some believe it was to reveal his divinity or to
restore humanity's relationship with God.
With the publication of "Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation", Sr. Josephine Garrett (a
mental health counselor and popular speaker) reflects on the belief that Jesus went into the wilderness to rescue us! That the
Lord does not want us to view the wilderness as something that causes worry, anxiety, or fear.
"What if, instead," Sr. Josephine writes, "we looked at how God has been a faithful provider in the wilderness and trusted
that He will do the same for us in the wilderness journey ahead? What if we joyfully take His hand and journey into the
wilderness, because when Christ enters there, 'this opposite place of the garden becomes the place of reconciliation and
healing'" (Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth)?
In "Wilderness Within", Sr. Josephine will guide you through the forty days of Lent to attend to the wilderness of your heart
as a place to be explored, restored, and sent on mission by Jesus's tender love.
Week of Ash Wednesday: Enter Lent by recognizing your ability to always begin anew in Christ.
Week One: Open your heart to God's love, allowing yourself to reverence your heart as a gift from your Creator.
Week Two: Reflect on the truth that we are created for relationships, and examine the relationships in your life.
Week Three: Take an honest look at your limitations, wounds, and sin guided by a spirit of humility and repentance.
Week Four: Begin to see how God designed your heart to be rescued by him and grow in your capacity to be healed by
him.
Week Five: Leave the wilderness of your heart so that you can go on mission (with a heart restored by Christ's love) to love
your neighbor and be a good steward of the gifts and charisms given to you.
Holy Week: Follow in Jesus's footsteps to the Cross and discover how you can love him well through each stage of the
Passion and Resurrection.
Each day's content includes brief meditations, specially crafted illustrations, thought-provoking reflection questions,
heartfelt prayers curated to uplift your spirit, and ample journaling space for personal revelations and insights. Whether
you're journeying alone or with a group, Wilderness Within is your guide to a beautiful and renewing Lent.
Of special note is the free companion videos featuring Sr. Josephine and a free downloadable leader's guide are available at
www.avemariapress.com.
Critique: Essential reading for all Roman Catholics on the subject of Lent, "Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for
Prayer and Meditation" is especially and unreservedly recommended reading. It should be noted that this paperback edition
of "Wilderness Within" from Ave Maria Press is also readily available to clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Wilderness Within" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$13.25).
Editorial Note: Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN, is a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a licensed counselor, host of the
Hope Stories podcast, and a Catholic speaker and author. Garrett earned a bachelor's degree in political philosophy from the
University of Dallas. Prior to entering religious life, she worked as vice president in the home loans division of Bank of
America. In 2019, she earned a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from the Chicago School of Professional
Psychology and became a nationally certified counselor licensed in Texas. She also worked as a school counselor in Tyler,
Texas, and is presently serving as a counselor in private practice. Garret is a voice for mental health on various platforms
such as Formed and Hallow. (https://giveninstitute.com/sr-josephine-garrett)
The Buddhist Studies Shelf
Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor of the Buddhist Path
Dzigar Kongtrul, author
Jennifer Shippee, editor
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
www.shambhala.com
9781645472360, $18.95, PB, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Diligence-Joyful-Endeavor-Buddhist-Path/dp/1645472361
Synopsis: "Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor of the Buddhist Path" contributes the first commentary on the diligence chapter
from Shantideva's 8th-century classic The Way of the Bodhisattva. While many books have explored his celebrated chapter
on wisdom, diligence has been overlooked. As one of the six paramitas or perfections that are fundamental for following the
bodhisattva path and helping others, diligence can profoundly impact our lives.
Within the pages of "Diligence", Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche guides us through the depth and complexity of
Shantideva's teachings with his characteristic buoyant energy and clear, accessible writing. With over three decades of
teaching on the subject, Dzigar Kongtrul illuminates how diligence is the inner quality that inspires us to engage with the
world and, most importantly, with our own mind. It's the inner vigor that sparks enthusiasm despite difficulty, the dynamic
armor that protects against laziness, and the inner strength that aims to meet the world with joy and openheartedness.
Shantideva explains that diligence is the energy that flows through all the paramitas -- it's the wind that keeps us moving
toward the goal of liberation and benefiting others. Within the heart of every bodhisattva is a bursting sense of tenderness,
peace, intelligence, and joy -- which is inherent in the quality of diligence.
