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Volume 35, Number 3 March 2025 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Military History Shelf
World History Shelf Education Shelf AI Studies Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Biography/Memoir Shelf General Fiction Shelf
Historical Fiction Shelf LGBTQ Fiction Shelf Literary Fiction Shelf
Romantic Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Blu-ray Shelf Gardening Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Art Shelf Business Shelf
Architecture Shelf Travel Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Criminology Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Russia's Army
Roger R. Reese
University of Oklahoma Press
www.oupress.com
9780806192758, $34.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Russias-Army-Napoleonic-Campaigns-Commanders/dp/0806192755

Synopsis: With the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's Russia seems to have stepped out of time, reverting to an imperial era of conquest and expansion. But as Professor Roger Reese points out in this comprehensive new history, Russia's way of war has changed little from one century to the next, one regime to another, from the army of the tsar to the army of today.

With the publication of "Russia's Army: A History from the Napoleonic Wars to the War in Ukraine", Professor Reese reveals how the Imperial Russian Army and its successors, the Soviet Army and the army of the Russian Federation, confronted the state's foreign policy challenges (projecting power and defending the empire) and the domestic challenge of containing internal unrest generated by nationalism, competing ethnic and religious identities, and political discontent. These twin challenges, in turn, drove defense policy and the planning and conduct of war.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, the development of the army was driven by shifts in the European balance of power and changes in global diplomacy, politics, economics, and society. Professor Reese identifies themes that weave their way through this military history: the adoption of a strategy to maintain a defensive posture in the West, an offensive strategy in the Balkans, and an expansionist policy in the East; maintenance of a large standing army; and a consistent unease about the army's and non-Russian minorities' loyalty to the state. These themes, Professor Reese shows, have emerged in times of peace and war, as heads of state have made operational and strategic military decisions while managing civil-military relations -- from the times of tsarist Russia through the collapse of the Soviet empire, when Putin sought to restore authoritarian rule and hegemony over the former Soviet states of the USSR.

A comprehensive account of the history of the Russian army from 1801 to 2022, "Russia's Army: A History from the Napoleonic Wars to the War in Ukraine" Reese's is the first book to link Russian military history across three distinct eras and to situate this history within the context of military strategy and doctrine, as reflected in specific campaigns, issues of manning and maintaining an army, and relations between army and society, at home and in the "near abroad".

Critique: A seminal and groundbreaking study, "Russia's Army: A History from the Napoleonic Wars to the War in Ukraine" by Professor Roger R. Reese is a masterpiece of historical scholarship and is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of three maps (Imperial Russia 1914, The Soviet Union 1989, The Russian Federation 2001), an eight page Bibliography, sixteen pages of Notes, and a four page Index. A concise and documented military history, "Russia's Army" will be of special value to readers with an interest in Russian military history and strategy. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university library Russian Military History collections and supplemental 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 "Russia's Army" from the University of Oklahoma Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.95)

Editorial Note: Roger Reese received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1990 and joined the Texas A&M History Department that same year. Dr. Reese specializes in Soviet social history in general, and the social history of the Imperial and Russian Soviet militaries in particular. Dr. Reese has written seven books on the Russian and Soviet military and won the Moncado prize from the Society for Military History for an outstanding article in military history and the Tomlinson Book Prize from the World War One Historical Association for his book on the Russian Imperial Army. His current research focus is on issues that span the divide between Russian and Soviet military history.

Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip
Heather Kerrigan
University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299349844, $19.95, PB, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beer-Brats-Cheese-Wisconsin-Road/dp/0299349845

Synopsis: As the popular PBS television series "Wisconsin Foodies" demonstrates week after week, Wisconsin's foodways contain much more than beer, brats, and cheese. Yet these items remain at the pinnacle of the state's fame -- and rightly so.

If you live in Wisconsin (or have simply visited) you know how hard it is to imagine tailgating, graduating, or celebrating without the Big Three.

In 2022, Heather Kerrigan undertook a twenty-six-hundred-mile road trip crisscrossing the Badger State, seeking the hidden gems that locals frequent. She visited Wisconsin's best restaurants, creameries, breweries, butcher shops, and cheesemongers -- ultimately resulting in the publication of "Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip.

Kerrigan highlights the innovative flavors and unexpected delights found in the spots she visited, while revealing why these three foods enjoy a place of honor in the state's culinary culture. Great beer isn't made only in Milwaukee, Sheboygan doesn't have a lock on the best bratwurst, and excellent cheeses don't just come from Monroe County. In fact, there are towns large and small, from the far north to the Illinois border, from Door County to the Mississippi River, that produce amazing culinary experiences.

Whether you're planning a turn-by-turn day trip or simply looking for a great place to eat or drink nearby, "Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip" is an ideal guide for exploring the culinary wealth Wisconsin has to offer.

Critique: Featuring a number of maps and the occasional B/W illustration, Heather Kerrigan's "Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip" from the University of Wisconsin Press is a treasured combination of Wisconsin culinary history and food themed travel guide showcasing what Wisconsin on has to offer beyond beer, brats, and cheese -- as well as the best of those iconic foods. Informative, exceptional, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "Beer, Brats, and Cheese: A Wisconsin Road Trip" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community/academic library Travel Guide & Wisconsin History collections.

Editorial Note: Heather Kerrigan is a journalist, editor, and author who was raised in Wisconsin. She is owner of River Horse Communications, which provides writing and editing services to publishers, professional and trade associations, and consulting companies. (https://www.asja.org/member/heather-kerrigan)

The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball
Christian Sheppard
Greenleaf Book Group Press
www.gbgpress.com
9798886453041, $27.95

https://www.amazon.com/ANCIENT-WISDOM-BASEBALL-Lessons-ODYSSEY/dp/B0DHHK19S6

The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball: Lessons for Life from Homer's ODYSSEY to the World Series is formatted as a series of life "innings" which discuss ancient Greek virtues such as courage, prudence, and temperance. But what especially distinguishes this book are the anecdotes and descriptions of famous baseball players and how they embody these virtues. Ball players such as Carlton Fisk, Andre Dawson, and Ichiro Suzuki are just a few of the players held up as examples.

The philosophical question underlying all this subject matter is "How Do I Live?" This approach forms the foundation of a personal journey that often equates the essence and nuances of succeeding in baseball with important life insights. Though this book will obviously attract baseball fans, it holds the dual ability to reach out to non-sports audiences, from self-help and philosophy students to introspective thinkers forging their own values in life. Indeed, young adults will be an important audience for Sheppard's discussion as the topics unfold. The nuggets of wisdom open with the author's historical review of his home ballpark, Wrigley Field.

This immediately represents the curious juxtaposition of spiritual and sports history that sets the tone for this appealing, thought-provoking work: The veneration of generations that has sanctified Wrigley Field as a place that is, well, sacred. But it emanates an odd sort of holiness. Best memories and imaginings, the famous field of dreams is also filled with boos and booze. If the ballpark is in some way a sacred place, it is always also unapologetically profane. I may be the only one to wonder aloud how what is, after all, only a game works for me better than any religion, but I do not feel alone.

Discussions move from Plato and baseball history to life encounters so smoothly that readers will find the celebratory revelations not just accessible, but thoroughly engrossing because of their vivid presentation: Amor fati, as the ancient philosopher said, love your fate! Love your home team. Love life! I had a feeling like deja vu, not an uncanny feeling, but a feeling of things coming together, of things that were once far apart now being linked. Sheppard fosters a sense of discovery from the outset, leading to a vibrant exploration of a wide range of existential themes.

It should be noted that The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball is not a singular personal discussion. Sheppard provides an extensive chapter-by-chapter bibliography that points the way to further inspirational reading, including Plutarch, articles about Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson, as well as Homer's Iliad.

Libraries that choose The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball are in for a multifaceted treat that can be highly recommended, serve as a smorgasbord of topics for book club discussions, and is a powerful collection of observations and timeless lessons that will attract a large audience.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

How to Submit
Dennis James Sweeney
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608689361, $18.95, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Submit-Publishing-Literary-Magazines/dp/1608689360

Synopsis: An essential and comprehensive instructional guide and 'how-to' manual, "How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses" by Dennis James Sweeney is the first of its kind to chart a path to publication that is writer led, community based, and accessible to all.

"How to Submit" speaks to aspiring and seasoned writers alike who want to publish short stories, essays, or poems in literary magazines, as well as to those looking for a fresh route to publishing a full-length book. Whether you're a first-time submitter or you have experience sending out your work, "How to Submit" provides you with the tools and knowledge to successfully share your writing. It's also a manifesto for finding joy in the process, arguing that seeking publication should give writers energy, not take it from them.

Perfect for writers of any genre, "How to Submit" demystifies the independent publishing landscape for those seeking a place for their work that really feels like home.

Critique: Covering the Why, Where, When, and How aspects of getting your work published with a small or niche press, or a literary or niche magazine, "How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a useful Introduction, two Appendices (Frequently Asked Questions & Directory of Additional Resources), a two page listing of Acknowledgments, and a ten page Index. "How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it the ideal resource for any and all writers seeking to have their work published, publicized and promoted. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Writing/Publishing collections and writer workshop curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this paperback edition of Dennis James Sweeney's "How to Submit: Getting Your Writing Published with Literary Magazines and Small Presses" from New World Library is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Dennis James Sweeney (www.dennisjamessweeney.com) has been published with Autumn House Press, Essay Press, Ricochet Editions, and Stillhouse Press, among others. His writing has also appeared in outlets such as Ecotone, The Southern Review, Witness, and The New York Times. Sweeney lives, writes, and teaches in Amherst, Massachusetts.


The Military History Shelf

Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783
Steven W. Hill
Stackpole Books
c/o Globe Pequot
https://www.globepequot.com
9780811776738, $70.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Flags-North-America-1754-1783/dp/0811776735

Synopsis: Flags are an important part of the military history of colonial America. Not only are they essential artifacts that help reconstruct battles and wars and the stories of various regiments, but they are also vivid, colorful, evocative visual depictions of wars from an era before photography. "Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783: Foreign Armies and Regiments" is meticulously researched volume with which military flag expert Steven W. Hill displays and explains the flags of the regiments which fought in North America in the French and Indian War and the American War of Independence.

Comprehensive and in-depth, "Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783: Foreign Armies and Regiments" covers the regimental flags of the major combatants in the two major wars for North American in the eighteenth century -- including flags carried by regiments from Britain, France, Germany, and Spain.

This has long been a subject surrounded by myth, legend, and inaccuracy; the last "standard" work is more than forty years old. Hill digs deep to correct old errors and assembles a complete record of the flags, drawing from archives and artifacts, and creates a reference that will stand the test of time - not only during the coming 250th anniversary years, but far beyond.

Critique: This large format (8.87 x 0.79 x 11.24 inches, 2.65 pounds) hardcover edition of "Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783: Foreign Armies and Regiments" by Steven W. Hill is profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout in full color. Deftly organized into four major sections of regimental colors (British, French, German, Spanish) of forces engaged in 18th Century North American conflicts, "Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783: Foreign Armies and Regiments" is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a seven page Annotated Bibliography, and four pages of Notes. Unique, elegant, informative, and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library 18th Century North American Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Battle Flags of the Wars for North America, 1754 - 1783: Foreign Armies and Regiments" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $58.26) to students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Steven W. Hill is a nationally recognized expert on military flags and colors, with more than fifty years of experience in the field. He has served as curator of the flag collections for the State of Delaware and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as associate curator of the military flag collections in Indiana and Connecticut. A member of the Company of Military Collectors and Historians, Hill is proprietor and flag-maker of DuPage Military Flag Company (http://www.dupagemilitaryflag.com), which has made reproduction flags for the Smithsonian, the United States Military and Naval Academies, the Pentagon, the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harvard University, numerous Civil War battlefields (including Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Petersburg), Ford's Theater, Mount Vernon, Fort Ligonier, the movie Last of the Mohicans, and hundreds of military reenactment units.


The World History Shelf

Warriors and Wilderness in Medieval Britain
Robin Melrose
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476668260, $19.99, PB, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Wilderness-Medieval-Britain-Beowulf/dp/1476668264

Synopsis: With the publication of "Warriors and Wilderness in Medieval Britain: From Arthur and Beowulf to Sir Gawain and Robin Hood", academician Robin Melrose traces the development of the King Arthur story in the late Middle Ages.

Professor Melrose deftly explores Arthur's depiction as a wilderness figure, the descendant of the northern Romano-British hunter/warrior god. The earliest Arthur was a warrior but in the 11th century Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, he is less a warrior and more a leader of a band of rogue heroes.

The story of Arthur was popularized by Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his Latin History of the Kings of Britain, and was translated into Middle English in Layamon's Brut and the later alliterative Alliterative Morte Arthure. Both owed much to the epic poem "Beowulf," which draws on the Anglo-Saxon fascination with the wilderness.

The most famous Arthurian tale is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which the wilderness and themes from Beowulf play a leading role. Three Arthurian tales set in Inglewood Forest place Arthur and Gawain in a wilderness setting, and link Arthur to medieval Robin Hood tales.

Critique: A fascinating, informative, insightful, and fun read from start to finish, "Warriors and Wilderness in Medieval Britain: From Arthur and Beowulf to Sir Gawain and Robin Hood" is an inherently interesting study that will hold special appeal for readers with an interest in the Arthurian legend and the ancient tales and stories that shaped and influenced it. While a choice pick for community and college/university library British Folklore/Mythology collections in general, and supplemental Arthurian Studies curriculum lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Warriors and Wilderness in Medieval Britain: From Arthur and Beowulf to Sir Gawain and Robin Hood" is also available from McFarland & Company in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) as well.

Editorial Note: Robin Melrose is a retired senior lecturer in English and linguistics at England's University of Portsmouth. He lives on the Isle of Wight in southern England.

The Quest for the Hittites
Fausto Labruto
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476692395, $39.95, PB, 198pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Hittites-Uncovering-Forgotten-Civilization/dp/1476692394

Synopsis: The Hittites were one of the most powerful peoples of the ancient Near East. They successfully challenged all other nations, including almighty Egypt, from their Anatolian stronghold. Then, their empire collapsed, was consigned to oblivion, and lay forgotten.

Three thousand years later, a motley group of scholars, archaeologists, and adventurers rediscovered the Hittites in an archaeological enterprise spanning a century and weaving through the worlds of German kaisers, Turkish sultans, and even the Nazis.

"The Quest for the Hittites: Uncovering a Forgotten Civilization" by Fausto Labruto is the history of the rediscovery of the Hittites. It is a compelling story packed with intrigue and played out against a compelling historical backdrop. It involves colorful characters like an explorer fluent in 29 languages and an archaeologist who slept in royal tombs, along with Victorian historians, cuneiform experts, code-crackers, and grave robbers. These are the unlikely sleuths who collaboratively uncovered the very roots of the long lost to history Hittite Empire.

Critique: Informatively enriched for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a Preface, an Introduction, an Epilogue, ten pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "The Quest for the Hittites: Uncovering a Forgotten Civilization" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating read that will be of immense interest to students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in Ancient History in general, and the Hittite Empire in particular. While especially recommended for community and college/university library Archaeology and Ancient History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this paperback edition from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).

Editorial Note: Based in Australia, Fausto Labruto is a medical doctor, associate professor of radiology, independent researcher in history, and web educator in the field of ancient languages.

The German Empire, 1871 - 1918
Roger Chickering
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781107026742, $49.99, HC, 665pp

https://www.amazon.com/German-Empire-1871-1918-Roger-Chickering/dp/1107026741

Synopsis: Furious economic growth and social change resulted in pervasive civic conflict in Imperial Germany. With the publication of "The German Empire, 1871 - 1918", Professor Roger Chickering presents a wide-ranging history of this fractious period, from German national unification to the close of the First World War.

Throughout this time, national unity remained an acute issue. It appeared to be resolved momentarily in the summer of 1914, only to dissolve in the war that followed. This detailed historical study examines the impact of rapid industrialization and urban growth on Catholics and Protestants, farmers and city dwellers, industrial workers and the middle classes.

Focusing on Imperial Germany's religious, regional, and ethnic reverberations, Professor Chickering also examines the social, cultural, and political dimensions of domestic conflict. Providing multiple lenses with which to view the German Empire, Professor Chickering's survey examines local and domestic experiences as well as global ramifications.

"The German Empire, 1871 - 1918" provides the most comprehensive survey of this restless era available in the English language.

Critique: A seminal and groundbreaking work of meticulous scholarship, "The German Empire, 1871 - 1918" by Professor Emeritus of History Roger Chickering is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of maps, a nine page Bibliography and a fifteen page Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The German Empire, 1871 - 1918" must be considered as an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 19th & Early 20th Century European & German History collections and supplemental 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 "The German Empire, 1871 - 1918" from the Cambridge University Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $49.99).

Editorial Note: Roger Chickering (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Chickering) is Professor Emeritus of History at Georgetown University. His publications include The Great War and Urban Life in Germany: Freiburg, 1914 - 1918 (Cambridge University Press, 2007) and Imperial Germany and the Great War, 1914 - 1918 (Cambridge University Press, 3rd ed., 2014).


The Education Shelf

Meet Every Learner's Needs
Robert Barnett
Jossey-Bass
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394274895, $30.00, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Every-Learners-Needs-Redesigning/dp/1394274890

Synopsis: With the publication of "Meet Every Learner's Needs: Redesigning Instruction So All Students Can Succeed", academician Robert Barnett presents a compendium of research-backed techniques to transform classrooms into dynamic learning environments in which all students are appropriately challenged (and appropriately supported) every day.

Based on teacher and Modern Classrooms Project co-founder Barnett's experience training thousands of teachers worldwide, "Meet Every Learner's Needs" provides a methodology for K-12 educators to design lessons and courses that respond to individual learners' unique needs and help every learner develop authentic understanding. This approach has empowered educators and students in all grade levels and content areas, everywhere from underperforming inner-city public schools to elite international schools, across all fifty states and over 150 countries.

"Meet Every Learner's Needs" includes highly practical tips and templates, which busy teachers can use to provide better instruction immediately. Throughout, readers will learn how to:

Make direct instruction accessible and engaging to all learners
Develop strong personal relationships with and between learners
Create efficient learning experiences that give learners ownership and autonomy
Share this approach with their colleagues and communities

"Meet Every Learner's Needs" will leave readers both inspired and empowered to redesign instruction in their classrooms and communities. It will help educators, administrators, and parents take immediate action to create learning experiences that help all students truly succeed.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an informative Foreword by Kareem Farah, a three page listing of Teacher Tips showcased in the text, a Conclusion (Change Starts Every Day), four pages of Notes on Teacher Tips, and a four page Index, "Meet Every Learner's Needs: Redesigning Instruction So All Students Can Succeed" is an ideal textbook for school district in-service workshops and college/university Teacher Education curriculums. Exceptionally well organized and presented, this paperback edition of Robert Barnett's "Meet Every Learner's Needs" from Jossey-Bass is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Robert Barnett is a former teacher and the Co-Founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. He taught math, computer science, English, social studies, and law, from the middle-school to university levels, at public and private schools in the United States and abroad. (https://podcast.modernclassrooms.org/guests/robertbarnett)

Beyond the Science of Reading
Natalie Wexler
ASCD
www.ascd.org
9781416633563, $36.95, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Science-Reading-Connecting-Instruction/dp/1416633561

Synopsis: The science of reading movement has done much to improve instruction in foundational skills. But that hard-won progress may be reversed unless we also help children acquire the knowledge and vocabulary they need to understand complex text.

At the same time, the science of learning movement has introduced many educators to evidence-based teaching principles that can be effective for all students. With the publication of "Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning", Natalie Wexler addresses a missing piece of the conversation: the ways in which typical reading comprehension and writing instruction conflict with those principles.

Wexler also offers practical solutions for bringing science-informed literacy instruction to scale and reveals why

Teaching phonics isn't enough to create proficient readers.
Building knowledge is the key to unlocking reading comprehension.
Writing instruction holds untapped potential to boost literacy and learning.
Instruction grounded in cognitive science can narrow achievement gaps.
Current curriculum evaluation methods may be steering schools wrong.

"Beyond the Science of Reading" charts a bold path forward with a new way to equip all children to read with fluency, understanding, and joy. This is an essential resource for educators, policymakers, parents, and anyone who cares about the future of literacy and equity in the United States.

Critique: Exceptional, impressive, thought-provoking, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning" by Natalie Wexler is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an informative six-age Introduction, a seventeen page listing of References, a six page Index, and a two page Study Guide. Of immense interest and value to readers concerned with promoting literacy, "Beyond the Science of Reading" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Reading/Phonics educational curricula collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, reading specialists, and members of the publishing industry concerned with the impact of diminishing literacy levels on the use of books for recreation and instruction, that this paperback edition of "Beyond the Science of Reading" from ASCD is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.10).

