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Reviewer's Choice
World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian
Jane Olson
Independently Published
https://www.worldcitizenthebook.com
9781513695693, $34.95, HC, 429pp
https://www.amazon.com/World-Citizen-Journeys-Humanitarian-Olson/dp/151369569X
Synopsis: Jane Olson has worked many decades in volunteer leadership positions promoting international humanitarian and human rights organizations, having chaired the international board of Human Rights Watch, Landmine Survivors Network, and the Women's Refugee Commission. Extensive travels took her to Central America during the Contra Wars, to Ukraine (1989 and 1990), the former Yugoslavia during the "ethnic cleansing" war against Bosnia, and the Caucasus countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Her journeys to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America focused on human rights abuse and refugee conditions, HIV/AIDS, landmines, and other calamities caused by conflict and extreme poverty.
Using lessons learned during her childhood in rural Iowa, she bonded with survivors and recorded their hope-filled stories of resilience in the face of disaster.
With the publication of "World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian", Olson's experiences as an investigative journalist and photographer bring those inspirational stories to life.
During her journeys to war zones and places of extreme poverty and disease over decades, Olson was to meet numerous survivors whose resilience inspire hope, despite unimaginable suffering. Intimate details and beautiful photos illustrate that all lives are valuable and equally deserving of protection and support.
Critique: Articulate, eloquent, informative, fascinating, emotionally engaging, motivationally inspiring, and profusely illustrated throughout for the reader's benefit with both color and B/W photos, "World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian" is the extraordinary story of an extraordinary woman living and working under extraordinary circumstances.
This exceptionally well written personal and professional memoir accurately reveals what it means to to be a World Citizen, to embrace and champion the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that in the words of Jane Olson -- "knowing that all lives are valuable and equally deserving of protection and support".
While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of Civics students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hard cover edition of "World Citizen: Journeys of a Humanitarian" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99) as well.
Moments of Happiness: A Wisconsin Band Story
Mike Leckrone & Doug Moe
University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299348809, $32.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Moments-Happiness-Wisconsin-Band-Story/dp/0299348806
Synopsis: When Mike Leckrone retired as director of bands at the University of Wisconsin in 2019, he had served in that role for an astonishing fifty years. A brilliant showman, he became known for aerial stunts and sequined outfits. He created the Fifth Quarter celebration that follows all home football games, removed barriers for women to march in the band, and established regular appearances at Camp Randall by special-needs high school musicians.
Above all, Leckrone always sought joy in life -- which, along with his sixty-year love affair with his late wife, UW "band mom" Phyllis Leckrone, was perhaps the secret to his remarkable career. A consummate musician, as both a trumpeter and an arranger, Leckrone is also an outstanding raconteur -- a talent beautifully on display in his long-awaited memoir.
"Moments of Happiness: A Wisconsin Band Story" is the next best thing to sitting down with this master storyteller while co-author Doug Moe captures the joys of performing -- whether at Camp Randall, in the Kohl Center, or along the Rose Bowl Parade route.
Reading Leckrone's story, one comes to understand the mix of discipline, showmanship, work ethic, warmth, toughness, wit, and musical skill that make him a Wisconsin treasure. Even for people who know Leckrone, "Moments of Happiness" details the stories behind the highlights and the unglamorous work that made his accomplishments possible. It both cements his legend and offers unprecedented insights into a career that will never be equaled.
Critique: Simply stated, reading "Moments of Happiness: A Wisconsin Band Story" by co-authors Mike Leckrone and Dog Moe is a 'must' for the legions of Wisconsin Band enthusiasts in general, and Mike Leckrone fans in particular. A fun, informative, and inspiring read from start to finish, "Moments of Happiness" is a core and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections.
Editorial Note #1: Mike Leckrone's myriad civic, music, and academic recognitions include Outstanding Educator of America by the Outstanding Americans Foundation, Citation of Excellence by the National Band Association, John Bascom Professorship by the University of Wisconsin - Madison, Hometown Hero Award by the Wisconsin State Assembly, and induction into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Football Hall of Fame.
Editorial Note #2: Doug Moe is one of Wisconsin's best-known journalists and nonfiction authors. A former editor of Madison Magazine, he wrote a daily newspaper column in Madison for two decades and has published more than a dozen books, including Tommy: My Journey of a Lifetime (a collaboration with Tommy G. Thompson) and The Right Thing to Do: Kit Saunders-Nordeen and the Rise of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Wisconsin and Beyond.
Letters to the Human Race... From the Cat
Vicky Halls
Cassell
c/o Octopus Publishing
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781788405546, $14.99 PB, $6.99 Kindle, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Human-Race-Cat-frustrations/dp/1788405544
Letters to the Human Race... From the Cat is the perfect gift for a cat lover who 'has everything.' They likely won't have this fine book, reminiscent of Paul Gallico's classic cat's perspective of life, The Silent Meow. The cat narrator's 'fellow felines and I' have put paw to keyboard to produce a series of letters covering common cat care errors that humans are prone to making. From being compelled to eat things not normally edible (a real condition identified by humans as "pica") to playing appropriate killing games with kitties, Letters to the Human Race... From the Cat offers hilarious food for thought in a title highly recommended for libraries and gifting to cat servants alike.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
The Craft of Professional Writing, second edition
Michael S. Malone
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839992100, $70.00, HC, 356pp
https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Professional-Writing-Second-Amateur/dp/1839992107
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "The Craft of Professional Writing: A Guide for Amateur and Professional Writers" by Michael S. Malone is arguably the most complete manual ever written for every form of professional (and professional quality) writing.
The chapters comprising "The Craft of Professional Writing" range from toasts and captions to every form of journalism to novel writing, book authorship, and screenplays. This comprehensive instructional guide offers techniques for the writing of each form, sample templates, and the advice on navigating a career in each writing field, including public relations and commercial writing, journalism in all media, and self-employment as a freelancer.
Of special note is that "The Craft of Professional Writing" also offers sections on the tools of writing, including pacing, editing, pitching, invoicing, and managing the highs and lows of the different writing careers.
Critique: Author Michael S. Malone has dedicated his book "To every person who ever wrote a sentence and wondered if they could make a living from it." The Craft of Professional Writing is an absolutely essential addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Fiction Writing Instructional Reference and Study Guide collections. It should be noted for aspiring and experienced writers, authors, and novelists alike that this new second edition of "The Craft of Professional Writing: A Guide for Amateur and Professional Writers" from Anthem Press is an ideal textbook for creative writing workshops and curriculums and also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.00) as well.
Editorial Note: Michael S. Malone is Dean's Professor of Professional Writing at Santa Clara University and Distinguished Friend of Oxford University. He is one of the world's best-known technology writers.
Networking for Writers
Linda Ruggeri
The Insightful Editor
https://www.theinsightfuleditor.com
9781736420584, $27.99, PB, 163pp
https://www.amazon.com/Networking-Writers-Practical-Strategies-Success/dp/1736420585
Synopsis: "Networking for Writers: Practical Strategies for Networking Success" is a practical, guided workbook to help you as an author to create, strengthen or revamp your current network -- whether that's because your current network is not the supportive community you need, or you haven't found your community yet, or because the hoped-for income, sales, and opportunities that a network can provide hasn't shown up the way you expected them to. It's also a 'how-to' guide for those looking to create a self-publishing team they can work with and rely on now, and in the future.
If you're a well-established writer, chances are that you've built a publishing network that's meeting your basic needs, and that's good! But it's easy to go beyond that and turn your network into something rich and dynamic -- with resources and opportunities, with strong and meaningful contacts that will help you boost your exposure, credibility, and sales.
"Networking for Writers" will help you create a networking practice that works for you -- one that incorporates your goals, your communication style, the activities you enjoy, and the tools and resources that are available to you today. If you intend to be profitable and make a living off your writing, then organizing your thoughts and goals as a writer will help you achieve that success much faster. You can still be wildly creative and efficient and productive at the same time.
Though networking may seem like an overwhelming task at times for some of us, you'll soon discover that building the network you need is completely within your power, with the time and space available to you now. That network will be uniquely yours because it will be built on your goals, your strengths, and your everyday activities.
"Networking for Writers" is the perfect workbook for writers who want to make a living off their writing, whether it be books, magazine articles, ad copy, podcasts, medical journal articles, instruction manuals, screenwriting, and more.
Critique: Simply stated, "Networking for Writers: Practical Strategies for Networking Success" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in style, organization and presentation. An ideal DIY combination of instructional guidebook and 'how to' manual that will prove to be immense interest to writer's concerned with the business aspects of writing, and working their writing career operating as a home-based business, "Networking for Writers" will prove an invaluable source of information and example. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), this large format (7 x 0.37 x 10 inches) paperback edition from The Insightful Editor has 'fill in the blank' sections making it a consumable and therefore not appropriate for community or college/university library Writing/Publishing collections -- but ideal as a writer workshop textbook and the personal library collections of aspiring (and experienced!) authors.
Editorial Note: Linda Ruggeri is a bilingual (EN/SP) nonfiction editor and writer based out of Los Angeles. She's the author of recently published Networking for Writers, and the co-author of The Conference Notebook, and Networking for Freelance Editors which won an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in 2022. She has directed the Editorial Freelancers Association Welcome Program, the Professional Editors Network mentorship program, and has presented at writing and publishing conferences across the US. She is a founding member of The Networking Studio as well as the Argentinean-based writer community Tres Vias Creativas (3VC Crea).
Write and Publish Organically
Catherine Lawton
Cladach Publishing
https://cladach.com
9781945099366, $15.99, PB, 164pp
https://www.amazon.com/Write-Publish-Organically-Newness-Emerge/dp/1945099364
Synopsis: How do faith-based writers communicate the presence and love of God to a postmodern, increasingly secular and technological world? How do they maintain a commitment to their truth tradition while orienting toward unfolding future possibilities? How do they keep their writing fresh and healthy?
Using garden metaphors and a narrative storytelling style, with the publication of "Write and Publish Organically: Dig Deep, Tend the Soil, Help Newness Emerge" by Catherine Lawton explores answers to these questions and more. Catherine is herself is a seasoned writer and publisher -- and an avid gardener. Deftly written in a blend of memoir, research, and poetic styles, "Write and Publish Organically" will inspire both novice and experienced writers alike.
The chapters comprising "Write and Publish Organically" discuss five aspects of what Lawton calls "organic writing and publishing":
SOAK. Both writer and reader are part of ecosystems. Does the water deaden or enliven?
SPOKE. Experiment, learn, communicate with postmodern techniques. Words have power!
EVOKE. Enchant with imagination, invoke the transcendent in the imminent and earthy.
PROVOKE. Surprise and awaken readers. Write to prompt healthy thought, faith and action.
STOKE. How to stoke "fires" of awareness by taking your "produce" to market.
The Appendices offer practical, useful tips for:
Publishing Models
The Publishing Process
Marketing for Introverts
Critique: Informative, insightful, inspiring, and thoroughly 'user friendly' for anyone aspiring to become an author or to honing their craft as practicing writers, "Write and Publish Organically : Dig Deep, Tend the Soil, Help Newness Emerge" by Catherine Lawton is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, writer workshop, community, and college/university library Writing Instructional Reference collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Write and Publish Organically : Dig Deep, Tend the Soil, Help Newness Emerge" from Cladach Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Catherine Lawton writes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and essays, many of which have been published in print periodicals, online journals, and books. In her writing she explores the adventure of relating to God, others, and nature. Her previous books include, Remembering Softly: A Life In Poems and Glimpsing Glory: Poems of Living & Dying, Praying & Playing, Belonging & Longing. She has a BA in English from Point Loma Nazarene University and an MSM in Faith-Based Publishing from Northwind Theological Seminary. There is a listing of her books on: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4405056.Catherine_Lawton
Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay
Nancy Slonim Aronie
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608689309, $18.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Secrets-Perfect-Personal-Essay/dp/1608689301
Synopsis: Everyone has a story, and helping people tell their stories has been the life mission of Nancy Slonim Aronie. Building on her acclaimed "Memoir as Medicine", the publication of her latest literary 'how to' guide, "Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write" from New World Library tackles the short personal essay.
With warmth and humor, Nancy provides prompts, inspiration, and hard-won wisdom to empower you to write an unforgettable narrative. You will learn to begin with an irresistible hook ("kill 'em with the first line") and employ compelling direct quotes, drama, vulnerability, universal themes, and self-reflection to get readers into your corner.
Nancy illustrates her advice with remarkable examples of her own and others' essays. You will read about actor Tony Shalhoub's unlikely canine savior, Kate Taylor's collaboration with Peter Asher and Elton John in the musical crucible of Los Angeles in 1970, Nancy and her beloved husband's adventures in polyamory, and much more.
In a culture increasingly inundated with generic AI-generated text, a well-crafted personal narrative is more important than ever, a declaration of human connection and meaning. Use Nancy's secrets to stand out from the crowd and get your one-of-a-kind story onto the page.
Critique: Impressively exceptional, informatively instructive, inspirationally motivating, "Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write" by Nancy Slonim Aronie is an ideal and comprehensive course in the art and craft of the personal essay and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, highschool, and college/university library Writing & Essay Storytelling collections. It should be noted for students, academia, writer workshop members, aspiring authors, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in rhetoric and literary creativity that "Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Nancy Slonim Aronie (ChilmarkWritingWorkshop.com) is the founder of the Chilmark Writing Workshop on Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. She has been a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered as well as a columnist for multiple newspapers. She has taught writing at such venues as Kripalu, Omega, Esalen, and Harvard. She is also the author of "Memoir as Medicine" and "Writing from the Heart".
The AI Shelf
Algorithms of Armageddon
George Galdorisi & Sam J. Tangredi
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781612515410, $29.95, HC, 248pp
https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Armageddon-Impact-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/161251541X
Synopsis: It is unclear if U.S. policy makers and military leaders fully realize that we have already been thrust into an artificial intelligence (AI) race with authoritarian powers. Today, the United States' peer adversaries (China and Russia) have made clear their intentions to make major investments in AI and insert this technology into their military systems, sensors and weapons. Their goal is to gain an asymmetric advantage over the U.S. military.
The implications for our national security are many and complex. With the publication of "Algorithms of Armageddon: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Future Wars" national security experts and co-authors George Galdorisi and Sam J. Tangredi examines this most pressing security issue in a clear, insightful delivery by men who are national security professionals and deal with AI issues on a day-to-day basis in their work in both the technical and policy arenas.
The opening chapters of Algorithms of Armageddon" explain the fundamentals of what constitutes big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. They investigate the convergence of AI with other technologies and how these systems will interact with humans. Critical to the issue is the manner by which AI is being developed and utilized by Russia and China.
The central chapters of the work address the weaponizing of AI through interaction with other technologies, man-machine teaming, and autonomous weapons systems. The authors cover in depth debates surrounding the AI "genie out of the bottle" controversy, AI arms races, and the resulting impact on policy and the laws of war. Given that global powers are leading large-scale development of AI, it is likely that use of this technology will be global in extent. Will AI-enabled military weapons systems lead to full-scale global war? Can such a conflict be avoided?
The later chapters of the work explore these questions, point to the possibility of humans failing to control military AI applications, and conclude that the dangers for the United States are real.
Neither a protest against AI, nor a speculative work on how AI could replace humans, Algorithms of Armageddon provides a time-critical understanding of why AI is being implemented through state weaponization, the realities for the global power balance, and more importantly, U.S. national security. Galdorisi and Tangredi propose a national dialogue that focuses on the need for U.S. military to have access to the latest AI-enabled technology in order to provide security and prosperity to the American people.
Critique: An ever increasingly critical concern with respect to American national security (and the security of the free world) as we advance further into the 21st century, "Algorithms of Armageddon: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Future Wars" from the Naval Institute Press is a seminal and groundbreaking study that is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university library AI and Military Strategy collections. It should be noted for students, academia, governmental police makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Algorithms of Armageddon" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.17) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publisher, 9798874850463, $39.42, Amazon).
Editorial Note #1: George Galdorisi is a career naval aviator. His Navy career included four command tours and five years as a carrier strike group chief of staff. He has written several books and over two hundred articles in professional journals and other media. He is the director of the Corporate Strategy Group at the Navy's C4ISR Center of Excellence in San Diego.
Editorial Note #2: Sam J. Tangredi, U.S. Navy (Ret.) is the Leidos Chair of Future Warfare Studies and professor of national, naval, and maritime strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. A surface warfare officer and warship captain deployed worldwide, Dr. Tangredi also served multiple tours of duty in the Pentagon as a leader of strategic planning teams. He has published six books and over 200 articles on defense strategy and has won fifteen professional literature awards. His book Anti-Access Warfare, considered a definitive work, was recently republished in paperback by Naval Institute Press as well as translated into Chinese by the People's Liberation Army.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Hospital, Heal Thyself
Mark Taylor
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781394283347, $45.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hospital-Heal-Thyself-Brilliant-Mathematicians/dp/1394283342
Synopsis: Part biography and part clear-eyed examination of a healthcare system in crisis, "Hospital, Heal Thyself: One Brilliant Mathematician's Proven Plan for Saving Hospital, Many Lives. and Billions of Dollars" is the story of enigmatic healthcare visionary Eugene Litvak, whose research and strategies have already been implemented at many top 12-ranked hospitals to save hundreds of millions of dollars and countless thousands of patient lives. While U.S. healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, Litvak's program described in "Hospital, Heal Thyself offers tested, effective methods to trim those costs while simultaneously improving patient outcomes.
Written by veteran prize-winning healthcare journalist Mark Taylor, "Hospital, Heal Thyself" includes compelling discussion on: How hospital and emergency room overcrowding has harmful and potentially deadly effects on patients and staff; How Litvak's algorithms and complex mathematical theories help hospitals staff appropriately to safely manage patient flow; How applying Litvak's unique patient flow interventions improves nurse retention in an era of mass nurse exodus.
Litvak's methods have been proven to work in the best hospitals in America and the world. Studies in the top medical journals confirm their success in reducing medical errors; hospital and emergency room overcrowding; nurse and physician burnout and stress and patient mortality rates. They've saved millions of dollars for each hospital adopting them, while improving patient satisfaction and outcomes, nurse retention, hospital efficiency and addressing healthcare disparities and inequities.
Distilling complex ideas into accessible language, "Hospital, Heal Thyself" is a timely, essential read for all medical practitioners and healthcare administrators and staff who want to play their part in transforming modern healthcare, and the world, for the better.
Critique: A high value contribution to our on-going national discussion over health care issues in general, and hospital practices and requirements in particular, "Hospital, Heal Thyself: One Brilliant Mathematician's Proven Plan for Saving Hospitals, Many Lives, and Billions of Dollars" is as informative as it is comprehensive. While also readily available is a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone, 9798228331402, $45.95, CD), "Hospital Heal Thyself" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university library Hospital Administration/Health Care Delivery collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.
Editorial Note: Mark Taylor is a veteran prize-winning healthcare journalist who has written for newspapers, healthcare business magazines, and online publications for 30+ years. He is a cofounder and past board member of the Association of Healthcare Journalists, a Kaiser Foundation Media Fellow, and a former steelworker, taxi driver, waiter, and lifeguard.
Beyond the Blues, sixth edition
Pec Indman, EdD and Shoshanna S. Bennett, PhD
Gaudium Publishing
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592115280, $34.99, HC, 148pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Blues-Understanding-Postpartum-Depression/dp/1592115284
Synopsis: This 2024 edition of "Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety" by co-authors Pec Indman and Shoshanna S. Bennett contains the most current pregnancy and postpartum resources for the prevention and treatment of mental health challenges for all new parents.
Critique: With fully updated information and current research about medications, as well as complementary and alternative options to dealing with and effectively treating postpartum depression, this new 6th edition of "Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety" is direct, compassionate, comprehensive, and required reading for anyone emotionally suffering before or after the baby is born -- as well for all the medical professionals working with them. While a critically important and fully recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Pregnancy/Childbirth collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for medical students, mental health care providers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Beyond the Blues: Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression & Anxiety" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781592115334, $19.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Pec Indman has a doctorate in counseling and a master' s degree in health psychology. She is a retired marriage and family therapist and nationally certified in Perinatal Mental Health. Her training as a physician assistant in family practice was at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Indman is a Past Chair of Education and Training for Postpartum Support International, and serves on the PSI Advisory Council. She develops curriculum and is a trainer for Postpartum Support International. Dr. Indman has been interviewed on national radio and television, for magazines, newspapers, and videos. Lecturing for a wide variety of audiences nationally and internationally, Dr. Indman has served as an expert advisor for federal and local programs as well as a reviewer for several women' s mental health journals.
Editorial Note #2: Shoshanna Bennett founded Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987 after her second experience with two life-threatening postpartum depressions. She is the author of Children of the Depressed, Pregnant on Prozac, and Postpartum Depression for Dummies. National TV shows feature Dr. Shosh as the postpartum expert, and news stations consult her. She' s interviewed regularly on national radio and has been quoted in dozens of newspapers and magazines. She is a past president of Postpartum Support International, noted guest lecturer, keynote speaker, creator of the first PPD app, an Executive Producer of the film Dark Side of the Full Moon, and Co-Founder of the Postpartum Action Institute. She has earned three teaching credentials, two master' s degrees, a PhD, and is licensed as a clinical psychologist.
Constipation Nation
Carmen Fong, MD
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538186190, $32.00, HC, 254pp
https://www.amazon.com/Constipation-Nation-What-Know-When/dp/1538186195
Synopsis: Most Americans have had constipation symptoms at some point in their lives. Statistics show up to 30% of Americans are affected with chronic constipation. This number reaches 60% as we age. At any given time up to 100 million people in the United States experience constipation. During the pandemic, constipation and its related anorectal issues worsened because everyone was sitting at home.
Constipation has affected humans throughout history. Some called it "civilization's curse". Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (yes, of Kellogg's cereal fame) promoted cold cereal as a constipation cure. Today, we have more probiotics and diets than you can shake your tushy at, and social media has popularized the Blue Poop Challenge to diagnose gut health. But what does it all mean?
After seeing thousands of patients in her practice as a colorectal surgeon, Dr. Fong realized that she was repeating the same information, sometimes twenty times a day. Yet, this information was not common knowledge. What was found on the Internet was confusing and conflicting, leaving people who Googled their symptoms with more questions than answers. As an academic clinician who has written peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Fong sought information beyond even what the medical textbooks taught her.
With the publication of "Constipation Nation: What to Know When You Can't Go" Dr. Fong seeks to help readers who would rather research information themselves before seeing a healthcare professional to troubleshoot their poop chute. Drawing from 200 evidence-based sources as well as historical texts, Dr. Fong addresses all aspects of constipation, combining medicine, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, nutrition, history, and social sciences to get to the bottom of it all to explain why we doo... and why we don't.
Critique: Ideal for the non-specialist general reader, "Constipation Nation: What to Know When You Can't Go" is a deftly crafted and complete course of instructive information on the subject of the digestive system and gastroenterology that will be especially appreciated by anyone who has problems with chronic constipation. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Constipation Nation: What to Know When You Can't Go" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, medical professional, community, and college/university library Health/Medicine collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Carmen Fong (https://carmenfong.com) is a Chinese American writer and colorectal surgeon. Fong is co-director of the Hemorrhoid Centers of America and specializes in office-based proctology, and most recently was an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She sees patients with constipation every single day. During her training, Fong won multiple awards and presented at national meetings. She's a member of the Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, where she sits on the Ethics and Health Advocacy Committees, and she's a member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, where she's active on the Young Surgeons Committee. She has been an ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer!, a national advocacy group.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Into the Thaw
Jon Waterman
Patagonia
www.patagoniaworks.com
9781952338236, $35.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Thaw-Witnessing-Wonder-Climate/dp/1952338239
Synopsis: Forty years ago, park ranger Jon Waterman took his first journey into the Alaskan Arctic, to the Noatak headwaters. He was astonished by the abundant wildlife, the strange landscape, and its otherworldly light -- how the "frequent rain showers glow like lemonade poured out of the sky." Taken with a new sense of wonder, he began to explore the North on several trips in the 1980s.