In "Diligence", Dzigar Kongtrul explores traditional teachings on diligence, such as the three kinds of laziness, the Four
Immeasurables, the two strengths, rebirth, the nature of emptiness, and dependent origination. Joy is the continuous thread
woven through this time-honored wisdom that will aid us throughout our lives whether in formal practice or our day-to-day
interactions with an ever-changing world. With diligence, we will overcome laziness and succeed in all our meaningful
endeavors.
Critique: As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor of the
Buddhist Path" is a seminal study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community,
temple, and college/university library Buddhism Studies collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.
Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for both experienced Buddhist and non-specialist general readers with
an interest in the subject, it should be noted that this paperback edition of Dzigar Kongtrul's "Diligence: The Joyful
Endeavor of the Buddhist Path" from Shambhala Publications is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99).
Editorial Note: Dzigar Kongrulk Rinpoche grew up in a monastic environment and received extensive training in all aspects
of Buddhist doctrine. In 1989, he moved to the United States with his family, and in 1990, he began a five-year tenure as a
professor of Buddhist philosophy at Naropa University. He also founded Mangala Shri Bhuti, his own teaching
organization, during this period. He has established a mountain retreat center, Longchen Jigme Samten Ling, in southern
Colorado. When not guiding students in long-term retreats and not in retreat himself, Rinpoche travels widely throughout
the world teaching and furthering his own education. (https://mangalashribhuti.org/dzigar-kongtrul-rinpoche)
Composting Our Karma
Barbara Rhodes, author
Elizabeth S. R. Goldstein, editor
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
www.shambhala.com
9781645472940, $19.95, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Composting-Our-Karma-Confusion-Awakening/dp/1645472949
Synopsis: With the publication of "Composting Our Karma: Turning Confusion into Lessons for Awakening Our Innate
Wisdom", Barbara Rhodes (Zen Master Soeng Hyang) offers the core Korean Zen teaching of don't-know mind as an
antidote to the over-thinking, overly stimulating modern world that is the cause of so much suffering. In this collection of
essays, Rhodes shows us that there are ways we can work with, or "compost," whatever we've got in front of us, digest it
into energy that can get us through the rough times, and cultivate a satisfying life.
"Don't-know mind," Korean Zen's foremost teaching, points to our clear enlightened mind before suffering arises based on
concepts and judgments of like and dislike. While simple, it is a lifelong exercise, with immediate benefits that get deeper
with practice. By applying don't-know mind to meditation, everyday existence, and life's challenges, readers will learn to
work with their own mind's reactions to things; trust their intuition; perceive situations clearly; and act with natural courage,
compassion, and enthusiasm.
Rhodes offers fascinating insights from her professional life as a nurse; her commitment to engaged Buddhism; her life
experience as a member of the LGBTQ community; her use of psychedelics on her spiritual path; and more. Readers will
appreciate her down-to-earth wisdom, compassion, enthusiasm, and faith in the power of this practice.
"Composting Our Karma" includes an afterword by Dae Bong Sunim, a guiding teacher at Musangsa Monastery in
Korea.
Critique: Eloquent, informatively insightful, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style, organization and presentation,
"Composting Our Karma: Turning Confusion into Lessons for Awakening Our Innate Wisdom" is a very special an
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Zen Buddhism
philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Zen
Philosophy and Karmic Buddhism students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Buddhism, that this
paperback edition of "Composting Our Karma" from "Shambhala Publications is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $15.99).
Editorial Note: Zen Mater Soeng Hyang (Barbara Rhodes) is the School Zen Master of the Kwan Um School of Zen and a
retired hospice nurse. One of Zen Master Seung Sahn's first American students, she received dharma transmission from him
in 1992. Rhodes helped found Providence Zen Center and lived there for seventeen years, serving in a number of
administrative capacities. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soenghyang)
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
From Religion to Reason: My Journey
Carolyn C. Shadle
Independently Published
www.religiontoreason.com
9798304055789, $15.99, HC, 249pp
https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Reason-My-Journey/dp/B0DQV4PHQN
Synopsis: With the publication of "From Religion to Reason: My Journey", Carolyn C. Shadle presents her
thought-provoking memoir which will takes her readers on a journey of self-discovery, belief, and identity. In this narrative,
Carolyn reflects on her personal path from a deeply rooted Fundamentalist Protestant upbringing to her eventual transition
to non-theism.