Editorial Note: Natalie Wexler (www.nataliewexler.com) is an education writer and the author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System - and How to Fix It. She is also the coauthor, with Judith C. Hochman, of The Writing Revolution 2.0: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades and host of "Reading Comprehension Revisited," a six-episode series for The Knowledge Matters Podcast.


The AI Studies Shelf

AI for Communication
David J. Gunkel
CRC Press
c/o Routledge
https://www.routledge.com
9781032571706, $31.99, PB, 130pp

https://www.amazon.com/AI-Communication-Everything-David-Gunkel/dp/1032571705

Synopsis: With the publication of "AI for Communication", Professor david J. Gunkel provides an engaging exploration into the diverse applications of artificial intelligence (AI) within the realm of communication. By bridging the gap between the scientific and engineering realms of AI and communication, "AI for Communication" reveals how AI, since its inception during the Dartmouth Summer workshop of 1956, has inherently been a science of communication.

Exploring key advancements such as machine translation, natural language processing, large language models, computational creativity, and social robotics, "AI for Communication" shows how these innovations not only disrupt but also actively transform human communication.

"AI for Communication" is designed for students, teachers, and general readers who want to know how the field of communication impacts and influences the theory and practice of AI and how recent developments in AI will affect all aspects of human social interaction.

Critique: Exceptionally well written and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "AI for Communication" is the ideal introduction to the background science and development of AI technology for advancing human communication. Of special note are the chapters on Social Robots, Computational Creativity and Generative AI, and The Future of Communication. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.27), this paperback edition of "AI for Communication" from CRC Press is an essential and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library AI collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: David J. Gunkel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_J._Gunkel) is Professor of Communication Technology at Northern Illinois University (USA) and Associate Professor of Applied Ethics at Lazarski University (Poland). He is also the author of 14 books on the social impact and significance of digital media, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

humAIn
Don Roosan, Pharm.D; PhD
Armin Lear Press, Inc.
https://arminlear.com
9781963271515, $24.95

https://www.amazon.com/humAIn-Don-Roosan/dp/1963271513

"humAIn: Unlock Your Potential Using Artificial Intelligence" goes beyond books about AI that discuss potential threats, focusing on solutions and strategies to employing AI in all kinds of human-supportive efforts. Don Roosan offers a breath of fresh air that those facing AI technology and its changes will want to embrace (or, at least think about). The discussions are geared to AI novices who have heard about the coming technology, but hold fuzzy knowledge about its actual incarnation and applications in everyday life.

An introduction points out that many companies are involved in misinformation practices that spin AI as a product rather than a user-controlled enhancement. Roosan refutes this style of business promotion, showing how AI may be controlled by users -- not just sold to them as a done deal.

Discussion groups will want to wrap their debates around the introductory contention Roosan supports: ...here's the reality: AI is just a tool. It's not an omnipotent force poised to take over the world. You can control, adapt, and utilize it to improve your life. In fact, most people are already using AI -- perhaps unknowingly. Further knowledge about its benefits and possibilities will add more options for taking advantage of its applications.

This contention is the crux of Roosan's discussions. humAIn is more than a technological celebration. It provides thought-provoking discussions about the pros and cons of various approaches incorporating AI into daily life, from education and ChatGPT (or Gemini)'s influence on student learning to adopting new critical thinking skills that can identify and address fake news.

Roosan's purpose is twofold: to eliminate fear about AI, and to provide tools that readers can apply to incorporate AI into their lives in ways that are rational, not reactive. Libraries will want to highly recommend humAIn not just to a wide audience of patrons interested in AI technology and issues. It will especially appeal to classroom and book club reading groups interested in lively debate material surrounding AI's potential and incarnation in global society. humAIn's practical approach takes guesswork and fear away from the AI platform, opening the door to new possibilities for its use. Its different, much-needed alternative to the fearmongering that often surrounds AI speculation is refreshing.


The Cookbook Shelf

Love Gluten-Free
Megan McKenna
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9780600638827, $26.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Gluten-free-delicious-recipes-together/dp/0600638820

Synopsis: In her follow-up to Can You Make That Gluten-free?, with the publication of "Love Gluten-free: Easy, delicious recipes to enjoy together", Megan McKenna shares palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying, gluten-free recipes that will spark a culinary joy and are perfect for sharing with loved ones at meal times and any time!

For many people, avoiding gluten can be an isolating experience, but with this compendium of kitchen cook friendly recipes you can get together with friends and family without needing your own separate portion of gluten-free food.

The underlying message of "Love Gluten-free: Easy, delicious recipes to enjoy together" is that everyone gathering around the dinner table can enjoying delicious gluten free food together.

Profusely illustrated with full color photos of finished dishes, "Love Gluten-free: Easy, delicious recipes to enjoy together" includes:

Crowd-pleasing brunch recipes: Baked feta breakfast bruschetta, Honey avocado bites and Bacon & spinach egg muffins

Romantic date night dishes: Marry me chicken, Pink sauce spaghetti with lardons & walnuts and Mini heart pizzas

Delicious home comforts: Short rib ragu of dreams, Cheesy crispy mac 'n' cheese and Flaky apple pie parcels

Fun and tasty sharing plates: Buffalo chicken bites, BBQ pulled pork & pineapple tacos and

Sweet & salty chocolate covered nachos

Solo self-love dinners: Garlic chicken Kyiv, Egg fried rice and Steak fajita loaded jacket potato

Critique: Each guaranteed gluten-free recipe includes a succinct description, number of servings, listed ingredients, and step-by-step instructions -- guaranteeing culinary success for even the most novice of kitchen cooks. If you only have time for one gluten-free themed cookbook, make it "Love Gluten-free: Easy, delicious recipes to enjoy together" by Megan McKenna. Recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Love Gluten-free: Easy, delicious recipes to enjoy together" from Hamlyn is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Megan McKenna is a TV personality, singer-songwriter, coeliac, home cook, Celebrity MasterChef contestant, highly engaged influencer and brand ambassador with social media platforms totaling over 4 million followers.

Pull Up a Chair: Recipes for Gatherings Big and Small, Morning to Night
Martha Collison
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804192429, $32.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pull-Up-Chair-Recipes-Gatherings/dp/1804192422

Synopsis: "Pull Up a Chair: Recipes for Gatherings Big and Small, Morning to Night" is a compendium of delightfully delicious dishes where the recipes are big on flavor with minimal fuss, making sharing food with friends easier than ever.

Whether you're looking for a weekend brunch spread, a little treat to share over coffee with a friend, a three-course extravaganza or a weeknight winner for two, culinary expert, food writer and British baker Martha Collison has got you covered. All of her recipes are all easy to follow, and produce delicious results without hours of effort in the kitchen.

These kitchen cook friendly recipes range from Double chocolate marmalade cookies; Hoisin Sausage Bake; Hasselback Halloumi and Orange Salad; and Sticky Pomegranate Brisket with Vermicelli Rice; to Drunken Cherry Affogato; Sheet Pan Pizza; Baked Camembert with Sticky Dates; and Elderflower Summer Punch Pitcher.

There are over 90 recipes organized into eight thematic chapters, taking you from breakfast through to dinners, picnics, desserts, drinks and more. For anyone looking for easy ways to nourish and delight their friends and family, In terms of planning memorable meals for any and all dining occasions, "Pull Up a Chair" has everything a kitchen cook would need.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of beautiful full color photos of finished dishes, "Pull Up a Chair: Recipes for Gatherings Big and Small, Morning to Night" by Martha Collison is an impressive and recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library Contemporary Cookbook Collections. It should be noted that his hardcover edition of "Pull Up a Chair" from Kyle Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

Editorial Note: Martha Collison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Collison) is a food writer and recipe creator. In 2014, aged 17, she took part in the fifth series of The Great British Bake Off and remains the youngest ever contestant. She has since written two cookbooks (Twist: Creative ideas to reinvent your baking and Crave: Brilliantly indulgent recipes), established a regular column for Waitrose Weekend, built an online following of over 150k and become resident Show Chef on the Graham Norton Radio Show with Virgin Radio. She has also appeared on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen and regularly collaborates with household name brands. She has 150k followers on Instagram.

Feasts of Good Fortune
Hsiao-Ching Chou & Meilee Chou Riddle
Sasquatch Books
www.sasquatchbooks.com
9781632175182, $30.00, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Feasts-Good-Fortune-Celebrations-Mid-Autumn/dp/1632175185

Synopsis: Covering everything from traditional Lunar New Year menus with recipes passed down generations to Thanksgiving get-togethers celebrated with tantalizing side dishes, with the publication of "Feasts of Good Fortune: 75 Recipes for a Year of Chinese American Celebrations, from Lunar New Year to Mid-Autumn Festival and Beyond " the mother/daughter team of Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle invites you to take a seat at the Chou's warm family dinner table.

Author and former James Beard Foundation cookbook committee chair Hsiao-Ching Chou (Chinese Soul Food) brings her on-ramp approach to Chinese cooking full circle with fresh, uncomplicated home cooking for celebrations typical of the Chinese American experience. Master dumplings, scallion pancakes, and more, to contribute to "tuan yuan" (the act of coming together) that define family meals in these 75 tried-and-true recipes anyone can tackle.

Co-written with Hsiao-Ching's 17-year-old daughter, Meilee, on reconnecting with her Chinese American heritage as a young adult, this deeply meaningful cookbook is an exploration of what it means to grow up in a "forever hyphenated culture" and celebrates the joy of the mother-daughter bond in cooking together.

Organized chronologically with menus that'll take out the guesswork, including:

Lunar New Year (Sticky Rice with Chicken and Chinese Sausage)
Lantern Festival (Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame Paste)
Honoring the Dead/Qing Ming (Steamed Spinach Dumplings)
Dragon Boat Festival (Zong Zi)
Mid-Autumn Festival (Mooncakes)
Birthdays & Party Bites (Stir-Fried Long-Life Noodles)
Side Dishes for East-meets-West Menus (Braised Kale with Dried Cranberries)
Hot Pot Parties

Critique: This large format (8.01 x 0.68 x 8.97 inches, 2.31 pounds) paperback edition of "Feasts of Good Fortune: 75 Recipes for a Year of Chinese American Celebrations, from Lunar New Year to Mid-Autumn Festival and Beyond" is a culinary delight to browse through, plane menus with, and insure total success with its colorful illustrations, anecdotal commentaries, and kitchen cook friendly step-by-step instructions. Authentic and genuine, the Chinese dishes comprising "Feasts of Good Fortune" are palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, health supporting, and memorable. While also available in a digital book format, "Feasts of Good Fortune" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Ethnic/Chinese cookbook collections.

Editorial Note #1: Hsiao-Ching Chou is an award-winning food journalist and author of three cookbooks on Chinese home cooking. Known for her potsticker classes, she has taught hundreds of students over the years. She is the past chair of the James Beard Foundation's Book Awards Committee and serves on the board of directors for the Ballard Food Bank. When she's not wearing her culinary hat, she makes a living as an editorial director in the tech industry.

Editorial Note #2: Meilee Chou Riddle is a student of filmmaking, writing, and music. She comes from a family of storytellers, including her TV producer dad, Eric Riddle; cookbook author mom, Hsiao-Ching Chou; and lifestyle blogger grandma, Ellen Chou. Meilee is always looking for ways to express her creativity. Her award-winning films have been featured in regional and national film festivals.

LEON Big Flavours Cookbook
Rebecca Seal
Conran
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781840918267, $26.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/LEON-Big-Flavours-Cookbook-Salty/dp/1840918268

Synopsis: Why can't fast food be good food? LEON's culinary mission is to prove that it can be by serving naturally fast food that not only tastes good but does you good too, and now, with the publication of "LEON Big Flavours Cookbook: Salty - Sour - Spicy - Sweet" you can use these recipes to create delicious meals in the comfort of your own home.

If you love lunches which pack a punch and suppers with attitude, then this DIY collection of recipes for more than 100 flavorful dishes from LEON is the one for you. From fiery coconut noodles to miso-spiked aubergine, caramel pork to yuzu blondies, this book is all about turning flavors up to their max - be they deliciously salty, sweet, sour or spicy.

Among this compendium of recommended recipes are included:

Sweetcorn and jalapeno breakfast fritters with avocado and salsa
LEON's Coconut Makhani
Pasta alla limone
Chicken and coconut curried noodles
Blackened trout tacos with aji verde
Potato bread with garlic and anchovy herbed butter
Miso apple tarte tatin with vanilla mascarpone

Critique: Beautifully (and deliciously) illustrated throughout with full color photos of finished dishes, "LEON Big Flavours Cookbook: Salty - Sour - Spicy - Sweet" by Rebecca Seal is a unique and thoroughly 'family cook friendly' compendium of recipes that are inspirational for planning memorable meals with. An especially recommended pick for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "LEON Big Flavours Cookbook" from Conrad is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Rebecca Seal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Seal) is a former assistant editor of Observer Food Monthly and Observer Woman and is now a cookbook author, magazine editor, and freelance journalist.

The Pickle Jar
Nick Vadasz
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
https://www.octopusbooks.co.uk
9781804192740, $24.99, HC, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Jar-Recipes-Pickles-Ferments/dp/1804192740

Synopsis: The positive link between great gut health and eating fermented foods is now well established. Making your own at home is the perfect way to incorporate ferments into your diet - they're easy to create, require minimal equipment, contain no chemicals or preservatives and taste fantastic!

With the publication of "The Pickle Jar: Recipes for Making and Using Pickles and Ferments", pickling expert Nick Vadasz teaches you how simple it is to get pickling, and provides delicious, healthy recipes using your own creations.

The first half of "The Pickle Jar" covers how to make your own fermented and pickled products at home - including kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles. These key base recipes combine with tips and ideas for getting inventive with your own fermented creations. While the second half features recipes incorporating your creations, ranging from Kimchi Glazed Aubergine to Orange, Fennel and Super Beet Salad, and from Kimchi French Toast to a Dill Pickle Martini.

Whether you want to create your own ferments from scratch or find ways to save the kimchi languishing in your fridge, "The Pickle Jar" offers a culinary wealth of ways to incorporate fermented foods to upgrade your flavors and boost your gut health.

Critique: Comprised of 70 distinctive and 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes, "The Pickle Jar: Recipes for Making and Using Pickles and Ferments" by Nick Vadasz offers everything needed to employ and enjoy the health and gustatory benefits of pickling and fermenting at home! Profusely and deliciously illustrated throughout with full color photos of finished dishes, "The Pickle Jar" is an impressive and welcome pick for personal, professional, and community library specialized cookbook collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "The Pickle Jar" is also readily available from Hamlyn in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Nick Vadasz is known as The Picklesman. Inspired by his Hungarian heritage, he founded Vadasz in 2011 in a shipping container in Hackney, East London. He began selling his range of both fermented and vinegar brined pickles, sauerkraut and kimchi at markets across London. Vadasz soon became the first UK based producer of pickles & ferments, and is now stocked by restaurants and retailers including Wholefoods Market, LEON, Shake Shack, Waitrose, M&S, Coop, Sainsbury's, Ocado and more. Vadasz have 16.6k followers on Instagram.

The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook
Nina Mukerjee Furstenau
Belt Publishing
https://beltpublishing.com
c/o Arcadia Publishing (distribution)
https://www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781953368980, $18.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Rhubarb-Cookbook-Cookbooks/dp/1953368980

Synopsis: Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks (petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of Rheum in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. Historically, different plants have been called "rhubarb" in English. The large, triangular leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid and anthrone glycosides, making them inedible. The small flowers are grouped in large compound leafy greenish-white to rose-red inflorescences. (Wikipedia)

There is a lot more to rhubarb than you would think. This distinctive plant was initially used as an herbal medicine, and it eventually became a favorite baking ingredient and was known stateside as the "pie plant". Today in some circles it is considered a superfood thanks to its high levels of vitamin C and K and fiber.

A compendium of more than sixty recipes, "The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook" by food journalist and author Nina Mukerjee Furstenau takes aspiring kitchen cooks on a journey through the extensive applications of the tart red stalk. From classics desserts like strawberry-rhubarb pie to savory main dishes, plus preserves, relishes, and even drinks, the best-dressed member of your garden shines in ways you never would have dreamed of.

Critique: With recipes ranging from Rhubarb Crisp, Rhubarb Marmalade, Rhubarb Almond Bars, and Rhubarb Blueberry Barbecue Baked Beans, to Strawberry Rhubarb Daiquiris, Rhubarb Pickles, and Rhubarb Salsa, "The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook" is a 'must' for all dedicated rhubarb fans and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.10). This highly portable (5 x 0.31 x 7 inches, 5 ounces) paperback edition of Nina Mukerjee Furstenau's "The Pocket Rhubarb Cookbook" from Belt Publishing is a unique, specialized, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Editorial Note: Nina Mukerjee Furstenau (www.ninafurstenau.com) is a food journalist and writer with interest in food, identity, and culture. She has written five books, including her memoir, Biting Through the Skin: An Indian Kitchen in America's Heartland, which won the MFK Fisher Book Award, among other accolades. In addition to the books Green Chili & Other Impostors, Food & Culture, Tasty! Mozambique, and Savor Missouri, her podcast, Canned Peaches, is available through NPR. She also writes stories and essays for magazines and current media.

Oysters: Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea
Cynthia Nims
Sasquatch Books
www.sasquatchbooks.com
9781632175250, $22.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Oysters-Recipes-that-Bring-Taste/dp/1632175258

Synopsis: For the benefit and enjoyment of oyster lovers everywhere, "Oysters: Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea" by Cynthia Nims is a luscious and beautifully illustrated cookbook that includes recipes, shucking instructions, and the local farming success story of the many delicious oysters from the Pacific Coast.

From Hangtown Hash with Fried Eggs to Half-Shell Oysters with Kimchi-Cucumber Relish, this gorgeous cookbook features 30 recipes, ideas for what to drink with oysters, and tips for buying, storing, and shucking to bring out the "oh!" in oysters.

Since oysters are grown and harvested in some of the most beautiful environments on earth, "Oysters: Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea" is brimming with full color scenic and food photography. The delectable oysters grown along the West Coast (which include Pacific, Kumamoto, Olympia, and Eastern and European Flat species) are the culinary stars of this beautiful cookbook celebrating oysters based cuisine.

Critique: "Oysters: Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea" by Cynthia Nims is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it an ideal resource for novice and experienced kitchen cooks alike. Originally published (2016) in hardcover, and now available from Sasquatch Books in paperback and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) "Oysters: Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea" is a specially recommended pick for personal, professional, family, and community library Seafood themed cookbook collections,

Editorial Note: Cynthia Nims is a cookbook author and culinary consultant focused on food, beverages, and travel. She studied cuisine in France, is the author of 15 cookbooks, and served on the editorial team for Modernist Cuisine.

Doughnuts: 90 Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home
Lara Ferroni
Sasquatch Books
www.sasquatchbooks.com
9781632175243, $19.95, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Doughnuts-Simple-Delicious-Recipes-Make/dp/163217524X

Synopsis: A chocolate-glazed doughnut and cup of coffee is a match made in heaven for many North Americans, but wait! Something new is happening in the doughnut world: boutique bakeries are popping up everywhere, and "designer doughnuts" are all the rage.

But the best news of all is that they are actually easy to make at home! And really, is there anything more scrumptious than a fresh doughnut?

With the publication of "Doughnuts: 90 Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home" by doughnut making expert Lara Ferroni, prepare to be tempted by a compendium of DIY recipes, ranging from Chai, Huckleberry Cheesecake, and Red Velvet, to Carrot Cake, Sourdough Raised, and Almond-Sea Salt Caramel Sugared.

Of course, this uniquely specialized cookbook is also presents traditional recipes for favorites like Old-Fashioned Sour Cream and Chocolate Raised doughnuts, as well as vegan and gluten-free recipes. The mouthwatering photography and tasty recipes will leave readers and home cooks drooling and dreaming about doughnuts.

Critique: The full page, full color photos of finished donuts will inspire and motivate kitchen cooks and their doughnut loving families to enjoy one of America's favorite treats -- the doughnut. This DIY compendium, kitchen cook friendly, specialty cookbook will prove to be a highly prized and enduringly popular pick for personal, family, professonal, and community library Bakery Goods cookbook collections. Original published in 2018, this new paperback edition of Lara Ferroni's "Doughnuts: 90 Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home" from Sasquatch Books, is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99). Simply stated -- anyone who enjoys a good doughnut will prize this 'user friendly' and inspiring collection of DIY recipes for truly memorable baked/fried goodness that is the doughnut.