After a 30-year absence from the Noatak, he returned with his son in 2021. Amid a now-flooded river missing the once-plentiful caribou, he was shocked and heartbroken by the changes. The following year, in 2022, he took one final journey "into the thaw" to document (for this lushly illustrated and scholarly book) the environmental and cultural changes wrought by the climate crisis.
A widely published author and photographer, Waterman's narrative alternates between adventure and wilderness memoir and plainly stated natural history of the area. Chased by bears, sometimes alone for weeks on end amid hordes of mosquitoes, he notes the extraordinary changes from 1983 until the present day: brush grown over the tundra in a phenomenon called Greening of the Arctic, tear-drop-shaped landslide thaw slumps (a.k.a. thermokarsts) caused by thawing permafrost, and an increasing loss of sea ice as he travels along the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
Waterman also records spending time with the kindhearted, welcoming Inuit or Inupiat most affected by the Arctic crisis, who share how their age-old culture has attempted to cope with "the thaw."
Stricken by the change, Waterman paints an intimate portrait of both the villages and the little-visited landscape, because "it's high time that we truly understand the Arctic." He writes, "Lest we forget what it once was."
Through his quest for wonder (and with a prose illuminated by humility and humor) Waterman shows how the Arctic can confer grace on those who pass through. Despite the unfolding crisis, as a narrative of hope, he ends with suggested actions we can all take to slow the thaw and preserve what is left of this remarkable, vast frontier.
Critique: This large format (8.6 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches, 2.25 pounds) hardcover edition of "Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis" is a compelling eye-witness account of how rapidly and dramatically climate change is affecting the Arctic, its wildlife, and its people. Profusely, beautifully, and effectively enhanced with full color photography throughout, "Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis" is an exceptionally well written and informative account of environmental impact that is a solid and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Arctic Environmental Studies collections and supplemental Climate Change curriculum reading lists.
Editorial Note: Jon Waterman (www.jonwaterman.com) has sought out an unconventional adventurer's path since he was a teenager. As a lifelong environmentalist and writer, he has specialized in immersive journeys (often to the North) to develop a sense of place and then share the beauties, cultures, and fragilities of imperiled parts of the world. He has worked as a director of a small press, an editor, a naturalist, a park ranger, a wilderness guide, a photographer, and a filmmaker. Among his many publications, Jon's work has appeared in The New York Times, Wild Bird, Outside, Men's Journal, Adventure, and Sailing World. His sixteen books include In the Shadow of Denali, Kayaking the Vermilion Sea, and the National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks. He has garnered numerous awards, including a Literary Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, three Best Adventure Book Awards from the Banff Book Festival, an Emmy, a National Park Service Special Achievement Award, and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award.
The Science Shelf
Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health
The National Academies Press
www.nap.edu
9780309715089, $52.00, PB, 354pp
https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Linkages-Between-Health-Human/dp/0309715083
Synopsis: The United States is an important food producer globally, in part because of its abundance of agriculturally productive soils. However, management practices that maximize yields have caused losses in soil organic matter, poor soil structure and water-holding capacity, and increased salinity on millions of acres of land -- all of which have adversely affected the microbial communities that are the drivers of many soil processes. At the same time, recent scientific advances have spurred interest in how microbial communities can support soil health, food quality, and human health.
It is in this context that the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture asked the National Academies to explore the linkages between soil health and human health. The result is "Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health ".
This Consensus Study Report finds that to improve soil health, federal agencies need to promote the importance of soil health, support translational research, and develop a coordinated national approach to monitor soil health over time and space.
Given the potential that microbiomes have in modulating soil, plant, and human health, there is also a pressing need to determine which microbial features, if any, contribute to quantifying or fortifying health in both human and soil systems and to understand the direct and indirect roles of soil, alongside other environmental factors, in influencing human microbial colonization and subsequent health outcomes.
Such investigation involves delving into the relatively sparse or disconnected research regarding the microbiome continuum that links soil and human systems.
Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health" is a core and unreservedly recommended addition to professional and college/university library Soil Science and Agriculture collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of agriculture students, academia, governmental agriculture policy makers, farmers, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Exploring Linkages Between Soil Health and Human Health" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $41.99).
Editorial Note: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society.
The International Studies Shelf
Visualizing Palestine
Aline Batarseh, Jessica Anderson, & Yosra El Gazzar, editors
Haymarket Books
www.haymarketbooks.org
9798888902509, $50.00, HC, 392pp
https://www.amazon.com/Visualizing-Palestine-Chronicle-Colonialism-Liberation/dp/B0CT8C7SMB
Synopsis: As a new generation of movement-builders seek to understand Israel's brutal, illegal occupation of Palestine, "Visualizing Palestine: A Chronicle of Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation" provides its readers with vivid and informative graphics revealing deep truths about the decades-long Palestinian struggle for freedom.
The infographics comprising "Visualizing Palestine" present more than just data: colorful, accessible, and thoughtfully arranged, the oppression they document in stark detail dovetails with stories of perseverance and strength. From the history of Zionist settlement to the depopulation of Palestinian villages; from the construction of an apartheid wall to the destruction of olive trees; from hunger strikes to mass protests to boycotts, "Visualizing Palestine" graphics are powerful, comprehensive, and demand our attention.
Critique: Providing an historical context that gave rise to the Hamas attack on Israel, October 7, 2023, which in turn has left a year of massive destruction and death of Palestinian civilians in Gaza that still continues, along with a wider conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and their primary supporter, Iran, this large format (7.9 x 1.2 x 11 inches, 3.4 pounds) edition of "Visualizing Palestine: A Chronicle of Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation" from Haymarket Press is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and college/university library Palestinian/Israeli History collections and supplemental Contemporary International Conflict curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Visualizing Palestine: A Chronicle of Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.05) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Jessica Anderson is a human rights researcher based in Michigan. She was a first-year undergraduate during the 2008/2009 Israeli assault on Gaza, and a graduate student in refugee studies during Israel's 2012 bombardment. In 2013, she joined the Visualizing Palestine team, where she serves as deputy director.
Editorial Note #2: Aline Batarseh is Palestinian from Jerusalem. She has more than 20 years of experience working with several Palestinian and international nonprofits focused on advancing gender equality, reproductive justice, children's rights, mental health, social justice and collective liberation. Aline joined the Visualizing Palestine team as executive director in 2021.
Editorial Note #3: Yosra El Gazzar is a visual artist and graphic designer based in Cairo, Egypt. She has been a core part of Visualizing Palestine since 2016. Yosra was a 2021 Moutheqat/Women in Dox Fellow in Tunisia and a 2022 CEC ArtsLink Fellow in the United States. Her work has been showcased in various international venues.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India
Nandini Deo
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839985966, $110.00, HC, 154pp
https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Responsibility-Society-Contemporary-Studies/dp/1839985968
Synopsis: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) or billionaire philanthropy is like a Rorschach test -- the same act can look very different depending on how we understand its intentions and its consequences. With the publication of "Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India " from Anthem Press, NGO expert Nandini Deo examines the politics of CSR in India to assess its ability to advance inclusive and sustainable development. The focus is on how CSR is remaking the practices and agendas of civic organizations that are being encouraged to collaborate with business to advance equality and prosperity.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) and corporations have a history of hostility to each other. According to CSO workers, businesses selfishly exploit workers, despoil natural resources, and distort democracy to serve their own profit-making ends. According to business executives, CSOs are hopelessly naive, inefficient, and interfere in the market in ways that reduce economic growth. And yet, in the past decade more and more CSOs and businesses are collaborating in new ways.
Individuals from both sectors are setting up social impact enterprises, and social investing funds are increasing. The more traditional forms of corporate-CSO collaboration have expanded as more funds are flowing from business to the social sector. The divide between the corporate sector and civil society seems to be narrowing. Why is this happening and what are its consequences? "Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India" examines these trends in India, where since 2013 the state has mandated co-operation between the largest firms and NGOs in pursuit of inclusive and sustainable development.
"Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India" also offers evidence that CSR is unlikely to contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. By claiming to be "helpers" corporations are able to silence their critics and thus avoid making the deeper shifts in business models needed in order to create a more just and sustainable society.
Critique: An eloquent, erudite, informative, deftly organized and presented work of original, seminal, and ground-breaking research, "Corporate Social Responsibility and Civil Society in India" by Nandini Deo will prove a welcome and high value addition to personal, professional, governmental, and college/university International Civil Society & Corporate Social Responsibility collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Nandini Deo is an expert on civil society activism and teaches political science at Lehigh University. She is a researcher and intellectual leader in the study of NGO activists in the Global South, with focus on how they navigate partnerships with other NGOs, funding agencies, and states and work to alleviate global poverty and improve global health. Highly skilled at applying research to address real world problems through critical and theoretical analysis of empirical evidence. She is also a seasoned communicator to scholars, development practitioners, NGO and social movement activists and the general public.
The Economic Studies Shelf
Inequality and Globalization
Archawa Paweenawat & Robert M. Townsend
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691211022, $45.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Inequality-Globalization-Improving-Measurement-Integrated/dp/0691211027
Synopsis: Increasing inequality, the impact of globalization, and the disparate effects of financial regulation and innovation are extraordinarily important topics that fuel spirited international economic policy debates. And yet the facts underlying these debates are of doubtful accuracy.
In reality, as co-authors Archawa Paweenawat and Robert Townsend show in their study, "Inequality and Globalization: Improving Measurement through Integrated Financial Accounts", there is a large gap between micro household surveys, which measure key outcomes such as inequality, and aggregated financial accounts, which measure macroeconomic totals and growth.
Paweenawat and Townsend propose a remedy: integrated financial accounts, in which the flows in income statements, including saving and investment, are consistent with the changes in financial assets and liabilities in the balance sheet at micro and macro levels. None of the leading US micro household surveys or macro accounts meets this criterion.
Drawing on extensive data from fieldwork in Thailand, Paweenawat and Townsend show how consistent integrated financial accounts at the individual household and small enterprise level can be created using household and firm survey data. Aggregated to the village level, these accounts can link anecdotal stories of individual households to their financial accounts, document the real impact on them from growth, and assess what would have happened to them if trade and financial liberalization had not been allowed.
Paweenawat and Townsend then describe the next logical step: creating integrated financial accounts for the United States, working from the ground up and the top down. Only with these integrated accounts will policy debates on inequality and globalization have a solid factual basis.
Critique: Featuring an informative Introduction to the subject, and enhanced with the inclusion of an eight page Appendix, a six page listing of References, and an eight page Index, "Inequality and Globalization: Improving Measurement through Integrated Financial Accounts" (a part of the Princeton University Press 'Gorman Lectures in Economics' series), is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it an ideal and high value pick for professional, governmental, and college/university library Contemporary International Economics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, economists, and governmental policy makers that "Inequality and Globalization" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $42.75).
Editorial Note #1: Archawa Paweenawat, a development economist, is Head of Business Research of the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research at the Bank of Thailand.
Editorial Note #2: Robert M. Townsend is the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Distributed Ledgers: Design and Regulation of Financial Infrastructure and Payment Systems, Chronicles from the Field: The Townsend Thai Project, Households as Corporate Firms: An Analysis of Household Finance Using Integrated Household Surveys and Corporate Financial Accounting.
Financial Macroeconomics
Jan Kregel
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839990335, $110.00, HC, 318pp
https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Macroeconomics-Anthem-Other-Economics/dp/1839990333
Synopsis: The title of this book, "Financial Macroeconomics" may seem to confuse two separate disciplines - finance and macroeconomics. However, it is based on the fact that finance and macroeconomics were integrated, at least in their formative years. It is a natural extension of a line of research that dominated monetary theory in the early part of the 20th century.
Economists such as Keynes, Robertson, Hawtrey, Fisher, Hayek, and Schumpeter sought to blend the analysis of business cycles with their (often first-hand) experience of money and financial markets. The result was a monetary theory that provided the fertile background to what came to be called macroeconomics.
However, in the post-war period, the monetary aspects of this theory dropped out of sight in the neo-classical synthesis and hydraulic Keynesianism. Post-Keynesians such as Davidson and Minsky have done much to try to restore the monetary aspects of the theory, but the other - more technical - aspects of financial analysis have been ignored.
Deftly organized and expertly presented by economics professor Jan Kregal, "Financial Macroeconomics" aims to show how technical aspects of financial were initially part of the early investigations of macroeconomics and how they may be used to provide a realistic analysis of the behavior of modern financial economies.
Critique: A seminal, ground-breaking, meticulous study comprised of twenty-one erudite, insightful, thought-provoking study hallmarked by meticulous and documented scholarship, "Financial Macroeconomics" is a significant contribution to the field of Economic Theory and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and college/university liberary Economics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, governmental/corporate economists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Financial Macroeconomics" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49) as well.
Editorial Note: Jan Kregel teaches Financial Macroeconomics and Development Finance at the Tallinn Technological University and at the New School for Social Research in New York.k (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Kregel)
The American History Shelf
Democracy, Aristocracy, Theocracy and the Rule of Law in the New England Colonies, 1620-1686
Lievin Kambamba Mboma
Lievin K. Mboma Press
9781737338420, $38.99, HC, 236pp
https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Aristocracy-Theocracy-Colonies-1620-1686/dp/1737338424
Synopsis: "Democracy, Aristocracy, Theocracy and the Rule of Law in the New England Colonies, 1620-1686" explores the emergence of various governmental formations in early New England. Namely, pertinent data on the variations of government in the Massachusetts Bay and New Haven colonies are examined for democratic, theocratic, and aristocratic topography.
In this seminal study, Lievin Kambamba Mboma particularly tackles the instaurations of democratic forms of government in Plymouth, Connecticut, Rhode Island and the settlements of New Hampshire and Maine while under Massachusetts Bay colonial governance.
Principal actors like Governors John Winthrop, Thomas Dudley, Richard Bellingham, Harry Vane, Theophilus Eaton, Roger Williams, and John Haynes are discussed given the influence of their personal political thoughts and religious convictions. Mboma similarly notes the contributions of John Cotton, John Davenport, and Thomas Hooker as religious ministers and government actors.
With keen analysis, Mboma simultaneously records the democratic principles advocated by "freemen" in their respective towns, plantations, and villages. When all is considered, clear principles of rule of law in the colonies are revealed as creating the bedrock of Western government, including those of freemen, freedom of conscience and religion, equal justice, personal security, and civil liberties.
The Massachusetts Body of Liberties, The English Magna Charta, the Connecticut Fundamental Orders of 1639, The Connecticut Code of 1650, The Mayflower Compact signed in 1620, the Rhode Island Code of 1647 and the Rhode Island Charter of 1663 serve as important primary sources for the laws and orders enacted to secure the liberties of the freemen, servants, and strangers which continue to shape contemporary governance in the United States.
Readers will thus understand Mboma's insertion of the Constitution of the United States and his juxtaposing it with law in the New England colonies to connect the continuation of liberties in our current era.
For deeper understanding, towns liberties enjoyed by the freemen along with milestones in the evolution of the representative system of the New England colonies during the period under analysis are presented, and the expansions of self-governing forms of government in New Jersey, New York, and the Puritan settlements in South Carolina and Georgia are analyzed.
This work offers scholars, professors, students, and the public vital information on the forms of government instituted in the New England colonies and allows for historical mapping of the legal principles and rule of law that subsequently shaped government in the free nations and United States generally.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Democracy, Aristocracy, Theocracy and the Rule of Law in the New England Colonies, 1620-1686" is a solid work of specific and meticulous scholarship. Informative, definitively documented, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) from Lievin K. Mboma Press, "Democracy, Aristocracy, Theocracy and the Rule of Law in the New England Colonies, 1620-1686" is a high value and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 17th Century American Political History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Lievin Kambamba Mboma is also the author of "African American Lawmen: Volumes 1 & 2" (Lievin K. Mboma Press)
African American Lawmen 1877-1900
Lievin Kambamba Mboma
Lievin K. Mboma Press
9781737338451, $38.99, HC, 206pp
https://www.amazon.com/AFRICAN-AMERICAN-LAWMEN-1877-1900-vol-2/dp/1737338459
Synopsis: "African American Lawmen 1877-1900" discusses the understudied topic of African Americans holding civic and professional positions in the criminal justice system following Reconstruction.
For a better understanding of this topic, with the publication of "African American Lawmen 1877-1900", Lievin Kambamba Mboma tackles the early unofficial lapse of Reconstruction Era policies resulting from rebellion by underprivileged Southern Whites. Namely, regarding the unofficial end of Reconstruction, Mboma briefly explores the lapse of this period as contextualized by rebellions in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas along with the peaceful end of Reconstruction policies in North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.
"African American Lawmen 1877-1900" also examines the position of the federal government on the premature lapse of Reconstruction Era policies, and with expert precision, offers critique of the non-interference of Federal authorities in Southern rebellion as indicated through the policies of President Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Mboma further finds that Presidential successors, Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley also observed the same non-interference policies as their predecessors.
From Reconstruction failure and federal government responses, Mboma's study progresses to documentary evidence of the emergence of Black union members, their associations with the Republican Party and Lily Whites, and the Black and Tans political phenomenon. Moreover, he analyzes legally restrictive franchise methods utilized by Southern officials, such as the Constitutional Amendment and political party's restrictive election measure, which he describes as tools used to disenfranchise African Americans and circumvent their inclusion in criminal justice.
The specific areas of inclusion in the criminal justice system explored by Mboma include African American retentions, exclusion, and re-inclusions in the police force, prisons, judiciary system, and regulatory agencies at the county, state, and federal levels.
The totality of historical documentation analyzed reveals that many African Americans executed political strategies to maintain their presence as political actors at the local and state levels. They furthermore joined the fusion government or switched political parties on the federal level.
Additionally, the strategic exodus of African Americans heading North, West, or even East to Liberia to overcome civil and political injustices in the South cannot be discounted. Thus, the works of such leaders as Henry Adams of Louisiana and Benjamin 'Pap' Singleton of Tennessee during the African American exodus from the South are highlighted in the context of connections with the emergence of African Americans in the pollical sphere of the North.
"African American Lawmen 1877-1900" is an essential addition to the literature on African Americans in the aftermath of Reconstruction for students, professors, scholars and anyone interested in U.S. history and law.
Critique: "African American Lawmen 1877-1900" is the second volume in author/historian Lievin Kambamba Mboma seminal and groundbreaking study that began with "African American Lawmen 1867-1877, Volume 1". A meticulous work of original scholarship and a unique contribution to community and college/university library African American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "African American Lawmen 1877-1900" is also readily available from Lievin K. Mboma Press in a paperback edition (9781737338468, $20.00) as well.
Editorial Note: Lievin Kambamba Mboma is also the author of "Pilgrims and Puritans in Colonial America" (Lievin K. Mboma Press)
The World History Shelf
Liquid Empire
Corey Ross
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691211442, $39.95, HC, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Empire-Water-Power-Colonial/dp/0691211442
Synopsis: In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a handful of powerful European states controlled more than a third of the land surface of the planet. These sprawling empires encompassed not only rainforests, deserts, and savannahs but also some of the world's most magnificent rivers, lakes, marshes, and seas. With the publication of "Liquid Empire: Water and Power in the Colonial World" by the Princeton University Press, author Corey Ross tells the story of how the waters of the colonial world shaped the history of imperialism, and how this imperial past still haunts us today.
Spanning the major European empires of the period, Ross describes how new ideas, technologies, and institutions transformed human engagements with water and how the natural world was reshaped in the process. Water was a realm of imperial power whose control and distribution were closely bound up with colonial hierarchies and inequalities - but this vital natural resource could never be fully tamed. Ross vividly portrays the efforts of officials, engineers, fisherfolk, and farmers to exploit water, and highlights its crucial role in the making and unmaking of the colonial order.
Revealing how the legacies of empire have persisted long after colonialism ebbed away, Liquid Empire provides needed historical perspective on the crises engulfing the world's waters, particularly in the Global South, where billions of people are faced with mounting water shortages, rising flood risks, and the relentless depletion of sea life.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of numerous illustrations, a forty-six page Bibliography, and an eight page Index, "Liquid Empire: Water and Power in the Colonial World" is a seminal and ground- breaking study that will be of particular interest to students of European colonial and post-colonial history, environmental policy, and European/International politics. A meticulous and deftly crafted work of original scholarship, "Liquid Empire: Water and Power in the Colonial World" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this edition of "Liquid Empire: Water and Power in the Colonial World" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Corey Ross is director of the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel in Switzerland. His books include "Ecology and Power in the Age of Empire". (https://europa.unibas.ch/en/about-us/people/directorate/corey-ross)
A Short History of Albania and the Albanian People
Nicolae Iorga
Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592114214, $29.99, HC, 120pp
https://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Albania-Albanian-People/dp/1592114210
Synopsis: With the publication of "A Short History of Albania and the Albanian People", author and historian Nicolae Iorga revealed the fascinating story of the Albanian people, whose rich heritage dates back to the ancient Illyrians, inhabitants of the Balkan peninsula since pre-Homeric times.
"A Short History of Albania and the Albanian People" takes you on an enlightening expedition through the pivotal moments that shaped this unique and resilient culture, leading up to the establishment of Albania as a sovereign nation in 1912. At the heart of Albania's distinctiveness lies its language, derived from ancient Illyrian, setting it apart from neighboring Slavic and Greek communities. This linguistic connection with their ancestors has played a significant role in preserving their ethnic identity throughout history despite political and religious divisions.
Now available for the first time in English from Histria Press, "A Short History of Albania and the Albanian People" is essential reading for Albanian history enthusiasts and anyone seeking to grasp the complexity and resilience of a people whose roots date back to ancient times. Embark on this captivating voyage, delving into the rich tapestry of Albania's past and the indomitable spirit of the Albanian people that endures to this day.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, a two page Author's Preface, a two page Appendix (Extracts from Ottoman Official Statistics), and a one page bibliographic listing of Suggested Reading, this hardcover edition of "A Short History of Albania and the Albanian People" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Albanian History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Nicolae Iorga (17 January 1871 - 27 November 1940), was one of Romania's greatest historians. During his long and distinguished academic career, Iorga authored more than 1,000 books and 12,000 articles. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Iorga)
The History and Chronology of Ancient India
Anil J. Mehta
Satyam Press
https://www.satyam-books.com
9798987436905, $65.00, HC, 386pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-history-and-chronology-of-ancient-india-anil-j-mehta/1146338028
Synopsis: It is not common knowledge, even within India, let alone the world, that the current and widely presented history and chronology of ancient India is not the one recorded by Indians, but rather a distorted version created during the colonial rule of India.
With the publication of "The History and Chronology of Ancient India: Undoing Distortions from Colonial Rule", author Anil J. Mehta explains the reasons and the glaring errors in the prevalent chronology and history of India.
Mehta approaches these errors with evidence based on years of extensive research supported by hundreds of references that are cited in his study. He discusses numerous specific examples of distortions of the chronology to provide a correct, continuous, and connected chronology and history of India from 3100+ BC to AD 1192.
Critique: Informed and informative, "The History and Chronology of Ancient India: Undoing Distortions from Colonial Rule" is a seminal, groundbreaking, iconoclastic, and meticulous work of original scholarship. Exceptionally well written, documented, organized and presented, "The History and Chronology of Ancient India: Undoing Distortions from Colonial Rule" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library History of India collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Anil Mehta has a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has over 30 years of experience in research, development, and design in the chemical industry with 12 United States patents.He has been keenly interested in history since his childhood. After first encountering theories regarding the potentially severe distortions in ancient Indian chronology and history, he could not wait to find the truth. He retired early in 2018 from a very satisfying career to commit his research skills full time to better understand and share the true history of India.
The Military History Shelf
The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943
James Holland
Grove Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802163851, $22.00, PB, 624pp
https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Storm-Battle-Italy-1943/dp/0802163858
Synopsis: Following victory in Sicily, while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops crossed into southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into one of the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war.
"The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" by James Holland chronicles the dramatic opening months of the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail, is unlike any campaign history yet written. Holland has always narrated war at ground level, but here goes further by chronicling events almost entirely through the contemporary eyes of those who were there on all sides and at all levels -- Allied, Axis, civilians alike.
Weaving together a wealth of letters, diaries, and other documents from the likes of American General Mark Clark, German battalion commander Georg Zellner, New Zealand lance-corporal Roger Smith, legendary war reporter Ernie Pyle, and Italian politician Filippo Caracciolo, Holland traces the battles as they were experienced across plains, over mountains, through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and, towards the end of December 1943, frigid cold and relentless rain.