Following her degree from a major theological seminary and working in her dream job in a large urban church, Carolyn
explores the pivotal moments that led her to question and ultimately reshape her worldview. From the intense theological
schooling that shaped her early career to the challenges of maintaining her Christian values in secular work environments,
"From Religion to Reason: My Journey" provides an honest and unflinching look at the complexities of faith, career, and
personal growth.
Through societal changes, her divorce, and the evolution of her beliefs, Carolyn shares the conscious and unconscious
choices she made in her quest to understand who she truly was. The ending of her career in the church marked a new
beginning. She found embracing the importance of interpersonal communication, work in higher education, and civic
engagement allowed her to discover a more authentic sense of self.
"From Religion to Reason: My Journey" will resonate with anyone navigating their own journey of belief, personal
transformation, or identify. It is a testament to the value of confronting difficult truths, embracing change, and ultimately
finding peace with one's own path.
Critique: Informative, insightful, candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "From Religion to Reason: My Journey" is an
extraordinary and emotionally engaging read from start to finish. A deftly crafted and intensely personal life story with
universal resonance and relevance for readers with an interest in Religious Fundamentalism and the role of Critical
Thinking, Rationalism, and Faith, "From Religion to Reason: My Journey" is especially and unreservedly recommended for
personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. It
should be noted for the personal reading lists of seminary and philosophy students, clergy, academia, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition of "From Religion to Reason: My Journey" is also
available in paperback (9798304026550, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Dr. Carolyn C. Shadle (http://carolynshadle.com) is a retired educator. She was raised as a fundamental
Presbyterian, received her BA from the College of Wooster, studied at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and
received a Masters in Religious Education from Union Theological Seminary in NYC. After working in the church, she
earned a PhD in Interpersonal Communication from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her career life involved
university administration and communication training. In retirement, she devoted her time to social action issues and
examined her faith journey.
She's been writing and training in the field of interpersonal communication for more than 30 years, along side her career
higher education. She founded a non-profit corporation known as Interpersonal Communication Services, Inc. through
which she has offered training, coaching, blogging and freelance writing to enable organizations and individuals to enhance
their interpersonal interaction.
The Self-Help Shelf
Get Your Mind Right
Kenneth Wyche
Kenneth Wyche Publishing
https://lifewithken.com
9781737440864, $34.99, HC, 196pp
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Mind-Right-Kenneth-Wyche/dp/1737440865
Synopsis: Kenneth Wyche's message in "Get Your Mind Right" is that you have a distinctively personal lifestyle. That the
good things about you, earth, and your loved ones should not be mired in obscurity and ambiguity because of the ignorance
of yourself or someone else.
Kenneth knows what it's like to be led by nebulous people off a proverbial cliff, towards a bad habit, or worse. That you can
be the you, you actually want to be. You can live uninfluenced by people who could care less if whether or not you have a
roof over your head or a pillow to lay it on. That freedom is for you -- and every human has a need to become
self-actualized.
Self-actualization is the realization of your potential and abilities. You may not be where you want to be in life because
someone planted a bad seed in your mind and told you that you couldn't achieve your dreams or desires. Desires are eternal.
Eternity in this context refers to the divine or cosmic. Your wants don't die, you just may have given up on them. And you
giving up on your desires isn't necessarily all your fault. I want to help you break out of the shame of living in a way that is
inauthentic.
"Get Your Mind Right" advocates the you must live well but more than that, live period. When you are empowered to
generate health and purpose that is what will materialize in your life. Allow yourself to be empowered. Think better, do
better, believe better, be better.
Some of the nouns in your life are literally either demons or the devil himself. Nefarious forces don't want you to have a
revelation. They want you to be a loser like them. That's why certain nouns knock you down or undermine you whenever
you [try to] accomplish something great with yourself. They don't want to see you win. They don't want you to win because
they know you can win, and that type of winning will never happen for them in a validating way.