Editorial Note: Lara Ferroni (https://laraferroni.com) is a tech geek turned food geek who spends her days exploring food and cocktail culture. As a writer and photographer, you might spy her learning to make kimchi in the back room of a local church, foraging for wild berries, or snapping away in some of the finest kitchens and bars. She is the author of five cookbooks, including Doughnuts, An Avocado a Day, Real Snacks, and Put an Egg on It.

28 Days Keto
Lisa Butterworth & Caroline Hwang
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781923049574, $19.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/28-Days-Keto-complete-lifestyle/dp/1923049577

Synopsis: Ketosis is a metabolic state characterized by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine. Physiological ketosis is a normal response to low glucose availability. In physiological ketosis, ketones in the blood are elevated above baseline levels, but the body's acid - base homeostasis is maintained. This contrasts with ketoacidosis, an uncontrolled production of ketones that occurs in pathologic states and causes a metabolic acidosis, which is a medical emergency. Ketoacidosis is most commonly the result of complete insulin deficiency in type 1 diabetes or late-stage type 2 diabetes. (Wikipedia)

For those having to deal with Keto imbalances, embarking on a new diet can be daunting, especially if it means drastically changing what you eat and having to cook with ingredients that might be unfamiliar to you. "28 Days Keto: A complete guide to living the keto lifestyle easily" takes the stress out of dieting, helping you to transition to ketosis and enjoy all the benefits that the keto diet brings.

As well as an informative introduction to the keto diet, "28 Days to Keto" k includes everything you need to know, from the science behind the diet and keto-friendly ingredients to meal plans, shopping lists, and easy-to-follow advice.

To help make the transition easier, "28 Days Keto" has 28 full days of recipes, from breakfast to dinner, and a shopping list for every week -- proving that healthier decisions don't have to be difficult. With snacks, drinks, and basics included, everything is covered to make the transition to a keto diet achievable and effortless.

Critique: More than just a cookbook, "28 Days Keto: A complete guide to living the keto lifestyle easily" by co-authors Lisa Butterworth and Caroline Hwang is an effective 28-day DIY plan to achieving ketosis easily and enjoy the benefits of a keto lifestyle. This large format (7.91 x 0.88 x 9.71 inches, 1.6 pounds) paperback edition of "28 Days Keto: A complete guide to living the keto lifestyle easily" from Smith Street Books is profusely and beautifully illustrated with full color photographic throughout. Exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "28 Days Keto". While highly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as professional, and community library specialized cookbook collections.

Editorial Note #1: Lisa Butterworth (www.lisabutterworth.com) is the West Coast editor of BUST and a founding editor of Tidal. She covers food, fashion, pop culture, women's issues, and more for outlets including Nylon, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, Elle, Martha Stewart Living, Time Out,and New York magazine while basking in L.A.'s eternal sunshine.

Editorial Note #2: Caroline K. Hwang (www.carolinekhwang.com) is a Los Angeles - based food stylist and recipe developer. She left a career in the arts to pursue her love and passion for food and cooking by way of restaurant kitchens. She works across a range of commercial and editorial media and has worked with prestigious clients including Foodheim, Beyond Burgers, and Stella Artois.


The Biography/Memoir Shelf

Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend
George R. Matthews
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476695266, $45.95, PB, 311pp

https://www.amazon.com/Billy-Kid-Life-Behind-Legend/dp/1476695261

Synopsis: "Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend" by George R. Matthews is a new and in-depth study of the life and times of Henry McCarty, alias Billy Bonney, alias Billy the Kid.

Fresh perspectives are offered, not only on the Lincoln County War and his boyhood in Silver City, New Mexico, but also on his Irish mother's origins and immigration to Indiana, his public-school education in Indianapolis, the McCarty family's moves to Wichita, Kansas, and Santa Fe, and his two-year outlaw adventures in Arizona.

For the first time, the whole person emerges in an extraordinary biography that brings together a huge amount of material, much of it made available to researchers only in recent years. The result is an original, authoritative, and provocative portrait of Billy the Kid as both outlaw and frontier fighter against the infamously corrupt Santa Fe Ring.

Critique: Featuring a number of B/W illustrations, this large format (7 x 0.62 x 10 inches, 1.24 pounds) paperback edition of "Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend" by George R. Matthews is a fun and fascinating read from start to finish and a 'must' for the legions of Billy the Kid and Old West Outlaw fans. Scholastically enhanced with twenty-eight pages of Chapter Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a six page Index, "Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend" is an extraordinary and fully recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library 19th Century American Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that this edition of "Billy the Kid: The Life Behind the Legend" from McFarland & Company is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Editorial Note: George R. Matthews has written on the Olympics, baseball and Zebulon Pike, and is a member of Biographers International Organization and the National Coalition of Independent Scholars. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1004362.George_R_Matthews)

Caravaggio: The Palette and the Sword: Book 1
Milo Manara
Fantagraphics Books
www.fantagraphics.com
9781683969860, $19.99, PB, 64pp

https://www.amazon.com/Caravaggio-Palette-Fantagraphics-Manara-Signature/dp/1683969863

Synopsis: "Caravaggio: The Palette and the Sword Book 1" is the first half of Milo Manara's two-volume epic biography of the hot-tempered Italian master painter. It depicts Caravaggio's early years in Rome as he struggles to capture truth on canvas, only to have his art condemned to be burned by the Church. He then is forced to flee the city when he kills a man in righteous fury over the death of a prostitute.

The two volumes of Caravaggio mark the return of Manara to U.S. readers and the debut of Fantagraphics' new series, 'The Milo Manara Signature Edition', featuring affordable paperbacks of maestro Manara's internationally acclaimed work. (Book 2 will follow in Spring 2025.)

Readers will learn about the bawdy, swashbuckling life of one of the greatest Renaissance painters in history through Manara's passionate, personal tribute to his artistic idol, Michelangelo Merisi, whom the world would come to know as Caravaggio.

Critique: This large format (9.3 x 0.3 x 12.3 inches, 14.4 ounces) paperback edition of "Caravaggio: The Palette and the Sword: Book 1" is a biographical history effectively presented to the reader in a graphic novel style and format. Highly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Art History/Biography collections. It should be noted for art history students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of Caravaggio and Renaissance artists and painting that "Caravaggio: The Palette and the Sword: Book 1" is also available from Fantagraphics in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Milo Manara (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_Manara), is an internationally acclaimed Italian comic book writer and artist best known for his lush, expansive approach to the medium, often depicting erotic characters and situations.

Saving the Lost Girl: A Memoir of Healing
Kelly Jean Torres
https://kellyjeantorres.co
Reaching Up Media
9798990967106, $19.99, PB, 388pp

https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Lost-Girl-Memoir-Healing/dp/B0DPGV4V51

Synopsis: Born to parents who could not escape their battles with addiction and mental illness, Kelly Jean Torres entered foster care before her first birthday. At ten, Kelly and her two sisters were adopted by the Atwoods, who moved them from the busy suburbs of Chicago to a remote Michigan town, where Kelly found herself trapped in an abusive home. After the death of their adoptive mother, a darker side of their adoptive father emerged, and at sixteen, Kelly made a desperate escape. She thought freedom meant she could leave her traumatic past behind her, but every misstep forward was haunted by an undeniable truth: the pain from her childhood was everywhere, in everything, and threatened to destroy her chances at the life she'd always longed for - unless she turned around to face it.

"Saving the Lost Girl" is Kelly's testament to healing, courage, and the belief that a life of peace and fulfillment is within reach, no matter how your story began.

Critique: Articulate to the point of eloquence, emotionally engaging and compelling, "Saving the Lost Girl: A Memoir of Healing" showcases Kelly Jean Torres as a natural born storyteller with a distinctive and memorable narrative driven style. Impressively inspiring, candidly informative, "Saving the Lost Girl" is a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. Far more than just another Self-Help/Counseling book, "Saving the Lost Girl" will prove of very special and illustrative value to anyone striving to recover from their own abusive and abused childhood.

Editorial Note: Kelly Jean Torres (https://kellyjeantorres.co) defied the odds stacked against her from childhood, becoming a beacon of resilience and hope. Her journey is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to overcome profound adversity. Statistically, individuals with high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores or histories in the foster care system often face barriers to success in education, relationships, and mental health, but since running away from home at sixteen, Kelly has been on a mission to rewrite her narrative, creating a life that inspires and uplifts others. Though the effects of PTSD remain, Kelly's unwavering determination drives her to share her extraordinary story. Through her work as a writer, artist, and advocate, Kelly is committed to proving that even the most difficult beginnings can lead to a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly
Jeff Apter
Citadel Press
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9780806543529, $29.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806543523

Synopsis: Carl Perkins was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. His influence is enormous. As Paul McCartney said, "If there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles." One Beatle was such a fan that he gave himself the stage name Carl Harrison. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story - the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history.

Born in Tennessee to poor sharecroppers, Carl grew up listening to gospel and country music, learned blues guitar from a fellow field hand, and started writing songs at age fourteen. He plied his trade in rough and rowdy honky-tonks, performing with his brothers before beginning his recording career at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. It was there that Carl became a member of the fabled "Million Dollar Quartet," alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1955, he wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes," the first record by a Sun artist to sell over a million copies. But then a fateful car crash stalled his career, one of many tragedies in Carl's life.

Over the following decades, Presley, Cash, and countless other artists, from the Beatles, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix, performed and recorded his songs and became Carl's friends, collaborators, and champions. Rich with insider detail and background into Carl's private battles, humanitarian work, and personal inspirations, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at "Mr. Blue Suede Shoes" and his one-of-a-kind legacy.

Critique: A deftly crafted and information packed biography rescuing from an undeserved obscurity one of Rock Music's trailblaizing founding fathers, "Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly" by Jeff Apter is a fascinating and memorable read from start to finish. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library 20th Century American Popular Music & Musicians collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists of fans and students that this hardcover edition of "Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly" from Citadel Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.54)

Editorial Note: Jeff Apter (www.JeffApter.com.au) is the author of more than 30 books about music and musicians, and his work has been published all around the world. His subjects include Keith Urban, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, AC/DC's Bon Scott and the Young brothers, the Bee Gees, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cure, and Dave Grohl. He was on staff at Australian Rolling Stone for several years. He lives on the NSW South Coast with his wife and two children, and enough pets to fill a small zoo.

Eyes of A Different Color
Robert Jaffee, M.D.
Jaffee Publishing
9798991316101, $19.95, PB, 350pp

https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Different-Color-Memoir-America/dp/B0DR18B5V2

Synopsis: It's 1979, and a young Israeli girl finds love with an American doctor during a brief visit and risks it all to get married after a whirlwind romance. Now the young couple must really get to know one another post-nuptials while trying to survive as fish out of water in rural Texas.

What could Robert 'Bob' Jaffee, a newly minted New York physician, and an 18-year-old Israeli woman, Iris, have in common?

From New York to Tel Aviv and, finally, of all places, Odessa, Texas, they develop a mutual love. While struggling to outline the boundaries of a marriage, Iris is determined to find her own identity, apart from just being a doctor's wife. She must master a new language, face antisemitism, and fight the loneliness of being away from family and friends in a new land.

Both of them experience a new culture in Texas, encountering cowboy boots, the Texas two-step, and differing religious views. Readers will follow along with Bob and Iris as they travel from the skyscrapers and mountains of New York to the hills of Jerusalem and on to the desert of Texas. Readers will also be introduced to the people they knew (New Yorkers, Israelis, Texans) and the situations of marriage, culture, and self-identity that many of us share in our own lives. "Eyes of a Different Color" is a true life story of hard-won triumphs and unexplained tragedy.

Critique: Deeply personal but with a universal resonance, "Eyes of a Different Color" is an inherently interesting and memorable memoir by Dr. Robert Jaffee in the form and format of a true love story will carry the reader along through the ups and downs of of their lives with this candidly detailed story of a marriage that is quite singular and like no other. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Eyes of a Different Color" is one of those personal memoirs that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Eyes of a Different Color" from Jaffee Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: Robert Jaffee, MD, received his Medical Degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. He completed his Residency in Ophthalmology at University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT and New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Dr. Jaffee completed a Fellowship in Anterior Segment Surgery at Odessa Regional Medical Center, Odessa, TX. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Wilderness Woman: A Triumphant Spirit
Diane Young
Christian Faith Publishing
https://www.christianfaithpublishing.com
9798892431903, $21.95, PB, 126pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Woman-Triumphant-Diane-Young/dp/B0D96Q8RL4

Synopsis: The summer of 1945...the Kansas City Star newspaper would have read like this: "The Division of Family Services reports...A young female child whose identity remains anonymous. She was rescued from her grandparent's house. The mother and father are also being investigated by the authorities. The grandparents volunteered to watch the new baby girl. Her mother was a beauty operator down the street."

"Diane" knew the daily drill. Each morning, her grandparents greeted her eagerly with evil warm smiles. The trap was set -- the lower cabinet file drawer, which was at her eye level. She pulled the drawer out slowly and struggled to lift the heavy box out onto the floor. She sat cross-legged, enticed by the shiny eye-catching trinkets. She had not eaten breakfast. Her thoughts of the yummy chocolate-covered cherries would be good for her tummy.

The best of all was a warm wiggly reddish-brown puppy. This experience lasted day after day, week after week, and year after year. We ask ourselves how could this happen? Why? It's called insanity, which can't be explained.

The Lord brought a loving family into her young life. God's creation along with her love for horses healed her childhood wounds and continues to heal her adult scars.

Critique: A candid and unique memoir of a troubled childhood and young adult life ultimately redeemed with maturity in love and faith as told from a dedicated Christian perspective, "Wilderness Woman: A Triumphant Spirit" by Diane Young is told with the narrative eloquence of literary fiction but it is, in fact, her true life story. A inherently fascinating and ultimately inspiring memoir from start to finish, "Wilderness Woman: A Triumphant Spirit" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections and reading lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Wilderness Woman: A Triumphant Spirit" from Christian Faith Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse
Frances Welch
Short Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781780725215, $29.99 HC, $14.99 Kindle, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lives-Deaths-Princesses-Hesse-granddaughters/dp/1780725213

The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse: The Curious Destinies of Queen Victoria's Granddaughters tells of how the Queen took a special interest in her motherless grandchildren after her favorite daughter Alice died, attempting to direct their lives in a manner that indicated propriety even as their turn-of-the-century world was changing.

Frances Welch creates the first full-length biography of the Hesse sisters, but goes beyond social and political examination alone to consider the personalities and evolving psyches of these young women. Hundreds of previously unseen letters of the sisters and the Queen capture the times and special challenges which buffeted the historical status enjoyed by royalty.

This attention to multifaceted details is why The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse proves a captivating, epic survey that's nearly impossible to put down -- even for those with relative unfamiliarity with the times or subject. It is very highly recommended for lending libraries strong in British and European history.


The General Fiction Shelf

Kelsey's Crossing
David Randal
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888247211, $19.95, PB, 293pp

https://www.amazon.com/Kelseys-Crossing-David-Randal/dp/B0DWVKMQ1K

Synopsis: The homeless men of the Kelsey Rescue Mission think of Greg Smith as the nice fellow serving meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They don't know that Greg was once one of Washington's most powerful political operatives. Recently released from prison for committing election fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering, he only wants to live a quiet life away from the limelight.

But when political corruption in the city of Kelsey threatens the good work of the Mission, Greg reluctantly agrees to direct the Mission's voter referendum campaign to oppose the city's self-serving leaders. The campaign soon results in unrest, including a tragic shooting. compelling Greg and his army of homeless men to work in order to restore calm and prevent further chaos.

Their success leads them to second-chance opportunities none of them imagined.

Critique: A deftly crafted, emotionally engaging, novel that is all the more impressive when considering that "Kelsey's Crossing" is author David Randal debut as a novelist, its them is that of the past not irrevocably repeating in the future, it about the value and necessity of second chances. Original and inherently fascinating, "Kelsey's Crossing" is a compelling story of corruption, struggle and redemption. Of special note is how David Randal's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling skills have raised his novel to an impressive level of literary excellence -- making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and college/university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: David Randal (www.davidrandalauthor.com) is a veteran content writer and producer of educational and advocacy films. His innovative presentations on complex concepts have won him several prestigious awards. His stories focus on such topics as childhood cancer, the food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, biotechnology, neuroscience, climate change, the Camp Fire in California, life jacket safety for commercial fishermen, artificial intelligence, and more.

Natchez at Sunset
Terry Engel
Roadrunner Press
9781955196536, $18.00, PB, 252pp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/natchez-at-sunset-terry-engel/1140843165

Synopsis: Author Terry Engel has set his novel, "Natchez at Sunset" in south Mississippi a few miles above the gulf coast.

The story is told through the alternating perspectives of three characters: Caleb Vogel, in his early 40s, is a former journalist making a living as a heavy equipment operator and raising a pair or wolves in South Mississippi, near the Gulf Coast; his wife, Jessica, is former ship welder, now a university art professor preparing for a show featuring her metal sculpture "Natchez at Sunset" while contemplating a divorce from Caleb; and Hubert Vogel, Caleb's father, is a cattle rancher whose property joins Caleb's, but he is estranged from his son and has promised to kill the wolves if he ever finds them on his property.

The story opens as Caleb drives up to his house and finds a dead coyote gutted and fitted over his mailbox, a newspaper clipping crumpled in its mouth. He drops the clipping on the floor of the pickup along with the others he's received-threats about his newspaper articles and opinion pieces, threats against his wolves.

The setting of the novel is contemporary, or perhaps just a few years in the future, and it imagines a Mississippi where immigrants have been deported, assault rifles are openly carried, environmental laws have been considerably relaxed, and discrimination against minorities is on the rise.

Critique: Original, plausible (especially given current political trends), and inherently fascinating, "Natchez at Sunset" by Terry Engel will hold a special appeal to readers with an interest in generational familial relationships within the context of a world in which violence and the threat of violence have become a cultural standard. Eloquent, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought- provoking, (and all the more impressive when considering that "Natchez at Sunset' his debut as a novelist) with a distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style, author Terry Engel raises his novel to an impressive level of literary excellence. While 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 paperback edition of "Natchez at Sunset" from Roadrunner Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Terry Engel is a Mississippi native who grew up dreaming of white-water rivers and mountains, and he has traveled widely and lived in Colorado and Alaska. However, his fiction and nonfiction continually wander back to the slow rhythms of the South (Mississippi and Tennessee and Arkansas) back to the deep pine and bottomland hardwood forests, open pastureland and fields, tannin stained and cypress lined creeks, and its people. https://whitecountycreativewriters.org/member-profiles/terry-engel)

At the Island's Edge
C. I. Jerez
Lake Union Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662523427, $16.99, PB, 399pp

https://www.amazon.com/At-Islands-Edge-C-Jerez/dp/1662523424

Synopsis: As a combat medic, Lina LaSalle went to Iraq to save the lives of fellow soldiers. But when her convoy is attacked, she must set aside her identity as a healer and take a life herself.

Although she is honored as a hero when she returns to the US, Lina cannot find her footing. She is stricken with PTSD and unsure of how to support her young son, Teo, a little boy with Tourette's. As her attempts to self-medicate become harder to hide, Lina realizes she must do the toughest thing yet: ask for help.

She retreats to her parents' house in Puerto Rico, where Teo thrives under her family's care. Lina finds kinship, too -- with a cousin whose dreams were also shattered by the war and with a handsome and caring veteran who sought refuge on the island and runs a neighborhood bar.

But amid the magic of the island are secrets and years of misunderstandings that could erode the very stability she's fighting for. Hope lies on the horizon, but can she keep her gaze steady?

Critique: A deftly crafted novel that will be especially enjoyed by readers with an interest in original stories of war driven trauma, recovery and redemption, "At The Island's Edge" is an emotionally compelling inherently engaging, and memorably entertaining read from start to finish. Author C. I. Jerez's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling skills raises this novel of personal and family relationships to an impressive level of literary excellence -- making it especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "At The Island's Edge" is also readily available from Lake Union Publishing in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: C. I. Jerez (www.cijerezbooks.com), who has a blend of Irish, Puerto Rican, and Cuban parentage, grew up near El Paso's Mexican border experiencing a true cultural amalgamation. After graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso, she commissioned as a signal officer in the US Army and rose to the rank of major before transitioning out of the military. She holds an MBA from Webster University and a doctorate in international business from Liberty University.