Such close-up views persuade Holland to recast important aspects of the campaign, reappraising the reputation of Mark Clark himself and other senior commanders of the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth armies. Given the shortage of Allied shipping and materiel allocated to Italy because of the build-up for D-Day, more was expected of Allied troops in Italy than anywhere else, and, as accounts at the time attest, a huge price was paid by everyone for each bloodily contested mile.
Putting readers vividly in the moment as events unfolded, with characters made unforgettable by their own words, "The Savage Storm" is a defining account of the pivotal months leading to Monte Cassino, and a landmark in the writing about war.
Critique: Originally published in hardcover by the Atlantic Monthly Press (December, 2023), this new paperback edition of "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented chronology and description of the Allied invasion of Italy. While also now available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.75) as well, "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library World War II collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Arguably one of WWII's finest historians, James Holland is the author of Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy '44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, and Dam Busters. He has written and presented the documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC, and a WWII podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holland_(author)
Arming the Warship
Iver P. Cooper
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476694993, $49.95, PB, 305pp
https://www.amazon.com/Arming-Warship-Weapons-Technology-Gunnery/dp/1476694990
Synopsis: In the 16th century, warships engaged at close range, sometimes with yards with small arms fire and hand-to-hand combat being at least as important as the "great guns" or ship's cannons. As time went on, the big guns became more decisive and increased in destructive power, range and accuracy.
With the publication of "Arming the Warship: Naval Weapons Technology and Gunnery from the Spanish Armada to the Cold War", Iver P. Cooper explores how naval armament, armor, ballistics and gunnery evolved from the 16th to 20th centuries from a scientific and technological perspective. Cooper also examines the functional aspects (the guns and their distribution on warships, the propellants, the projectiles and so forth) as well as examining the development of each.
Critique: This large format (7 x 0.62 x 10 inches, 1.24 pounds) paperback edition of "Arming the Warship: Naval Weapons Technology and Gunnery from the Spanish Armada to the Cold War" from McFarland & Company is a seminal and groundbreaking study that is an invaluable and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Maritime Naval & Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Iver P. Cooper is an independent researcher in the history of science and technology. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/18410143.Iver_P_Cooper)
The Civil War Shelf
"Digging All Night and Fighting All Day"
Paul Brueske
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611217100, $32.95, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Digging-All-Night-Fighting-Day/dp/1611217105
Synopsis: The bloody two-week siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama (March 26 - April 8, 1865) was one of the final battles of the Civil War. Despite its importance and fascinating history, surprisingly little has been written about it. Many considered the fort as the key to holding the important seaport of Mobile, which surrendered to Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby on April 12, 1865. Paul Brueske's "Digging All Night and Fighting All Day": The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign, 1865 is the first full-length study of this subject.
General U. S. Grant had long set his eyes on capturing Mobile. Its fall would eliminate the vital logistical center and put one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederacy. On January 18, 1865, Grant ordered General Canby to move against Mobile, Montgomery, and Selma and destroy anything useful to the enemy's war effort. The reduction of Spanish Fort, along with Fort Blakeley (the primary obstacles to taking Mobile) was a prerequisite to capturing the city.
After the devastating Tennessee battles of Franklin and Nashville in late 1864, many Federals believed Mobile's garrison (which included a few battered brigades and most of the artillery units from the Army of Tennessee) did not have much fight left and would evacuate the city rather than fight. They did not. Despite being outnumbered about 10 to 1, 33-year-old Brig. Gen. Randall Lee Gibson mounted a skillful and spirited defense that "considerably astonished" his Union opponents. The siege and battle that unfolded on the rough and uneven bluffs of Mobile Bay's eastern shore, fought mainly by veterans of the principal battles of the Western Theater, witnessed every offensive and defensive art known to war.
Critique: A seminal and groundbreaking study by author/historian Paul Brueske draws upon primary source materials, including letters, diaries, reports, and newspaper accounts to produce an meticulously documented history of an overlooked but impressively important event of the Civil War that saw acts of heroism rivaling any that had come before in this long and brutal war. A fascinating and informative read from start to finish, "Digging All Night and Fighting All Day": The Civil War Siege of Spanish Fort and the Mobile Campaign, 1865" is an essential and core contribution to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Civil War History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, Civil War buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that this hardcover edition from Savas Beatie is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Paul Brueske has been studying the Civil War history of northwest Florida and south Alabama for the past 20 years. He is the president and founder of the Mobile Area Civil War Round Table and the head track and field coach at the University of South Alabama. Brueske is a regular speaker on Gulf Coast-related Civil War topics and a member of the Friends of Historic Blakeley State Park, the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, and Friends of the History Museum of Mobile.
The Nautical Shelf
The Charles W. Morgan
Andrew W. German
The Lyons Press
www.lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493084432, $24.95, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Charles-W-Morgan-Worlds-Whaleship/dp/1493084437
Synopsis: As America's oldest merchant ship still afloat and the only wooden survivor of the once-vital whaling industry, the Charles W. Morgan has a complex story to tell.
Elaborating on earlier volumes on the ship's history at Mystic Seaport Museum, "The Charles W. Morgan: The World's Last Wooden Whaleship" is new study by Andrew W. German that offers an expanded account, chronicling the ship's construction and launch in 1841 through its Thirty-Eighth Voyage in 2014 (the first time the Morgan had been sailed in more than ninety years) and its continuing role today as an historic icon and the Museum's flagship vessel.
Individual chapters paint an informed and informative picture of how whaling developed in Europe and the ways New England colonists adopted it as a profitable venture, and then, through the ship's own story, proceed to sketch the evolution of America's relationship with nature (and the whale, specifically) as well as the many peoples of the world who were encountered by, or served aboard, a whaleship.
This is also the story of a National Historic Landmark -- one that reflects our changing relationship with the natural world and with the diverse populations of the globe through two centuries of American history.
Critique: An especially recommended read for the legions of maritime history fans, "The Charles W. Morgan: The World's Last Wooden Whaleship" is profusely illustrated throughout with both contemporary color and B/W historical photos, A seminal and erudite study, "The Charles W. Morgan: The World's Last Wooden Whaleship" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Maritime 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 "The Charles W. Morgan: The World's Last Wooden Whaleship" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.50) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Andrew W. German is former director of Mystic Seaport Museum's Publications Department and coauthor of multiple Mystic/whaling-related books, including The Charles W. Morgan: A Picture History of an American Icon, Down on T Wharf: The Boston Fisheries as Seen Through the Photographs of Henry D. Fisher, and Flagships of Mystic Seaport. (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1917146.Andrew_W_German)
Editorial Note #2: Mystic Seaport Museum (https://mysticseaport.org) is the nation's leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America's seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to "inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience."
The Parenting Shelf
Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle
Sarah Allen Benton
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.rowman.com
9781538181898, $32.00, HC, 222pp
https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Recovery-Navigating-Family-Lifestyle/dp/1538181894
Synopsis: "Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle" by Sarah Allen Benton is not a book about "how" to parent. It is also not a book about "how" to get sober. Instead, it is meant to be a guide for parents in recovery (PIRs) from substance use disorders that provides insights and strategies for coping with the many unique and not so unique, challenges they may face.
"Parents in Recovery" is also intended to give the loved ones and families of PIRs an inside look at this world and explain why certain changes and behaviors are necessary to maintain long-term recovery. Each chapter is an integration of research, the voices of parents in recovery, input from addiction treatment experts, parent recovery wisdom suggestions and the author's past journal accounts.
This is a guidebook that can support mothers and fathers in navigating their way through parenting with a sober lifestyle -- which includes physical, emotional, social, spiritual, behavioral, environmental, and vocational wellness. It is written for those who have embraced sobriety before, during or after becoming a parent and can serve as a "job-aid" on this journey.
The key topics covered include love and marriage, family systems, work and life balance, self-care, parenting types, sober socializing, coping with hard times, mental health and recovery pride. "Parents in Recover" also addresses modern-day challenges, including the use of electronics, social media, career identity, social trends, non-traditional parental roles and living in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world.
While many parents feel shame associated with aspects of their addiction, "Parents in Recovery" emphasizes the gifts and accomplishments of being in recovery and how they positively impact the entire family system.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an eight page Bibliography, fourteen pages of Notes, a two page listing of Resources, a two page listing of Acknowledgments, and a six page Index, "Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle" is a unique and 'real world' practical instructional guide that will prove invaluable for parents in addiction recovery wanting to right by their children (and grandchildren). Exceptionally informative, inspiring, motivating, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition for personal, professional, community, counseling center, college and university library Parenting and Addiction Recovery collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this hardcover edition from Rowman & Littlefield is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.00).
Editorial Note: Sarah Allen Benton (www.bentonbhc.com) is a licensed mental health counselor and advanced alcohol and drug counselor. She is co-owner of Benton Behavioral Health Consulting, LLC specializing in clinical and business support services. Sarah is a co-founder and chief clinical officer for Waterview Behavioral Health in Wallingford, CT and was also the former director of Clinical Services for Aware Recovery Care in North Haven, CT. Sarah has worked as a therapist and clinical consultant for various addiction treatment programs, practices, and start-ups. She also worked at McLean Hospital in their dual diagnosis transitional treatment program, Klarman Center for eating disorder treatment and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute in Belmont, MA.
Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention
Malina Malkani MS RDN CDN
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637745359, $21.95, PB, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Simple-Food-Allergy-Prevention/dp/1637745354
Synopsis: How you feed your baby during infancy can lower the risk that they will develop food allergies as they grow. Starting solids with simple, wholesome finger foods and offering baby-friendly versions of common allergens like peanuts and eggs early and often helps encourage self-feeding, early motor skills, and lifelong adventurous eating.
"Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention: A Baby-Led Feeding Guide to Starting Solids and Introducing Top Allergens" by pediatric dietitian and infant feeding expert Malina Malkani is an accessible, practical, DIY guide to starting solids will empower you to safely introduce top allergens, navigate existing food allergies and intolerances, engage your baby in family meals, and build a balanced baby meal from recipes the whole family will enjoy.
With easy-to-follow tips this comprehensive handbook includes:
A flexible 9-day road map for safely introducing top allergens
Practical advice for navigating food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities
8 weeks of meal plans to help ensure your baby is exposed to top allergens frequently
80 nutritious recipes to make meal prep simple and satisfy the whole family
Guidance on balancing finger foods, purees, and breast milk and/or formula
Tips to encourage your baby's oral motor development, palate expansion, caregiver bonding, fine motor skill advancement, and more
"Safe & Simple Food Allergy Prevention" will help you sail through the process of starting solids and introducing allergens, streamline your approach to mealtimes, and feed your family with confidence and ease.
Critique: Comprising 80 'family friendly' recipes, "Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention: A Baby-Led Feeding Guide to Starting Solids and Introducing Top Allergens" provides a complete and comprehensive course of DIY instructions for a mother to start her infant on solids and building up a resistence to food allergies. "Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention: A Baby-Led Feeding Guide to Starting Solids and Introducing Top Allergens" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for family, community, and college/university library Parenting Infants/Toddlers, the use of Gluten Free diets, and Baby Food Cooking for new and experienced mothers alike.
Editorial Note: Malina Malkani (www.malinamalkani.com), is the pediatric registered dietitian, bestselling author, sought-after speaker, and single mom of three behind the Instagram and TikTok handle @healthy.mom.healthy.kids. A top nutrition influencer dedicated to educating her audience of over 140,000 followers about infant and childhood nutrition, Malina is a trusted expert in local and national media outlets and owns a nutrition consulting company, blog, and private practice helping caregivers feed their babies, families, and selves with confidence. Malina is also the author of Simple and Safe Baby-Led Weaning and the creator of two online courses for parents: Safe & Simple Baby-Led Feeding and Solve Picky Eating.
The Cookbook Shelf
Entertaining with Charm
Eden Passante
Weldon Owen, Inc.
c/o Insight Editions
www.insighteditions.com
9798886741483, $29.99, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Entertaining-Charm-Modern-Relaxed-Gatherings/dp/B0CTYHD2XP
Synopsis: More than just another collection of recipes, "Entertaining with Charm" by Eden Passante will guide you in hosting beautiful gatherings with delicious dishes and simple style. Organized by category, "Entertaining with Charm" is filled from cover to cover with appealing recipes, refreshing signature cocktails, and mouth-watering desserts and is about bringing people together for unfussy food and drink. It is about enjoying the simple things in life: celebrations made easy with fresh food that's straightforward to prepare, charming details, and memorable gatherings around the table.
With her inspiring blog, Sugar & Charm, (which has won accolades from legions of fans as well as award nods from Saveur, Domino, and more) in the pages of Entertaining with Charm" Eden extols her wisdom for the art of entertaining and becoming a confident home entertainer with easy-to-execute recipes, cocktails, and hosting knowhow.
Adding to a compendium of recipes for elegant dishes, "Entertaining with Charm" also includes expert advice on party planning and simply natural ways to add style and charm, from fresh flowers and table decor to candles and cozy ambiance. Whether it's an intimate movie night, an alfresco dinner party, or a festive bonfire gathering, this DIY guide has all the recipes, tips, and ideas to make your event one that everyone will remember -- and will teach you that the only reason to host a party is to have fun.
Critique: A compendium of 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for magnificent and memorable dining occasions, this large format (8 x 1.1 x 10 inches, 2.87 pounds) hardcover edition of Eden Passante's "Entertaining with Charm" is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full page, full color photos of finished dishes. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community/public library cookbook collections, it should be noted that this edition of "Entertaining with Charm" from Weldon Owens is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Eden Passante (https://sugarandcharm.com) started Sugar and Charm in 2010, and it has grown into an influential recipe and entertaining brand where she shares how to host beautiful parties and the art of entertaining. Eden inspire her readers to become confident home entertainers by sharing easy-to-make recipes, cocktails, and desserts and hosting inspiration. Eden believes that entertaining doesn't have to be intimidating or complicated. It's all about bringing people together around something delicious and creating an experience that will make them feel welcome.
The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook
Hari Pulapaka & Jenneffer Pulapaka
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578269518, $20.00, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Healthy-Plant-Based-Cookbook/dp/1578269512
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for Lowering Blood Pressure, Reversing Heart Disease & Cardiac Recovery" reveals the secrets to a healthier heart bu showcasing more than 100 easy, oil-free, and salt-free recipes designed not only to prevent and reverse heart disease but also to tantalize your taste buds with delicious flavors.
Co-authored by lifestyle medicine expert Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka and professional chef Hari Pulapaka, "The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook" deftly combines culinary expertise with medical knowledge to create an essential collection of recipes are both impressively flavorful and extraordinarily good for your personal health and physical well-being.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US. Research shows that a plant-based, low-sodium, low-fat, oil-free diet, combined with regular exercise, not only reduces the risk of heart disease but is also crucial for recovery. Embrace a healthier lifestyle with recipes that support heart health and overall well-being.
"The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook" features:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert Recipes: Start your day with Blueberry and Oats Pancakes or enjoy a hearty Sweet Potato, Kale, and Mushroom Scramble. Savor a Roasted Vegetable Tikka Masala Curry for dinner or indulge in a Green Chile and Corn Chowder.
Pantry Staples and Special Seasoning Blends: Stock your kitchen with essential ingredients and unique seasoning blends to enhance your meals.
Soups and Sauces: Warm up with Rapini, Garlic, and White Bean Soup or try the Plantain and Lima Bean Mofongo.
Healthy Eating Habits: Learn key habits for a healthier heart with our comprehensive primer.
Featured family cook friendly recipes range: from Blueberry and Oats Pancakes; Sweet Potato, Kale, and Mushroom Scramble; Roasted Vegetable Tikka Masala Curry; and Quinoa, Garbanzo, Corn, and Spinach Pilaf; to Rapini, Garlic, and White Bean Soup; Plantain and Lima Bean Mofongo; Green Chile and Corn Chowder; and Roasted Red Pepper Coulis.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full page, full color photographs of finished dishes, this paperback edition of "The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for Lowering Blood Pressure, Reversing Heart Disease & Cardiac Recovery" from Hatherleigh Press is a high value and unreservedly recommended addition to family, personal, professional, and community library Heart Healthy & Vegetarian/Vegan cookbook collections.
Editorial Note #1: Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka, DPM, is a Board Certified Physician Diplomate in Lifestyle Medicine. A trained podiatric surgeon who specializes in diabetic limb salvage, she is the founder of DeLand Foot and Leg Center. A Certified Sommelier, she also has 15+ years of experience in menu planning and event design in the restaurant industry and has been a featured sommelier at the James Beard Foundation House. Along with her professional chef husband Hari Pulapaka, she founded Cress Restaurant.
Editorial Note #2: Hari Pulapaka is a professional chef and co-founder of Cress Restaurant. In 2017, Hari launched a company, Global Cooking School, LLC. Born and raised in Mumbai, he acquired an Associate of Applied Science in the Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu-Orlando in 2004. Hari is a Worldchefs Certified Master Chef and Certified Executive Chef of the American Culinary Federation with four James Beard Award semifinalist nods as Best Chef-South and multiple Food & Wine People's Best Chef recognitions. He is currently a full-time, tenured Associate Professor of Mathematics at Stetson University.
Welcome Home Quick & Easy Cookbook
Hope Comerford, author
Bonnie Matthews, photographer
Good Books
www.goodbooks.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781680999204, $24.99, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Home-Quick-Easy-Cookbook/dp/1680999206
Synopsis: When you have a busy schedule, preparing balanced and delicious meals day after day can start to feel like a real burden! Then "Welcome Home Quick & Easy Cookbook: Fuss-Free Meals Everyone Will Love!" can take some of the weight off your shoulders. This is a culinary compendium of 127 breakfasts, dinners, and desserts that will please a variety of palates and can be easily whipped up in a short time.
Whether you prefer to use your stovetop, oven, Instant Pot, or slow cooker, there are plenty of options in this book for you that include 'kitchen cook friendly' DIY recipes for such dishes as:
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Mexican Beef and Barley Soup
Southwestern Cauliflower
Chicken with Feta Cheese
Bistro Steak with Mushrooms
Chicken Alfredo Penne
Shrimp with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Meatball Tortellini Soup
Guacamole Chicken
Banana Split Snack Cake
Candy Bar Cookies
And so many more!
You can trust these recipes because they are collected from some of America's best home cooks, tested in real-life settings, and carefully selected from thousands of recipes. Finally, a cookbook that makes dinnertime stress-free and fun!
Critique: Beautifully illustrated with full page, full color photos, and a delight to simply browse through one inspiring and instructional page at a time, "Welcome Home Quick & Easy Cookbook: Fuss-Free Meals Everyone Will Love!" is an ideal menu planning resource for the time constrained family cook with an impressive variety of nutritious, delicious, and easy to prepare dishes. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), this paperback edition of "Welcome Home Quick & Easy Cookbook: Fuss-Free Meals Everyone Will Love!" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note #1: Hope Comerford is the blogger behind A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures and is the author of The Gluten-Free Slow Cooker and editor or author of several Fix-It and Forget-It books including Fix-It and Forget-It Lazy and Slow Cookbook, Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking for Two, and Welcome Home Cookbook. She is passionate about writing easy, delicious recipes. (www.goodreads.com/author/show/7138428.Hope_Comerford)
Editorial Note #2: Bonnie Matthews is a food photographer, cookbook author, and illustrator. When Bonnie is not creating recipes or photographing food, she's drawing and painting for children's books and magazines. She's illustrated 25 books for children, including the award-winning "What To Do" series. In her spare time, she escapes to tiny islands and snorkels to get inspiration for the characters she draws. She is also the author of The Freekeh Cookbook, Hot & Hip Grilling Secrets, Hot & Hip Healthy Gluten-Free Cooking, and The Eat Your Way Healthy at Trader Joe's Cookbook. (https://app.ckbk.com/authors/bonnie-matthews)
Disney Frozen
Daytona Danielsen & S. T. Bende
Insight Editions
www.insighteditions.com
9798886635430, $27.99, HC, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Frozen-Official-Cookbook-Arendelle/dp/B0CTYHP9HW
Synopsis: For the first time in forever, fans of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf will get to experience sights, smells, and tastes of Arendelle with the publication of "Disney Frozen: The Official Cookbook: A Culinary Journey through Arendelle", an all-new cookbook that features Scandinavian recipes celebrating some of the people and cultures that inspired Disney's animated movies, Frozen and Frozen 2.
"Disney Frozen" is a compendium of recipes that each features step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs so chefs of any age or skill level can learn to prepare traditional Scandinavian treats. Showcasing more than fifty-five recipes with historical tie-ins to each recipe's significance in the films and culture, this unique and comprehensive cookbook brings the tastes of Arendelle into your very own home.
The 55+ recipes are for Scandinavian dishes and delicacies include such examples as kransekake
and feature Frozen inspired recipes for appetizers, entrees, drinks, and desserts will bring Arendelle to your kitchen. Beautiful, full-color photos of finished dishes help ensure success.
Critique: The newest addition to the Disney movies inspired cookbooks that include "Disney: Cooking with Magic", "Lilo & Stitch: The Official Cookbook", "Encanto: The Official Cookbook", and "Coco: The Official Cookbook", this hardcover edition of "Disney Frozen: The Official Cookbook: A Culinary Journey through Arendelle" will prove a welcome and enduringly popular addition to family and community library cookbook collections. Of special note is that "Disney Frozen: The Official Cookbook: A Culinary Journey through Arendelle" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) as well.
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, "Feasts of Good Fortune", co-authored by 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 distinctive 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 culturally 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.
"Feasts of Good Fortune" is organized chronologically with menus that for:
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 -- and more!
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with both step-by-step photos and finished, full page, full color photos of finished dishes. A culinary pleasure to browse through, and an ideal resource to plan authentic Chinese menus with, "Feasts of Good Fortune: 75 Recipes for a Year of Chinese American Celebrations, from Lunar New Year to Mid-Autumn Festival and Beyond" is especially and unreservedly recommended addition to family and community library Ethnic Chinese cookbook collections. It should be noted for personal and professional collections that this edition of "Feasts of Good Fortune" from Sasquatch Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
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. Chou lives with her family in Seattle.
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. She lives in Seattle with her family.
Eat Happy Italian
Anna Vocino
BenBella Books
www.benbellabooks.com
9781637745298, $24.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Happy-Italian-Gluten-Free-Grain-Free/dp/163774529X
Synopsis: With the publication of "Eat Happy Italian: 101 Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low-Carb Recipes for Living la Bella Vita", Anna Vocino brings both Italian-American favorites and authentic Italian dishes to the low-carb kitchen. Inspired by the Italian and Italian-American dishes she grew up eating, This is Anna's third cookbook and showcases more than 100 recipes reimagined with a healthful twist.
Turning even the most carb-heavy dishes into healthy versions without sacrificing taste (including sauces and dressings) the recipes comprising "Eat Happy Italian" are suitable for anyone looking to eat better, and particularly those who follow low-carb diets like keto, paleo, and NSNG (no sugar, no grains).
Accompanied by color photographs of finished dishes ready to serve, these 100 creative, no-sugar and low-sugar, grain- and gluten-free recipes include:
Cauliflower Gnocchi al Pesto
Eggplant Parm Bites
Salmon Puttanesca
Ultimate Low-Carb Pizza
Wild Mushroom Cauliflower "Risotto"
Knife-and-Fork Calzone
Roasted Lemon Tuscan Chicken
Low-Carb Panzanella Salad
Olive Oil Cake with Limoncello Glaze
And so many more!
Critique: This large format (7.13 x 0.6 x 9.06 inches, 1.35 pounds) paperback edition of Anna Vocino's "Eat Happy Italian: 101 Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low-Carb Recipes for Living la Bella Vita" is a culinary collection to delight Italian cuisine enthusiasts and an inspiring resource for planning memorable menus for all dining occations. While an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library Italian Cookbook collections, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "Eat Happy Italian" from BenBella Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Anna Vocino (https://annavocino.com) is a talented culinary personality and tastemaker who brings to the table a wealth of experience as a cookbook author, actor, stand-up comedian, podcast cohost, clean-eating expert, and founder of Eat Happy Kitchen -- a natural food company making organically sourced, gluten-free, grain-free, and filler-free foods with no sugar added. Anna 's recipes and expertise on everything from spices to kitchen appliances have been featured in Women's Health, Parade, Consumer Reports, and other consumer media outlets.