The good in you and in your life is more bountiful than the bad, but certain nouns may be amplifying the bad in your life and
making it worse. Get your mind right. You only receive what you believe you are worthy of receiving. Believe you are
worthy of receiving joy, happiness, promotions, support, love, care, meaning, and purpose. Get and stay around positivity
and affirm the good in your life. Go against the people, places, and things that don't want you to live. Learn how to have and
proliferate a meaningful life for yourself.
Critique: If you only have time for just one self-help/self-improvement book, make it "Get Your Mind Right" by Kenneth
Wyche. Exceptional, inspiring, insightful, motivating, deftly crafted, and life changing, life enhancing, "Get Your Mind
Right" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library collections. It should be
noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Get Your Mind Right" from Kenneth Wyche Publishing is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.99).
Editorial Note: Kenneth Wyche is a creator and entrepreneur. Among his exploits he runs the website www.lifewithken.com
where he inspires people every day to be the best version of themselves. He believes that if you can be true to yourself, then
you can live in a way that is reflective of who you really are. His inspiration comes from him wanting to support other
people. He believes we all have what we need to be something fantastic in us already, and that it just needs to be correctly
cultivated. What may have been or is currently holding you back isn't necessarily your fault from the perspective of who, or
what has been nurturing you and the results thereof. Kenneth utilizes his diverse background and experiences across various
disciplines to inform his worldview and provide as much value as possible to his work and to the people in his life.
The Fix
Ian Morgan Cron
Zondervan
https://www.zondervan.com
9780310368540, $29.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fix-Transformation-Well-Adjusted-Down-Out/dp/0310368545
Synopsis: We all suffer from a sense of spiritual homelessness -- a feeling that we're not fully at home in the world. To cope
with our painful feelings and life traumas, we search for quick "fixes" that eventually become habitual, self-destructive
behaviors that ultimately create more problems than they solve.
As a person in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Ian Morgan Cron is no stranger to these destructive habits. It
wasn't until he embraced the Twelve Steps that he found true freedom. He knows from personal experience that Twelve
Step recovery is more than just a life-saving strategy for guiding substance users into sobriety. Everybody is addicted to
something to numb the discomfort of living in a messed-up world, he says, but the good news is that if you committedly
"work the steps," you will eventually have a vital spiritual awakening that will give you an entirely new and radically
beautiful orientation toward the life God has for you.
If you long for sustainable healing and joy amid life's messiness, "The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of
Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between" invites you to:
Journey step-by-step through a spiritual curriculum that has helped millions overcome trauma, pain, and brokenness for over
eight decades
Understand how the Twelve Steps can be a transformative tool not only for people with chemical or behavioral addictions
but for anyone who wants to move beyond self-help to a spiritual awakening
Catch yourself in the act of self-sabotaging behaviors and understand how each day is a new opportunity to trade in
self-willed reformation for grace-powered transformation
Critique: The underlying and foundational truth of "The Fix: How the Twelve Steps Offer a Surprising Path of
Transformation for the Well-Adjusted, the Down-and-Out, and Everyone In Between" by Ian Morgan Cron is that anyone,
addicts or non-addicts, can benefit from working the Twelve Steps and find the freedom, joy, and intimacy with God.
Written from a Christian perspective on dealing with addictions, detrimental compulsive behaviors, and personal tragedy
through the 12 Step approach, "The Fix" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, counseling center, and college/university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted
that this hardcover edition of "The Fix" from Zondervan is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99). Of special note is the availability of "The Fix Workbook" (HarperChristian
Resources, 9780310173649, $19.99, PB, 160pp).
Editorial Note: Ian Morgan Cron (www.ianmorgancron.com) is an author, a nationally recognized speaker, an Enneagram
teacher, a trained psychotherapist, a songwriter, and an Episcopal priest. His books include the novel Chasing Francis and
the spiritual memoir Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me. Ian draws on an array of disciplines - from psychology to the arts,
Christian spirituality and theology -- to help people enter more deeply into conversation with God and the mystery of their
own lives.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side
Ann Merivale
6th Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803416892, $22.95, PB, 424pp
https://www.amazon.com/DEATH-Friend-Enemy-Views-Other/dp/1803416890
Synopsis: Death, as the saying goes, is the great leveller, and though many fear it, others view it as a blessed release. Its
inescapability affects us all in some way.