The Historical Fiction Shelf

Writs of Possession
Clive Rhodes
https://www.cliverhodesbooks.com
Knightsbury Press
9781069034014, $15.99, PB, 334pp

https://www.amazon.com/Writs-Possession-Clive-Rhodes/dp/1069034010

Synopsis: Spring, 1519, Milano, Italy. Two centuries earlier, an obscure monk, possessed by Satan, wrote a cryptic manuscript containing a riddle. He made a second copy that was identical, except for one page, and then sent the two books in different directions.

To solve the puzzle that is the plot of "Writs of Possession" by Clive Rhodes, the reader must compare the two manuscripts.

One copy is in Amboise, France with the dying Leonardo da Vinci, who placed some clues in The Last Supper to entice the holder of the other to bring it to him. That is now the mission of the fifteen-year-old Nostradamus, who embarks on a perilous journey over the Alps, unaware that he is triggering a global apocalypse.

Critique: An original, fun and fascinating read from start to finish, (and all the more impressive when considering that it is author Clive Rhodes' debut as a novelist), "Writs of Possession" is a deftly crafted Historical Fiction that will hold a special appeal to readers with an interest in stories of the supernatural and paranormal laced with satire, mystery, history, suspense, puzzles, and more thrilling plot twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster. Clive Rhodes' "Writs of Possession" is a skillfully written and riveting read that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction and Fantasy collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Writs of Possession" from Knightsbury Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Clive Rhodes (https://www.cliverhodesbooks.com) is the author's pen name. He is a lawyer and professor who taught Social Media and Comparative Freedom of Speech Law in Italy and Canada. He is currently writing the sequel.

Boys
Roger Newman
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888245712, $29.95, HC, 332pp

https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Roger-Newman/dp/B0DLLJRZR5

Synopsis: Brotherhood born of battle is more than skin-deep.

After Alex's family is killed by the Ku Klux Klan during the Great Depression, he takes refuge in the barn of a nearby dairy farm. The family that owns the dairy, including their young son Pete, take in Alex and raise the boys together. Pete and Alex consider themselves brothers and together they navigate the Jim Crow racial intolerance of the rural South, a challenge experienced differently because Pete is White and Alex is Black.

Anticipating European war, Pete and Alex join a segregated US Army. The brothers discover their own identities amid the crucible of battle, leading them to separate for many years as they continue their careers in the Army. They finally reunite at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 1969. Confronting escalating racial and civilian hostility in response to the Civil Rights and antiwar movements, Alex must find those responsible for the brutal off-base beating of Pete. He must also re-engage with his childhood and what it means to be a Black man with a White brother.

Critique: In his new novel, "Boys", author Roger Newman raises his story about two men, one white, one black, who come together to deal with the racial intolerance so endemic in the rural southern communities of the American South, the U.S. Army in World War II, the impact of the Civil Rights and Anti-Vietnam movements on American race relations to an impressive level of literary excellence. Inherently fascinating, deftly crafted, emotionally engaging, ultimately inspiring, "Boys" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Literary Fiction, Southern Fiction, and Military Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Boys" from Koehler Books is also readily available in paperback (9798888245699, $20.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Roger Newman (https://rogerbnewman.com/home) is the author of a series of medical thrillers, Occam's Razor, Two Drifters, and What Becomes, and the historical fiction novel Will O' the Wisp: Madness, War, and Recompense. Dr. Newman is also a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, specializing in the care of women with multiple gestations. He has authored almost two hundred scientific papers, a dozen book chapters, and the award-winning and bestselling When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads; Fourth Edition.

The Rabbi's Suitcase
Robert Kehlmann
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9798888246993, $30.95, HC, 374pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rabbis-Suitcase-Robert-Kehlmann/dp/B0DWV8QXBJ

Synopsis: Although a work of fiction, "The Rabbi's Suitcase" is inspired by author Robert Kehlmann's family history and a trove of love letters from his mother.

"The Rabbi's Suitcase" recounts how, in the early 1880s, a battered steamship, overcrowded with Orthodox Jewish travelers, makes a treacherous journey from Lithuania to Jerusalem, the home of their patriarchs. On board, Yosef Siev, a twelve-year-old mystic, is entranced with wild-haired Chana. Their story is told against a backdrop of Ottoman rule, the privations of WWI, and British Mandatory uprisings.

In 1926 Yosef and Chana's seventeen-year-old granddaughter, Zipora, enters into a forbidden relationship with Reuven, a young Lithuanian immigrant destined, as a close ally of David Ben Gurion, to become a founder of the State of Israel. The liaison extracts a heavy toll. With dreams of self-discovery and a better future for herself and her family, Zipora travels to America determined to contribute to Reuven's studies at the Sorbonne.

Conflicts arise over issues of politics, gender inequality, and fidelity, forcing heart-wrenching decisions.

Critique: Emotionally compelling, skillfully narrated, impressively original, "The Rabbi's Suitcase" by Robert Kehlmann is an inherently fascinating read from start to finish. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "The Rabbi's Suitcase" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Rabbi's Suitcase" from Koehler Books is also readily available in paperback (9798888246979, $21.95).

Editorial Note: Robert Kehlmann (www.robertkehlmann.com) is an internationally acclaimed glass artist and art critic whose glasswork has been acquired by major museums and showcased in prestigious exhibitions and publications. An honorary lifetime member of the Glass Art Society, he has authored two books of art criticism and been awarded NEA grants for both his artwork and critical writing. The Rakow Library at the Corning Museum of Glass houses Kehlmann's artist and art critic archives. Research materials and early drafts of "The Rabbi's Suitcase", his debut novel, are preserved at New York's YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

A Tiny Piece of Blue
Charlotte Whitney
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781647428365, $17.99, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Piece-Blue-Novel/dp/164742836X

Synopsis: Rural Michigan, 1934. During the throes of the Great Depression, thirteen-year-old Silstice Trayson finds herself homeless, abandoned by her parents after a devastating house fire. Nearby, aging midwestern farmers Edna and Vernon Goetz are pillars of the community, but when do-gooder Edna takes up Silstice's cause, Vernon digs in his heels, displaying his true nature as an ornery curmudgeon.

Theirs is a quiet-seeming community, but danger lurks beneath the bucolic facade. With so many youngsters leaving home to make it on their own, child trafficking has grown rampant, and Silstice and her two spirited young brothers soon find themselves in the sights of a ring of kidnappers that's exploiting local children into forced labor -- and worse. Meanwhile Vernon finds himself at risk of losing everything.

Narrated by Silstice, Vernon, and Edna, "A Tiny Piece of Blue" sets the customs and traditions of rural Michigan against a backdrop of thievery, bribery, and child-trafficking -- weaving a suspenseful yet tender tale that ultimately winds its way to a heartwarming conclusion.

Critique: An emotionally compelling and inherently fascinating read from start to finish, "A Tiny Piece of Blue" by Charlotte Whitney will prove to be especially prized by readers with an interest in rural historical fiction set in the era of the Great Depression. As a author, Charlotte Whitney has a distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style that raises her novel to an impressive level of literary excellence making it a prime and recommended addition to community and college/university library American 20th Century Historical Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "A Tiny Piece of Blue" from She Writes Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Charlotte Whitney (https://charlottewhitney.com) is the author of the widely acclaimed debut historical novel, Threads: A Depression Era Tale, which was followed by the historical mystery The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, which won multiple awards. She is also the author of two nonfiction books and a romance novel, I Dream in White. Charlotte received a master's degree in English from the University of Michigan and spent much of her working career in higher education.

Hold Strong
Robert Dugoni
Lake Union Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662516313, $28.99, HC, 555pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Strong-Novel-Robert-Dugoni/dp/1662516312

Synopsis: Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white -- for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. But when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of eighteen hundred starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru -- his survival doubtful.

Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy's mission is clear: sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.

Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly re-created, "Hold Strong" is a singular novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.

Critique: Although a work of deftly crafted fiction, "Hold Strong" by Robert Dugoni is inspired by real events played out in the Pacific Theater of World War II. With great attention to historical detail, and the compelling creation of memorable characters and dramatic events, "Hold Strong" is an inherently compelling read from start to finish. Raised to an impressive level of literary excellence by the narrative driven storytelling skills of Robert Dugoni as a novelist, "Hold Strong" is unreservedly recommended as a pick for community library World War II fiction collections. For the personal reading lists of the legions of Robert Dugoni fans, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Hold Strong" from Lake Union Publishing is also readily available in paperback (9781662516306, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Robert Dugoni (www.robertdugonibooks.com) is the author of the Tracy Crosswhite series; the Charles Jenkins series; the David Sloane series; several standalone novels, including A Killing on the Hill, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell; and coauthor of the nonfiction expose The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Dugoni is also the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction, a multi-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest, and a finalist for many other awards. His books are sold in more than twenty-five countries, have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have reached millions of readers worldwide.

Payback
Penny Mickelbury
Bywater Books
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612943039, $23.95, PB, 436pp

https://www.amazon.com/Payback-Penny-Mickelbury/dp/1612943039

Synopsis: World War II ended less than 10 years ago, and the Korean War less than one. But no one has recovered from wartime privations, especially the Colored soldiers who fought a ruthless enemy on foreign lands, expecting to return home with all the rights and privileges of American citizenship.

But those rights and privileges remain few and far between, and in her novel, "Payback", author Penny Mickelbury's cast of characters find themselves reflecting on the Harlem they call home: they are educated and unschooled; wealthy and desperately poor; committed to improving circumstances for Negroes and abjectly hopeless. They create a family of and for themselves -- women, men, children, gays, and the proudly self-named. They commit themselves to helping create a world to benefit their people based on hard work, artistic expression, and faith in their community.

They have learned to live in the larger world by two guiding principles: Each One Teaches One, and Harm to One is Harm to All -- because in this neighborhood, payback will always be swift and painful.

Critique: Original, skillfully crafted, memorably entertaining, "Payback" by Penny Mickelbury is an extraordinary novel that while a work of fiction, accurately presents a very particular segment of 20th Century African-American history -- Americans of color who served at their peril in America's wars and still were subject to racism and discrimination upon their return home. One of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf, "Payback" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary African-American Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that his paperback edition from Bywater Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Penny Mickelbury (https://pennymickelbury.com) is a trailblazing journalist, author, and award-winning playwright. She is a two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, was a writer in residence at Hedgebrook Women Writers Retreat, and a recipient of the Audre Lorde Estate Grant. In 2020 she was awarded the Alice B. Medal for her body of work. Before focusing on literary pursuits, Penny was a pioneering newspaper, radio, and television reporter based primarily in Washington, D.C. In 2019 she joined other Washington Post Metro Seven members as an inductee into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.


The LGBTQ Fiction Shelf

Mutual Interest
Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
Bloomsbury Publishing
www.bloomsbury.com
9781639733323, $28.99, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mutual-Interest-Olivia-Wolfgang-Smith/dp/1639733329

Synopsis: At the turn of the 20th century, Vivian Lesperance is determined to flee her origins in Utica, New York, and avoid repeating the dull, limited life of her parents. When she meets Oscar Schmidt, a middle manager at a soap company, Vivian finds a partner she can guide to build the life she wants-not least because, more interested in men himself, Oscar will leave Vivian to tend to her own romances with women.

But Vivian's plans require capital, so the two pair up with Squire Clancey, scion of an old American fortune. Together they found Clancey & Schmidt, a preeminent manufacturer of soap, perfume, and candles. When Oscar and Squire fall in love, the trio form a new kind of partnership.

Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power building Clancey & Schmidt into an empire of personal care products while operating behind the image of both men. But exposure threatens, and all three partners are made aware of how much they have to lose.

Critique: A novel of queer romance, empire, and power by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, "Mutual Interest" is an emotionally engaging, exceptionally well written, and impressively original, told with the author's genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling. A LGBTQ themed novel raised by Oliva Wolfgang-Smith to a dramatic level of literary excellence, "Mutual Interest" is a very special and unreservedly recommended pick for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Mutual Interest" from Bloomsbury Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $20.29).

Editorial Note: Olivia Wolfgang-Smith (https://wolfgangsmith.squarespace.com) is the author of Glassworks, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. She is a 2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction from The New York Foundation for the Arts.


The Literary Fiction Shelf

The Continental Divide: Stories
Bob Johnson
Cornerstone Press
c/o University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9781960329646, $24.95, PB, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/Continental-Divide-Stories-Bob-Johnson/dp/1960329642

Synopsis: "The Continental Divide: Stories" is a collection of fourteen short stories by Bob John and includes: A country woman who makes a kind of Sophie's Choice regarding her family's survival. A small town marshal hunts his own son for murder; A former football hero must face his role in a brutal locker room ritual; and twelve other original tales both ferocious and real. These stories comprising "The Continental Divide" from Cornerstone Press deftly explore the undertow of violence and sin along the St. Lawrence Divide in northern Indiana, where men, women, and children struggle to find their way in the darkness... of the divide.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that while having won awards for individual literary projects, "The Continental Divide: Stories" from Cornerstone Press is Bob Johnson's debut as a published author. His skillfully crafted, memorably entertaining, and original tales raises his short story collections to an impressive level of literary excellence -- making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Literary Fiction & Short Story collections.

Editorial Note: Bob Johnson (https://www.bobjohnsonwriter.com) is an award-winning short story writer and graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop. His work has been published by The Common, Philadelphia Stories, Vol. 1. Brooklyn, The Barcelona Review, and elsewhere. His story "The Continental Divide" was named Short Story of the Year in The Hudson Review. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Only Light in London
Lily Graham
Grand Central Publishing
c/o Hachette Book Group
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9781538770559, $17.99, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Only-Light-London-Lily-Graham/dp/1538770555

Synopsis: London, 1939. When Finley offers her spare room to refugee Sebastien, she sees relief in his haunted eyes. Forced to flee the hatred in Germany, Sebastien has been desperately lonely in his adopted country. Finley lost her father in the last war and feels a stab of empathy for the pain of this thin stranger, separated from his loved ones, far away from home.

At first, Finley and Sebastien are like ships in the night, exchanging bashful goodnights in the corridor. But Finley quickly realizes that Sebastien is too terrified to sleep, plagued by thoughts of his smiling little sister being snatched by soldiers. As the London sky darkens with enemy planes, he slowly opens up to her over cups of cocoa in the kitchen.

Every time Sebastien speaks to Finley, she finds herself inching closer to him, and soon love begins to grow. But when he tells her he wants to join the English army, to fight the people who have forced his family to face such horror, she must silence the devastation in her heart. She knows if she were in his shoes, she would do the same thing, and she must be brave too. She will stay in London, waiting for Sebastien, and helping other refugees like him.

As the bombs rain down, and the London streets empty, she knows she faces grave dangers. But she can't hide away while the man she loves risks his life. She needs to do anything she can to defeat the enemy they all share. But the last war cost Finley so much. What will this one take?

Critique: A deftly crafted, emotionally engaging, memorably entertaining read from start to finish, "The Only Light in London" will hold a very special attraction for readers with an interest in wartime romance played out against the backdrop of World War II aerial bombings of London by the Germans. An historical romance elevated to an impressive level of literary excellence by the narrative driven storytelling styles of author Lily Graham, "The Only Light in London" will prove a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Romance collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Only Light in London" is also available from Bookouture in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Editorial Note: Lily Graham (https://lilygraham.net) is the author of the bestselling, The Child of Auschwitz, The Paris Secret, and The Island Villa, among others. Her books have been translated into numerous languages, including French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Turkish. She lives now in the Suffolk coast with her husband and English bulldog, Fudge.

Whispers of Fortune
Mary Connealy
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764244391, $17.99, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Fortune-Christian-Historical-Adventure/dp/0764244396

Synopsis: In 1875 California, Brody MacKenzie arrives at the Two Harts Ranch on a mission to find his runaway brothers, worried they may have fallen into harm. Instead, he discovers them thriving at the ranch's school and orphanage under the care of Ellie Hart, a woman with a heart as resilient as the land she calls home.

His options limited, Brody reluctantly takes on the role of ranch doctor, and he forms an unexpected bond with Ellie, who's kept a steady eye on Brody's two rapscallion brothers. When the boys show him a mysterious journal that has been guiding their travels and may hold the key to a lost treasure, Brody and Ellie are captivated by the possibility of a thrilling adventure.

With winter approaching and his brothers threatening to bolt again, Brody and Ellie race against time to decipher cryptic clues and unearth the hidden fortune. But along the way, old adversaries resurface, threatening their newfound affection and the safety of those at the ranch.

Critique: The debut novel for author Mary Connealy's new 'Golden State Treasure' series,
"Whispers of Fortune" is especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of readers with an interest in western historical romance novels that are laced with wit, adventure, adversity, and a happily-ever-after ending. A fun and engaging read from start to finish, "Whispers of Fortune" is wholeheartedly recommended, especially for personal reading lists and community library historical romance collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Whispers of Fortune" from Bethany House Publishers is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99) and in a Library Binding edition (Thorndyke Press, 9781420522259, $34.99, Large Print).

Editorial Note: Mary Connealy (www.MaryConnealy.com) writes "romantic comedies with cowboys" and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She is the author of the popular series A Western Light, Wyoming Sunrise, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero.

Cupid on the Loose
John J. Jacobson
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9798200960552, $28.99, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cupid-Loose-John-J-Jacobson/dp/B0D7J4NLSK

Synopsis: Aspiring author Billy Spiers tends to fall passionately in love, but soon, finding something missing, fall quickly out again. His grandmother, who raised him, thinks he needs to settle down and find a mate. When Billy's on the verge of ending yet another relationship, his grandmother decides to do some well-intentioned meddling.

Kari Porter is not only smart and beautiful but also a writer with passions and sensibilities similar to Billy's. She loves the same kind of stories, quotes lines from his favorite old poems and songs, and has similar unique takes on Shakespeare -- is this the kindred spirit he's been longing for? Sparks fly, and soon the two are lingering over dinner and taking romantic sunset bike rides along the California coast. They even manage to matchmake their four closest friends.

But artistic types can be overly sensitive. As their relationship rapidly progresses, they become afraid of moving too fast -- and of getting hurt. Kari becomes distant, dealing with a crisis she feels she can't share with Billy, while Billy responds with crazy drastic actions that he thinks might salvage the relationship.

Billy's grandmother can't help meddling again, sending all three couples to a magical mountain lodge where she and her husband fell madly in love decades before. Mayhem ensues when the enigmatic and impish proprietor of the lodge introduces passion-fueled havoc, pushing the young lovers (inadvertently) in bizarre directions.

Critique: With the publication of "Cupid on the Loose", novelist John J. Jacobson offers his readers a kind of twenty-first century twist on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. A fun read from start to finish, "Cupid on the Loose" will hold a ver special appeal for readers who enjoy stories involving the all-to-human foibles of infatuation, lust, and romantic love. Highly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fans that this hardcover edition of "Cupid on the Loose" from Blackstone Publishing is also readily available in paperback (9798212630986, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: John J. Jacobson (https://johnjacobsonwrites.com) is the author of three novels, including All the Cowboys Ain't Gone and California Fever. Born in Nevada, he grew up in the West, surfed big waves in Hawaii, circled the world thrice, and survived the sixties and seventies, corporate America, and grad school. Among other degrees he has an MA in Renaissance literature from Claremont Graduate University.

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/0063380773

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: The stuff of which Hallmark Movie Channel Rom-Coms are made, "Dream Girl Drama" by Tessa Bailey is a fun, laugh-out-loud read from start to finish. Unequivocally 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 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.

Something Like Fate
Amy Lea
www.amyleabooks.com
Skyscape
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662517600, $16.99, PB, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Something-Like-Fate-Amy-Lea/dp/1662517602

Synopsis: For generations, the fortune-telling women in Lo Zhao-Jensen's family have foreseen The One (the great loves of their lives) before ever meeting them. Except for Lo, who has zero psychic abilities. Just memories of old rom-coms and a lot of poor judgment when it comes to love. -- Until now.

When Lo finally has the vision she's been waiting for, her delighted aunties are convinced she'll meet The One on her backpacking trip in Italy. 'Vero amore', here she comes.

Along for the summer is Lo's best friend and confidant, Teller Owens, her opposite in every way. Upon arrival in Venice, Lo is saved from a runaway trolley by Caleb, a fellow backpacker. It's a meet-cute so swoony, it has to be fate. But with each destination, Lo's complicated feelings for Teller are becoming harder to ignore. From the cobblestone streets of Rome to the rocky cliffs of Amalfi, Lo begins to wonder if fate has other plans.