The Self-Reliant Kitchen
Michelle Mullennix
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510778115, $27.99, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Self-Reliant-Kitchen-Scratch-Farm-Table/dp/151077811X
Synopsis: If you are ready to stop relying on overly processed foods from the grocery store and fast-food joints, and start nourishing yourself and your family with healthier options, "The Self-Reliant Kitchen: From-Scratch Sourdough Breads, Homemade Cheese, and Farm-to-Table Meals" was created specifically for you.
Through easy-to-follow recipes and traditional cooking skills, this cookbook by Michelle Mullennix is a culinary compendium of recipes that will inspire and empower you to create a more self-reliant kitchen providing palate pleasing and nutritious menus for all dining occasions
"The Self-Reliant Kitchen" offers ideal DIY kitchen cook recipes that include:
Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Home-Churned Butter
Raspberry Preserves
Homemade Pasta
Chicken Pot Pie
Sourdough Fried Chicken
Pot Roast
Nourishing Bone Broth
Homemade Pickles
Healthy Grape Gummies
Homemade Maple Vanilla Marshmallows
And a great many more!
With the help of "The Self-Reliant Kitchen: From-Scratch Sourdough Breads, Homemade Cheese, and Farm-to-Table Meals", even the most novice of family kitchen cooks will learn how to replace manufactured, over-processed store bought food items with delicious from-scratch dishes one recipe
Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in the organization and step-by-step presentation, as well as being magnificently illustrated throughout with full page, full color photographs of finished dishes, "The Self-Reliant Kitchen: From-Scratch Sourdough Breads, Homemade Cheese, and Farm-to-Table Meals" is a strongly recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for those with an interest in homemade and wholesome cuisine that "The Self-Reliant Kitchen: From-Scratch Sourdough Breads, Homemade Cheese, and Farm-to-Table Meals" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Michelle Mullennix has been creating recipes as long as she can remember, but in more recent years she has focused on becoming more self-reliant in the kitchen. She lives on a homestead in Cave Creek, Arizona.
The Curated Board
Bebe Black Carminito, author
Marie Reginato, photographer
Cameron Company
c/o Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
www.abramsbooks.com
9781949480511, $24.99, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Curated-Board-Inspired-Platters-Occasion/dp/1949480518
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Curated Board: Inspired Platters for Any Occasion", food stylist Bebe Black Carminito shows both novice and experienced kitchen cooks how they can elevate the art of composing delicious small-bite meals. From family breakfast and afternoon tea to date night and game night, Bebe presents twenty-eight themed boards and platters with more than sixty-five effortless recipes and suggests perfect pairings along with styling tips for optimal presentation.
Presenting a diverse array of platters from culinary influencers celebrating their gastronomic heritage, "The Curated Board" invites you to create spreads for all your special occasions. Raid your pantry and fridge and pair your favorite prepared foods with Bebe's delicious homemade dips, snacks, baked goods, salads, cocktails, and sweets. Relish in Green Chile, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Pineapple-Jalapeno Cheese Balls, Herbes de Provence Grissini, Campanelle Pasta Salad, Basil Gimlets, and Cherry-Almond Oat Bars, among many others -- the culinary possibilities are endless.
Curated themed boards for any occasion includes:
Granola, Fruit & Yoghurt Board
Lebanese Sheet Pan Brunch
An English Tea Party
Girl's Day Charcuter-Yay Board
Ukranian Budmo Board
Aperitivo Time
Dim Sum Celebration
Chocolate Lover's Soiree
Halva-Licious Board
These fun and easy-to-prepare meals will have you pulling out your platters and boards, making the most of your pantry, and gathering with loved ones around a cornucopia of delectable small bites.
Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of a profusion of beautifully photographed finished boards by photographer Marie Reginato, this large format (7.85 x 0.9 x 9.55 inches, 1.6 pounds) hardcover edition of Bebe Black Carminito's "The Curated Board: Inspired Platters & Spreads for Any Occasion" from Cameron Company is a pleasure to browse through and ideal for planning menus with, including wine pairing, garnishing, and the creation of memorably delicious appetizers. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99), "The Curated Board" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note #1: Bebe Black Carminito (www.atinysoiree.com) is a food stylist, recipe developer, content creator, and professional makeup artist. She co-runs and oversees three global cookbook clubs. Her foray into cookbooks was The California Date Cookbook, as well as styling for 52 Shabbats. Bebe attended the San Francisco Cooking School and started her culinary career at A16, an acclaimed restaurant in San Francisco.
Editorial Note #2: Marie Reginato (https://8thandlake.wixsite.com/portfolio) is a photographer, cooking video host, and author of Alternative Vegan and The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Susan Spungen, a founding food editor at Martha Stewart Living, was the culinary consultant and food stylist on the films Julie & Julia, It's Complicated, and Eat, Pray, Love. She is also the author of Recipes: A Collection for the Modern Cook, What's a Hostess to Do?, and Strawberries (A Short Stack Edition) and co-author of the bestselling Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook.
Vegan Japan
Julia Boucachard
The Experiment Publishing
https://theexperimentpublishing.com
9798893030068, $24.95, HC, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Japan-Comforting-Plant-Based-Recipes/dp/B0CT7GH93P
Synopsis: Japanese French chef Julia Boucachard grew up devouring all of the above. When she went vegan, she was determined not to give up any of her childhood favorites. In Vegan Japan, she shows that cooking nourishing, flavor-packed plant-based Japanese food doesn't have to be complicated.
With an emphasis on seasonality, balanced flavors, and simple techniques, this is her plant-based celebration of Japanese cuisine and the myriad vegetables that make their way onto the Japanese plate. Inside, you'll find:
The classics, including Kabocha Stew, Miso Butter Ramen, Yakisoba, Onigiri, Gyoza, Melon Pan, and many more
Yoshoku (Western dishes given playful Japanese spins) like Napolitan and Japanese Potato Salad
Cleverly veganized takes on meat and seafood dishes like Karaage and Maguro Don
Even-better-homemade condiments and sauces such as Ponzu Sauce, Mentsuyu, and Japanese Mayonnaise
Plus tempting street foods, wholesome vegetable sides, sweet desserts, and an illustrated guide to must-have Japanese pantry staples
Critique: Warming soups and slurp-able noodles. Refreshing vegetable sides. Indulgent street foods. Adorable bite-size desserts. "Vegan Japan: 70 Comforting Plant-Based Recipes" is an impressive compendium of 'kitchen cook friendly' authentic Japanes cuisine recipes for vegans. Enhanced throughout with full color photographs and illustrations of completed dishes and step-by-step recipe instructions. A fun and inspiring culinary resource to plan truly memorable menus for both formal and informal dining occasions for vegans, vegetartarians, and Japanese cuisine enthusiasts that is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, 15.99), and enhanced throughout with full color photographs and illustrations of completed dishes and step-by-step recipe instructions, "Vegan Japan" is a solid and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, family, professional, and community library Vegan/Vegetarian and Ethnic/Japanese cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Julia Boucachard grew up splitting her time between Tokyo and France. After becoming vegetarian and then vegan, she found her restaurant choices drastically limited. After earning a degree in biology and a master's degree in environment she became a self-taught cook, starting a catering business before opening the Mori Cafe in Paris, where she shares plant-baed recipes inspired by the food of her childhood.
Slurp: Recipes to Elevate Your Noodles
Dennis Yen
Tra Publishing
www.trapublishing.com
9781962098106, $22.00, HC, 156pp
https://www.amazon.com/Slurp-Recipes-Elevate-Your-Noodles/dp/1962098109
Synopsis: With the publication of "Slurp: Recipes to Elevate Your Noodles" from Tra Publishing, Dennis Yen shares the genuine noodle dishes he grew up with. He also shares the philosophy that has made him an internet sensation: that noodles shouldn't be complicated.
From dan dan noodles to dumplings, slow-cooked broths to instant ramen, "Slurp: Recipes to Elevate Your Noodles" is an accessible cookbook that includes slurp-friendly recipes for all levels inspired by humble kitchens in Southeast Asia.
Inside the family cook will find recipes for dumplings, sauces, and seasonings that can elevate simple noodles, as well as rich broths that range from classic noodle dishes (mamma's pho) to innovative variations (birria taco ramen).
Critique: Visually enhanced throughout with full color, full page photographs of finished dishes and 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes, "Slurp: Recipes to Elevate Your Noodles" is a remarkable culinary compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying ways to prepare magnificent Asian dishes showcasing the noodle. Simply but emphatically stated, "Slurp: Recipes to Elevate Your Noodles" is unreservedly recommended as a prized addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Dennis Yen is an interior designer, avid home cook, and content creator. He finds joy in crafting diverse dishes influenced by Southeast Asian cuisines, ranging from elaborate 48-hour broths to comforting instant noodles. Inspired by his family, especially his mother, Dennis seeks to preserve the taste and memories of his upbringing in each delightful creation.
Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Comfort Foods Cookbook
Wanda E. Brunstetter
Barbour Publishing
www.barbourbooks.com
9781636099736, $17.99, Spiral Bound, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wanda-Brunstetters-Friends-Comfort-Cookbook/dp/1636099734
Synopsis: A culinary compendium of favorite Amish recipes by Wanda E. Brunstetter (the acclaimed author of Amish fiction) "Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Comfort Foods Cookbook: More Than 200 Recipes That Taste Like Home and Love" is a an Amish cookbook that delivers food for comfort and joy.
Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', more than 200 palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes from Amish and Mennonite cooks are divided into traditional categories from main dishes and sides to desserts and snacks, encased in a lay-flat spiral binding, and presented in full color.
Critique: An absolute 'must have' for the legions of Wanda E. Brunstetter fiction fans, home and family cooks of all ages will fully appreciate adding this Amish cookbook to their collection. The recipes within are ideal for planning memorable menus featuring authentic Amish cuisine for any and all dining occasions -- especially when a little comfort from the stresses of life is what's needed. "Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends Comfort Foods Cookbook" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Wanda E. Brunstetter (www.wandabrunstetter.com) is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written more than 100 books translated in four languages. With over 12 million copies sold, Wanda's stories consistently earn spots on the nation's most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards.
The Music Shelf
Kate Bush's Hounds of Love
Leah Kardos
Bloomsbury Academic
c/o Bloomsbury Press
www.bloomsbury.com
9798765106990, $14.95, PB, 152pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kate-Bushs-Hounds-Love-33/dp/B0CYP75PF3
Synopsis: With the publication of "Hounds Of Love", author Leah Kardos invites you to not only listen, but to cross the boundaries of sensory experience into realms of imagination and possibility.
Side A spawned four Top 40 hit singles in the UK, 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)', 'Cloudbusting', 'Hounds of Love' and 'The Big Sky', some of the best-loved and most enduring compositions in Bush's catalogue.
On side B, a hallucinatory seven-part song cycle called The Ninth Wave broke away from the pop conventions of the era by using strange and vivid production techniques that plunge the listener into the psychological centre of a near-death experience. Poised and accessible, yet still experimental and complex, with Hounds Of Love Bush mastered the art of her studio-based songcraft, finally achieving full control of her creative process.
When it came out in 1985, she was only 27 years old.
"Hounds of Love" also charts the emergence of Kate Bush in the early-to-mid-1980s as a courageous experimentalist, a singularly expressive recording artist and a visionary music producer. Track-by-track commentaries focus on the experience of the album from the listener's point of view, drawing attention to the art and craft of Bush's songwriting, production and sound design.
Also considered is the vast impact and influence that Hounds Of Love has had on music cultures and creative practices through the years, underlining the artist's importance as a barrier-smashing, template-defying, business-smart, record-breaking, never-compromising role model for artists everywhere.
Critique: Of immense and special interest to readers concerned with the history of popular music, music criticism, and the musical achievements/impact of Kate Bush. While also available from Bloomsbury Academic in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Hounds of Love" by academician Leah Kardos is recommended as a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections and supplemental English Popular Music History curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Leah Kardos (www.leahkardos.com) is a senior lecturer in music at Kingston University London, UK. She is also the author of Blackstar Theory: The Last Works of David Bowie (Bloomsbury, 2022), which was included as one of The Wire's 'Best Books of 2022'.
Editorial Note #2: 33+1 3 (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, 33+1 3 RPM. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33%E2%85%93)
Dolly Parton's White Limozeen
Steacy Easton
Bloomsbury Academic
c/o Bloomsbury Press
www.bloomsbury.com
9781501390401, $14.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dolly-Partons-White-Limozeen-33/dp/1501390406
Synopsis: White Limozeen (1989) was a commercial recovery after Dolly Parton's first major failure two years previously with the release of Rainbow.
"Dolly Parton's White Limozeen" by Steacy Easton is a case study in how an album is sold and a persona constructed. The album had a complex relationship to the country music genre at a time when the genre was in the middle of major sonic and cultural shifts, and it represents how country music saw itself.
This question of identity was especially relevant since White Limozeen was produced by Ricky Skaggs, the bluegrass prodigy who was in the middle of his own genre-widening experiments.
The album reflects dense and complex production, shredding ideas of purity, studio craft, slickness, and authenticity. In it, Dolly seems to be imagining the limits of her own personae - the country girl, the blonde burlesque, the pop legend, the gospel singer.
To study this album is to investigate Dolly's calculated role in fashioning her image into the icon she is today.
Critique: Impressively 'insider' informative, as well as being exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Dolly Parton's White Limozeen" is a 'must for the legions of Doly Parton fans. While unreservedly recommended as a unique addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Music History collections and supplemental Musicology curriculum studies lists, this paperback edition of Steacy Easton's "Dolly Parton's White Limozeen" from Bloomsbury Academic is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Steacy Easton has been writing about country music, sexuality, gender, and politics for more than fifteen years for academic and popular presses. They have written for the Atlantic, Spin, the National Post, NPR, among many others. They are a contributing writer to Country Queer. (https://www.publicbooks.org/author/steacy-easton)
Editorial Note #2: 33+1 3 (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, 33+1 3 RPM. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33%E2%85%93)
The Art Shelf
Colors in Japanese Art
Nobuyoshi Hamada
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805318188, $29.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Colors-Japanese-Art-Japans-Decorative/dp/480531818X
Synopsis: From the vibrant reds of traditional kimonos to the serene blues of tarashikomi riverscapes and woodblock prints, with the publication of "Colors in Japanese Art: The Use of Color in Japan's Fine and Decorative Arts", artist and author Nobuyoshi Hamada invites you to explore the rich tapestry of Japanese visual culture through the lens of color.
Whether you are a collector of Japanese art, a student of art history, or simply captivated by the rich shades, tones and hues that Japanese art presents, "Colors in Japanese Art" is basic to understanding this extraordinary artistic tradition.
"Colors in Japanese Art" showcases more than 120 great works of fine and decorative art and discusses the color schemes used in each work, including:
The vibrant red, gold, multi-hued kimonos from the 18th and 19th century Edo period
The gold, green and deep-blue season-themed screens of Tohaku and Sesshu
The elegant pinks and blues in the landscape prints of Hiroshige and Hokusai
The blues, reds and yellows in the Ko-Kutani & Imari porcelains of the Edo and Meiji periods
Earthy golds in fine lacquerwares dating as far back as the Heian period
And so many more colors in over 120 magnificent examples!
A detailed analysis of each work shows how these color schemes evolved; how their popularity waxed and waned over time; the social and spiritual significance of certain color combinations; and the pigments and dyes used to create them.
Color swatches accompany the featured artworks to show readers how colors were used in subtle combinations, including many hues, tones and tints unique to the Japanese arts. A color chart at the end of the book summarizes the beautiful colors that are most characteristic of this tradition.
Critique: This large format, coffee-table style, hardcover edition of "Colors in Japanese Art: The Use of Color in Japan's Fine and Decorative Arts" by Nobuyoshi Hamada (who served as editorial director of Seijinsha and has edited numerous volumes on such Japanese art and design topics as traditional motifs, family crests, manga, toys, lucky symbols, kimono patterns, and the use of color) from Tuttle Publishing is magnificently illustrated throughout in full color. Exceptional, memorable, comprehensively informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Colors in Japanese Art" is a truly outstanding, elegant, eloquent, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Japanese Art History, Ceramic, Textile, and Prints collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement
Karen Livingstone
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500480731, $50.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Pioneers-Crafts-Movement-Museum/dp/B0CVQY7YJV
Synopsis: "Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement" is a celebration of the work and ambition of the women who were at the heart of the most influential art and design movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It shines a light on the vital contribution of figures such as May Morris, Gertrude Jekyll, Annie Garnett, and many others, and describes the Arts and Crafts Movement from the perspective of these women who worked against the odds as artists, makers, teachers, authors, and entrepreneurs.
Women of the era took part in, and often led, the founding of exhibitions, societies, art schools, and small craft industries. Some were activists and social disruptors while using their skills and talents to make a living.
"Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement" highlights the versatility and range of these talented women, who worked across a host of disciplines, including textile design, embroidery, bookbinding, illustration, painting, enameling, stained glass, metalwork, furniture design, and architecture. It is richly illustrated with a wide array of their work, much of it previously unpublished. Featuring objects from the V&A's renowned Arts and Crafts collection, "Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement" also includes key pieces from other museums and private collections across the UK.
Critique: Featuring 290 informative captioned and visually magnificent color illustrations, this large format (8.4 x 1.2 x 11 inches, 3.45 pounds) coffee-table style hardcover edition of "Women Pioneers of the Arts & Crafts Movement" by Karen Livingstone is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of four pages of Notes, a five page Selected Bibliographies, a one page list of Further Reading, and a four page Index. Alphabetically organized by artist, this magnificent compendium is an ideal and recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art History collections in general, and Women's Art History studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note: Karen Livingstone is deputy director of masterplan, exhibitions and design at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. She is a fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, and of the Royal Society of Arts. She has previously held senior and curatorial roles at the Science Museum Group, UK; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. Her previous publications include International Arts and Crafts (with Linda Parry), Essential Arts and Crafts, C.F.A. Voysey: Arts & Crafts Designer (with Max Donnelly and Linda Parry), and Voysey's Birds and Animals (the last published by Thames & Hudson). (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295044.Karen_Livingstone)
Adornment and Splendour: Jewels of the Indian Courts
Salam Kaoukji
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500978641, $65.00, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Adornment-Splendour-Jewels-Indian-Courts/dp/0500978646
Synopsis: "Adornment and Splendour: Jewels of the Indian Courts" by Salam Kaoukji is the definitive catalog of an unparalleled collection of Indian jewelry and jeweled luxury objects made at the height of the Mughal empire and Deccan sultanates in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The collection, widely regarded as one of the finest in the world and was assembled by Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussa al-Sabah for The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, revealing the beauty, sophistication and diversity of Indian jeweled arts.
The Indian subcontinent is naturally rich in gems. From ancient times master jewelers developed a wide array of unique techniques and made it home to the most sophisticated jewels on earth. Exotic birds and animals, flowers, trees, and mythological scenes rendered in precious gemstones, gold and enamel demonstrate these artists' prodigious imagination and skill.
They produced not only an unmatched range of jewelry to adorn the body but also ritual and household items of astonishing refinement and luxury, as well as extravagantly large engraved gemstones to serve as symbols of their princely patrons' royal power -- including a spinel of nearly 250 carats demonstrated to be the legendary Timur Ruby.
This unique and very special volume includes not only the finest and most valuable pieces in the collection (some familiar to connoisseurs, others published here for the first time) but also many previously unknown types that extend our understanding of artistic output in the region. With specially commissioned photography giving unprecedented new views of more than 300 jeweled objects, this is a publication of historic importance and beauty, for all lovers of jewelry, the arts of India and of the Islamic world.
Critique: An informative compendium that is enhanced for the reader's benefit with some 405 color illustrations, five pages of Notes, a five page Bibliography, and a three page Index, this large format (9 x 1.7 x 11.2 inches) hardcover edition of "Adornment and Splendour: Jewels of the Indian Courts" from Thames & Hudson is a truly extraordinary and brilliantly presented, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Antique Jewelry collections and supplemental Jewelry Design/Craft and Cultural History of India curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, collectors, dealers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Adornment and Splendour: Jewels of the Indian Courts" is also available in a paperback edition (9780500978658, $50.00).
Editorial Note: Salam Kaoukji is curator and collection manager of The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and an editor of Thames & Hudson's long-running and acclaimed series of catalogs. Her previous books include Precious Indian Weapons and Other Princely Accoutrements and Treasury of the World: Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals (with Manuel Keene).
How Banksy Saved Art History
Kelly Grovier
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500027059, $35.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/How-Banksy-Saved-Art-History/dp/0500027056
Synopsis: Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world. His work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack. (Wikipedia)
Few would dispute that Banksy is the most famous urban artist in the world today. That he is also a perceptive art historian might come as a surprise to many. Taken together, the myriad memorable works the street artist has created over the course of the past thirty years, constitute an audacious commentary on the history of image-making -- a captivating critique waiting to be pieced together.
Armed with little more than stencils, spray paint, and an anonymizing cloak of after-hours darkness, Banksy has forged an alluring identity for himself as an incorrigible prankster who doesn't embrace tradition, but shreds it. Consider Banksy and you think of grubby city walls far removed from elite galleries and privileged museums where art is conventionally shown. What actually illuminates Banksy's audacious murals, impromptu urban sculptures, and vandalized paintings, however, is a profound understanding of the story of art.
Through the dark satirical lens of Banksy's mischievous reimagined masterpieces, art history is viewed anew and brought into unexpected focus. From his droll lampooning of the Lascaux cave paintings to reinventing Monet's enchanting water lily pond, a reboot of Gericault's tragic, gut-wrenching vision to Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring now instilled with street cred, everyone's genius is grist for his unmerciful mill. Far from being diminished in their significance, however, the works that Banksy ruthlessly parodies are ultimately refurbished by the ordeal. Banksy's iconoclastic works force us to rethink our affection for and appreciation of great works of art that define cultural history.
Critique: An absolute 'must read' for the legions of Banksy fans and followers, this large format (7.5 x 1 x 9.8 inches, 1.85 pounds) and profusely illustrated hardcover edition of "How Banksy Saved Art History" by Kelly Grovier is an informed and informative work of erudite and impressively meticulous research. "How Banksy Saved Art History" will prove an enduringly prized addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Graffiti/Street Art & Artists collections, as well as supplemental Modern Art History curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Kelly Grovier (www.kellygrovier.com) is a columnist and feature writer for BBC Culture and his writings on art have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, The Independent, Sunday Times, The Observer, RA Magazine, and Wired. He is also the author of several books, including A New Way of Seeing: The History of Art in 57 Works, On the Line: Conversations with Sean Scully, and The Art of Color: The History of Art in 39 Pigments. Additionally, he is a co-founder of the scholarly journal European Romantic Review.
The Artist's Sketchbook: Inside the Creative Mind
Jenny Gaschke
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9790500480945, $50.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Sketchbook-Inside-Creative-Museum/dp/050048094X
Synopsis: Artists have been using sketchbooks for centuries as integral tools in the creative process, especially during the preparatory stages leading to the creation of great works of art. Serving as portable companions, they accompany artists on their physical and mental journeys, offering intimate glimpses into their sources of inspiration. They are used to document daily life, national events, the landscape, and natural world with immediacy. Many artists have used sketchbooks to create meticulous botanical records, while others, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, planned their most important paintings within their pages.
Selected from the Victoria and Albert Museum's extensive collection, the featured sketchbooks comprising "The Artist's Sketchbook: Inside the Creative Mind" by museum curator Jenny Gaschke, range from historic to contemporary examples including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Angelica Kauffman, George Romney, John Constable, Beatrix Potter, E. H. Shepard, Paul Nash, Shahed Saleem, and Julie Verhoeven. Lesser-known artists, especially women, for whom sketchbooks provided a creative outlet, are also highlighted. Drawn from Britain, Europe, and beyond, the wide-ranging selection of sketches blurs the boundaries between art and journal.
"The Artist's Sketchbook" also explores the significance of sketching across different eras and movements. It offers insights into changes in style and technique, exploring materials such as watercolor and pen and ink, and features exquisite examples of drawings from life and the imagination, material experimentation, and planning for larger works.