With the publication of "DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side", author Ann Merivale makes use both of
her spiritual reading and of the knowledge she gained from 20-plus years' experience of taking her Deep Memory Process
clients back to deaths in their previous lives, thus giving a broad spectrum of possible post-death scenarios. These she
illustrates with a combination of famous and fictional characters, drawn both from accounts that came from the 'other side'
through her figurative pen and from factual research.
Part of the purpose of "DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side" is to dispel all fears of death itself and to
demonstrate that the notion of eternal damnation is mistaken. At the same time, this unique study shows the reader that
whether a lifetime lasts 10 years (as did Annie Darwin's) or 97 (like Bertrand Russell's), it has a clear purpose and value.
The stories' precise truth is, however, immaterial, as you will find them enjoyable, educational, and reassuring.
Critique: Of immense value to readers with an interest in parapsychology, reincarnation, and the inevitable phenomena of
death, "DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side" by Ann Merivale is a simply fascinating, thoughtful and
thought-provoking read from start to finish. Erudite, eloquent, well organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in
presentation, "DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side" is unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Paranormal/Metaphysical collections. It should be noted that this
paperback edition of "DEATH: Friend or Enemy?: Views from the Other Side" from 6th Books is also readily available for
students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Ann Merivale is a Woolger-trained Deep Memory Process therapist. She lives in Worcestershire, UK and,
prior to Covid, was working at the Ripon Natural Health Centre in N. Yorks.
(https://regressionjournal.org/jrt_author/ann-merivale)
The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick
Lindsay Squire
Leaping Hare Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780711293878, $19.99, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Forests-Guide-Folklore-Magick/dp/0711293872
Synopsis: The myths, legends, and superstitions of the past offer a window into how common people made sense of their
world. Because they were excluded from the halls of academia and the seats of power, they had no choice but to get on with
day-to-day life, healing, birthing, and persisting as best they could.
Often, it would be the village medicine women who held the handed-down knowledge of those who had gone before, and
generation by generation, they would build on this to develop a profound understanding of the healing and magickal
properties of nature.
It is from this deep well of folkloric knowledge that modern-day witch Lindsay Squire draws from in "The Witch of the
Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick", an inclusive and accessible beginner's guide.
"The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick" covers:
What folklore is, and how it connects to the practice of Witchcraft
The magickal legends and superstitions attached to plants and trees
The folk magick, charms, and spells associated with herbs, both beneficial and baneful
How to use plants in your own Witchcraft practice
The folklore of different historical Witches and natural healers from around the world
...and more!
With rituals, lore, and wisdom from The Witch of the Forest's personal grimoire, readers will find out how connecting with
folklore can empower every modern Witch.
Critique: Impressively well organized and presented, "The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick" is an ideal
introduction to Wiccan basics drawn from folklore traditions, practices, and natural knowledge. This paperback edition of
"The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick" includes a bibliographic listing of Cited Works and Further Readings,
along with a four page Index. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99), this paperback edition of "The
Witch of the Forest's Guide to Folklore Magick" from Leaping Hare Press is especially and unreservedly recommended for
personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Wiccan & Metaphysical Studies collections.
Editorial Note: Lindsay Squire is a witchcraft practitioner who has been walking her own spiritual path for nearly two
decades. She is also a professional tarot reader and spiritual advisor. Lindsay is also an international bestselling author,
writing about witchcraft, earth spirituality, folk magick & folklore, tarot, astrology, Paganism, spells & rituals as well as
being a mentor to witches of all levels of experience grow in their craft. She lives in her county of Yorkshire, England with
her three mischievous black cats. There is an extensive listing of her books online at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/21120414.Lindsay_Squire
Compendium of the Occult
Liz Williams
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500028148, $29.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Compendium-Occult-Artifacts-Rituals-Symbolism/dp/0500028141
Synopsis: With the publication of "Compendium of the Occult: Arcane Artifacts, Magic Rituals, and Sacred Symbolism" by
Liz Williams, students and practitioners of the occult and paranormal will delve into the full history of this fascinating, often
secretive belief system from its ancient origins to contemporary practices, gaining insight into the beliefs that underlie the
occult throughout history. In its illustrated pages, readers will explore alchemy and hermeticism, demonology, and medieval
grimoires using symbols, maps, archive photography, and ancient texts.