Critique: An impressively well crafted coming-of-age novel of romance and emotional adventure, "Something Like Fate" by novelist Amy Lea is a fun and memorable read from start to finish. With the author's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style, "Something Like Fate" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance collections. It should be noted for readers of all ages that this paperback edition from Skyscape is also currently available in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99).

Editorial Note: Amy Lea (www.amyleabooks.com) is the author of romantic comedies for adults and teens, including Woke Up Like This, a Mindy Kaling's Book Studio selection; The Catch; Exes & O's; and Set on You. They have been optioned for film and sold to over a dozen foreign territories. Amy's writing has also been featured in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and Cosmopolitan, among others.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Four Queens of Crime
Rosanne Limoncelli
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9798892420600, $29.99, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Four-Queens-Crime-Rosanne-Limoncelli/dp/B0D6TWDHNY

Synopsis: 1938, London. The four queens of British crime fiction, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, are hosting a gala to raise money for the Women's Voluntary Service to help Britain prepare for war. Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote has loaned Hursley House for the event, and all the elites of London society are attending. The gala is a brilliant success, despite a few hiccups, but the next morning, Sir Henry is found dead in the library.

Detective Chief Inspectors Lilian Wyles and Richard Davidson from Scotland Yard are quickly summoned and discover a cluster of potential suspects among the guests, including an upset fiancee, a politically ambitious son, a reserved but protective brother, an irate son-in-law, a rebellious teenage daughter, and the deputy home secretary.

Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime, DCI Wyles must sort through the messy aftermath of Sir Henry's death to solve the mystery and identify the killer.

Critique: A fun read for fans of classic 'whodunnit' mysteries from start to finish, author Rosanne Limoncelli's brilliant novel, "The Four Queens of Crime" does full homage to the genre once dominated by crime novelists Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. While strongly recommended as an enduringly popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Four Queens of Crime" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in paperback (9798892422277, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Rosanne Limoncelli is an author, filmmaker, and storyteller living in Brooklyn. She has written, directed, and produced short narrative films, documentaries, and educational films. Rosanne also writes plays, screenplays, poetry, games, mysteries, and science fiction. Her short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Suspense Magazine and Noir Nation, and her short films have been screened in festivals around the world. Dr. Limoncelli has taught writing and filmmaking for more than three decades and is the Senior Director for Film Technologies at the Kanbar Institute and the NYU Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center. (https://blog.librarything.com/2025/02/author-interview-rosanne-limoncelli)

Pro Bono
Thomas Perry
The Mysterious Press
www.mysteriouspress.com
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
9781613166161, $27.95, HC, 360pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Bono-Thomas-Perry/dp/1613166168

Synopsis: Charles Warren is a tenacious Los Angeles attorney who has dedicated his career to aiding people in financial straits. He is particularly skilled at the art of recovering assets that have been embezzled or hidden. In his newest case, helping a beautiful young widow find the money missing from her late husband's investment accounts, Charlie recognizes a familiar scheme -- one that echoes the con job that targeted his own widowed mother many years before, and that led him, as a teenager, to commit a crime of retribution that still weighs on his conscience.

Charlie can't get the present case out of his mind, but within hours of starting his investigation, he is followed, shot at, and has his briefcase stolen. It's clear that someone doesn't want him following the trail of the missing money but, as Charlie continues to pursue answers, he quickly becomes too entangled in the web of fraud, betrayal, and career criminals surrounding the theft to escape its deadly snare.

Critique: As a novelist, Thomas Perry's newest novel, "Pro Bono" once again demonstrated that he is a master of the suspense/thriller genre creating his own distinctive style of mystery that is packed with suspense and the kind of unexpected twists and turns that keep the readers steady and rapt attention from start to finish. An original, memorable, and fun read from cover to cover, "Pro Bono" is unhesitatingly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Thomas Perry fans that this hardcover edition of "Pro Bono" from The Mysterious Press is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228371545, $45.95, CD)

Editorial Note: Thomas Perry (www.thomasperryauthor.com) is the prolific author of over thirty- two novels, including Murder Book, the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series, The Old Man, and The Butcher's Boy, which won the Edgar Award. He lives in Southern California.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder
Bellamy Rose
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
9781668075654, $27.99, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1668075652

Synopsis: When Pomona Afton, Upper East Side hotel heiress, stumbles out of a gala and upon the scene of her grandmother's murder, her first thought is that the society queen won't be missed for her kind, cookie-baking ways. In fact, she was mean, greedy, and paranoid -- so paranoid that she secretly slipped a clause into her will mandating that, should she die an unnatural death, all the family assets get frozen. And if the "unnatural death" isn't explained? Those accounts stay frozen.

Practically overnight, Pomona is locked out of her penthouse with no other option than to move in with a roommate: Gabe, the irritable (yet handsome) son of her former nanny. Not only is his apartment cramped, it doesn't even have a doorman. Or a chef! Pom needs someone to solve this murder, like, yesterday, so she can get her trust fund back.

And Gabe? He needs this murder solved because that's the only way his mother, who toiled for the Afton family for years, will ever get the retirement money she deserves. As Pom's family clams up, blocking the police at every turn, Pom quickly realizes that if she wants her glamorous life back, she's going to have to put on her big-girl Manolos and do it herself... with the help of Gabe, who she's falling for more and more by the day.

Can Pomona Afton (who previously couldn't solve a crossword in the bath on a hungover Sunday) actually solve this murder? And if she does return to her former life of luxury, will it be worth the possibility of losing Gabe?

Critique: Wickedly funny, impressively original, deftly scripted, "Pomona Afton Can So Solve A Murder" by author Bellamy Rose is a terrifically entertaining and compulsive page turner of a read from start to finish. Ideal for the personal reading lists of those legions of cozy mystery fans, "Pomona Afton Can So Solve A Murder" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition from Atria/Emily Bester Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Bellamy Rose (https://www.amandaelliotbooks.com) is the pen name of an author of romantic comedy/murder mysteries. She has never solved an actual murder. She has also published non-murdery rom-coms as Amanda Elliot.

I Died for Beauty
Amanda Flower
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593816462, $19.00, PB, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Died-Beauty-Emily-Dickinson-Mystery/dp/0593816463

Synopsis: Amherst, 1857. The Dickinson family braves one of the worst winters in New England's history. Trains are snowbound and boats are frozen in the harbor. Emily Dickinson and her maid, Willa Noble, have never witnessed anything like it. As Amherst families attempt to keep their homes warm, fears of fire abound.

These worries prove not to be unfounded as a blaze breaks out just down the street from the Dickinson in Kelley Square, the Irish community in Amherst, and a young couple is killed, leaving behind their young child. Their deaths appear to be a tragic accident, but Emily finds herself harboring suspicions there may be more to the fire than meets the eye. Emily and Willa must withstand the frigid temperatures and discover a killer lurking among the deadly frost.

Critique: A skillfully crafted and fully engaging cozy mystery, "I Died For Beauty" is a part of gifted storyteller Amanda Flower's 'An Emily Dickinson Mystery series'. Original, fun and a simply fascinating read from cover to cover, "I Died for Beauty" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for community library History Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the legions of cozy mystery fans that this paperback edition of "I Died for Beauty" from Berkley Books is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Amanda Flower (http://www.amandaflower.com) is award-winning mystery author of over forty novels, including the nationally bestselling Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series, Magical Bookshop Mysteries, and, written under the name Isabella Alan, the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Jovian Madrigals
Janneke de Beer
Owlish Books
9789083386911, $12.99, PB, 351pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jovian-Madrigals-Symphony/dp/9083386910

Synopsis: "The Jovian Madrigals" by Janneke de Berr is set in 2193, almost a century since scientists on Callisto discovered immortality. Every year, the Party sends a group of Earth's best and brightest to receive this immortality. No one ever comes back.

Four people are making the journey to Callisto to receive immortality. Padraig, a brilliant physicist, dying of cancer. Cassandra, an orphan from the irradiated ruins of New York. Jocasta, a veteran of the Yugoslav Wars. Gautier, whose presence on Callisto no one will adequately explain. Immortality is meant to change them for the better.

But once they're on Callisto, what happens when they just want to go home?

Critique: Original, skillfully crafted, a fun and fascinating read from start to finish, "The Jovian Madrigals" by novelist Janneke de Beer will prove of immense appeal to the legions of classic science fiction with a contemporary flair. With its new twist on the ancient theme of immortality, "The Jovian Madrigals" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all science fiction fans that this paperback edition of "The Jovian Madrigals" from Owlish Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note #1: English is the lingua franca aboard Callisto Station, and in this book - thus, the thoughts and words of viewpoint characters are presented in English. However, words and phrases in languages that are unfamiliar to the characters are left untranslated, to reflect both the diversity of cultures and histories aboard the station, and the experience of the characters whose viewpoints are expressed in the story.

Editorial Note #2: Janneke de Beer (https://jannekedebeer.com) wrote her first book at four years old and has been writing continuously ever since. The world of 2193 is one of many worlds dancing around in her head - - all she's missing is the time to write them. She is the primary singer and songwriter for her band Some Unknown Fraudster, and also maintains a video game review blog and a vegan recipe blog. She lives in Amsterdam with her partner, Zach, and more pigeons than she cares to comment on.

Whatever Happened To Uncle Ed?
Eric Miller
Big Time Books
http://bigtimebooks.com
9798992397109, $17.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Happened-Uncle-Eric-Miller/dp/B0DTF5LVHW

Synopsis: When his mysterious Uncle Edward disappears, former high school basketball star Max Brown inherits a fortune in cash, a creepy mansion, and a family curse.

He discovers a mind-bending arena under the house, where he and his feuding allies battle shapeshifting demons to rescue people trapped in the cavern of horrors. But there are more than just lives at stake -- the losers forfeit their very souls.

Max is driven to the edge of madness by playing the increasingly deadly games, the lingering pain of losing his mother years before, and the mind-numbing terrors of falling in love.

He will risk everything to end the curse and solve the mystery that haunts him most of all: Whatever Happened to Uncle Ed?

Critique: Original, skillfully crafted, surprising plot twists, memorable characters, all delivered in author Eric Miller's distinctive and narrative driven storytelling style, "Whatever Happened to Uncle Ed?" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Horror/Fantasy Fiction collections. A fun read from start to finish, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fiction fans that this paperback edition of "Whatever Happened to Uncle Ed?" is also readily available from Big Time Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Editorial Note: Eric Miller (http://bigtimebooks.com) is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of the horror anthology "Hell Comes to Hollywood", "Hell Comes to Hollywood II" and the trucking-themed anthologies "18 Wheels of Horror" and 18 Wheels of Science Fiction. His short fiction has appeared in various magazines, anthologies, and websites, including Galaxy's Edge Magazine and Hot Valley Writers. He is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association.

The Legend of Meneka
Kritika H. Rao
Harper Voyager
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063349186, $30.00, HC, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Meneka-Divine-Dancers-Duology/dp/0063349183

Synopsis: Across the mortal and immortal realms, celestial dancers known as apsaras are revered for their beauty, allure, and enchanting magic. But Meneka knows that is not all they are. Trained as a weapon, as a warrior, Meneka despises leaving each of her marks in thrall to her potent illusions. With every seduction Lord Indra, king of heaven, demands of her for his political gain, she craves her freedom more and more.

When a mortal sage's growing powers threaten Indra's supremacy in his own realm, Meneka seizes a rare opportunity. She strikes a deal -- if she can seduce this dangerous man, Indra will allow her to forgo future missions. But upon meeting the sage, Kaushika, Meneka finds herself captivated by his energy, ignited by his empathy and passion, even though he challenges everything she's ever known. Can she overthrow the man who she is (little by little) falling for, or is Kaushika seducing her instead? As war looms in the skies, Meneka must choose between her duty to protect her home and the thrumming of her own heart.

Critique: An original and deftly blended story of romance, seduction, fantasy, Hindu mythology, and epic adventure, "The Legend of Meneka" debuts novelist Kritika H. Rao's new 'Divine Dacers' duology'. A fun and riveting read from start to finish, "The Legend of Meneka" is an inherently fascinating and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Epic Fantasy Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of mythology and fantasy fans that this hardcover edition of "The Legend of Meneka" from Harper Voyager is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798874873769, $45.95, CD).

Editorial Note: Kritika H. Rao (https://www.kritikahrao.com) is a speculative and children's fiction author, who has lived in India, Australia, Canada, and The Sultanate of Oman. Whether writing for younger audiences or adults, Kritika's stories are influenced by her lived experiences, and explore themes of self vs. the world, identity, and the nature of consciousness.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches
Paige Crutcher
St. Martin's Griffin
c/o St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/stmartinspress
9781250905543, $19.00, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Uncommon-Witches-Novel/dp/1250905540

Synopsis: If she can't break the centuries old curse placed on her family, Doreen MacKinnon is doomed to die of a broken heart.

Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch, fell in love with a MacKinnon. And when the MacKinnon witches forbade him from seeing his love, by secretly hiding her away, he retaliated by cursing the family and its future generations to never find love. But it wasn't without a cost. Now, Ambrose is imprisoned by those same witches, trapped in a tempest and doomed to outlive everyone he has ever loved.

But Doreen isn't like the other MacKinnon witches. As the 13th generation of the MacKinnon line, Doreen is one of the most powerful witches in centuries... and one of the loneliest. So when she discovers where Ambrose has been trapped, she releases him to help her break the curse, once and for all. Ambrose agrees to help, but with his own motive: vengeance. He plans to use her as bait to enact his revenge on her family.

Together, they enter a series of trials, which take them to a castle in Scotland, off a cliff, and into a world beyond their wildest dreams. As they work together, sparks start to fly, but soon Doreen must choose how far she is willing to go to break the curse, and what she's willing to sacrifice.

Critique: Of special and particular interest for readers who appreciate a deft blending of fantasy and romance, Paige Crutcher's new novel, "A Circle of Uncommon Witches" is a compelling adventure of romance, magic, and an ultimate inquiry into the question -- is true love worth the cost? An original and fun read from start to finish, "A Circle of Uncommon Witches" is an ideal and recommended pick for personal and community library Romance & Fantasy collections. it should be noted that this paperback edition of "A Circle of Uncommon Witches" from St. Martin's Griffin is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Paige Crutcher (https://paigecrutcher.com) is the author of The Orphan Witch and The Lost Witch. She is a former journalist, and her work appears in multiple anthologies and online publications.

The Beauty of the End
Lauren Stienstra
https://www.laurenstienstra.com
Little A
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662525650, $28.99, HC, 351pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-End-Novel-Lauren-Stienstra/dp/1662525656

Synopsis: Charlie Tannehill and her twin sister, Maggie, are just eight years old when an unfortunate scientific discovery upends their world -- and the world order. The revelation? Extinction, encoded in every creature's DNA. The expiration date for humans? Only four generations away.

A decade later, unsure of what tomorrow holds, Charlie and Maggie enroll as counselors in a government-run human-husbandry program. By offering cash rewards for reproduction, they hope to forestall humanity's decline and discover a genetic mutation that might defeat it. While Charlie struggles with the ethical implications of the work, Maggie makes unspeakable sacrifices to improve her odds of success -- but such unchecked ambition could come at a greater cost than even she realizes.

Torn between her own morality, her love for her sister, and the pressures of a vanishing civilization, Charlie must search deep within to decide what she's willing to sacrifice -- for herself, for Maggie, and for society -- in order to salvage hope for the whole of humankind.

Critique: Carefully crafted, impressively original, "The Beauty of the End" by novelist Lauren Stienstra will hold a special attraction to science fiction fans with an interest in dystopian fiction raised an epic status of literary excellence. While strongly commended for community and college/university library Science Fiction & Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "The Beauty of the End" from Little A is also readily available in paperback (9781662525667, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Lauren Stienstra's (www.laurenstienstra.com) professional life in government has been instrumental in shaping her literary voice. From the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response to addressing the critical issue of climate change, Stienstra's lived experiences and deep-rooted commitment to public service have informed and inspired her prose. She holds degrees in physiology and crisis management, has studied creative writing at UCLA Extension, and is currently completing her doctorate in public health at Johns Hopkins University. These endeavors have not only broadened her understanding of the world's most pressing challenges but also fueled her passion for resonant stories that weave together the complexities of the world she knows so intimately.

The Borealis Queen
Henry Guard
Independently Published
9798992606508, $14.95, PB
9798308487791, $3.99, Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Borealis-Queen-Henry-Guard/dp/B0DWKPBGW3

Synopsis: Long ago, in the primeval Americas, a tribe of hunters excelled in bringing down the mighty beasts now long extinct. From this tribe emerged a strong-willed girl who, defying all odds, became the most powerful and revered woman of the Ice Age.

"The Borealis Queen" follows her journey from a playful child who befriended and petted some of the most fearsome prehistoric predators to a unique, young, beautiful, and free-spirited woman who conquered the hearts and goodwill of her contemporaries.

She brought down enemies and prey alike with the expert use of her sling weapon and the help of the animal allies she sheltered as younglings. This is the story of a young woman whom all her people hailed as the "Borealis Queen" -- Queen of the North!

Critique: A deftly blended work of historical action/adventure with elements of epic fantasy, "The Borealis Queen" is a fascinating, compelling, and fun read from start to finish. Author Henry Guard's narrative driven and memorably entertaining storytelling style is original, skillfully crafted, and ideally suited to the heroic fantasy genre. "The Borealis Queen" is a unique coming of age fantasy that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Fantasy Fiction collections for all dedicated fantasy fans.

Editorial Note: All the more impressive when considering that "The Borealis Queen: The Epic Journey That Forged The Ruler" is Henry Guard's debut as a novelist, it should be noted that this epic saga is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

The Pendragon Cycle series
Stephen R. Lawhead
Baen Books
www.baen.com

Three new titles in The Pendragon Cycle series are top recommendations for fantasy readers of King Arthur times, presenting an alternate in-depth vision of Merlin, Arthur, and other characters such as Prince Taliesin who emerge with new high drama and intrigue in this world-building series.

https://www.amazon.com/Taliesin-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193859

Begin with Taliesin (9781982193850, $18.00), which takes place after Atlantis is destroyed. Surviving ships bring a king and his daughter to a new life in a world where Celtic chieftains are taking over as Rome's stranglehold dwindles. The magic, heroism, and struggles that emerge from this introduction build characters and politics that are realistic and thoroughly engrossing.

https://www.amazon.com/Merlin-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193867

This leads to Book Two, Merlin (9781668072370, $18.00), son of the bard Taleisin who is also tasked with a mission fraught with hardship and impossible scenarios. As a magician, he seems to have the power to effect change ... but not before his own heart and ability to create alternative paths comes into play to threaten his life's work - to prepare for the coming of the Pendragon, which involves all of Britain in anticipation and struggle.

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Pendragon-Cycle-Stephen-Lawhead/dp/1982193875

Arthur is the final book (9781668072387, $18.00) which centers on Arthur's mandate to move from lower-class beginnings to become a force of power and change. His charge, to bring the Kingdom of Summer to the realm, requires him to unite the country under impossible conditions, then follow Merlin's counsel to build upon chaos against all odds.

Readers who love world-building intricacy, powerful characters, and twists on the typical Merlin/Arthur mythology will welcome the fast pace, compelling action, and continually immersive battles and events that emerge in a series that is nearly impossible to put down, making it a "must have" acquisition for any library seeing patron interest in Athurian fantasy creations. Stephen Lawhead's stands out from the crowd in many satisfyingly unexpected ways.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Orisha, Volume 1: With Great Power
Huzayfa Umar
Saturday AM
https://www.saturday-am.com
c/o Rockport Publishers
c/o The Quarto Group
quarto.com
9780760390320 $13.99 pbk / $13.29 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Orisha-Great-Power-Saturday-TANKS/dp/0760390320

Nigerian author Huzayfa Umar presents Orisha, Volume 1: With Great Power, an action-packed, shonen manga-style graphic novel about an young African man who unexpectedly inherits a fragment of divine power. Aboki is an ordinary villager who is reluctant to stand up for himself; his life changes forever when he receives a celestial seed that bestows incredible power. The seed transforms him into an Orisha, a human wielding godlike abilities. But Aboki's seed came from a murdered Orisha; who could have slain the seed's original holder, and why? Other Orisha are suspicious of Aboki, so Aboki sets out on a quest to prove his honorable intentions by sealing a rift between the world of humans and the world of dangerous voodoo beings! The dynamic, black-and-white art makes fantastic clashes of fists and magic all but leap off the page, in this grand adventure steeped in West African culture and mythology. Highly recommended!