Written by a group of expert curators and accompanied by detailed photography, this beautifully designed volume will appeal to anyone interested in the art-making process, especially those for whom sketching is an important aspect of their own artistic practice.
Critique: Compiled and edited by museum curator Jenny Gaschke, this large format (11 x 1.4 x 8 inches, 3.34 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Artist's Sketchbook: Inside the Creative Mind" from Thames & Hudson is enhanced for the reader's benefit with a ten page Introduction, 528 color illustrations and one page bibliography of Further Reading, one page of Notes, a two page listing of Contributor Biographies, and a five page Index. Organized by artist, "The Artist Sketchbook is an invaluable, informative, and inherently fascinating study that is an ideal and prized pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Art Criticism & Artist History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jenny Gaschke is senior curator of paintings and drawings at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She studied Art History, Archaeology and English Literature in Freiburg, Glasgow and Berlin. After completing her PhD on British artists in early nineteenth-century Greece in 2003, she gained professional experience as assistant curator at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. From 2005 until 2012 Jenny worked at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, first as Curator of Prints and Drawings and then as Curator of Art. She worked as Curator of Art pre-1900 at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery from 2012 until 2021.
(https://artuk.org/discover/profile/jenny-gaschke-senior-curator-paintings-and-drawings)
Painters and Their Paintings
Doug Monroe & Kim Hadley
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476683249, $40.00, PB, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Painters-Their-Paintings-County-Carolina/dp/1476683247
Synopsis: Nestled in the northwestern corner of North Carolina, the mountainous Ashe County boasts the most picturesque landscapes that painters and other artists could hope to find.
This spirit of natural artistry runs deep through the county's culture -- various towns offering murals, street art, galleries and institutions like the Florence Thomas Art School. Even in West Jefferson, a town in which getting lost is impossible, there is an "art district".
Truly an art destination, Ashe County is home to hundreds of painters inspired by the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the New River valleys.
With the publication of "Painters and Their Paintings: Ashe County, North Carolina" by co-authors Doug Monroe and Kim Hadly showcases the talented painters of Ashe, professionals and hobbyists alike, across generations and paint media. Works from 103 artists are represented in 415 full color images.
Critique: This large format (8.5 x 0.52 x 11 inches, 2.14 pounds) paperback edition of "Painters and Their Paintings: Ashe County, North Carolina" from McFarland & Company is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color images and organized alphabetically by artist. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, art school, and college/university library American Art History/Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, art historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Painters and Their Paintings: Ashe County, North Carolina" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.99) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Doug Munroe is a painter, former president of the Florence Thomas Art School and a retired nurseryman living in the Clifton Community of Ashe County. He partners with his daughter and son-in-law in a commercial maple syrup business and manages a couple of trout ponds.
Editorial Note #2: Kim Hadley is the author's close friend (and a McFarland employee) and a photography enthusiast who handled the photography of the hundreds of paintings and managed relations with artists.
The Mathematics Shelf
Electronic String Art
Stephen Erfle
CRC Press
www.crcpress.com
9781032512730, $51.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-String-Art-Mathematics-Recreational/dp/1032512733
Synopsis: String art is a well-known and popular activity that uses string, a board, and nails to produce artistic images (although there are variations that use different modalities). This activity is beloved because simple counting rules are used to create beautiful images that can both adorn walls and excite young minds. The downside of this highly tactile activity is that it is quite time-consuming and rigid. By contrast, electronic string art offers much more flexibility to set up or change nail locations and counting rules, and the images created from those changes change instantaneously.
"Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" invites readers to use author Stephen Erfle's digital resources available on the ESA website to play with the parameters inherent in string art models while offering concise, accessible explanations of the underlying mathematical principles regarding how the images were created and how they change. Readers will have the opportunity to create visually beautiful works of art while learning concepts from geometry, number theory, and modular arithmetic from approximately 200 short-interdependent sections.
With "Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" readers are able to drill-down on images in order to understand why they work using short (1 to 2 page) stand-alone sections. Sections are lessons that were created so that they could be digested in a single sitting. These sections are stand-alone in the sense that they need not be read sequentially but can be referred to based on images that the reader finds interesting.
"Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" is an open-ended, inherently flexible teaching resource for elementary, middle, and high school-level mathematics. The most mathematically challenging sections (or portions of a section) are designated MA and may not be accessible to elementary and middle school readers.
"Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" will be appreciated by anyone interested in recreational mathematics or mathematical artworks even if the users are not interested in the underlying mathematics, including exercises, solutions, and many online digital resources.
Plus there are QR codes that take you to these digital resources. One takes you directly to the web version of the string art model (used as a starting point for teaching the parameters of the model in Section 25.5). The other takes you to the ESA web page with additional links to a variety of resources.
Critique: This large format paperback edition of Stephen Erfle's "Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" from CRC Press is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and college/university library digital art collections. It should be noted for students, academia, mathematicians, artists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Electronic String Art: Rhythmic Mathematics" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $41.08, Amazon.com) as well.
Editorial Note: Stephen Erfle (www.dickinson.edu/news/article/480/steve_erfle) is a professor at Dickinson College. Although he was trained as a microeconomic theorist specializing in industrial organization and regulation, he has spent much of his academic life working at the borders of traditional economics. He has used his economist's toolkit to examine topics in a wide variety of fields including public health, exercise psychology, political geography, mathematics education, and communications theory in addition to economics. He received his BS in Mathematics and BA in Economics from University of California, Davis, and Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.
The Biography/Memoir Shelf
We Will Be Free
Nancy Koester
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
www.eerdmans.com
9780802872470, $29.99, HC, 293pp
https://www.amazon.com/Will-Free-Sojourner-Religious-Biography/dp/0802872476
Synopsis: Though born into slavery, Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 - November 26, 1883) would defy the limits placed upon her as a Black woman to become one of the nineteenth century's most renowned female preachers and civil rights advocates. In We Will Be Free, Nancy Koester chronicles her spiritual journey as an enslaved woman, a working mother, and an itinerant preacher and activist.
On Pentecost in 1827, the course of Sojourner Truth's life was changed forever when she had a vision of Jesus calling her to preach. Though women could not be trained as ministers at the time, her persuasive speaking, powerful singing, and quick wit converted many to her social causes. During the Civil War, Truth campaigned for the Union to abolish slavery throughout the United States, and she personally recruited Black troops for the effort. Her activism carried her to Washington, DC, where she met Abraham Lincoln and ministered to refugees of Southern slavery. Truth's faith-driven action continued throughout Reconstruction, as she aided freed people, campaigned for reparations, advocated for women's rights, and defied segregation on public transportation.
Sojourner Truth's powerful voice once echoed in the streets of Washington and New York. Her passion rings out again in Nancy Koester's vivid writing. As the legacy of slavery and segregation still looms over the United States today, students of American history, Christians, and all interested readers will find inspiration and illumination in Truth's story.
Critique: Inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, and quietly inspiring, this hardcover edition of "We Will Be Free: The Life and Faith of Sojourner Truth" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library American Biography collections and supplemental Black History curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, seminary students, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Christian biographies that 'We Will Be Free" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Nancy Koester holds a PhD in church history and has taught at both the college and seminary levels. She is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Her work focuses on nineteenth-century American history, especially the antislavery movement, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. She is inspired by women of that era who, though lacking basic rights, found ways to move the nation closer to its own ideals. Koester's 2013 publication with Eerdmans, Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Spiritual Life, won the Minnesota Book Award in 2015 in General Nonfiction.
Beyond Everest
Corinne Richardson with Pem Dorjee Sherpa
https://corinnerichardson.com
DartFrog Books
https://dartfrogbooks.com
9781961624856, $15.99
https://corinnerichardson.com/beyond-everest
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Everest-Sherpas-Summit-Nepal/dp/1961624842
Beyond Everest: One Sherpa's Summit and Hope for Nepal is not your usual mountaineering story of scaling the famous mountain, but documents the life of a Sherpa whose summit of Everest saved him from poverty and opened new doors to success. In the course of describing the influences changing this life, Corinne Richardson presents a masterful series of insights into the Nepalese people that combines true-life adventure with personal and cultural insights.
Of special note is her focus on economic conditions, which are largely omitted from similar-sounding Everest stories in favor of an adventure focus. This gives the story added value by surveying poverty, how communities struggle and develop pathways towards better living, and the economic impact of tourism and adventuring on participants and countries hosting exploration opportunities.
Pem Dorjee Sherpa introduces the saga with a note to readers which places his life, culture, and story in perspective. This invites further reading and armchair explorations. Why is his story novel? Because: Many Sherpas have similar stories of hard work and sacrifice, but not many Sherpa stories get told. My story is a bit unique because I was able to overcome the hardship my family was facing and help educate my siblings. Unfortunately, most Sherpas are unable to change their situation because of a lack of education and good paying jobs in Nepal.
The other reason Sherpa stories often remain untold is the language barrier and the need to know English. Enter writer Corinne Richardson, whose abilities made Beyond Everest possible as she follows Pem's life both in Nepal and as an immigrant to the U.S. Corinne's own familiarity with and travels through Nepal gave her an edge of personal experience that Pem found to be the perfect fit for his desire to present his life to a wider audience in a book.
From this association comes a candid third-person review of life in Nepal, with stories personalizing and highlighting social challenges and conditions: In the twenty-first century, girls are still less valued than boys, often preordained to child marriages or sold into the sex trade. Stocking up on groceries requires the same six-day walk. There are still no motorized vehicles in these villages. Commerce, farming and transporting goods from place to place is conducted by foot on the backs of villagers, or by yak or zokyo, a hybrid pack animal, a cross between a yak and a cow.
It's nearly impossible to climb to the top of poverty and leave behind its restrictions, but how Pem did exactly that creates as much insight and adventure as the actual mechanics of mountain climbing. The result is a memoir that holds special excitement for not only adventure-oriented readers, but those who would explore poverty and economic transformation from a more personal (and very different) perspective than most books about Nepalese mountaineering. This is why Beyond Everest is a top recommendation not only for its vivid autobiography and "you are here" feel of explorations and adventures on the mountain, but for its equally compelling social and economic insights off-slope.
Libraries seeking a blend of memoir, adventure story, and socioeconomic exploration will find Beyond Everest widely appealing to a range of patrons. It's also more than suitable for recommendation to book clubs that may not have anticipated that a story about Everest would also prove to be a powerful survey of poverty, achievement, and immigrant experience.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Measure of Life
Judith Works
Wild Rose Press
https://wildrosepress.com
9781509257799, $19.99, PB, 310pp
https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Life-Judith-Works/dp/1509257799
Synopsis: An emotionally engaging novel of love and loss, "The Measure of Life" by author Judith Works begins in Rome with the unhappy marriage of Nicole to an older widower.
As the city of Rome brings new opportunities, Nicole faces an exploration of who she is and wants to be, new friendships, and immersion into Rome's bountiful food scene. But life abroad also forces Nicole to confront her mistakes, broken relationships, and the consequences of her actions.
In search of forgiveness and healing, she returns home to Seattle. But, then she finds that the only way to truly heal is to go back to Rome and face her past.
Critique: As a novelist, Judith Works has a distinctive and genuine flair for storytelling that keeps her reader's attention riveted from first page to last. Raising a work of fiction to an impressive level of literary excellence, with fully formed characters and unexpected plot developments, "The Measure of Life" is one of those stories that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "The Measure of Life" from Wild Rose Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Judith Works (https://judithworks.net) moved to Rome with her husband where she worked for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization for four years as a legal advisor to the director of human resources. Returning home to the US, she eventually was able to return to Rome with the UN World Food Program. Six more years or food and frolic in the Eternal City passed much too quickly. Her life in Rome with all its food contributed to the settings and events in her novel "The Measure of Life" -- the story of an expat woman who struggles with all the difficulties that come with living abroad including a fraying family and the efforts to build a life of her own.
When We Chased The Light
Emily Bleeker
Lake Union Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662517075, $16.99, PB, 363pp
https://www.amazon.com/When-We-Chased-Light-Novel/dp/1662517076
Synopsis: Christie's auction house, Beverly Hills. The effects of Hollywood icon Vivian Snow are up for bid. In the collection is a set of hand-drawn postcards spanning six decades. The sender is Antonio Trombello, a soldier, POW, priest, and Vivian's confidant. Each postcard sheds new light on a deeply private woman the public only thinks it knows.
It's World War II. Vivian is a USO showgirl traveling the world when her husband goes AWOL, disappears, and is presumed dead. Facing increasing suspicion, she leans on her dear friend Father Trombello for support. He's her confessor, her savior, the elusive love of her life, and when it comes to her husband's death, the keeper of Vivian's secrets.
As Vivian rises from canteen dream girl to starlet to bona fide legend, she navigates the highs and lows of Hollywood, new romances, and tumultuous family relationships - all in the shadow of her past and the guilt, unmet longing, and buried truths that could still upend the lives of everyone she loves.
Critique: Of special and particular interest to readers who enjoy a deftly crafted 20th Century historical novel set in the context of World War II, "When We Chased the Light" by novelist Emily Bleeker is a thoroughly fun and memorable read from start to finish. While unhesitatingly recommended as a popular addition to community/public library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this paperback edition of "When We Chased the Light" from Lake Union Publishing is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Emily Bleeker (www.emilybleeker.com) is the author of seven novels. Combined, her books have reached over two million readers and counting.
Can't Shake the Dust
C. H. Hooks
Regal House Publishing
https://regalhousepublishing.com
9781646034994, $18.95, PB, 257pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Shake-Dust-C-H-Hooks/dp/1646034996
Synopsis: "I Can't Shake The Dust" by novelist C. H. Hooks is the story of a young man by the name of 'Little' Bill Lemon, III, who stands at the crossroads of a troubled legacy.
From his grandfather's notorious bar "Monkey Palace" bar, to the enigmatic history of his father, Wild, to his mother's questionable dog-breeding business, Little takes to the dirt track every Saturday night, racing to outpace the looming shadows of his family's past.
Behind the wheel of a ramshackle DIY car, in a place where scarcity reigns (be it money, jobs, food, or even soap to cleanse the stubborn Georgia red dirt) Little teeters on the edge of self-destruction and redemption. As he navigates life on the fringe of Southern backroads, the weight of his ancestry threatens to pull him under. While checkered flags may elude him on the track, Little possesses the heart of a true champion.
Critique: From start to finish, readers will find themselves firmly rotting for Little as he careens through life in search self-discovery at the risk of life and limb. An deftly crafted, exhilarating tale of 'resilience, tenacity, and the indomitable spirit of those who dare to race against all odds', C. H. Hooks new novel, "Can't Shake the Dust", from Regal House Publishing is an especially recommended pick for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, and is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.490.
Editorial Note: C.H. Hooks (https://www.chhooks.com) is also the author of the novel Alligator Zoo-Park Magic (2019). His work has appeared in print and online publications including: The Los Angeles Review, American Short Fiction, Four Way Review, The Tampa Review, and The Bitter Southerner. He has been a Tennessee Williams Scholar and Contributor at Sewanee Writers' Conference, and attended DISQUIET: Dzanc Books International Literary Program in Lisbon. He can be found on the waters around St. Augustine where he teaches at Flagler College.
Nothing Is Wrong
Mark R. Thornton
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781648210181, $26.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Wrong-Mark-R-Thornton/dp/164821018X
Synopsis: Set in Tanzania, "Nothing Is Wrong" is a novel by Mark R. Thornton that follows the lives of three people living on the fringes of society: a wayward vagrant, a curious Tanzanian girl, and Sal, a young American woman suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the war in Afghanistan. As their lives come together, their unlikely relationships grow until an act of violence triggers events that upturn their lives and send Sal on the run into the harsh wilderness of the Tanzanian interior. Despite the violence and pain they all face, the three are somehow able to find in each other compassion, light, and perhaps a second chance at a better life.
Although a work of fiction, "Nothing Is Wrong" accurately demonstrates the challenges faced by women veterans suffering from their time in combat, an issue widely overlooked. Its characters are diverse, both in background and experience, and they forge compelling relationships that cross cultural and economic barriers.
Critique: With the publication of "Nothing Is Wrong" novelist Mark R. Thornton that takes his readers on a journey into contemporary Tanzanian life in an honest and unsentimental way, from the bustling towns to its vast, dangerous wilderness. Original, deftly crafted, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, as an author, Thornton has raised his story to an impressive level of literary elegance -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Nothing Is Wrong" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Mark R. Thornton, American-born, has spent twenty years as a wilderness guide in Tanzania, where he is active in conservation efforts. He is also the author of Kid Moses, a hypnotically written book providing insight into the issues that affect modern Africa and hailed by Booklist as having "stark, beautiful prose".
Over the Edge
Irene Hannon
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800746391, $29.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Over-Edge-Psychological-Suspense-Detective/dp/0800746392
Synopsis: Trauma survivor Lindsey Barnes hasn't fully recovered from the ordeal that almost took her life, and now she's in the middle of another crisis. Not only is she the sole witness in a high-profile murder case, but someone is also pushing her to question her sanity.
Police detective Jack Tucker doesn't know what to make of her story, especially when her elusive enemy leaves no evidence behind to lend credence to her claims. Yet the more he gets to know the appealing personal chef, the more he's convinced someone is targeting not only her sanity, but her life.
And unless they can figure out who is behind the campaign to undermine her credibility, a murderer could slip away -- leaving more than one body in his or her wake.
Critique: An impressively original, carefully crafted and fascinating read from first page to last, "Over The Edge" by author Irene Hannon will hold a special appeal for readers with an interest in compelling novels that blend suspense, mystery and romance with a Christian perspective and sensibility. While highly recommended, especially for community/public library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Over The Edge" from the Fleming H. Revell Company is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800741891, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Irene Hannon (www.IreneHannon.com) is the author of more than 65 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. In addition to her many other honors, she is a three-time winner of the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America. She is also a member of RWA's elite Hall of Fame and has received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work.
One Last Stand
Susan May Warren
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800745509, $16.99, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-Last-Stand-Romantic-Adventure/dp/0800745507
Synopsis: As a member of the Air One Rescue team, pilot London Brooks has built a new life -- one far away from her clandestine past as an operative tasked to take down a branch of Russian terrorists. She has no desire to reenter that world or endure the grief of losing everyone she loved, including her fiance. But the past won't stay past. When she finds herself falsely accused, her reputation tarnished, and her life in danger, she has no choice but to plunge back into the treacherous world she left behind. Even if she must surrender everything(and everyone) she loves in her new life.
Shep Watson will never forget the day he saved London Brooks from the avalanche that nearly killed her. He knows there is more to her story, but he's intent on keeping her secrets. Just when it seems she's finally ready to let him into her heart, her past comes knocking. But he can't bear to lose her again, which means, somehow, he'll have to enter her world, keep up with her, and figure out a way to bring her home. But when the danger comes home to Alaska, what will it cost the Air One Rescue team?
Critique: An original and carefully crafted novel of suspense and romance, "One Last Stand" by author Susan May Warren takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the Alaskan wilderness and beyond in a story 'where love defies danger and second chances are won with courage and determination'. A fun read from start to finish by a master storyteller, "One Last Stand" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Susan May Warren fans that "One Last Stand" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Susan May Warren (www.SusanMayWarren.com) is the author of nearly 100 novels, including the Global Search and Rescue and Montana Rescue series. She is the winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT Medallion and numerous Readers' Choice Awards.
Tea with Elephants
Robin Jones
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800744823, $17.99, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tea-Elephants-Contemporary-Friendship-International/dp/0800744829
Synopsis: Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime -- but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.
Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts -- but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.
Critique: A fun (and insightful) read from start to finish, "Tea with Elephants" by author Robin Jones Gunn is an original and deftly crafted 'safari of the heart' and moving forward in faith -- especially when the future is unpredictable. Exceptionally well written and a pleasure to read, "Teach with Elephants" from Revell is a highly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Women's Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tea with Elephants" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Robin Jones Gunn (www.RobinGunn.com) is the author of more than 100 books, including the Sisterchicks series, and the Christy Miller series for teen girls. She also co-hosts the Women Worth Knowing podcast.
Lookin' for Love
Susen Edwards
https://susenedwardsauthor.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
c/o Simon & Schuster (dist.)
https://www.simonandschuster.com
9781647427900, $17.99, PB, 408pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lookin-Love-Novel-Susen-Edwards/dp/1647427908
Synopsis: Inspired by a gripping true story, novelist Susen Edwards' "Lookin' for Love" begins in 1963, when Ava, nineteen and pregnant, marries a violent alcoholic and is disowned by her abusive mother. She bears two sons, leaves her husband, and turns to go-go dancing to provide for her children, using alcohol and drugs to numb herself to the degrading work.
Then she meets Mike, a charismatic drug dealer who promises to give her "a beautiful life". They move to Florida and begin working for The Crew, one of the largest drug smuggling organizations in the country. The Crew sends Ava and Mike to Kenya to find farmers to grow marijuana -- but while they're there, their home is raided, they're charged with international drug smuggling, and Ava is sentenced to serve time in a Kenyan prison.
After her release, Ava struggles with sobriety but soon returns to dancing, alcohol, and drugs. Eventually, she hits bottom and surrenders her will to God. Once sober, she learns the power of forgiveness, faith, and love.
Critique: A gritty, compelling, fascinating read from start to finish, "Lookin' for Love" by Susen Edwards is an original and strongly commended pick for community/public library Contemporary General Fiction collections. An impressive blend of mystery, suspense, and romance from a Christian perspective, "Lookin' for Love" is also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Susen Edwards (https://susenedwardsauthor.com) is the founder and former director of Somerset School of Massage Therapy. During her tenure she was nominated by Merrill Lynch for Inc. Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. After the successful sale of the business, she became an administrator at her local community college. Susen is currently secretary for the board of trustees for her town library and a full-time writer. She is the author What a Trip -- as well as Doctor Whisper and Nurse Willow, a children's fantasy. Her articles have appeared on Residence11.com, BooksByWomen.org, and DIYMFA.com
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Mademoiselle Eiffel
Aimie K. Runyan
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063329287, $18.99, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Mademoiselle-Eiffel-Aimie-K-Runyan/dp/006332928X
Synopsis: Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire's idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It's soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother's place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
As she proves her competence, Claire's importance to her father grows. She accompanies him on his travels and becomes his confidante and private secretary. She learns her father's architectural trade and becomes indispensable to his work. But when his bright young protege, Adolphe Salles, takes up more of Gustave's time, Claire resents being pushed aside.
Slowly, the animosity between Claire and Adolphe turns to friendship... and then to something more. After their marriage in 1885 preserves the Eiffel legacy, they are privileged by the biggest commission of Eiffel's career: a great iron tower dominating the 1889 World's Fair to demonstrate the leading role of Paris in the world of art and architecture. Now hostess to the scientific elite, such as Thomas Edison, Claire is under the watchful eye not only of her family and father's circle, but also the world.
When Gustave Eiffel's involvement in a disastrous endeavor to build a canal in Panama ends in his imprisonment, it is up to Claire to secure her father's freedom but also preserve the hard-won family legacy.
Critique: An eloquent and elegant work of biographical fiction, "Mademoiselle Eiffel" by novelist Aimie K. Runyan is an emotionally engaging story of love, devotion, and pursuit by a young woman determined to preserve her family's legacy -- and what would become a an icon of France. A fascinating and fun read from start to finish, "Mademoiselle Eiffel" will prove a welcome pick for community library Historical/Biographical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mademoiselle Eiffel" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798874798659, $49.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Aimie K. Runyan (https://aimiekrunyan.com) is a historian and author who writes to celebrate history's unsung heroines. She is the author of several previous historical novels, including Promised to the Crown and Duty to the Crown. She is active as an educator and a speaker in the writing community and beyond.
A Pair of Wings
Carole Hopson
Henry Holt & Company
www.henryholt.com
9781250347213, $20.00, HC, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pair-Wings-Novel-Carole-Hopson/dp/1250347211
Synopsis: A few years after the Wright brothers' first flight, Bessie was working the Texas cotton fields with her family when an airplane flew over their heads. It buzzed so low she thought she could catch it in her hands. Bessie was fearless. She knew there was freedom in those wings.