In seven themed chapters, "Compendium of the Occult: Arcane Artifacts, Magic Rituals, and Sacred Symbolism" deftly
examines the use of talismans and charms, the practice of casting curses, secret societies and sacred sites, divination, rites,
and rituals across the world, starting with an introduction to occult practices.
Critique: Comprehensive and impressively organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in style and presentation, as well as
being enhanced for the reader's benefit with 437 illustrations, a two page Glossary, and a four page Index, "Compendium of
the Occult: Arcane Artifacts, Magic Rituals, and Sacred Symbolism" is as fascinating as it is informative and will prove to
be an immediate and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library
Wiccan, Occult, Paranormal, and Metaphysical Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies resource list.
Editorial Note: Liz Williams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Williams) is based in Glastonbury, England, where she is
codirector of a witchcraft supply business. She has a PhD from Cambridge in the history and philosophy of science. Her
books include Miracles of Our Own Making: A History of Paganism and Modern Handfasting: A Complete Guide to the
Magic of Pagan Weddings.
The Holocaust Studies Shelf
Postcards to Hitler
Bruce Neuburger
Monthly Review Press
www.monthlyreview.org
9781685900557, $89.00, HC, 408pp
https://monthlyreview.org/product/postcards-to-hitler
Synopsis: With the publication of "Postcards to Hitler: A German Jew's Defiance in a Time of Terror", Bruce Neuburger
tells the story of the Neuburgers -- Jewish family in Munich living as close neighbors to the demagogue who becomes the
Nazi Fuhrer -- Adolf Hitler.
In a story passionately told by one of their descendants, the narrative begins as Benno Neuburger, a modest German land
investor from Munich, and Anna Einstein, daughter of a cattle dealer, meet at a seder in Laupheim and soon marry. The year
is 1907, a relatively prosperous, optimistic time for German Jews, and there is little hint that this good fortune might soon
unravel. Of all the Jews in Europe, Germans like the Neuburgers feel most secure.
When, on a warm July day in 1914, an assassination strikes an "obscure" Balkan corner of the continent, the news passes
through Munich's beer-gardens like a cold wind. Far from a fleeting chill, what follows is the time of prolonged bloodshed
known as World War I, followed by a period of German humiliation, resurgent revolution, and a brief left-led democratic
interlude in Munich.
What might have been a site of socialist experimentation instead becomes the epicenter of German fascism, and as Benno
and Anna and their extended families cling with vain hope to a peaceful resolution, their beloved haven degenerates into a
state of racialized madness. A bloody pogrom is chased by a second world war, followed by evictions, "resettlements" and
far worse, sounding an inescapable knell despite desperate and defiant acts of resistance.
"Postcards to Hitler" is a deeply researched history drawn from personal interviews and archival documents including
Benno's and Anna's final letters -- written amid a slow-moving parade of horror until the frail boundaries between
themselves and the Holocaust ultimately vanish.
Critique: In service to the laudable cry 'Never Forget', Bruce Neuburger's "Postcards to Hitler: A German Jew's Defiance in
a Time of Terror" is still another biographical testament to the horrific tragedy that was the Holocaust that was to ravage all
of Europe during the course of World War II. An emotionally engaging read from start to finish, "Postcards to Hitler" is
especially and unreservedly recommended as a key contribution to personal, community, and college/university library
World War II and 20th Century Jewish Biography/Memoir collections, as well as supplemental Holocaust curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
this hardcover edition of "Postcards to Hitler" from the Monthly Review Press is also available in paperback
(9781685900540, $29.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.66).
Editorial Note: Bruce Neuburger is the author of Lettuce Wars: Ten Years of Work and Struggle in the Fields of California
and also its Spanish translation, Guerras de Lechuga. His writing and is influenced by years working on farms and in
factories, as a cab driver, an ESL teacher and a video arts instructor, and reflects a worldview both shaped by the great social
justice movements of the 1960s, and his experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors from Germany.
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
www.midwestbookreview.com
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