Life Sucks
Jessica Alba & Gabe Soria, authors
Warren Pleece, illustrator
Fantagraphics Books
www.fantagraphics.com
9781683969969, $19.99, PB, 188pp

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Sucks-Jessica-Abel/dp/1683969960

Synopsis: Life sucks for Dave Miller - he's broke, girlfriendless, and stuck in a dead-end job. Really dead-end: Dave is the night manager at the Last Stop, LA's finest vampire-owned and operated, all-night convenience store. Facing an eternity of turning hot dogs and restocking blood broth for his crappy boss and Vampire Master, the future looks about as appealing as the sunrise.

It's bad enough that Dave is clinging to his days as a vegetarian and refusing to feed off humans, leaving him weak as a kitten. But when he finds himself competing with psychotic surfer-vamp Wes for the affections of Rosa, a beautiful mortal flirting with the dark side, unlife gets about as sucky as it possibly can.

Critique: Originally published in 2008, Fantagraphics is bringing this YA classic back into print with a new edition. Veteran comics creators Jessica Abel (Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars), Gabe Soria (Batman '66), and Warren Pleece (Incognegro) have crafted a timeless goth love triangle/coming-of-age story.

With full color illustrations by graphic artist Warren Pleece once more bringing to life the original and noir style storytelling by co-authors Jessica Alba and Gabe Soria for a new generation of vampire novel enthusiasts, it should be noted for personal reading lists and community library graphic novel collections that this new paperback edition of "Life Sucks" is also readily available from Fantasgraphics in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Author and coach Jessica Abel is the author of many books, including the graphic novels La Perdida and Out On the Wire and two textbooks about making comics. She is Chair of the Illustration Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Editorial Note #2: Gabe Soria writes books, comics, role-playing games, album liner notes, and assorted other things. He is the creator of the Sword & Backpack RPG, the Midnight Arcade series from Penguin Workshop Books.

Editorial Note #3: Warren Pleece is a British comics artist who has contributed to comics titles such as Hellblazer, The Invisibles, 2000 AD, and many others.

Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 3rd Edition
William Bryan Jones, Jr.
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476688329, $75.00, PB, 472pp

https://www.amazon.com/Classics-Illustrated-Cultural-History-ed/dp/147668832X

Synopsis: In its expanded third edition, "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History" by William Bryan Jones, Jr. is the definitive work on Classics Illustrated exploring this iconic and enduring series of comic-book adaptations of literary masterpieces in even greater depth, with twice the number of color plates as in the second edition.

Drawing on interviews, correspondence, fanzines, and archival research, this newly updated and expanded third edition of "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History" covers in full detail the work of the artists, editors, scriptwriters, and publishers who contributed to the success of the "World's Finest Juvenile Publication". Many previously unpublished reproductions of original art are included, along with new chapters covering editor Meyer Kaplan, art director L.B. Cole, and artist John Parker; additional information on contributions from Black artists and scriptwriters such as Matt Baker, Ezra Jackson, George D. Lipscomb, and Lorenz Graham; and a complete issue-by-issue listing of significant international series.

Critique: This large format (8.5 x 0.94 x 11 inches, 2.55 pounds) paperback edition of "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History" from McFarland & Company is a 'must have' history and reference for the legions of Classic Illustrated fans. Profusely illustrated with informative commentary throughout, This third edition of William Bryan Jones, Jr.'s "Classics Illustrated" is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Comics & Graphic Novels literary history/criticism and American Popular Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $45.99) as well.

Editorial Note: William Bryan Jones, Jr. (https://www.williambjonesjr.com) is the author of Petit Jean: A Wilderness Adventure; the editor of Robert Louis Stevenson Reconsidered: New Critical Perspectives; and a contributor to The Oxford Handbook of Adaptation Studies and Icons of the American Comic Book. He has written introductions for more than 100 reissued titles in the revived Classics Illustrated and related series.

Captain America For Dummies
Stuart Moore
For Dummies
https://www.dummies.com
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394299447, $29.99, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Captain-America-Dummies-Stuart-Moore/dp/1394299443

Synopsis: With roots dating back to World War II, Captain America reigns as one of the most iconic and enduring heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. With the publication of "Captain America For Dummies", Marvel Universe authority Sturt Moore provides an essential and illustrated guide to getting to know this popular and enduring super hero.

Produced in partnership with Marvel Comics and featuring full-color art taken directly from the comic books, "Captain American For Dummies" is a fun and friendly guide that will help fans of all ages to understand how Captain America gained his powers and evolved over the years, including the range of characters who have wielded the shield.

"Captain America For Dummies" reveals what inspired the creation of the character, explores Captain America's friends and foes, and digs into the teams that Captain America has fought alongside. Also featured are the major storylines that turned Cap into one of the most well-known and enduringly popular super heroes of all time!

With "Captain America For Dummies", fans will:

Get to know Captain America, his creators, and origin story
Meet Captain America's allies and enemies
Learn more about others who have carried Captain America's shield
Explore major storylines and battles
Discover the teams Captain America has fought alongside

Critique: Impressively informative, expertly organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, "Captain America For Dummies" by Stuart Moore is the ideal introduction and reference guide to the lore, legend, and history of one of the Marvel Universe's most enduringly popular characters. "Captain America For Dummies" is expressly recommended for personal reading lists and community/academic library Comics/Graphic Novels collections and supplemental Contemporary American Popular Culture curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Captain American For Dummies" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Stuart Moore (https://stuartmoorewriter.com) is a writer, book editor, and award-winning comics editor. He's the author of Target: Kree, Into the Dark Dimension, and three volumes of the bestselling The Zodiac Legacy, which was created and co-written by Stan Lee.

Marvel Comics For Dummies
Troy Brownfield
For Dummies
https://www.dummies.com
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394299294, $29.99, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Comics-Dummies-Troy-Brownfield/dp/139429929X

Synopsis: Consumers of American popular culture is very familiar with iconic super-hero characters from Marvel Comics like Black Panther, Iron Man, Spiderman, and Wolverine, or super-villains like Loki and Thanos. But how much do Marvel Comics fans know about the more obscure characters like Squirrel Girl, Cyclops, or the Leader?

With over 85 years of comics published since their founding, the Marvel Comics archive is a vast universe of iconic stories and legendary characters. But with the publication of "Marvel Comics For Dummies", comic writer and content creator Troy Brownfield provides Marvel fans with a shortcut to navigating this immense collection of heroes and their adventures.

Marvel fans and readers will learn the background of key characters, explore essential storylines, and discover the interconnectedness of the Marvel universe. Created in collaboration with Marvel Comics, this full-color guide contains striking comic book artwork along with interesting insights that serve as an exciting map to the Marvel universe.

"Marvel Comics for Dummies" will enable Marvel fans of all ages to:

Uncover Marvel's origin story
Get to know iconic Marvel super heroes and villains
Tour the Marvel Comics Multiverse
Make sense of Marvel's many super-hero teams
Explore definitive storylines that span the history of Marvel Comics

Critique: From curious newbie to the Marvel Universe to long-time readers and dedicated fans, "Marvel Comics For Dummies", truly brings the Marvel Multiverse to life with full color illustrations, and is exceptionally 'reader friendly' in detail, organization and presentation. While this paperback edition of "Marvel Comics For Dummies" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Comics/Graphic Novels collections and supplemental Contemporary American Popular Culture studies lists, it should be noted for fans, students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Marvel Comics For Dummies" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Troy Brownfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Brownfield) is Executive Editor of the The Saturday Evening Post and kid's magazines Jack & Jill and Humpty Dumpty. He has written and created content for DC Comics, Comiccon.com, Fangoria Comics/Graphix, and comics for Zenescope Entertainment.

Understanding Superhero Comic Books
Alex Grand
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476690391, $39.95, PB, 358pp

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Superhero-Comic-Books-Controversies/dp/1476690391

Synopsis: With the publication of "Understanding Superhero Comic Books: A History of Key Elements, Creators, Events and Controversies", Alex Grand informatively presents the origin and growth of superhero comic books, including their major influences, and the creators behind them.

Grand demonstrates how Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more stand as time capsules of their eras, rising and falling with societal changes, and reflecting an amalgam of influences.

"Understanding Superhero Comic Books" also covers in detail the iconic superhero comic book creators and their unique contributions in their quest for realism, including Julius Schwartz and the science-fiction origins of superheroes; the collaborative design of the Marvel Universe by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; Jim Starlin's incorporation of the death of superheroes in comic books; John Byrne and the revitalization of superheroes in the modern age; and Alan Moore's deconstruction of superheroes.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, this large format (7 x 0.72 x 10 inches, 1.45 pounds) paperback edition of "Understanding Superhero Comic Books: A History of Key Elements, Creators, Events and Controversies" by Alex Grand is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a twenty-page Bibliography, twenty-four pages of Notes, and a fifteen page Index. A masterpiece of literary scholarship, "Understanding Superhero Comic Books" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Comics/Graphic Novels Literary Criticism/History collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Understanding Superhero Comic Books" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).

Editorial Note: Alex Grand is an internationally established comics historian, founder of the Comic Book Historians, and a regular panelist at Comic Con International: San Diego, Wonder Con, and San Diego ComicFest. He has been featured in comics-based documentaries, television, and radio programs and has appeared or been published in The Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, The Comics Journal, The Jack Kirby Collector and Alter Ego. He lives in Sacramento, California


The Library CD Shelf

Griot Songs
Omar Thomas
www.omarthomasmusic.com
Omar Thomas Music
$40.00 double LP / $9.03 MP3

https://www.omarthomas.com/griot-songs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ4LZ9QY

West Africa has an ancient tradition of "griots" - historians, storytellers, poets, and/or musicians who fulfill a vital community role in preserving collective memory and sometimes in dispute mediation as well. Griot Songs is the third album by the Omar Thomas Large Ensemble, led by award-winning composer Omar Thomas and featuring soloists Jason Palmer, Mark Zaleski, Alex Brown, Mark Cocheo, and more. Griot Songs blends elements of the big band jazz with multicultural inspiration, and is a unique treasure for international music connoisseurs. The tracks are The Sun In September; Sail To The Moon; Obeah Woman; Nothing There; Episode D'Azur; The Path; and A Touch of Obsidian, A Flash of Scarlet.

Altitude 1100 Meters
Satoko Fujii GEN
Libra Records
https://librarecords.com
$TBA CD / 1,000 JPY digital

https://satokofujii.bandcamp.com/album/altitude-1100-meters-2

Satoko Fujii GEN ("gen" meaning "string" in Japanese) is a six-person string ensemble consisting of Satoko Fujii on piano, Yuriko Mukoujima on violin, Ayako Kato on violin, Atsuko Hatano on viola and electronics, Hiroshi Yoshino on bass, and Akira Horikoshi and on drums. Altitude 1100 Meters is the ensemble's debut album, an original suite written by Fujii. Inspired by mountain views, stirring breezes, and the changed feeling of the air itself at high elevations, Altitude 1100 Meters is an extraordinarily beautiful performance and a treasure for connoisseurs of international jazz. Highly recommended! The tracks are Morning Haze, Morning Sun, Early Afternoon, Light Rain, and Twilight.

What Happened There?
Keiji Haino and Natsuki Tamura
Libra Records
https://librarecords.com
$TBA CD / 1,000 JPY digital

https://natsukitamura.bandcamp.com/album/what-happened-there

What Happened There? is a collaborative, instrumental album by trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and guitarist Keiji Haino. In their debut duo performance, they weave an extraordinary, full-length performance with elements of jazz, free improvisation, subversive inflection, and original genius. What Happened There? is an extraordinary musical journey and highly recommended for connoisseurs of avante-garde soundscapes. The tracks are What Happened There? part one (9:16), What Happened There? part two (7:59), What Happened There? part three (9:21) and What Happened There? part four (09:07).

Soft Light
Mark Scott III
Miller Three Publishing
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTKS15FZ

Austin, Texas-based music artist Mark Scott III presents Soft Light, an original jazz album debut showcasing his exceptional guitar talent with support from Ben Triesch on bass and Mike Gordon on drums. Ranging in emotion from lighthearted to wistful to optimistic for the future, Soft Light is a treasure for jazz guitar connoisseurs and highly recommended. The tracks are Carpals, Food Court, Rhythm-Ding, News Blues, Sneak Peak, Monster Best, Soft Light, Smile, Warmth, Tomorrow, and The Sun Behind a Cloud.

Small Things
Jackson Potter
www.jacksonpottermusic.com
Shifting Paradigm Records
https://www.shiftingparadigmrecords.com
$11.79 CD / $8.91 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Things-Jackson-Potter/dp/B0DNRFR27P

New York City based guitarist and composer Jackson Potter presents his sophomore album Small Things, a jazz guitar showcase featuring tracks composed by Potter and others, and performed by the talented quintet of Jackson Potter on guitar, Alex Ridout on trumpet and flugelhorn, Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone, Hamish Smith on bass, and Marcello Cardillo on drums. Drawing upon both new and old jazz styles, Small Things is a smooth delight for genre connoisseurs and highly recommended. The tracks are Trams (Troy Roberts); Small Things (Jackson Potter); Mr. M (Jackson Potter); Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Jerome Kern); Hey, It's Me You're Talking To (Victor Lewis); Background Noise (Jackson Potter); The Duke (Dave Brubeck); Everything I Love (Cole Porter); and Sophia's Waltz (Jackson Potter).

Danser avec le feu
Ariane Racicot
arianeracicot.com
Privately Published
$20.00 CAD CD / $10.00 CAD digital

https://arianeracicot.bandcamp.com/album/danser-avec-le-feu

Danser avec le feu (French for "Dancing with Fire") is the second album of prize-winning Montreal jazz pianist Ariane Racicot. All songs are composed by Racicot, who showcases her extraordinary piano talent supported by Antoine Rochefort on electric bass and Guillaume Picard on drums. The songs have a charged message about resilience, environmental anxiety, and the importance of listening to one's instincts. Several pieces of Danser avec le feu are through- composed music - created to be continuous, non-sectional, and non-repetitive (as opposed to many compositional styles that use a repetitive chorus or refrain). The result is a captivating and immersive soundscape that invites the listener to explore new horizons. Danser avec le feu is a choice pick for connoisseurs of original piano jazz, highly recommended. The tracks are Avant la tempete, Going For A Walk, Dancing With Fire, There Is Some Hope, Chez-moi, Canicules, I Have Doubts, and Apres la Tempete.

Kind as the Shade
The Bentley Project
www.Bentleyguitars.com
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ92XX3W

Kind as the Shade is an "ambient tone poem" of original music expressing love for the Earth itself, inspired by American poet John Neihardt and his poem "The Sound My Spirit Calls You". An instrumental new age CD featuring Theresa Bentley on harp, vocalizations, synth keys, and piano; Mark Bentley on guitars; Dana Woolard on cello; and Amado Espinosa on quena (a traditional flute of the Andes), Kind as the Shade invites the listener to experience a musical journey of tranquility, reflection, and wonder. A beautiful album ideal for meditation, creative inspiration, or gift-giving, Kind as the Shade is highly recommended. The tracks are Distant Thunder, Chant of the Sunset, Kind As The Shade, Morning Shall Sing For You, Dance Of The Rose, Earth's Fragrance Remembered (Eolyn), My Whisper To You, Language Of The Hills, and Kiss Of The Stars.

Iota
AeTopus
Spotted Peccary Music
www.spottedpeccarymusic.com
$16.00 CD / $10.00 digital

https://aetopus-spm.bandcamp.com/album/iota

Iota is a new-age, avante-garde style album and the stylistic evolution of music artist AeTopus' previous album Cup. The original, ambient songs engage in polyrhythmic percussion and creative exploration, encouraging the listener to expand their horizons. Iota is inspirational, dynamic, and highly recommended. The tracks are Museum, Why Not Now, Mohhu, Finespun, Level, Wave Hello, Tell_Us, Subsystem, Probe, Accent, Sunny, and Decima Milia.


The Library DVD Shelf

Without Arrows
A film by Delwin Fiddler Jr., Jonathan Olshefski, and Elizabeth Day
First Run Features
https://www.firstrunfeatures.com
$19.95

Synopsis: Filmed over 13 years, Without Arrows chronicles three generations of a Lakota family as Delwin Fiddler Jr., an acclaimed grass dancer, returns to his ancestral home on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota. After 11 years of living in Philadelphia, he leaves his big city life behind, aiming to reconnect with his mother and father and learn more about their family history.

A portrait of the Fiddlers, Without Arrows begins as Delwin works to rebuild his life and sense of identity while navigating within his family and within the larger culture of the reservation. Delwin experiences struggles and frustrations as he attempts to rekindle an interest in traditional Lakota lifeways while healing from the trauma that caused him to leave home in the first place. Through tenderness and tragedy Without Arrows celebrates the emotional arcs and hidden longings of the Fiddler family as they strive to carry on the legacy of their ancestors to the next generation.

Critique: Without Arrows is an up-close and personal documentary of three generations of a Lakota family on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota. Filmed during the passage of 13 years, Without Arrows portrays Delwin Fiddler Jr.'s reunion with his parents after 11 years of city life in Philadelphia, and his desire to learn more about his family and cultural history. An intimate portrayal of emotional ups and downs, Delwin's personal dedication to learn more about Lakota traditions, and the practical realities of everyday life on a reservation, Without Arrows is highly recommended for both public and school library DVD collections. 93 minutes.

Cat City
cat-city.org
First Run Features
https://www.firstrunfeatures.com
$19.95

https://firstrunfeatures.com/catcityvod.html

Synopsis: Cat City chronicles Chicago's love/hate relationship with feral cats. It tells the story of Chicago's outdoor cats and the communities who look after them.

What is the right way to care for feral cats and who gets to decide? A ground-breaking 2007 ordinance protects feral cats in Chicago that have been trapped, neutered and returned ("TNR") to their neighborhoods. Dubbed community cats, they control rats and provide love and meaning to their caretakers. There are now thousands of cat colonies in Chicago, many with only a single cat, but some with more than 40. These colonies are fed by volunteer caretakers who report on their well-being. Many ferals succumb to the elements, but the most hardy, tough and careful survive many seasons and become legends in their neighborhoods.

Critique: Cat City: A Documentary About The Feral Side of Chicago Policy is a thoughtful documentary about Chicago's semi-wild outdoor cats. Feral cats sometimes have people who feed them or look after them, but they aren't truly pets and don't have owners per se. A humane 2007 law protects feral cats that have been trapped, neutered and returned to their communities. Feral cats help control the rat population, and the trap-neuter-return policy avoids the expense of more labor-intensive catch-and-kill solutions. But bird lovers detest how cats kill and eat birds, especially young birds that can't fly yet. Balanced and compassionate, Cat City is captivating portrait of work with feral cats and highly recommended especially for public and school library DVD collections. English language, optional English and Spanish subtitles, 76 minutes.


The Blu-ray Shelf

Levels
Starring Cara Gee and Peter Mooney
Written and directed by Adam Stern
RLJE Films
https://www.amcnetworks.com
$15.39 Blu-ray

https://www.amazon.com/Levels-Blu-Ray-Adam-Stern/dp/B007RH6ZFI

Levels is a science fiction mystery-thriller movie set in the near future. Joe's peaceful life comes crashing down in heartbreak when a stranger kills Ash, the woman he loves. Overcome with grief, Joe tries to end his own life - yet time and again he fails. Reality frays about the edges, and the world around Joe might not be what it seems. Could Ash still be alive? Edge-of-seat suspense and intense twists and turns of plot keep the viewer enthralled and second-guessing to the very end. Highly recommended! Special features include a "Behind the Scenes of Levels" showcase. Levels is rated R due to language, violence, and suicide. English language with English subtitles and English audio description track, 92 min.

The World is Still Beautiful Complete Collection
Sentai Film Works
https://www.sentaifilmworks.com
c/o RLJ Entertainment (distribution)
$59.98, Blu-ray, 2 discs

https://www.sentaifilmworks.com/products/816726020372-the-world-is-still-beautiful-complete- collection-blu-ray

The World is Still Beautiful Complete Collection is a Japanese anime set amid fictional kingdoms with an 18th century vibe, about an arranged marriage between a princess and the Sun King. Princess Nike did not expect to have an easy time with her betrothed, but neither did she expect to be suddenly thrown into jail! Is her brief imprisonment just a rough start? Can the royal couple tame their personality clashes in time to stop the sinister forces threatening to destroy both of their kingdoms? The World is Still Beautiful Complete Collection weaves a serious political plot with elements of fourth-wall breaking romantic comedy, and features a very strong-willed couple (who each need to work on their own shortcomings). Highly recommended! The World is Still Beautiful Complete Collection is rated TV-14 due to mature situations such as kidnapping and the threat of worse. 12 episodes on 2 Blu-ray discs, Japanese audio only, English subtitles, 300 min.