The daughter of a woman born into slavery, Bessie answers the call of the Great Migration. She moves to Chicago, where she wins the backing of two wealthy, powerful Black men -- Robert Abbott, creator and publisher of the Chicago Defender, and Jesse Binga, the founder of Chicago's first Black bank. Abbott becomes her mentor, while Binga becomes her lover. Her true first love, though, remains flying.
But in 1920, no one in the United States will train a Black woman to fly. So, 28 year old Bessie learns to speak French and sets off for Europe. Two years ahead of Amelia Earhart, Bessie earns her pilot's license, and later she learns death-defying stunts from French and German dogfighting combat pilots.
While she finds no prejudice in the air, Bessie wrestles with other challenges on the ground. A plane crash nearly kills her, her brothers seem to be crumbling under the weight of Jim Crow, and, while grappling with tough truths about Binga, Bessie begins to wonder if the freedom she finds in the sky means she must otherwise fly solo.
With tenderness and mastery, author Carole Hopson vividly imagines the breathtaking moxie Bessie Coleman harnessed in order to lift herself out of poverty and become known as "Queen Bess."
Critique: Original, engaging, deftly scripted, "A Pair of Wings" by novelist Carole Hopson is a work of fiction that is raised to an impressive level of literary excellence by it author in terms of crafting memorable characters and unexpected plot twists. A fun and memorable read from start to finish, "A Pair of Wings" will be of special attraction to readers with an interest in African/American historical and biographical fiction. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "A Pair of Wings" from Henry Holt & Company is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Carole Hopson (www.carolehopson.com) is a Boeing 737 captain for United Airlines, based in Newark, New Jersey. After a twenty-year career as a journalist and executive for iconic brands like the National Football League, Foot Locker, and L'Oreal, Carole followed her dream to become a pilot. A century after Bessie Coleman soared over seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Black women in the U.S. account for less than one percent of all professional pilots. Inspired by Bessie's spellbinding accomplishments, Carole founded the Jet Black Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to sending one hundred Black women to flight school by the year 2035.
The Colony Club
Shelley Noble
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063252486, $19.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Colony-Club-Novel-Shelley-Noble/dp/0063252481
Synopsis: When young Gilded Age society matron Daisy Harriman is refused a room at the Waldorf because they don't cater to unaccompanied females, she takes matters into her own hands. She establishes the Colony Club, the first women's club in Manhattan, where visiting women can stay overnight and dine with their friends; where they can discuss new ideas, take on social issues, and make their voices heard. She hires the most sought-after architect in New York, Stanford White, to design the clubhouse.
As "the best dressed actress on the Rialto" Elsie de Wolfe has an eye for decor, but her career is stagnating. So when White asks her to design the clubhouse interiors, she jumps at the chance and the opportunity to add a woman's touch. He promises to send her an assistant, a young woman he's hired as a draftsman.
Raised in the Lower East Side tenements, Nora Bromely is determined to become an architect in spite of hostility and sabotage from her male colleagues. She is disappointed and angry when White "foists" her off on this new women's club project.
But when White is murdered and the ensuing Trial of the Century discloses the architect's scandalous personal life, fearful backers begin to withdraw their support. It's questionable whether the club will survive long enough to open.
Daisy, Elsie, and Nora have nothing in common but their determination to carry on. But to do so, they must overcome not only society's mores but their own prejudices about women, wealth, and each other. Together they strive to transform Daisy's dream of the Colony Club into a reality, a place that will nurture social justice and ensure the work of the women who earned the nickname "Mink Brigade" far into the future.
Critique: A very real place that continues to exist today, The Colony Club was a women-only private social club in New York City the was founded in 1903 by Florence Jaffray Harriman, wife of J. Borden Harriman, as the first social club established in New York City by and for women, it was modeled on similar gentlemen's clubs. Today, men are admitted to The Colony Club as guests.
An historical novel based on the ground-breaking establishment of the same name, "The Colony Club" by Shelley Nobel fascinating, original, deftly crafted, engaging, memorable, and an a delightful pleasure from start to finish. A work of historical and biographical fiction raised to an impressive level of literary elegance by its author, "The Colony Club" is unreservedly recommended for community/public library fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Colony Club" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798874800246, $49.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Shelley Noble (https://shelleynoble.com) is the author of numerous novels, including Beach Colors, Stargazey Point, and Holidays at Crescent Cove. Writing as Shelley Freydont, she is also the author of the Celebration Bay Mystery series and two other mystery series. Her mysteries have been translated into ten languages.
All We Thought We Knew
Michelle Shocklee
Tyndale House Publishers
www.tyndale.com
9781496484161, $$29.99, HC, 368pp
9781496484178, $11/00 PB, $10.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/All-We-Thought-Knew/dp/1496484169
Synopsis: 1969. When Mattie Taylor's twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, the news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark's death. Mama's last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn't even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband's death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens.
As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows... as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
Critique: A very special novel by author Michelle Shocklee, "All We Thought We Knew" is Christian fiction at its very best. This story of Southern, historical family drama (with dual timelines set during the Vietnam War and WWII) is about enduring hope amid personal tragedy and includes discussion guide for book groups. While this hardcover edition from Tyndale House Publishers is unreservedly recommended for community/public library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All We Thought We Knew" is also readily available in a paperback edition ($11.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Michelle Shocklee (www.MichelleShocklee.com) is the author of several historical novels, including "Count The Nights By Start" (winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction), and "Under The Tulip Tree" (a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist). As a woman of mixed heritage (her father's family is Hispanic and her mother's roots go back to Germany) she has always celebrated diversity and feels it's important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.
The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene
Johnny Teague
Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592114504, $29.99, HC, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Diary-Mary-Magdalene/dp/1592114504
Synopsis: Although a fictional novel, "The Da Vinci Code" launched many questions about the life and role Mary Magdalene in the early Christian movement. Even more salacious accusations have been made concerning her relationship with Jesus over the centuries. For example, the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith proclaimed that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus of Nazareth.
So what is the Truth about Mary Magdalene?
With his novel, "The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene" author and pastor Johnny Teague has gathers the facts along with what has been discovered recently in archaeological digs in Magdala and Capernaum. He reconstructs who this woman of mystery was and what role she played in the life of Jesus of Nazareth her from her demon-possession, to the day she saw Jesus rise from the dead, all the way to her and her husband's death at the hands of Nero.
Although another work of biblical fiction, "The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene" can be seen as filling the historical gaps -- including reading the emotions as she would have written them. As the last page is read, the reader will tearfully appreciate Jesus and Mary Magdalene in a way never before fathomed.
Critique: Original, fascinating, deftly crafted, and an entertaining read from start to finish, "The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene" by pastor Johnny Teague is one of those novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Historical Fiction and Biblical Fiction collections, it should be noted that "The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene" is also available from Histria Press in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Dr. Johnny Teague is a historian and the Senior Pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston. He has been a pastor for over twenty-four years. He has written four books thus far - Living Your Way Out of the Mess, Preaching Your Way Out of a Mess (Preaching Magazine's 2019 Book of the Year), The Lost Diary of Anne Frank (Association for Jewish Studies Honor Roll of 2021 books, available in hardback, softcover, eBook, and Audible), and The Lost Diary of George Washington, The Revolutionary War Years (Editor's Pick in The Manhattan). (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20869827.Johnny_Teague)
The Woman with the Stone Knife
Dale Neal
Addison & Highsmith Publishers
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592114665, $19.99, PB, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Stone-Knife-Dale-Neal/dp/1592114660
Synopsis: "The Woman with the Stone Knife" by novelist Dale Neal imagines the life of a Cherokee woman exiled for 20 years in Georgian England, and is torn between two worlds and two choices. Remain in London to avenge her husband's death or reunite with the son she left behind in the Cherokee mountains.
Helena Ostenaco Timberlake steps into history in 1786 when she petitions the British crown to return to newly independent America. Was she really the wife of a white soldier, Lt. Henry Timberlake, who had visited the Cherokee in 1762 and the daughter of the Cherokee war chief Ostenaco who had visited King George III?
Widely researched and deeply imagined, "The Woman with the Stone Knife" follows the life of this mysterious woman. She was born Skitty in the Overhills towns of the Cherokee. Following Timberlake, Skitty leaves behind her infant son and makes the arduous Atlantic crossing, only to find herself abandoned in England after Timberlake's death in debtor's prison in 1765.
Critique: Although a work of deftly crafted fiction, author Dale Neal's "The Woman with the Stone Knife" from Histria Press is also the literary product of authentic historical detail research. The result is an inherently fascinating novel that is a compelling and entertaining read from start to finish. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Woman with the Stone Knife" is an especially appropriate and highly recommended pick for community/public library Historical Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Dale Neal (www.dalenealbooks.com) is the author of Appalachian Book of the Dead, shortlisted for the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award; Cow Across America, winner of the Novello Literary Award; The Half-Life of Home; and Kings of Coweetsee, to be published in summer 2024 by Regal House. His short stories, reviews and essays have appeared in Our State, Smoky Mountain Living, Still, North Carolina Literary Review, Appalachian Journal, Carolina Quarterly and elsewhere. He worked for four decades as an award-winning journalist at the Asheville Citizen-Times. He earned an MFA in creative writing at Warren Wilson College.
Empire Resurgent
Robert Bruton
Addison & Highsmith Publishers
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592114344, $19.99, PB, 500pp
https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Resurgent-Belisarius-Reconquest-Double-Edged/dp/1592114342
Synopsis: Flavius Belisarius is a man's man, a young and brilliant general who stands out amongst the other tyrannical and conniving men in his class in the Roman empire. Unlike the others, he seeks the glory and restoration of Rome and needs little for himself.
Or so he thought.
All at once, he is enamored by a startlingly beautiful and famously promiscuous woman, Antonina. Despite his awkwardness around women, he wins her heart. But her heart does not stay in the same place for too long.
Belisarius is called upon to reconquer an ancient Roman colony. Fueled by the greatness of his mission, he completely loses sight of his wife, until he finds her in the enemy's cellar tangled in the arms of another man. The scene is more wretched, gorier than any he had seen on the battlefield. And it is one that he cannot shake.
Will the great man of Rome, Belisarius General of the East, buckle under a broken heart? Or will he have the courage to stand, even wounded?
Critique: A fun read from cover to cover, and launching author Robert Brudton's new 'The Double-Edged Sword' series, "Empire Resurgent: Belisarius and the Reconquest of the West" is a riveting read from first page to last. An action/adventure historical novel that is raised to an impressive level of literary elegance, "Empire Resurgent" will hold a special attraction for readers with an interest in original novels set in the age of the Roman Empire. A popular pick for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Empire Resurgent" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Robert Bruton (www.authorrobertbruton.com) is an historical fiction novelist and former CIA officer who served in parts of what was the former Roman Empire. He studied Greek and Roman history at the University of Saint Thomas in Minnesota, philosophy and classical languages at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, and Sacred Scripture and theology at the Saint Paul School of Divinity. He also has a Master's degree in world history from Norwich University, where he wrote a seminal thesis on the role that climate change played in the decline of the Roman Empire.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
The American Visitor
Christina Collins
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853957, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 264pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-american-visitor-christina-collins/1146204580
Synopsis: Despite having her own problems, Carys gets drawn into helping an American visitor after he visits the library where she works, searching for his grandmother's family. Together, they unearth secrets that lead them to a monastery on a local island, where they discover his family's colourful history. Could past events bring them closer? With questions answered and mysteries solved, the visitor returns to the States - but how does Carys feel about his departure?
Critique: Original and emotionally engaging storytelling at its best, "The American Visitor" by novelist Christina Collins is a prized pick for community/public library Contemporary Romance collections. This large print paperback edition of "The American Visitor" from Linford Romance Library is ideal for the personal reading lists of all dedicated romance fans in searching for memorably happy endings.
Chateau d' Amour
Stephanie Todd
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444854251, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 324pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chateau-damour-stephanie-todd/1146204578
Synopsis: The Second World War brought wounded British pilot Jack McLeod to the crumbling Loire Valley chateau that was home to Colette and her family...and then it took him away once more. Behind him, he left not only tangible reminders, but a love that would burn fiercely in Colette's heart for many decades to come...
Critique: The kind of novel that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, this large print paperback edition of author Stephanie Todd's romance novel, "Chateau d' Amour" will prove to be an enduringly popular pick for personal reading lists and community/public library collections.
Finding Her Prince
Jill Barry
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444854190, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 264pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-her-prince-jill-barry/1146204579
Synopsis: Sophie's life changes after letting an apartment to two European students. Gabriel invites her to an embassy party, and reveals his link to the Primerian throne. Romance blossoms, and the couple fall in love. Then Gabriel disappears, leaving Sophie devastated, yet determined. Following her instincts, she searches for him. Will she ever succeed in finding her prince?
Critique: The stuff of which Hallmark Channel romance movies are made, this large print paperback edition of author Jill Barry's "Finding Her Prince" is a fun read from start to finish and a welcome addition to both personal reading lists and community/library Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Jill Barry (www.jillbarry.com) been writing for publication since the year 2000 and became a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association a few years later. Since then, she has been attending workshops, meeting with other writers, and reading and writing as much as possible.
The Circus of Fear
Jacqui Cooper
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444854244, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 330pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-circus-of-fear-jacqui-cooper/1146204581
Synopsis: The circus folk had been Kat's family after her parents died during a dangerous stunt in the ring. Her relationship with trapeze artist Jake had ended over her fear of him taking risks. Now she was back after ten years in the outside world, fleeing her own drama - but why was everyone so unwelcoming? Where was her best friend, Delilah - and who was the sinister new ringmaster?
Critique: A deft blending of romance and suspense, this large print paperback edition of "The Circus of Fear" by talented storytelling author Jacqui Cooper is extraordinarily impressive and authentically original -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for community library Contemporary Romance collections and personal reading lists.
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
Laurie Gilmore
One More Chapter
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780008641580, $18.99, PB, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cinnamon-Bun-Book-Store-TikTok/dp/0008641587
Synopsis: When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues... she just need someone to help her out.
Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!
Hazel didn't go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells...
Critique: A compulsively fun read from start to finish, "The Cinnamon Bun Book Store" by novelist Laurie Gilmore will prove of immense interest to dedicated fans of romance comedy. The stuff of which Hallmark Channel movies are made, and also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99), "The Cinnamon Bun Book Store" from the One More Chapter imprint of HarperCollins is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Romance collections.
Editorial Note: Laurie Gilmore writes small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance. She loves finding books with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and strives for that in her own writing. Her books are listed at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22097907.Laurie_Gilmore
Christmas Is All Around
Martha Waters
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781668069516, $17.99, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-All-Around-Martha-Waters/dp/1668069512
Synopsis: Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won't let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.
But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she's accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London from Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business (and the funds to keep their historic house running) relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.
Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she'll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte's chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. She may not love a Christmas romance... but what if she has one of her own?
Critique: A contemporary Christmas holiday themed romantic comedy by a skilled storytelling master of the genre, "Christmas Is All Around" by novelist Martha Waters is a fun read that will hold immense and memorable appeal to fans of the stuff from which Hallmark Channel movies are made. A great holiday (or any day!) read from start to finish, "Christmas Is All Around" will prove a welcome pick for personal reading lists and community/public library collections. It should be noted that "Christmas Is All Around" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9781668121948, $39.53, CD, Amazon).
Editorial Note: Martha Waters (www.marthawaters.com) is the author of the Regency Vows series, with the first book, To Have and to Hoax, receiving praise from Entertainment Weekly and the New York Journal of Books and three starred reviews from major trade magazines, and it was a pick for best pick of the month by Amazon Editors, BuzzFeed, and PopSugar. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and works as a children's librarian in North Carolina.
Haunt Your Heart Out
Amber Roberts
Alcove Press
www.alcovepress.com
c/o Crooked Lane Books
https://crookedlanebooks.com
9781639109487, $29.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Haunt-Your-Heart-Out-Novel/dp/163910948X
Synopsis: Homebody Lex McCall loves her sleepy Vermont town and quiet bookstore job. After her family, friends, and exes all moved away to seek futures elsewhere, Lex set one rule: no dating tourists, newcomers, or anyone else who is bound to leave her behind. When the bookshop owner, eager to off-load the supposedly haunted building, offers to sell the store to Lex at an unbeatable price, Lex jumps at the chance to further put down roots.
Then handsome stranger James stops by the bookstore. Lex assumes he's just another tourist passing through, but it turns out he's part of a ghost-hunting documentary crew that's looking into the many "verified" ghost stories in town. Lex can't resist getting involved -- especially because these so-called ghosts are actually made-up stories from Haunted Happenings, her hobby vlog from a decade prior. Worried her ghost-faking secret will get out and ruin her chance to buy the store, she tampers with the ghosthunters' research and skews the results. After all, James's stay is only temporary, and her career dreams come first.
But as they spend more time together, Lex realizes she's falling for James. Worse, there's more at stake than her simply being found out and losing his affection: his mission isn't as frivolous as it seems, and her interference may cost him much more than a spooky story.
This not-quite ghost story is sure to delight Gilmore Girls fans and anyone who loves flirty romances with a little extra spirit.
Critique: An absolute fun read from cover to cover, "Haunt Your Heart Out" by novelist Amber Roberts is authentically original, deftly crafted, and one of those kinds of stories that Hallmark Movie Channel romance movies are made. While a strong and popular pick for community and public library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition of "Haunt Your Heart Out" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781804996102, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Amber Roberts (https://amberrobertswrites.com) writes contemporary romance about unabashedly nerdy characters in ridiculous situations.
Window Shopping
Tessa Bailey
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063330054, $30.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Window-Shopping-Novel-Tessa-Bailey/dp/0063330059
Synopsis: Two weeks before Christmas and all through Manhattan, shop windows are decorated in red and green satin. Stella is standing alone outside a famous department store, when a charming man asks her opinion on the decor.
It's a tragedy in tinsel, she says, unable to lie. Then he asks for a better idea, with a twinkle in his eye. She didn't know he owned the place, when he put her on the spot, and now she's working for that man, trying to ignore that he's hot.
But as a down-on-her-luck girl with a difficult past, Stella knows how to make a good opportunity last. So she gives it her all, working without stopping. Trying to resist temptation, because she's just window shopping.
Critique: A fun read for Rom-Com fans everywhere, "Window Shopping" by author Tessa Bailey is a classic Opposites Attract story of love and romance with a charming twist -- a holiday romance set in Manhattan. Highly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections (and the stuff from which Hallmark Channel romance movies are made!), it should be noted for personal reading lists that this hardcover edition os "Window Shopping" from Avon Books is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780063330085, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Tessa Bailey (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.
Can't Help Falling in Love
Sophie Sullivan
Griffin
c/o St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250910608, $18.99, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Help-Falling-Love-Novel/dp/1250910609
Synopsis: Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she's trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother.
When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she's been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can't talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.
Will Grand is heir to a major company, and Seattle's most eligible bachelor. But he's been placed in charge of an important merger with a company that values family above all else, and needs to show them that he's settled down. While a fake engagement is advantageous from a business standpoint, it's not so great for a budding relationship with a woman who's wary of commitment. With a woman who Will is beginning to care about much more than he could have anticipated.
As Lexi gets a taste of Will's glamorous world and the pair keeps up the pretense of their fake engagement for the press, they decide to see where a more casual relationship takes them out of the spotlight. And amid apple picking in comfy flannels, outdoor breweries in the crisp air, and fun Halloween preparations, Lexi starts to realize the scariest part of the season might just be taking a chance on love.
Critique: The stuff of which movies are made on the Hallmark Channel, "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Sophie Sullivan is a 'must' for all dedicated rom-com fans. A fun read from start to finish, "Can't Help Falling in Love" is a compelling and unreservedly recommended pick for community/public library Contemporary Romance collections, and is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Sophie Sullivan (www.sophiesullivanauthor.com) is a Canadian author as well as a cookie-eating, Diet Pepsi-drinking, Disney enthusiast who loves reading and writing romance in almost equal measure. She writes around her day job as a teacher and spends her spare time with her sweet family watching reruns of Friends. She has written Ten Rules for Faking it and How to Love Your Neighbor, and has had plenty of practice writing happily ever after as her alter ego, Jody Holford.
A Healing Touch
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.revellbooks.com
9780800745288, $17.99, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Touch-Fiction-Community-Abandoned/dp/0800745280
Synopsis: Ruth "Dok" Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients' physical needs but their emotional ones too. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok's world takes an unexpected turn as ripples of change touch several lives.
Critique: An original, truly engaging, and memorable Amish romance themed story of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising ways, "A Healing Touch" by Suzanne Woods Fisher will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular pick for personal reading lists and community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for the legions of Suzanne Woods Fisher fans that "A Healing Touch" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Suzanne Woods Fisher (www.SuzanneWoodsFisher.com) is the author of more than forty books, including The Sweet Life, The Secret to Happiness, and Love on a Whim, as well as many beloved contemporary romance and Amish romance series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs.
The Western Fiction Shelf
The Valerons - Double Ante
Terrell L. Bowers
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853247, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 258pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-valerons-double-ante-terrell-l-bowers/1132682531
Synopsis: As ramrod over the Valeron cattle, Sketcher Grey takes Reese's place on a trip to the Chicago auction with Shane and Jared. Meanwhile, Wyatt goes to visit a friend in the small town of Solitary. What starts out as a genial outing ends up as a battle with a rancher and his sons that leaves him fighting for his life. Jared and Shane leave Sketcher to deal with the cattle, and set out for Solitary to defend Wyatt against the Strang ranch - all while Sketcher is risking his life dealing with crooked cops and the leader of a Chicago gang.
Critique: A 'must read' novel for the legions of western author Terrell L. Bowers 'Valeron' stories, this large print paperback edition of "The Varons: Double Ante" from Linford Western Library is a fun and exciting read from cover to cover -- and will prove to be a welcome and popular pick for community/public Western Novel collections.
Editorial Note: A complete listing of book by Terrell L. Bowers is available on the GoodReads website at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/102448.Terrell_L_Bowers
Ridgeway's Bride
Will DuRey
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853445, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 228pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ridgeways-bride-will-durey/1132682476
Synopsis: Cassie Edmond was puzzled by the odd behaviour of those around her. Curious barking from the family dog; her father Brad lifting down his Winchester to go hunting for meat, when the meal she'd been preparing was ready for the table. But when Brad returned home, carried by Charlie Ute and the stranger Walt Ridgeway, his life slipping away, his back shredded by shotgun pellets, it was the start of a night of unexpected violence for Cassie -- and days of trouble for Walt.
Critique: Original, engaging, and a 'must' for all dedicated western fans, this large print paperback edition of Will DuRey's novel, "Ridgeway's Bride", is a choice and recommended selection for personal reading lists and community/public library Western Novel collections.
Editorial Note: Will DuRey is a life-long student of the history and legends of the Old West. He has been writing western fiction for more than a decade.
The Law According To Merriweather
Lee Lejeune
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853315, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 264pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-law-according-to-merriweather-lee-lejeune/1136775912
Synopsis: Jacob Merriweather and his wife Marie have established thriving businesses in a growing town in California - she as the proprietor of The Silversmith Hotel, and he as the owner of a law firm. They have three children, two girls and a boy. Many years before, Jacob was a gunman, but he has put all that behind him... or so he thinks! Then he receives a series of threatening letters, and the past comes back to haunt him. He has to take down his Colt .44 and strap on his gunbelt. But is he as capable as he was?
Critique: With the publication of "The Law According to Merriweather", author Lee Lejeune has revealed a decidedly impressive storytelling style that is eminently suited to an action/adventure western novel. A fun read for western fans from start to finish, this large print paperback edition of "The Law According to Merriweather" from Linford Western Library is a welcome and recommended pick for community/public library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of western novel fans.
Editorial Note: A complete listing of novels by Lee Lejeune is readily available on the GoodReads website at https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1836488.Lee_Lejeune
Justice Was A Man
John McNally
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444853377, $25.00, PB, Large Print, 228pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/justice-was-a-man-john-mcnally/1132682470
Synopsis: Brockie Jack and Big Len Quinn rob a stagecoach and make off with a heap of gold, only to have it stolen from them hours later. Jack scorches a trail across Montana trying to recover his lost gold. Town Marshal Matt Buck goes toe-to-toe with him. In this story of greed and treachery, Buck's world is turned upside down when Jack snatches his son. The marshal must find the gold and return it to the thief in exchange for his son's life.