The Gardening Shelf

Birds & Blooms Beauty in the Backyard
Birds & Blooms, author
Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9798889771074, $19.99, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Blooms-Beauty-Backyard-APPRECIATE/dp/B0D87QSJ27

Synopsis: You can relish nature's beauty all year long when you create a backyard that celebrates everything nature has to offer. From landscaping with color and texture to attracting favorite fliers in every season, the secrets to creating your own sanctuary are shared in the illustrated pages of "Beauty in the Backyard" from the team at Birds & Blooms magazine.

You will learn how to enhance small yards, turning shady spots into stunning areas, and get the most bang for your buck with oversized plants and blooms. You will even find expert advice on house plants, front-porch decor, crafty ideas using nature's bounty and so much more. "Beauty in the Backyard" features more than 300 no-fuss tips, hints and suggestions make it easy!

Best of all, hundreds of magnificent and inspiring full color photos make "Beauty in the Backyard" a joy to page through all year long. Whether you're an experienced gardener or working on your first yard, whether you own acres of land or a tiny city plot, "Beauty in the Backyard" is an ideal instructional guide and 'how to' manual.

Critique: Mandatory reading for both novice and experienced gardeners wanting to create the backyard of their dreams, who seek to increase curbside appeal with seasonal flair, to attract birds and butterflies to their backyard, to landscape with color, keep houseplants healthy, to make the most of small and shady spaces, this large format (8.6 x 0.8 x 10.9 inches, 1.65 pounds) paperback edition of "Beauty in the Backyard" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in and inspiring in both organization and presentation, making it especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Gardening & Domestic Landscaping collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "Beauty in the Backyard" from Birds & Blooms is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Birds & Blooms (https://www.birdsandblooms.com) features incredible nature photography, expert gardening advice and detailed accounts that are adored by today's bird and butterfly enthusiasts, Birds & Blooms magazine and books are cherished by readers throughout North America. With more than a million followers on social media, Birds & Blooms prides itself on inspiring a lifelong love of birding, gardening and nature by celebrating beauty in the backyard and beyond.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create
Susie Johns
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946814, $27.95, PB, 96pp

https://www.amazon.com/Foolproof-Flower-Embroidery-Stitches-Combinations/dp/1617459747

Synopsis: From delightful daffodils to cheerful cherry blossoms, with the publication of "Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create", needlecraft expert Susie Johns introduces her readers to a range of fundamental embroidery techniques and best practices through easy-to-follow instructions, clearly defined tips and step-by-step photography.

Each page features beautifully photographed projects which vary from pillowcases, table cloths and cutlery wraps, to aprons and picnic cloths. The projects comprising "Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create) will appeal to both beginners and more experienced embroiderers.

Whether you're a seasoned needlework enthusiast or a budding embroidery artist, "Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create" offers a bouquet of inspiration and step-by-step guidance to create stunning floral masterpieces.

The projects include: Lavender pouches, Buttercups and Daisies Cutlery Wrap, Summer Bouquet Cushion, Honeysuckle Apron, Poppy Picnic Cloth, and more!

Critique: This large format (7.9 x 0.5 x 9.9 inches, 1.15 pounds) paperback edition of "Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create" by Suzie Johns will hold a very special appeal to needlecrafters with an interest in embroidery as an art form, the creation of embroidered flowers and plants. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Flower Embroidery: Over 100 Floral Motifs and Projects to Create" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecrafting collections.

Editorial Note: Susie Johns (https://susieatthecircus.typepad.com) is an artist and designer who has written dozens of craft books, including Circus Embroidery, Knitted Woodland Creatures, How to Embroider, Fat Quarter: Bags & Purses and Fat Quarter: Vintage. Her patterns and designs appear regularly in consumer craft magazines in the UK, such as Let's Knit, Sew and Let's Get Crafting, and she has written numerous patterns for suppliers such as DMC. She has also demonstrated various crafts on television. She lives in London.

Crocheted Mythical Creatures
Jacki Donhou
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946876, $26.99, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Crocheted-Mythical-Creatures-Folklore-Fairytales/dp/1784946877

Synopsis: From ferocious dragons to mischievous fairies, "Crocheted Mythical Creatures: 15 Makes from Legends, Folklore and Fairytales" by Jacki Donhou is the perfect combination of instructional guide and "how-to" manual for novice and experienced needlecrafters who are looking to ignite their imagination by creating fantastical projects from their stash of colorful yarn. Each project comes with detailed and easy-to-follow instructions, perfect for beginner and more intermediate crocheters alike!

Inspired by the Japanese crochet style of amigurumi, each project in "Crocheted Mythical Creatures: 15 Makes from Legends, Folklore and Fairytales" (which includes a Unicorn, a Dragon, a Mermaid, a Banshee, a Genie, and more!) is quick and fun to make. The smaller size of each project makes for the perfect decoration or toy. Needlecrafters will be able to create creatures straight from the pages of a fairy tale or from myths across the world -- from a genie to Medusa, needlecrafters will be guided through step-by-step instruction and photography as their magical projects come to life!

Critique: Beautifully illustrated step-by-step instructions guarantee success for even the most novice of crochet beginners with Jacki Donhou's "Crocheted Mythical Creatures: 15 Makes from Legends, Folklore and Fairytales". Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, this exceptional and step-by-step guide will prove to be an immediately and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft/Crochet instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: Jacki Donhou (https://www.dearjackistitchery.com) taught herself to crochet as a hobby to pass the time alongside bringing up her three children, and she has been designing amigurumi and plush patterns ever since. Her passion is to bring something unique to the crochet and yarn community that children and adult collectors alike will enjoy.

Vintage Granny Squares
Emmy Varnam
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946791, $26.99, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Granny-Squares-author/dp/1784946796

Synopsis: Granny squares are a thrifty, fun and fashionable way to use up your yarn stash by creating adorable items to wear and to decorate your home. "Vintage Granny Squares: 20 Crochet Projects with a Retro Vibe" by needlecraft expert Emma Varnam is comprised of colorful and cheerful creations which have an appealing retro vibe, taking you back to the feel-good comfort of home-made furnishings and accessories. A handy techniques section explains all the basic skills needed, making this book appealing to beginners and more experienced crocheters alike.

Patterns are based around the classic granny square, but with a modern twist. They won't take long to make and are quick and easy to complete once you know the basics of crochet. Each project has detailed color photography and clear, concise instructions to follow. From gorgeous blankets to colorful cushions, to stylish scarves, shrugs and mittens, "Vintage Granny Squares: 20 Crochet Projects with a Retro Vibe" is packed with inspiring DIY projects that are guaranteed to get you reaching for your crochet hook, and they'll make charming gifts too.

Critique: Profusely illustrated, featuring thoroughly 'user friendly' instructions, and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library collections, "Vintage Granny Squares: 20 Crochet Projects with a Retro Vibe" will have a particular and very special appeal to both novice and experienced needlecrafts with an interest in fun, practical, and creative DIY crochet projects.

Editorial Note: Emma Varnam (http://emmavarnam.co.uk) has written several popular crochet books, Crocheted Flowers, 10,000 Crocheted Hats, Cute Crocheted Food, Crocheted Houseplants, Crocheted Succulents, Cute Crocheted Animals, How to Crochet, Granny Squares Home and Granny Squares Weekend, (all published by GMC Publications). She has also had a number of successful collaborations with the celebrated knitwear designer Debbie Bliss. Emma regularly shares her design inspiration on her award-winning knitting and crochet blog.

Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls
Eriko Teranishi
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804857871, $18.99, HC, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cute-Plushie-Mochi-Dolls-Manga-style/dp/0804857873

Synopsis: Plushies are squishable, stuffed dolls. Mochi are the cute, limbless little dolls that are shaped like a bread loaf. Dress them, squeeze them, display them, hang them on your computer and carry them around with you. Cute Plushie and Mochi Dolls will turn everyone into a plushie doll expert quickly with:

One easy-to-sew basic body pattern
Templates for 27 different dolls based on this body
Patterns for 10 adorable palm-size mini mochis
Templates for an array of hairstyles and facial features

Small enough to be handstitched using very simple techniques, these little dolls make perfect gifts for manga, anime and kawaii fans of all ages. Designing their wild hairdos is easy and fun. Try different faces and hair and clothing combinations to create dolls that resemble your friends-they will love it! And the adventure doesn't stop there, with "Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls: Sweet Manga-style Kawaii Characters to Sew" by Eriko Teranishi you will be able to make over 50 mix-and-match outfits and accessories for everything, from everyday clothes to cosplay costumes.

Illustrated instructions, patterns and templates take you all the way from start to finish. Whether you are a seasoned sewing enthusiast or a novice just beginning to explore the world of plush toy crafting, let "Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls: Sweet Manga-style Kawaii Characters to Sew" be your guide to some seriously creative fun!

Critique: This large format (7.5 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches, 1.45 pounds) hardcover edition of Eriko Teranishi's "Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls: Sweet Manga-style Kawaii Characters to Sew" from Tuttle Publishing is thoroughly needlecrafter friendly in organization and presentation. Profusely illustrated instructions and featuring full color photos of finished dolls, "Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Eriko Teranishi (www.youtube.com/@ErikoTeranishi) is a toy designer and prolific author of craft books in her native Japan. Many of her books are written especially for children, introducing them to handicrafts such as sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, felting and paper crafts; others are written with kid-lovers in mind, featuring toys and accessories kids love. She is the author of the popular book Finger Knitting for Kids (Tuttle Publishing).

Crochet Cute Amigurumi Animals with Mix-and-Match Outfits
Written by The Halations
Introduction by Gayle Roehm
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804857864, $17.99, HC, 96pp

https://www.amazon.com/Crochet-Amigurumi-Animals-Outfits-follow/dp/0804857865

Synopsis: With the publication of "Crochet Cute Amigurumi Animals with Mix-and-Match Outfits: 76 Easy-to-follow Patterns Using Clear Japanese-style Crochet Charts", the needlecraft team of The Halations shows novice and experienced crocheters how to make endearing animal dolls with a fabulous array of fun fashions to dress them in.

One basic ragdoll body shape is used to make a bunny, a bear, a dog, a cat, and many other animal cuties. And here's where the real fun starts -- creating a mix-and-match wardrobe of outfits and accessories that all your dolls can share!

You can dress your handmade toys in:

Classy sweaters and frilly skirts
Pretty tops and casual pants
Adorable sneakers, flats or boots
A huge range of accessories from jaunty hats to a backpack with bunny ears and a tail!
Plus enchanting costumes for every occasion

These outfits can be used for any ragdoll of a similar body size. An illustrated step-by-step lesson in making the doll body is included. Project instructions are presented in the charts-and-symbols style pioneered by Japanese amigurumi artists.

"Crochet Cute Amigurumi Animals with Mix-and-Match Outfits: 76 Easy-to-follow Patterns Using Clear Japanese-style Crochet Charts" is a great way to expand your crochet skills and join the growing number of crocheters enjoying this clear "visually-oriented" instructional method -- and a great way to delight amigurumi doll lovers of all ages!

Critique: Fun and inspiring for crocheting needlecrafters of all ages and levels of experience, this large format (7.48 x 0.63 x 10 inches, 1.35 pounds) hardcover edition of "Crochet Cute Amigurumi Animals with Mix-and-Match Outfits: 76 Easy-to-follow Patterns Using Clear Japanese-style Crochet Charts", which is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99), is a unique, inspired, highly recommended, and thoroughly welcome addition to personal, professional, and community library DIY Crochet/Needlecrafting instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: The Halations is a collaboration of four talented crafters. Creating amigurumi since 1998, andeBoo specializes in using different materials and colorful designs with a touch of whimsy. Green Bear went independent focusing on easy-to-crochet amigurumi and small accessories designs after working as a planner for a handicraft supplies manufacturer for 12 years. Takagi Yuki is involved with craft and doll knit brands in Japan, actively participating in craft events and providing designs for handicraft books. MIYA is a teacher and writer of books on crocheted toys, clothes and accessories. She is the author of the popular Crochet Cute Dolls with Mix-And-Match Outfits (Tuttle Publishing).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Animal Theology
Andrew Linzey
University of Illinois Press
www.press.uillinois.edu
9780252064678, $22.00, PB, 224pp
9780252097805, $19.95, Kindle

https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p064678

Synopsis: "Animal Theology" was originally published in 1994 by the ethicist and theologian Andrew Linzey. The work explores how traditional Christian doctrines and practices have approached animal ethics and argues for a reassessment of animals' moral and spiritual status. Linzey builds his case around principles of reverence, responsibility, and rights, suggesting that Christian theology provides the tools for a more compassionate relationship with animals.
Summary

"Animal Theology" is divided into two sections. The first establishes theological principles, discussing key concepts like the intrinsic value of creation and the moral responsibilities humans hold toward animals. Linzey critiques historical perspectives, including those of theologians such as Karl Barth and Thomas Aquinas, which he views as overly anthropocentric. He engages with Albert Schweitzer's idea of Reverence for Life and proposes a theocentric framework where all creatures are valued as part of God's creation.

The second section addresses ethical issues, including animal experimentation, hunting, vegetarianism, and genetic engineering. Linzey examines these practices through a theological lens, questioning their alignment with Christian values such as mercy, stewardship, and justice. He suggests that humans, as part of creation, have a duty to act as caretakers rather than exploiters, reflecting a model of service and compassion.

Critique: Now brought back for a new generation of appreciative readers by the University of Illinois Press in a paperback format, "Animal Theology" is especially and unreservedly recommended for readers with an interest in animal welfare and animal/human relationships within the context of Christian theology and philosophy. Also now available in a digital book format (Kindle), "Animal Theology" is an inherently interesting read and recommended for clergy, seminary students, community and college/university library Christian Theology/Animal Welfare collections and curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Andrew Linzey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Linzey) is an English Anglican priest, theologian, and prominent figure in Christian vegetarianism. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oxford, and held the world's first academic post in Ethics, Theology and Animal Welfare, the Bede Jarret Senior Research Fellowship at Blackfriars Hall. Linzey is also the founder and director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, an independent academic centre opened in November 2006 to promote the study and discussion of animal ethics.


The Art Shelf

Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World
Travis Elborough
White Lion Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780711268708, $18.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Journeys-That-Shaped-World/dp/0711268703

Synopsis: Some of the most awe-inspiring works of art have been created by artists who stepped beyond their usual surroundings and ventured into the world in search of beauty, meaning, and creative power. Comprised of the travels that inspired the artistic greats, "Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World" offers invigorating accounts revealing how those journeys impacted the artists' personal lives and shaped the broader cultural landscape.

From the obscure to the iconic, pop culture historian Travis Elborough shares fascinating insights into the stories behind the creation of some of the world's most celebrated works, including Katsushika Hokusai's woodblock prints of Mount Fuji in Japan, Marianne North's paintings of India, and David Hockney's California pool scenes.

From Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo to Henri Matisse and Marcel Duchamp, "Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World" is an original and seminal study that invites its readers to follow in the footsteps of artists who made it their mission to live and work beyond the boundaries of their walls.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, "Artists' Journeys That Shaped Our World" by Travis Elborough is an original and impressively informative study that will prove to be of immense appeal and value to readers with an interest in Art History/Criticism deftly explored along paths taken by some of the greatest artists in history. This paperback edition of "Journeys That Shaped Our World" from White Lion Publishing is informative enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a six page Selected Bibliography and a five page Index -- making it a particularly and specially recommended pick for personal reading lists and community/academic library Art & Artist History collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.

Editorial Note: Travis Elborough is the British author of The Bus We Loved: London's Affair With the AEC Routemaster (Granta Books, 2005); The Long-Player Goodbye: The Album From vinyl To iPod And Back Again (Sceptre 2008); and Wish You Were Here - England on Sea (Sceptre 2010) and A Walk in the Park (Jonathan Cape, 2016). He reviews for The Guardian, and has contributed to New Statesman, The Sunday Times, Zembla and The Oldie. He has written for the Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, BBC History Magazine and Kinfolk among others, and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, where he teaches creative writing. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Elborough)


The Business Shelf

Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation
Mike Mears
Fast Company Press
www.fastcompanypress.com
9781639081325, $28.95 HC, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Certainty-Mike-Mears/dp/1639081321

Synopsis: With the publication of "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation", author Mike Mears reveals how great leaders draw out the best of human nature in themselves and in others.

The dilemmas that our Stone Age brains are hardwired for survival and programmed to fear the unknown, yet the work world demands constant innovation. Therefore the enemy of better leadership is uncertainty deeply buried in the minds of your workforce.

The solution Mears lays out in "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation" offers the answer: understand human nature. Work with it rather than pushing against it.

Mears draws on neuroscience and psychology, as well as compelling stories from his career-to offer practical leadership advice, including:

Entertaining, science-backed explanations of how our brains think and how our primitive brains are colliding with the demands of the modern workplace

New feedback, change management, and delegation tools to build an environment of certainty rather than of fear

Fresh insights to overcome innate change resistance in yourself and others

Time-saving ideas to empower yourself while empowering your employees

With Mears's guidance, you can identify the limitations and strengths of the human mind and create a dynamic and innovative workplace.

Critique: Not just another business manager's self-help book for increasing personal or worker productivity, in the pages of "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation", Mike Mears offers a distinctively original, neuro-science based approach to management that will be of special appeal and value to readers with an interest in leadership and motivation. Impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library Business Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for entrepreneurs, MBA students, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hard cover edition of "Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Mike Mears (https://www.mikemears.biz) retired as the CIA's Chief of HR (Human Capital) and founded and headed the CIA Leadership Academy. He trains and consults on advanced leadership and management approaches for government and private sector organizations. In the military, Mike served as commander of a nuclear missile site and a general's aide and was decorated for valor as a U.S. Army combat platoon leader. Mike teaches or lectures on leadership at the Department of Defense, Georgetown University, University of Salzburg, University of Maryland, and the National Intelligence University. He is a former Senior Fellow at The Conference Board.

SHIFTS
Sam Adeyemi
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781394277728, $30.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/SHIFTS-Transform-Mindset-Elevate-Leadership/dp/1394277725

Synopsis: With the publication of "SHIFTS: 6 Steps to Transform Your Mindset and Elevate Your Leadership", Dr. Sam Adeyemi provides a step-by-step blueprint for leaders that seek to create lasting positive change with respect to their organizations be they social, religious, or commercial.

Drawing from his more than 30 years of leadership coaching experience, Dr. Adeyemi teaches readers the importance of personal development, cultural awareness, and leading effectively in a globalized world. This essential read introduces the SHIFTS framework, a unique methodology that guides leaders through six transformative steps:

1. See: Cultivate vision to recognize opportunities and challenges.
2. Hear: Listen deeply to understand spoken and unspoken messages.
3. Insight: Synthesize information to gain clear perspectives for decision-making.
4. Formulate: Develop innovative and practical strategies from insights.
5. Transform: Implement strategies to drive change and achieve goals.
6. Succeed: Sustain positive change and inspire continuous growth.

Critique: Practical, informative, instructive, and impressively organized and presented for the reader's benefit, Dr. Sam Adeyemi's "SHIFTS: 6 Steps to Transform Your Mindset and Elevate Your Leadership" must be considered essential reading for both current and aspiring leaders seeking to develop essential leadership skills applicable to any role and industry. While this hardcover edition of "SHIFTS: 6 Steps to Transform Your Mindset and Elevate Your Leadership" from Wiley is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business Management/Leadership collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, corporate executives, business managers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "SHIFTS: 6 Steps to Transform Your Mindset and Elevate Your Leadership" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Dr. Sam Adeyemi (https://samadeyemi.com) has over 30 years' experience teaching leadership and providing solutions to global leaders and organizations. He is an internationally renowned speaker and has spoken at global events including Horasis and GLS.

Inspire
Adam Galinsky
Harper Business
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063294677, $32.00, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Inspire-Universal-Transforming-Yourself-Leading/dp/0063294672

Synopsis: Whether you're a leader, a member of a team, a spouse, or a parent, "Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others" by social psychologist and leadership expert Adam Galinsky is an engaging and rigorous exploration that unpacks the science of inspiration. Through compelling stories, fascinating research, and practical tips for addressing the common dilemmas we face daily, "Inspire" reveals how all of us, regardless of status or circumstance, can be more inspiring more often.