Critique: A well crafted and original western of robbery, doublecross and gun play, "Justice Was A Man" is a riveting read from start to finish and fully showcases author John McNally's mastery of the western genre. This large print paperback edition of "Justice Was A Man" from the Linford Western Library collection is highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction shelves.
Editorial Note: John McNally is the author of three novels (After the Workshop, America's Report Card and The Book of Ralph) and two story collections (Ghosts of Chicago and Troublemakers). He's written two books on writing: Vivid and Continuous: Essays and Exercise for Writing Fiction and The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist He's edited six fiction anthologies, on subjects ranging from superheroes to baseball. He also writes screenplays and held a Chesterfield Writer's Film Project fellowship, sponsored by Paramount Pictures.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Murder at Midwinter Manor
Anita Davison
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781785133428, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 400pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-midwinter-manor-anita-davison/1145575924
Synopsis: Its 1916 and the folk at Midwinter Manor are desperate for a Christmas weekend break from war-torn London.
Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet take Bartleby the cat and themselves off to visit Hannah's sister and her husband, the Earl of Atherton, in their beautiful country estate, deep in the English countryside. Hannah's sister has filled the house with relatives, friends and merrymakers, and everyone's excited to have a Christmas to remember.
But then, when a fellow-guest's body is found in the library (apparently bludgeoned to death) and a precious ruby is stolen from another guest, it appears that it's going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons. With the house snowed in, and the rural police force completely incapable of finding a single credible suspect, Hannah and Aunt Violet realize that once again it's going to be down to them to get to the bottom of it.
Because whoever's behind the crimes must be at Midwinter Manor. . . And if they're not found, who knows what their next 'gift' will be?
Critique: Amateur female murder mystery solving sleuths are at the heart of "Murder at Midwinter Manor", a carefully crafted cozy mystery from first page to last. This large print paperback edition of an epic 'whodunnit' by novelist Anita Davison will prove to be an immediately and enduringly popular pick for both community library Mystery/Suspense collections and the personal reading lists of any and all dedicated cozy mystery fans.
Editorial Note: Anita Davison is the author of Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries set in WWI from Boldwood Books. Also available are Anita's five volume Edwardian Flora Maguire Mystery series.
A Christmas Murder
Mary Grand
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804269190, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 480pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christmas-murder-mary-grand/1145714120
Synopsis: Susan didn't plan on being an amateur sleuth and after two successful investigations, she's looking forward to a quiet Christmas. So, when local businesswoman Meera is in desperate need of help, Susan agrees rather reluctantly.
The task should be easy enough. The infamous press mogul Duncan Fern is coming back to the Isle of Wight, the scene of his family's childhood holidays, to celebrate Christmas with his grown-up children and their partners, his new glamorous wife Kirsten who is forever dripping with diamonds, and the spikey editor of his paper the Morning Flame, Antoine. The newly-refurbished luxurious Bishopstone Manor is the perfect setting for a festive break and all Susan has to do is help Meera host.
But when a snowstorm descends over the island, and the following morning a body is found, Christmas at the Manor takes a darker turn. Can Susan get to the bottom of the mystery before the murderer strikes again?
Critique: Another gem of a cozy mystery from novelist Mary Grand, "A Christmas Murder" is a treat for all dedicated mystery fans from start to finish. A perfect pick for the personal reading lists of dedicated fans of amateur sleuthing and murder mystery solving, this large print paperback edition of "A Christmas Murder" from Boldwood Books is a prized addition to community/public library Mystery/Suspense fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Mary Grand (https://marygrand.net) is a Welsh author who was born in Cardiff and has retained a deep love for her Welsh roots. She has published seven novels, Free to Be Tegan, Hidden Chapters, Behind the Smile, The House Party, The Island, Good Neighbours, and Death At Castle Cove, plus two short books of short stories, Catching the Light and Making Changes.
Poison In Piccadilly
Kelly Oliver
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804832073, $42.00, PB, Large Print, 368pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poison-in-piccadilly-kelly-oliver/1145594287
Synopsis: Fiona is set to tie the knot with her dashing captain, Archie Somersby. But, while Fiona is busy planning her happily ever after, side-kick Kitty Lane and a group of judo-chopping suffragettes are kicking up trouble at the Piccadilly Jujitsu Club.
When Kitty is found unconscious in the locker room during a high-stakes competition, Fiona must forsake her bouquets and bridal gown to investigate. Her sleuthing leads to a posh lady's luncheon where a mysterious death crashes Fiona's wedding plans.
To make matters worse, the arch-nemesis of all things matrimonial Fredrick Fredricks is up to his old tricks, attempting to put the brakes on Fiona's journey down the aisle. Will he succeed in tripping up Fiona's wedding vows? Or will she finally say "I don't" to the charming devil?
Critique: Another simply outstanding 'Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery' by talented novelist Kelly Oliver, this large print paperback edition of "Poison in Piccadilly" from Boldwood Books is a fun read from start to finish. A cast of memorable characters, a 'whodunnit' that plays fair with the mystery solving reader, "Poison in Piccadily" is especially and unreservedly for personal reading lists and community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Kelly Oliver (https://kellyoliverbooks.com) is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of thirteen scholarly books, ten anthologies, and over 100 articles, including work on campus rape, reproductive technologies, women and the media, film noir, and Alfred Hitchcock. Her work has been translated into seven languages, and she has published an op-ed on loving our pets in The New York Times. She has been interviewed on ABC television news, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, and various radio programs.
The Tule Marsh Murder
Nancy Barr Mavity
American Mystery Classics
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
9781613165829, $25.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Tule-Marsh-Murder-Nancy-Mavity/dp/161316582X
Synopsis: James Aloysius Piper, mostly known as Peter, is relentless when pursuing a story for his newspaper, the Herald. So when a woman's body is found burned beyond recognition in the marsh near El Cerrito, he is even more eager than the local authorities to uncover her identity and find out what happened to her. Helping to solve the case is clinical psychologist Dr. Cavanaugh, who uses cutting-edge forensic techniques to glean crucial information from a few strands of the woman's hair that escaped the flames.
After Cavanaugh's discoveries tie the corpse to Sheila O'Shay, the missing wife of millionaire Don Ellsworth, it's up to Peter Piper to use all of his craft and charm as a reporter to coax out any secrets the couple may have been hiding.
Critique: Author Nancy Barr Mavity's mystery novel, "The Tule Marsh Murder" was inspired by a real case that had captivated the San Francisco Bay Area public a few years earlier, and the character of Dr. Cavanaugh is based on the pioneering forensic criminologist Edward Oscar Heinrich who became known as "America's Sherlock Holmes". Though Nancy Barr Mavity may not be remembered as vividly as her contemporaries, such as Mary Roberts Rinehart and Ellery Queen, her mystery novels were groundbreaking in their use of science in the detection of crime, with psychology and forensics frequently providing key clues to the solutions. Now brought back into print for a new generation of appreciative mystery fans, this hardcover edition of "The Tule Marsh Murder" from American Mystery Classics is also readily available for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections in a paperback edition (9781613165836, $15.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.15).
Editorial Note: A legendary newspaper reporter and feature writer for the Oakland Tribune for more than a quarter of a century, Nancy Barr Mavity (October 22, 1890 - April 23, 1959) also served as the literary editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. She wrote numerous newspaper and magazine articles on various subjects in addition to producing fiction and nonfiction books, most notably her series of mystery novels featuring crime reporter James Aloysius "Peter" Piper: The Tule Marsh Murder, The Body on the Floor, The Other Bullet, The Case of the Missing Sandals, The Man Who Didn't Mind Hanging, and The Fate of Jane McKenzie.
The Three Coffins
John Dickson Carr
American Mystery Classics
c/o Penzler Publishers
https://penzlerpublishers.com
9781613165867, $15.99, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Coffins-John-Dickson-Carr/dp/1613165862
Synopsis: Professor Charles Grimaud is found dead in his study just moments after his housekeeper watched him greet a mysterious visitor and welcome him into the room. Yet no sign of the murderer or murder weapon can be found. The housekeeper saw no one leave through the door and the snow outside the only window remains unblemished.
An equally puzzling murder has occurred outside, in the middle of the street: The illusionist Pierre Fley was walking alone in a snow-covered cul-de-sac when witnesses heard someone shout "The second bullet is for you!" followed by a gunshot. He is found dead, with the revolver that killed both Grimaud and himself by his side and no footprints in the surrounding snow but his own.
It appears that both murders must have been committed by a specter! Someone not only invisible but lighter than air. But if anyone can find a rational explanation, it is brilliant amateur sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell.
Critique: A true time lost classic originally published in 1935 and now brought back into print by American Mystery Classics for the benefit and enjoyment of a whole new generation of mystery buffs, this paperback edition of "The Three Coffins" by mystery novelist John Dickson Carr is a fun read from start to finish and will prove an immediate and enduringly popular pick for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Three Coffins" is also readily available in a digital book format ($3.99) as well.
Editorial Note #1: In a 1981 survey of mystery experts, "The Three Coffins" (titles "The Hollow Man" in the UK edition) was voted the best locked room mystery of all time. It is also celebrated for a scene in which Carr's iconic detective Gideon Fell delivers a speech expounding upon the dozens of methods and variations by which apparently impossible murders may be accomplished. Any fan of locked room mysteries and impossible crimes should consider this book required reading.
Editorial Note 2: John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 - February 27, 1977) was arguably one of the greatest writers of the American Golden Age mystery, and one of the only American authors to be included in England's legendary Detection Club. Though he was born and died in the United States, Carr began his writing career while living in England, where he remained for nearly twenty years. Under his own name and various pseudonyms, he wrote more than seventy novels and numerous short stories, and is best known today for his locked-room mysteries. His beloved series character, Dr. Gideon Fell, was based on author G. K. Chesterton and appeared in twenty-four novels. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dickson_Carr)
Clive Cussler Desolation Code
Graham Brown
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group
www.penguin.com
9780593719206, $32.99, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Clive-Cussler-Desolation-Code-Files/dp/0593719204
Synopsis: When Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala investigate a mass stranding of aquatic life in the Indian Ocean, they accidentally uncover a much deeper mystery. A strange figure soon steals NUMA's findings, forcing a high-speed chase -- someone really didn't want them examining those dead whales. But who, and why?
A cryptic text through the NUMA satellite network makes things still stranger: these odd phrases and numbers look like NUMA codes. But who could be tantalizing the crew with such specific knowledge of their tech? Are they being helped by an old friend, or lured into a trap by a traitor who knows a little too much about NUMA's inner workings?
Kurt, Joe, and even Max, the agency's supercomputer, will have to investigate like never before as they decrypt data, infiltrate a cult of cloned men, and prepare for a battle on two very different planes: one physical; one digital. The aquatic stranding was just the beginning of a sinister plan concocted by a mind more brilliant than any they've ever faced -- the mind of a machine. A new, terrifying world order is being plotted. First marine ecosystems will be devastated, then the entire globe's... Unless the NUMA crew can stop this code of desolation.
Critique: Author Graham Brown does full justice to the late Clive Cussler with the publication of "Desolation Code" from G. P. Putnam's Sons. Deftly crafted, action packed, with meticulous attention to detail, and more than just a bit of AI menace, "Desolation Code" is suspense thriller of a read from start to finish. Having great appeal for the legions of Clive Cussler fans and readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "Desolation Code" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community/public library Contemporary Suspense/Thriller and Action/Adventure collections.
Editorial Note #1: Clive Cussler (July 15, 1931 - February 24, 2020) was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files, Isaac Bell, and Sam and Remi Fargo. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity.
Editorial Note #2: Graham Brown is the author of Black Rain, Black Sun, Clive Cussler Condor's Fury, and Clive Cussler's Dark Vector, and the coauthor with Cussler of Devil's Gate, The Storm, Zero Hour, Ghost Ship, The Pharaoh's Secret, Nighthawk, The Rising Sea, Sea of Greed, Journey of the Pharaohs, and Fast Ice. He is a pilot and an attorney.
Rockin' Around the Chickadee
Donna Andrews
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250894359, $27.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rockin-Around-Chickadee-Langslow-Mysteries/dp/1250894352
Synopsis: Meg's sister-in-law, Delaney, is pregnant. Since her due date is on or around Christmas Day, this is putting a bit of a damper on the usual holiday festivities. Meg and Michael are NOT hosting the usual house full of relatives and parties. Instead, Meg, along with her mother, her grandmother, her cousin Rose Noire, and her good friend Caroline, are militantly doing everything they can think of to keep Delaney quiet and healthy.
All the relatives are farmed out to friends and neighbors; all the parties are being held somewhere else; and while Delaney is bored and mutinous, she's doing well, and they're managing to maintain a serene, peaceful environment for her... until a body is found in Meg and Michael's yard.
The body turns out to be an attendee at Presumed Innocent, a nearby conference that Meg's grandmother has organized. Some of the attendees want to learn how to exonerate a friend or family members who has been unjustly convicted, while the rest are avid true crime aficionados. And since the dead guy has been very vocal about his belief that most actual and would-be exonerees are guilty, guilty GUILTY!, nearly everyone at the conference dislikes him.
But would any of them hate him enough to kill him? And can Meg still keep Delaney calm in the middle of a murder investigation, all while trying to catch the killer?
Critique: Original, riveting, and a fun read for cozy mystery fans from cover to cover, "Rockin' Around the Chickadee" by novelist Donna Andrews shows her to be a master of the genre. Unreservedly recommended for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that this hardcover edition of "Rockin' Around the Chickadee" from Minotaur Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Donna Andrews (www.donnaandrews.com) has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry Awards, an RT Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and four Lefty and two Toby Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Novelists, Inc. Andrews lives in Reston, Virginia. She has written over 30 books in the Meg Langslow mystery series.
Two Good Men
Suzanne E. Redfearn
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9798212263146, $27.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Two-Good-Men-S-Redfearn/dp/B0CX6NKMMK
Synopsis: Dick Raynes feared this day would come. Otis Parsons, a violent felon, has been released from prison, and Dick's sister, Dee, is the one who helped put him there. Dick's marriage is over, and his career is in shambles, so with nothing to lose, he sets out to do whatever it takes to keep Dee and her son safe.
But Otis is just the beginning. Using his knowledge as a scientist to develop a formula able to predict those offenders most likely to strike again, Dick sets out to protect future victims the law is powerless to defend.
FBI agent Steve Patterson investigates crimes against those who have paid their dues for past mistakes, running a department he created after his son was killed by a vigilante mother who targeted the wrong person. Recognizing a disturbing pattern of untimely deaths in recently released felons, he sets out to discover who's behind it. What he doesn't expect is to find another chance at love -- with the sister of the man he is chasing.
Critique: Authentically original and an ideal example of deftly crafted storytelling, "Two Good Men" by novelist Suzanne Redfearn is a genuinely compelling, compulsive page turner of a read from start to finish. While also available for the personal reading lists of suspense thriller fans in a paperback edition (9798212638333, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), this hardcover edition of "Two Good Men" from Blackstone Publishing is unreservedly recommended for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Suzanne E. Redfearn (https://www.suzanneredfearnauthor.com) is the author of seven novels. Her books have been published in twenty-four countries and been recognized by RT Reviews, Target Recommends, Goodreads, Publisher's Marketplace, and Kirkus Reviews. Her #1 Amazon bestseller, In an Instant, was awarded the Best New Fiction Award from Best Book Awards and was a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist.
Death at a Scottish Christmas
Lucy Connelly
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781639109302, $29.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Scottish-Christmas-Isle-Mystery/dp/1639109307
Synopsis: Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can't wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt.
As the band's future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town's festivities.
With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it's too late.
Critique: A perfectly crafted cozy mystery, "Death at a Scottish Christmas" by novelist Lucy Connelly is a fun read for dedicated mystery buffs from first page to last. Highly recommended for community/library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Death at a Scottish Christmas" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available for the personal reading lists of 'whodunnit' mystery fans in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9798228249011, $39.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Lucy Connelly (www.lucyconnelly.com) travels around the world -- usually with her bossy dog in tow. Her favorite pastime is sipping tea in a quaint cafe as she turns each passerby into a murder victim, witness, or suspect. If she stares at you strangely, don't worry. She only murdered you in her book!
The Secret of Blackbird Cabin
D. L. Tank
Planert Creek Press
http://planertcreekpress.com
9798986730530, $6.99, PB, 210pp
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Blackbird-Cabin-D-Tank/dp/B0D8D417CF
Synopsis: When Tony and Megan, a recently retired couple, buy a long-vacant cabin on a small lake hidden in Wisconsin's Northwoods for a ridiculously low price, they get more than they bargained for.
While renovating the cabin and property, they discover an unidentified skeleton. A myriad of connected clues involving bank robbers, bootleggers and crooked cops point to the skeleton's identity.
Tony and Megan reluctantly recognize that if the mystery is to be solved, it's up to them to discover what really happened at Blackbird Cabin.
Critique: A treasure of a cozy mystery with a Wisconsin Northwoods feel, "The Secret of Blackbird Cabin" by Wisconsin author D. L. Tank is a fun read from start to finish. thanks to a distinctive and engaging storytelling style, this novel will prove to be of special interest and appeal to fans of the amateur sleuth having to solve a 'whodunnit' murder mystery. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that this paperback edition of "The Secret of Blackbird Cabin" from Planert Creek Press is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99) as well.
Editorial Note: David L. Tank (http://davidtank.com) is a writer and photographer currently living in Menomonie, Wisconsin, where he teaches writing and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Prior to becoming a full-time teacher, he was a newspaper and magazine editor, worked as senior writer for a major fraternal organization and directed the communication efforts of several not-for-profit organizations.
An Insignificant Case
Philip Margolin
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250885821, $29.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Insignificant-Case-Thriller-Phillip-Margolin/dp/1250885825
Synopsis: Charlie Webb is a third rate lawyer who graduated from a third rate law-school and, because he couldn't get hired by any of the major law firms, has opened his own law firm, where he gets by through handling cases for dubious associates from his youth and some court appointed cases.
Described as "a leaky boat floating down the stream of life," Charlie has led an unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he's appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested (again) for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he's also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner's safe.
Not knowing what else Sabatani has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and "other items' for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures who are determined to retrieve it, the restaurant owner (Gretchen Hall) and her driver (Yuri Makarov) are being investigated for the sex trafficking of minors, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini.
When a minor theft case becomes a double homicide, and even more, Charlie Webb, an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case, is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life.
Critique: As an author, Phillip Margolin is a master of the suspense/thriller genre and his newest novel, "An Insignificant Case" is an original and fascinating read from start to finish. Replete with deftly crafted and memorable characters, plus original and compelling storyline of unexpected plot twists, "An Insignificant Case" is an unreservedly recommended choice for community/public library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Phillip Margolin fans that "An Insignificant Case" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Phillip Margolin (https://phillipmargolin.com) has written over twenty-five novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers, including Gone But Not Forgotten, Lost Lake, and Violent Crimes. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases.
I'll Be Home for Mischief
Jacqueline Frost
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781639109067, $30.99, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Mischief-Christmas-Tree-Mystery/dp/1639109064
Synopsis: It's Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town's 150th anniversary. Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family's visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly's mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world's largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow's body ends up in the batter.
When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man. Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive.
When someone breaks into Holly's office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left. Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?
Critique: Another perfectly crafted cozy mystery from a master of the genre, "I'll Be Home for Mischief" by novelist Jacqueline Frost is an exceptional and fun read that is unhesitatingly recommended for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legion of Jacqueline Frost fans that this hardcover edition of "I'll Be Home for Mischief" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228312630, $45.95, CD).
Editorial Note: Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime. (https://cozy-mystery.com/jacqueline-frost.html)
Dominoes, Danzon, and Death
Raquel V. Reyes
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781639109043, $31.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dominoes-Danz%C3%B3n-Caribbean-Kitchen-Mystery/dp/1639109048
Synopsis: It's been three years since food anthropologist and cooking show star Miriam Quinones-Smith had her last brush with death. Her Spanglish culinary show, Abuela Approved, is topping the charts. Her parents are back in Miami and living with her in Coral Shores. And her kids are great. But when bones start popping up in unexpected places, Miriam's idyllic life is threatened.
Her husband Robert's much-delayed hotel project screeches to a halt when human bones are unearthed. Tribal representatives, forensic archaeologists, and a pompous professor rain down on the possibly ancient site. Then a fake skeleton with the name "Smith" etched into it is found floating in the bay with an ominous note. Is it a threat to Miriam's husband or her inlaws? And when Miriam's boss Delvis is seen going off on a tour guide who marched through the crew-only area on set and is later found dead, Delvis is declared the main suspect.
To protect her family and friends, Miriam must dig up the truth that has been hiding in plain sight.
Critique: Original, clever, and part of author Raquel V. Reyes' 'A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery' series, "Dominoes, Danzon, and Death" is an exceptional and riveting read that will be especially appreciated by fans of the cozy mystery genre. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228312661, $43.97, CD, Amazon), "A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Raquel V. Reyes (http://rvreyes.com) writes Latina protagonists. Her Cuban American heritage, Miami, and Spanglish feature prominently in her work. Mango, Mambo, and Murder, the first in the Caribbean Kitchen mystery series, won a Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery. It was nominated for an Agatha Award and optioned for film. Raquel's short stories appear in various anthologies, including The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022.
Murder in the Ranks
Kristi Jones
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639109715, $31.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ranks-Novel-Kristi-Jones/dp/1639109714
Synopsis: Algiers, North Africa, 1943. After her abusive German husband left her for dead and took their daughter with him behind enemy lines, Dottie Lincoln learned that it's better to be a trained soldier rather than a victim.
As a newly minted squad leader in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, she spends her days moving men and materials to the front and her nights attending mandatory dances to boost the morale of the men. Despite the grueling nature of her job, she has found a sanctuary amongst the women in the Army. When Ruth, a member of her squad, is murdered, she's devastated and determined to get to the bottom of the murder.
Dottie's company is the first group of American women assigned to a combat theater, and with Ruth's death, the entire operation is being questioned. Determined to do everything she can to help win the war, bring justice to her friend, and hopefully reunite with her daughter, Dottie must rise to the occasion before the killer strikes again.
But when her past comes back to haunt her, Dottie must prove she's not a German spy and put a stop to a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire American war effort.
Critique: An original, deftly crafted, and fully entertaining novel that incorporates an inherently fascinating 'whodunnit' cozy mystery against the backdrop of World War II, "Murder in the Ranks" by Kristi Jones will prove an enduringly popular pick for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated cozy mystery fans that this edition of "Murder in the Ranks" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Kristi Jones (www.authorkristijones.com) grew up in the military and has lived in Germany, England, Turkey, and many places throughout the US. She attended a German high school that left her with a lifelong love of languages. She holds a degree in history and is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Writer's League of Texas. In her free time, Kristi loves to paint, travel, explore historical sites, and comb through old bookstores and museums for obscure nuggets of historical details to add to her stories.
Misery Hates Company
Elizabeth Hobbs
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781639109739, $29.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Misery-Hates-Company-Elizabeth-Hobbs/dp/1639109730
Synopsis: Miss Marigold Manners may be steeped in the etiquette of her old-money Boston family, but she is also an accomplished, modern woman and an avid student of archaeology who can handle any situation with poise. When the death of her parents leaves her too destitute to pursue her academic career and she receives a letter from a distant relative on Great Misery Island, Marigold decides she must do what any person of superior sense and greater-than-average curiosity would: she mounts her trusty bicycle and heads up the craggy, fog-shrouded coast of New England for a date with fate.
Marigold arrives at Hatchet Farm, a moldering, gothic pile of a house inhabited by relatives so mired in the sins of the past that they have no future. She sets out to modernize the recluses with a brisk, ruthless efficiency, but her well-intentioned plans to manage their lives lead to malice -- and murder. Marigold spies a body floating in the stormy waters surrounding the island, and her suspicions immediately turn to her hostile, weapon-wielding relatives when one of the local girls turns up missing. And she might not be the only one.