Professor Galinsky has spent three decades building a method for determining when we are inspiring versus infuriating, and where various leaders (presidents, CEOs, coaches, teachers, parents, and a wealth of others) currently land on that spectrum.

Professor Galinsky also shows how inspiring leaders can fill us with a wellspring of hope and possibility as they guide us to become better versions of ourselves. In contrast, infuriating leaders disappoint and annoy, fueling seething cauldrons of rage. But both types of leaders are deeply connected - together, they represent a universal continuum that is rooted in the very architecture of the human brain. This means that inspiring leaders aren't born - instead, we can inspire or infuriate in any given moment through our behavior, words, or presence.

In his fascinating study, Professor Galinsky identifies the three universal archetypes of truly great leaders and explains how each of us can develop these characteristics within ourselves to become more inspiring:

Visionaries offer a big-picture, optimistic, and engaging vision of the future;
Exemplars are courageous and calm protectors who authentically express their passion while remaining consistent in word and deed;
Mentors encourage, empower, and elevate others while challenging them to reach their potential.

"Inspire" is an essential guide to becoming not only a better leader but also an effective decision-maker, a dynamic problem-solver, a value-creating negotiator, and an inclusive innovator.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others" by Professor Adam Galinsky must be considered essential reading for anyone charged with a position of importance and responsibility in their professional career and in their personal life. Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an eleven page Introduction, twenty-two pages of Notes, and an eleven page Index, "Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library Business Management/Leadership collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives that this hardcover edition of "Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others" from Harper Business is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798874873738, $45.95, CD).

Editorial Note: Adam Galinsky (https://adamgalinsky.com) is the Vikram S. Pandit Professor of Business and Chair of the Management Division at the Columbia Business School at Columbia University. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University.


The Architecture Shelf

Fountain Safari
James Garland
ORO Editions
www.oroeditions.com
9781961856196, $55.00, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fountain-Safari-James-Garland/dp/1961856190

Synopsis: We build elaborate water fountains (those vibrant symbols of life and physical embodiments of beauty) to mark and celebrate our favored places and histories.

The creation of a fountain is act is an honor to all, and like listening to music, it is understood on an intuitive level. We also build fountains to commemorate life. Water is the basis for, and the symbol of, life. Many fountains are articulated to recognize some person, institution, or idea. Those particular recognitions are fused with water's deeper symbolism to convey everlastingness to the identities being celebrated.

"Fountain Safari" by James Garland places on the shelf a sharply focused, comprehensive, useful, entertaining, and hopefully lasting survey aimed to provide a panoramic portrait of the fountain class of artistic endeavor. The material attends especially to the aesthetics of water expression by examining numerous esteemed examples. In the process, a sketch is roughed out of the evolution of fountains over some two millennia and across several cultures.

Ultimately, the work attempts to deepen the understanding and appreciation of water features by identifying and clarifying their most essential aesthetic qualities. Fountain Safari is written for design professionals, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, students of the arts or the built environment -- and everyone else interested in the engaging, one-of-a-kind subject of fountains.

Critique: This large format (9781961856196, 3.94 pounds) paperback edition of "Fountain Safari" by James Garland is a massive pictorial compendium of fountains from around the world. With beautiful and captioned photos augmented by erudite and descriptive commentary, this coffee-table style volume is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it a unique and invaluable addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Landscape Architectural Ornament & Decoration collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: James Garland is an architect with a thirty-five-year career specialization in water design. In 2002, he founded Fluidity Design Consultants, an international water feature design and engineering firm, based in Los Angeles, where he continues to work, today. (https://www.fluidity-design.com/studio)


The Travel Shelf

A Guide to America's World Heritage Sites
Robert Manning
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493081417, $26.95, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Americas-World-Heritage-Sites/dp/1493081411

Synopsis: There are twenty-five World Heritage Sites scattered across the United States. World Heritage Sites are the most important natural and cultural areas around the world; these are the places that the United Nations, and the 167 countries it represents, have recognized as the most important contributions to the heritage of humanity.

World Heritage Sites are premier visitor destinations, yet most people are not familiar with the World Heritage Site designation and many of the places included on the World Heritage List.

With the publication of "A Guide to America's World Heritage Sites: The Heritage of Humanity", Professor Robert Manning describes these twenty-five sites, including why they are so important, the visitor attractions they feature, and logistical advice on how to visit, appreciate, and protect them.

Critique: Featuring a 'user friendly format (6.5 x 0.5 x 8.6 inches, 1.05 pounds), this paperback edition of Professor Robert Manning's "A Guide to America's World Heritage Sites: The Heritage of Humanity" from Globe Pequot will be highly prized for the armchair traveler and productively informative for on-site visitors. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.19), this exceptionally well organized and presented travel guide is a very highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library National Travel Guide collections in general, and World Heritage Site travel guide collections in particular.

Editorial Note: Robert Manning is Professor Emeritus at the University of Vermont, where he taught the history, philosophy, and management of national parks and conducted a long-term program of research for the US National Park Service. He has written a dozen books on managing of national parks and related issues and three guidebooks (with his wife, Martha Manning) on walking and hiking, including the award-winning Walks of a Lifetime in America's National Parks: Extraordinary Hikes in Exceptional Places (Falcon Guides), which offers descriptions of the natural and cultural history of all the national parks and firsthand descriptions of the very best hikes in each park. (www.uvm.edu/rsenr/profile/robert-manning)

Women's Home Museums of the Northeast: A Guidebook
Marlene Wagman-Geller
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493086283, $19.95, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Home-Museums-Northeast-Guidebook/dp/1493086286

Synopsis: With the publication of "Women's Home Museums of the Northeast: A Guidebook" by Marlene Wagman-Geller, readers will discover the rich tapestry of New England's history through the lives and legacies of thirty remarkable women.

The "Women's Home Museums of the Northeast" is the ultimate guide to exploring these iconic home museums. Each individual chapter is singularly dedicated to a trailblazing woman who left an indelible fingerprint on her region's past.

Offering more than just a series of on-site descriptions, biographer and travel writer Marlene Wagman-Geller invites you to step into the shoes of history's larger-than-life ladies as she presents vivid portraits of pioneering women and the secrets of their residences. These historic homes, preserved as three-dimensional diaries, bring their stories to life.

In addition to captivating biographies, there are practical details to help plan your visit including: nearby attractions, parking tips, admission costs, and visiting hours. Whether you're a history buff, a cultural enthusiast, or simply looking for a unique travel experience, "Women's Home Museums of the Northeast: A Guidebook" is the key to unlocking the stories behind these iconic addresses.

Critique: Deftly organized and presented by state (New York, New Jersey, Conneticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine), "Women's Home Museums of the Northeast: A Guidebook" is impressively informative and ideal reading for both the armchair traveler with an interest in American Women's History, as well as an on-site planning trip itinerary resource. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Women's History and Travel Guide collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of Marlene Wagman-Geller's "Women's Home Museums of the Northeast: A Guidebook" from Globe Pequot is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.95) as well.

Editorial Note: Marlene Wagman-Geller is a writer whose eleven books have been reviewed in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, HuffPost, and dozens of other newspapers as well as national magazines. There is a listing of her books online at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2120381.Marlene_Wagman_Geller

Tar Heel Traveler
Scott Masun
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493085477, $34.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tar-Heel-Traveler-Landmarks-Attractions/dp/1493085476

Synopsis: With the publication of "Tar Heel Traveler: 201 North Carolina Landmarks and Attractions", tour guide Scott Masun celebrates the many great and notable places to visit across North Carolina, ranging from historic landmarks to little known nooks and crannies.

Also featured are museums, gardens, bakeries, theaters, lighthouses, even cemeteries -- attractions that Scott has showcased on his popular TV show, his nightly series which has aired since 2007 on WRAL-TV and features colorful characters and fascinating locations across the state.

Mason writes about these unique places in "Tar Heel Traveler" and includes their contact information as well as photos of each landmark and attraction.

Critique: A lingering pleasure for the armchair traveler to browse through, a valued informational resource to plan trip itineraries with, profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Tar Heel Traveler: 201 North Carolina Landmarks and Attractions" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library North Carolina travel guide and history collections. It should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Tar Heel Traveler" from Globe Pequot is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.89).

Editorial Note: Scott Mason (https://www.thetarheeltraveler.com/about) is known as North Carolina's Tar Heel Traveler. His nightly series is in its 16th year on WRAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, and features colorful characters and fascinating locations across the state. On average, 82,000 viewers watch the Tar Heel Traveler each night, and more than 30,000 people follow him on social media.


The Self-Help Shelf

The Overthinker's Guide to Joy
Jackie de Crinis
jackiedecrinis.com
JDC Press
9798990952003, $16.95 Paperback/$7.99 eBook/.99 Audiobook

https://www.amazon.com/Overthinkers-Guide-Overachievers-People-Pleasers-Perfectionists/dp/B0DJRYNQJN

The Overthinker's Guide to Joy: A Handbook for Overachievers, People-Pleasers, and Perfectionists is a guide based on author Jackie de Crinis's own life and search for success. It outlines the consequences of identifying success too rigidly, addressing how perfectionists work until they run on empty (and then some).

This is not original news to those who approach life in this manner, but what is especially revealing are tips on how to identify and overcome these ingrained patterns of behavior. Self-help audiences willing to participate in the work of self-examination and attitude adjustment will find its focus on achieving joy especially inviting -- especially given that most books about overachievers adopt a pragmatic approach that misses the ultimate goal of joy in the pursuit of pattern-busting.

Readers won't find graphs, pie charts, and academic credentials here. What they will find is a tried-and-tested series of insights based on de Crinis's thirty years in the television industry, whose pressures and expectations supported perfectionist attitudes and habits. This, in turn, leads to the kinds of analytical insights that draw connections between relationships in life, surveying the kinds of approaches that tend to stymie relaxation, creative ideals of life, and, ultimately, joy.

How de Crinis emerged from a restrictive world to develop more open holds much promise for all kinds of readers -- even those who might think they are "too old" to change:

At the age of fifty-five, I started meditating, blogging, podcasting, and coaching. I have just turned sixty, and this is my first book. So, if nothing else, please remember: You're not broken, you're not too old, and it is never too late to start living the life you want... instead of just surviving the one you have.

The adjustments in habits that better support physical health may be unexpected, but one goal of The Overthinker's Guide to Joy is to point out how to better integrate mind and body. And so the health pointers are but one pathway to revising daily life in a way that supports the goal of joy. Tips on adopting practices that build positive neurochemicals, understanding the subconscious rationale behind people-pleasing coping mechanisms, and embarking on guided conversations between conscious and subconscious thinking all lend to building new choices in relationships and life.

Supportive examples range from de Crinis's life experiences and life coaching efforts to the writings and contentions of others. Tips come from behavioral adjustment approaches in a range of disciplines, including cognitive behavior therapy: Humans love to assume that our thoughts are facts, particularly negative ones. When we have a negative thought, looking for evidence to support it is natural. Once we find evidence, that becomes a magnet for another negative thought. And before you know it, you're in a negative thought loop. This is another example of negativity bias. There's a tool based on a cognitive behavioral therapy technique that teaches us how to reframe our thoughts and break free from negative thought patterns.

Libraries seeking self-help books that promote joy and make it an accessible (rather than an ethereal or impossible) goal will find The Overthinker's Guide to Joy an acquisition that stands out from similar-sounding approaches to perfectionism and self-examination. The book began as a podcast of the same title, and is well worth the time taken to listen and think: We need to become joy hunters and gratitude gurus. Becoming a joy hunter means simply being mindful of what is going right. It means focusing on the most minor details that bring you pleasure or peace.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Essence of Tarot
Mary K. Greer
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578638529, $18.95, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Essence-Tarot-Essential-Rituals-Readings/dp/1578638526

Synopsis: The ancient art of fragrance has long been a component of magical and spiritual practice and rituals. With the publication of "Essence of Tarot: Using Essential Oils, Magic, and Rituals to Empower Your Readings", tarot master Mary K. Greer demonstrates how this primordial art can be used to enhance modern tarot practices, whether for divination, meditation, or affirmations. Greer (among the world's foremost authorities on the topic), demonstrates how essential oils can enrich the tarot experience, as well as empower tarot readers.

Readers will learn how to create a more magical life through the union of tarot and aromatherapy. No previous experience with essential oils is needed, as Greer offers a crash course, along with details about the historical role of scent and perfumery in magical and divinatory rituals. Greer provides oils and scents to correspond with each of the seventy-eight cards of the tarot.

"Essence of Tarot" may be used in daily rituals and as a reference guide for tarot lovers. Instructions for crafting tarot oils are included, as well as detailed instructions for using them to maximize the tarot experience.

Originally published as The Essence of Magic, this new edition of the beloved classic includes a new foreword by Judika Illes and retains the botanical illustrations by Ed Buryn, creator of the William Blake Tarot, photographer, and vagabonding pioneer.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader/user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Essence of Tarot: Using Essential Oils, Magic, and Rituals to Empower Your Readings" by Mark K. Greer is essential reading for tarot students and practitioners alike. A deftly crafted combination of instructional guidebook and 'how to' manual, "Essence of Tarot" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical Studies reference collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Essence of Tarot" from Weiser Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228449756, $39.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Mary K. Greer (www.marykgreer.com) is an independent scholar, writer, teacher, and professional tarot consultant. She has an MA degree in English literature from the University of Central Florida where she also first taught tarot in 1974. For eleven years, she was a teacher and administrator at New College of California in San Francisco. In 2007, she received the International Tarot Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Tarot Studies. She also received the 2006 Mercury Award from the Mary Redman Foundation for excellence in communication in the metaphysical field, and the 2006 Coalition of Visionary Resources award for best divination book. She is an ordained priestess in the Fellowship and Church of Isis.

Archetypal Astrology Oracle: A 55-Card Deck and Guidebook
Jonathan Waller
Findhorn Press
www.findhornpress.com
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9798888500927, $30.00, Cards, Boxed Set, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Archetypal-Astrology-Oracle-55-Card-Guidebook/dp/B0CY9LLNCK

Synopsis: The "Archetypal Astrology Oracle: A 55-Card Deck and Guidebook" by Jonathan Waller is ideal for Intuitively learning and working with Archetypal Astrology

This boxed set includes 55 full-color cards featuring each planetary archetype (the Sun, Moon, and planets individually) as well as each aspect or pairing of two celestial bodies

It provides an in-depth guidebook with interpretations for each planet or aspect, explaining the core meanings, potential gifts and challenges, and how to navigate their transits

It also explores different ways to work with the deck: as a divination oracle, as a part of a daily spiritual practice, as an aid with dream work, or by creating a tableau of your Archetypal Astrology birth chart for deep insight

Vividly bringing the planetary archetypes to life, the "Archetypal Astrology Oracle" deck from Findhorn Press invites you to explore and deepen your relationship to self and cosmos in a new and inspiring way.

The 55 full-color cards feature every planetary archetype individually and offers interpretations exploring how the cosmic bodies or aspects can positively or negatively affect your life, how to integrate their lessons, and how to navigate their transits.

Drawing insights from Jungian and contemporary psychology, current psychedelic therapy research, and the work of Stanislav Grof, this oracle card set can be used for divination, aiding dream work, or creating a tableau of your archetypal astrology birth chart for deeper insight.

Critique: Beautiful, inspirational, ideal for both the aspiring novice and the experienced divination and astrology practitioner, the "Archetypal Astrology Oracle: A 55-Card Deck and Guidebook" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Metaphysical Studies Astrology & Divination collections.

Editorial Note: Jonathan Waller (https://www.jonwallercoach.com) is a respected archetypal astrologer, life coach, visual artist, essayist, and poet. The co-host of Awakenings - The Archetypal Astrology Podcast, Jonathan currently resides in southwest England.

Tarot and Other Meditation Decks, 2nd Edition
Emily E. Auger
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476686790, $39.95, PB, 276pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Other-Meditation-Decks-Aesthetics/dp/1476686793

Synopsis: Arthur E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith's Rider-Waite Tarot (1909) is the most popular Tarot in the world. Today, it is affectionately referred to as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot in recognition of the high quality of Smith's contributions. Waite and Smith's deck has become the gold standard for identifying and analyzing contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks based on archetypes.

Developments in both visual and literary history and theory have influenced Tarot since its fifteenth-century invention as a game and subsequent adaptations for esotericism, cartomancy, and meditation. Now in an updated and expanded second edition, "Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology" by Emily E. Auger considers Tarot in relation to established modern and postmodern art movements, such as Symbolism, Surrealism, and Pattern and Decoration Art, as well as the concepts and theories informing both the dominance and the dissolution of the modernist "grid" and hierarchical priorities.

This seminal work also explores the close connection between Tarot and the invention of the literary novel and includes new material on the representation of Tarot in film and fiction. A new chapter addresses the growing influence of the archetypal "shadow" and "shadow work" on Tarot as an artistic form, narrative genre, and practice in the new millennium.

Critique: This large format (7 x 0.55 x 10 inches, 1.1 pounds) paperback edition of "Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology: 2nd Edition" by Emily E. Auger is illustrated throughout in black/white images, and is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a twenty-four page Appendix featuring individual card imagery, sixteen pages of Chapter Notes, a two page listing of Meditation and Other Decks Cited, a thirteen page Bibliography, and a nine page Index. Extraordinarily well organized and presented, "Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology, 2nd Edition" is an ideal and recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Folklore & Tarot collections, as well as supplemental Metaphysical Studies curriculum reading lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology, 2nd Edition" from McFarland & Company is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.99).

Editorial Note: Emily E. Auger (https://emilyeauger.weebly.com) is a retired art historian and author of numerous reviews, articles, and books. She is the founder and chair of the "Tarot and Other Divination Methods" area at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (2004-2020).

Dream It to Do It: The Science and the Magic
Howard Eisenberg
Syntrek(r) Inc.
9781737916901, $24.95, HC, 136pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Do-Science-Howard-Eisenberg/dp/1737916908

Synopsis: Physician and scientist Dr. Howard Eisenberg is a long-time explorer of the various realms of consciousness. With the publication of "Dream It to Do It: The Science and the Magic", he shares his recent awe-inspiring revelation of our dream-like entrapment in a virtual reality of toxic divisiveness -- and the potential underlying infinite 'field of consciousness' that connects and empowers all.

By integrating indigenous wisdom, spiritual experience, and the leading-edge scientific discoveries, "Dream It to Do It" is designed to reshape your understanding of reality by revealing the magical-like formula between envisioning the impossible and manifesting it into our external world.

A powerful book of spiritually and scientifically integrated revelations, with "Dream It to Do It" you will:

Learn to unlock the secrets of reality itself
Discover who you really are - beyond your 'ego mind' and brain
Harness your potential powers for real magic - the kind that transforms physical reality!

"Dream It to Do It: The Science & the Magic" is the multi award-winning guide to unlocking the secrets that can transform your life and restore your deeper connection to others and our World.

Critique: A seminal and ground breaking study and instructional guide, Howard Eisenberg's "Dream It to Do It: The Science and the Magic" will be of special appeal to readers with an interest in parapsychology, the role and utilization of dreams and dreaming, and a 'New Age' approach to self-help/self-improvement. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this hardcover edition of "Dream It to Do It: The Science and the Magic" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections. It should be noted that "Dream It to Do It: The Science and the Magic" is also readily available in paperback (9781737916925, $18.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Howard Eisenberg, M.Sc. (Psych), M.D., is a medical doctor with additional postgraduate training in psychology and psychiatry. He has been a lecturer at the University of Toronto and an associate professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont. He is also the CEO of the international consultancy Syntrek(R) Inc.On a more personal level, he's been on a passionate lifelong quest to discover the true nature of reality. He was awarded the first postgraduate degree in Canada at McGill University for his highly successful research on Telepathy. He then pioneered the instruction of Parapsychology as a regular credit course at the University of Toronto.


The Criminology Shelf

Mafia and Britain
Ross Kemp
Cassell
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781788405638, $26.99i HC, $12.99 Kindle, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ross-Kemp-Mafia-Britain-Hiding/dp/1788405633

Mafia and Britain comes from an investigative journalist who focuses on the Mafia's influence in Britain... a surprising subject for readers who have traditionally viewed the Mafia as an American affair.

Ross Kemp does more than focus on the UK. He moves from Britain to the U.S. and then to different countries around the world as he traces the evolution of 100 years of Mafia influence. Readers of organized crime history will especially appreciate the global threads of connection which emerge in Mafia and Britain, making for a much more dynamic, revealing read than the typical localized American Mafia focus.

Libraries will find it a 'must have' addition to their true crime collections.


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