When another dead body is found in the garden of the estate, Marigold finds herself accused. She must enlist the help of an eccentric, colorful cast of friends and found family to save herself -- and everything she holds dear. As secrets are uncovered and lies exposed, the question of "who done it?" turns into "who didn't do it?" and Marigold must face a truth that shatters her steely poise and shakes her very sense of self.
Critique: Another impressive addition to the 'Marigold Manners Mystery' series by novelist Elizabeth Hobbs, "Misery Hates Company" is an masterful blending of gothic mystery and cozy mystery genres. Exceptional and original, "Misery Hates Company" is a prized and recommended pick for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should also be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery fans that this edition of "Misery Hates Company" from Crooked Lane Books is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Elizabeth Hobbs (www.elizabethhobbsauthor.com) graduated from Hollins College with a BA in classics and art history and then earned her MA in nautical archaeology from Texas A&M University. While she loved the life of an underwater archaeologist, she has found her true calling writing historical mysteries full of wit, wickedness, and adventure.
Silent Are the Dead
D. M. Rowell
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781639104994, $31.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Silent-are-Dead-D-Rowell/dp/1639104992
Synopsis: While back on tribal land, Mud Sawpole uncovers an illegal fracking operation underway that threatens the Kiowas' ancestral homeland. But there's an even greater threat: a local businessman involved in artifact thefts is murdered, and a respected tribe elder faces accusation of the crime. After being roped in by her cousin, Denny, they begin to investigate the death while also pursuing evidence to permanently stop frackers from destroying Kiowa land, water, and livelihoods.
When answers evade her, Mud heeds her grandfather's and great-aunt's words of wisdom and embraces Kiowa tribal customs to find the answers that she seeks. But her ceremonial sweat leads to a vision with answers wrapped in more questions.
Mud and Denny race against the clock to uncover the real killer and must face the knowledge that there may be a traitor (and a murderer) in their midst. It's already too late for one victim -- and Mud may be next.
Critique: "Silent Are The Dead" is the riveting sequel to author D. M. Rowell's novel "Never Name The Dead" and is another deftly crafted and riveting reads from start to finish. Holding a very special attraction for readers with an interest in Native American themed fiction and 'whodunnit' murder mysteries, this edition of "Silent Are The Dead" will prove a welcome and enduringly popular pick for personal reading lists and community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that "Silent Are The Dead" is also available from Crooked Lane Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228248762, $43.94, MP3-CD)
Editorial Note: D. M. Rowell (www.dmrowell.com) is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma. Like her protagonist, Mud, she comes from a long line of Kiowa storytellers within a Plains Indian culture that treasures oral traditions. After a thirty-two-year career spinning stories for Silicon Valley start-ups and corporations, with a few escapes creating award-winning independent documentaries, Rowell started a new chapter writing the Mud Sawpole Mysteries featuring a Silicon Valley professional Kiowa woman solving thefts and murders in Kiowa country. The first in the series, Never Name the Dead was a 2023 Finalist for the Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Robert Dugoni
https://www.robertdugonibooks.com
Thomas & Mercer
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781662517990, $28.99, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Reasonable-Doubt-Keera-Duggan/dp/1662517998
Synopsis: When Jenna Bernstein, disgraced wunderkind CEO of a controversial biotech company, is accused of murdering her former partner and lover, she turns to Seattle attorney Keera Duggan to defend her. Keera is more than a master chess player who brings her intuitive moves into court -- she's Jenna's childhood friend. But considering their history, Keera knows that where Jenna goes, trouble follows.
Five years earlier, Keera's father successfully defended Jenna when she was tried for the killing of her company's chief scientist who threatened to go public with allegations of corporate fraud. Keera knows Jenna too well. When she was a kid, Keera saw Jenna for what she was: a manipulative and frighteningly controlling sociopath. Now, with only circumstantial evidence against Jenna, Keera is willing to bury any trepidation she might have to defend a woman she believes, this time, to be innocent.
As the investigation gets underway and disturbing questions arise, Keera puts her trust in a client who swears that this time she's telling nothing but the truth. If this is all just another devious game, Keera might be working to set a murderer free.
Critique: With the publication of "Beyond Reasonable Doubt", author Robert Dugoni once again demonstrates his complete mastery of the suspense/thriller murder mystery genre. Expertly crafted characters, impressively original story, and a fun read for mystery fans from start to finish, this hardcover edition of "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" is a perfect fit for community and public library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781662500220, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).
Editorial Note: Robert Dugoni (www.robertdugonibooks.com) is the author of several series, including Tracy Crosswhite, Charles Jenkins, David Sloane, and Keera Duggan. His stand-alone novels include Damage Control, The 7th Canon, The World Played Chess, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, which was named Suspense Magazine's 2018 Book of the Year and won Dugoni an AudioFile Earphones Award for his narration. Dugoni is also the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Book Award for fiction and a multi-time winner for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest.
We Three Queens
Rhys Bowen
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593641361, $28.99, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Queens-Royal-Spyness-Mystery/dp/0593641361
Synopsis: It's late 1936, and King Edward is in turmoil, having fallen in love with the scandalously divorced and even more scandalously American Wallis Simpson. He wants to marry her but knows that doing so will jeopardize his crown. Edward confides in his dear friend Darcy, Georgie's husband, and the couple agree to hide Wallis in their home while Edward figures out what to do.
But unbeknownst to Georgie and Darcy, Sir Hubert, the owner of the estate, has given a film crew permission to shoot a motion picture about Henry the Eighth and Anne Boleyn on the grounds. Trying to keep Mrs. Simpson hidden while raising a newborn baby seems like it couldn't be any more stressful for the Rannochs, until one of the stars of the film is found murdered on set.
Georgie must solve the murder for king and country before scandal threatens to envelop them all.
Critique: A 'Royal Spyness Mystery' from the mind and imagination of accomplished author Rhys Bowen, "We Three Queens" is a riveting 'whodunnit' of a read that is a 'must' for the legions of cozy mystery fans showcasing what amateur female sleuths must accomplish in the face of tremendous odds in order to save a falsely accused friend -- or in this case, scandalize a royal dynasty! While unreservedly recommended as a top pick for community library 20th Century Historical Mystery/Suspense collections, "We Three Queens" is also readily available for personal reading lists of dedicated mystery fans in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Rhys Bowen (https://rhysbowen.com) has been nominated for every major award there is in mystery writing, including the Edgar, and has won many, including both the Agatha and Anthony awards. She is also the author of the Molly Murphy Mysteries, set in turn-of-the-century New York, and the Constable Evans Mysteries, set in Wales, as well as two international stand-alone novels.
Guilt and Ginataan
Mia P. Manansala
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593549186, $19.00, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Guilt-Ginataan-Rosies-Kitchen-Mystery/dp/059354918X
Synopsis: The annual Shady Palms Corn Festival is one of the town's biggest moneymakers, drawing crowds from all over the Midwest looking to partake in delicious treats, local crafts, and of course, the second largest corn maze in Illinois. Lila Macapagal and her Brew-ha Cafe crew, Adeena Awan and Elena Torres, are all too happy to participate in the event and even make a little wager on who can make it through the corn maze the fastest -- but their fun is suddenly cut short when a dead body is found in the middle of the maze... and an unconscious Adeena lies next to it, clutching a bloody knife.
The body is discovered to be a local politician's wife, and all signs (murder weapon included) point to Adeena as the culprit. But Lila knows her best friend couldn't have done this, so she and her crew put on their sleuthing caps yet again to find the killer who framed Adeena and show them what happens when they mess with a Brew-ha...
Critique: With the publication of "Guilt and Ginataan", once again it is confirmed that as an author, Mia P. Manansala is a true master of the cozy mystery genre. Part of her "A Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery" series, "Guilt and Ginataan" is a deftly crafted and unfailingly fun read from first page to last. Clever, original, and unreservedly recommended for community/public library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of cozy culinary mystery fans that "Guilt and Ginataan" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Mia P. Manansala (www.miapmanansala.com) is an award-winning writer and book coach from Chicago who loves books, baking, and badass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture.
Bronco Buster
A. J. Devlin
NeWest Press
www.newestpress.com
9781774391020, $17.95, PB, 276pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bronco-Buster-Hammerhead-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1774391023
Synopsis: After a lumberjack games competitor is found floating face down in a pool with an axe buried in the back of his head, former pro wrestler-turned-P.I. "Hammerhead" Jed Ounstead is on the case.
Investigating the Colossal Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair with his ne'er-do-well cousin Declan, Jed finds that he will need all of his skills to find out what happened to a man they'd just spent the previous night drinking with.
Along the way, these two city boys will need to reckon with the raucous world of the rodeo, dodging homicidal clowns, betting on cowpie bingo, riding bucking broncos and more in their attempt to solve the case over the course of one crazy day.
Critique: The fourth title in author A. J. Devlin's simply outstanding 'Hammerhead Jed Mystery' series, "Bronco Buster" is a fun read from mystery lovers who like humor mixed with their mayhem. An original 'whodunnit' special, this paperback edition (which is also available in a digital book format -- Kindle, $11.99) of "Bronco Buster" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: A. J. Devlin (https://ajdevlin.com) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. Cobra Clutch, the first book in the "Hammerhead" Jed professional wrestling mystery-comedy series, was released in spring 2018 and nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and won the 2019 Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. The highly acclaimed sequel, Rolling Thunder, was released in spring 2020. The third book in the series, Five Moves of Doom, was published in September 2022 by NeWest Press and won the 2022 Crime Fiction Lover Editor's Choice Award for Best Indie Crime Novel, was selected by The Globe and Mail as one of the Best Books of 2022, nominated for the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, and shortlisted for the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Howard Engel Award of Excellence for Best Novel Set in Canada.
The Bones of Bascom Hall
Betsy Draine & Michael Hinden
University of Wisconsin Press
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299349745, $21.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Bascom-Barnes-Sandler-Mystery/dp/0299349748
Synopsis: Campus police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are baffled by the discovery of human remains in the attic of the administration building. Drawn into the investigation, visiting professor Nora Barnes connects the bones to the Vietnam-era bombing of Sterling Hall.
But someone doesn't want her probing the past. She's side-swiped by a car while riding a bicycle and almost crushed in the art library's motorized book stacks. Meanwhile, her high-spirited husband, Toby Sandler, is hot on the trail of lost architectural plans drafted by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Inspired by an event that traumatized Madison and shocked the nation, "The Bones of Bascom Hall" by co-authors Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden deftly blends fact and fiction in an absorbing and original novel of mystery and suspense.
Critique: Part of co-authors' Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden's 'Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler Mystery' series, "The Bones of Bascom Hall" with its distinctive University of Wisconsin - Madison setting is a fun read from start to finish and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery fans -- and UW Alumni!
Editorial Note: Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden are the co-authors of Murder in Lascaux, The Body in Bodega Bay, Death on a Starry Night, and The Dead of Achill Island, the first four mystery novels featuring Nora Barnes and Toby Sandler. They also co-authored the memoir A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France and translated The Walnut Cookbook by Jean-Luc Toussaint. They both are professors emeriti of English at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Gathering Mist
Margaret Mizushima
Crooked Lane Books
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781639108947, $29.99, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Mist-Timber-Creek-Mystery/dp/1639108947
Synopsis: Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington's Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity's missing child. With only a week left before her wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner Robo's tracking skills are needed.
Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play. When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiance, Cole Walker, suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie's and Robo's safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.
Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light, and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it's too late.
Critique: A deftly crafted and original novel of mystery and suspense, "Gathering Mist" is the newest addition to author Margaret Mizushima's outstanding 'Timber Creek K-9 Mystery' series. A fun read from start to finish for fans of cozy animal mysteries combined with police procedurals and female mystery solving sleuths, "Gathering Mist" will prove a welcome and appreciated pick for community/public library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for K-9 mystery buffs that this hardcover edition of "Gathering Mist" from Crooked Lane Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228249066, $45.95, MP3-CD).
Editorial Note: Margaret Mizushima (https://margaretmizushima.com) served as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected 2019 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Wicked: Collector's Edition
Gregory Maguire
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063391086, $40.00, HC, 416pp
https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Collectors-Life-Times-Witch/dp/0063391082
Synopsis: With millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" is established not only as a commentary on our time but as a novel to revisit for years to come.
"Wicked" relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination.
Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin -- no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz's most promising young citizens.
But Elphaba's Oz is no utopia. The Wizard's secret police are everywhere. Animals - those creatures with voices, souls, and minds - are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals - even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas.
Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel "Wicked" has inspired the blockbuster musical of the same name -- one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel's distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire's Wicked is as unique as its green-skinned witch.
Critique: Gregory Maguire's "Wicked" is an immersive and thought-provoking fantasy novel that dares to recontextualize the underlying presumptions of L. Frank Baum's public domain classic, "The Wizard of Oz". This collector's edition of "Wicked" from the publisher William Morrow & Company is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Epic Fantasy and Literary Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Gregory Maguire (https://gregorymaguire.com) is the author of the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. His series Another Day continues the story of Oz with The Brides of Maracoor, The Oracle of Maracoor, and The Witch of Maracoor, and his other novels include A Wild Winter Swan, Hiddensee, After Alice, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost, and Mirror Mirror. Some of his novels for children include Cress Watercress, Leaping Beauty, and Egg & Spoon, winner of a Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor.
Silla's Awakening
J. M. Durham
Addison & Highsmith Publishers
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592114337, $19.99, PB, 300pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sillas-Awakening-Chronicles-Cursed-Goddess/dp/1592114334
Synopsis: "Silla's Awakening" by author J. M. Durham is a part of his 'Chronicles of A Cursed Goddess' series takes the reader along on a hazardous journey through Arrdus with Silla, Omega, and company on a high adventure rife with hardships, hope, despair, love, and magic.
Can Silla, a seemingly normal woman in her early twenties, take on her predestined role of Goddess, and survive? Can Silla locate and protect the precious, powerful items of her predecessors?
Many opposing forces exist known as The Faithful, comprised of fervent followers of the seven gods and goddesses who have for millennia crusaded against the Goddess reincarnations.
Though they are vast in number and influence, perhaps they pale in comparison to another of Silla's future foes: The Faulk, who, far to the northeast in his walled-in nation, have been putting into motion plans of catastrophic evil that will test both Silla and Omega in more ways than they yet know.
It's anyone's guess as to who will survive and who will perish.
Critique: Action/Adventure Fantasy at its very best, "Silla's Awakening" is a deftly crafted, impressively original, and fun read from cover to cover. As a novelist, author J. M. Durham has a distinctive and entertaining storytelling style that holds the reader's rapt, compulsive page turning attention from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Heroic Fantasy Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated dark fantasy fans that "Silla's Awakening" is also readily available from Addison & Highsmith Publishers in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Jason Binagia (who uses the pen name J.M. Durham) considers himself a modern-day hermit. If circumstances allowed it, he would be content on most days to hang out at home and work on his book(s), watch tv, or play games on his PC which he put together himself. He graduated from Ashford University in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.
American Rapture
C. J. Leede
Tor Nightfire
c/o Tor/Forge Books
www.tor-forge.com
9781250857927, $27.99, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/American-Rapture-CJ-Leede/dp/1250857929
Synopsis: A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust.
Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape that has become the American Midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin...
The end times are coming.
Critique: A masterpiece of apocalyptic science fiction by novelist C. J. Leede, "American Rapture" is a deftly crafted and compelling read from start to finish. Especially commended to the attention of dystopian science fiction fans, and also available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition (9781250857941, $18.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), this hardcover edition of "American Rapture" from Tor Nightfire is especially and unreservedly recommended for community/public library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections.
Editorial Note: C. J. Leede is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is also the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
Two new science fiction titles from Baen Books are all top picks for personal reading lists and community library collections.
https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Fire-Black-Tide-Rising/dp/1982193611
Jason Cordova's Mountain of Fire (9781982193614, $28.00) builds on John Ringo's Black Tide Rising series, depicting an isolated school that proves a refuge for students who survive a virus that wipes out most of humanity. Zombies and dictators threaten them, staved off by the only surviving nun, Sister Ann, who directs the girls at St. Dominic's Preparatory School in new directions. More than another story of post-apocalyptic survival, however, Mountain of Fire creates a thought-provoking, absorbing story of various forces that require the students to not just rebuild, but rely on one another in new ways. A first person perspective lends to superior character development, intrigue, and observations that keep this survival story extraordinarily absorbing, making it a standout.
https://www.amazon.com/Freelancers-Neptune-Sol-Blazers-Book-ebook/dp/B0D5ZYSX24
Jacob Holo's Freelancers of Neptune (9781982193683, $28.00) is set in the distant future, when Saturn's rings are gone and the entire solar system has been reshaped by AIs who, themselves, are fading into oblivion. In this environment, Captain Kade, a freelancer struggling to maintain his spaceship, encounters a mysterious girl intent on stealing a spaceship. His encounter with her brings trouble to both as they become an unlikely team on the hunt for treasure and, ultimately, survival. Both are fine additions recommended for any sci-fi library.
Baen Books
www.baen.com
New science fiction and fantasy titles from Baen Books are all top picks for personal reading lists and community library collections.
https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Ascent-Empire-David-Weber/dp/1982193603
Military sci-fi fans are in for a treat with David Weber & Richard Fox's Rebel (9781982193607,$28.00), because it comes packed with action and political jousting, from the simmering emotions of the peoples of the Fringe Worlds to the elite families, The Five Hundred, that have long grown wealthy on the back of a never-ending war. Conspirators, men of honor, and the forces of both the Fringe and The Five Hundred clash with special interests in mind as the Federation teeters on the edge of destruction and the major characters find their associations, secrets, and military might tested. When fighting seems the only option, how can civilians and leaders choose their battles? Military sci-fi enthusiasts will find plenty to relish in Rebel, where heroes are often flawed and not always evident by their actions and choices.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Brothers-Keeper-Tim-Powers/dp/1982192860
My Brother's Keeper by Tim Powers (9781982193706, $18.00) is a wonderful story that's difficult to neatly peg. At once a ghost story, packed with werewolves and powered by the character of a young Emily Bronte, whose rescue of a stranger introduces her to an odd pagan shrine, the story's unexpected twists and turns represents a powerful foray into supernatural intrigue that will delight fans of ghosts, fantasy, and eerie productions.
https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Smoking-Mountain-Chronicles-Hanuvar/dp/1982193670
Shadow of the Smoking Mountain by Howard Andrew Jones (9781982193676, $28.00) is the third book in the Chronicles of Hanuvar series and is highly recommended for prior fans who will appreciate this story's ongoing saga. Here Hanuvar and his band have enjoyed success, but continue to face unexpected adversity with more forces that have learned he is still alive. Secrets, sorcery, gladiator threats, and more battles emerge against the backdrop of smoking mountains and smokingly rich action to keep the story fast-paced and exquisitely complex.
All three of these new titles from Baen Books are highly recommended reads for science fiction and fantasy fans -- and popular picks for community library collections.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
The Incredible Story of Cooking
Benoist Simmat, author
Stephane Douay, illustrator
NBM Publishing
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123400, $34.99, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Story-Cooking-Prehistory-Adventure/dp/1681123401
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500000 Years of Adventure", author/storyteller Benoist Simmat and artist/illustrator Stephane Douay collaborate to tell the story of humanity through the evolution of cuisine. From the discovery of fire to organic cooking, and a work of historical fact presented in a graphic novel format, "The Incredible Story of Cooking" is aimed at all curious people and foodies.
As soon as humans mastered fire, they invented cooking. Did you know that Sapiens invented steam cooking and freezing? That the Mesopotamians created soups, bread, beer, ovens? That gastronomy and tableware have been symbols of political power? These great discoveries changed the world, but also the way we eat.
From America, the conquistadors brought spices, peppers, potatoes... Portuguese missionaries brought the frying technique to distant samurai who made the first tempuras. These are the beginnings of globalization. In the 19th century with the industrial revolution, "capitalist" cuisine emerged: it was the beginning of the food industry. In the 21st century, the organic and buy local movements are shown as a reaction against the harmful effects of this culinary and gastronomic standardization.
To finish in style, included are twenty-two recipes for dishes mentioned throughout our story that you can make at home!
Critique: This large format (7 x 0.8 x 10 inches, 1.72 pounds) hardcover edition of "The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500000 Years of Adventure" from NBM Publishing is a unique, informative, and inherently fascinating graphic novel, and will prove to be an enormously popular pick for personal reading lists as well as community and college/university library cultural and gastronomic history collections. It should be noted that "The Incredible Story of Cooking" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Benoist Simmat is a journalist on economics and successful comic book writer. He is most notably the author of Wine, A Graphic History which sold over 100,000 copies in France and has been translated into many languages.
Editorial Note #2: Stephane Douay has been illustrating comics for over twenty years. He has illustrated the series "Matie re fanto me" (published by Dupuis), "Commandant Achab" (Casterman) and "Les Anne es rouge & noir" (Les Are nes). (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/715782.Benoist_Simmat)
Audrey Hepburn
Michele Botton, author
Dorilys Giacchetto, illustrator
NBM Publishing
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123462, $24.99, HC, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Audrey-Hepburn-NBM-Comics-Biographies/dp/1681123460
Synopsis: Audrey Kathleen Hepburn (4 May 1929 - 20 January 1993) had a successful movie star career in Hollywood and was recognized as a film and fashion icon. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List.
Everyone has their own Audrey, for some she is always twenty years old, for others she is in black and white and for others in color. Sometimes she is a European princess, a tipsy New Yorker or a UNICEF ambassador.
When Audrey Hepburn is mentioned, one thinks of her being beautiful and elegant, of her films, or of how her image is used to recall something immortal and fashionable. But Audrey was also a little girl who saw the Second World War with her own eyes, a woman who was at times fragile at work and in her private life, with a strong desire for motherhood and, above all, a boundless love for children that would lead her to find her true vocation, far from dancing or acting: she will in fact become a UNICEF ambassador to raise awareness in the world and help minors in difficulty.
"When I started acting I didn't have a method, I just pretended to be someone else, like little girls can do for fun!" - Audrey Hepburn.
Critique: An absolute "must" for the legions of Audrey Hepburn fans, "Audrey Hepburn" by author Michele Botton and artist/illustrator Dorilys Giacchetto is a unique and graphic novel style biography of Audrey Hepburn is exceptional, informative, and a fun read from cover to cover. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99), this extraordinary hardcover edition of "Audrey Hepburn" is especially and unreservedly recommended as an enduringly popular pick for community and college/university library 20th Century Women's Biography collections.
Editorial Note #1: Dorilys Giacchetto lives in the province of Venice and she graduated in Comics from the International School of Comics of Padua in 2018. In 2021 she published Blind Date for Tora Edizioni and she illustrated the book Storie di vittime innocenti di Mafia for BeccoGiallo. At the end of 2022 she published Idromele for the collective Cappuccino ExPress. (https://www.facebook.com/dorilys.giacchetto)
Editorial Note #2: Michele Botton (www.michelebotton.com) was born in Piove di Sacco (PD). He studied screenwriting for comics at the International School of Comics in Padua. For BeccoGiallo, he published the graphic novels Abe Sada, il fiore osceno and Bukowski.
The Audiobook Shelf
Murder in Portofino
T. A. Williams, author
Simon Mattacks, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
2940191520605, $83.95, Unabridged, CD (5 Hours 54 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-in-portofino-t-a-williams/1145227415
Synopsis: Dan Armstrong hasn't done much retiring since moving to Tuscany, and with his new career as a successful private investigator taking off, it seems murder seems to follow him. He's hoping a much-needed trip to beautiful Portofino will give him the break he needs and quality time with girlfriend Anna.
Portofino is a celebrity paradise, and holidaying on a nearby superyacht is a group of British media stars, all famous for being infamous. Dan isn't impressed by their status or wealth, but when he overhears an argument between two of the group, he suspects something fishy could be going on...
And then a body is washed up on shore and Dan's hopes for a holiday go overboard. Could this simply be a tragic accident or is there a killer amidst the assembled celebrity cast? Dan and Oscar have their work cut out before the tide turns...
Critique: Narrator and vocal actor Simon Mattacks makes novelist T. A. Williams' cozy mystery novel, "Murder in Portofino" come vividly to life in a true theatre of the mind experience. A 'must' for the legions of T. A. Williams fans, this complete and unabridged audio book edition from Boldwood Books will prove to be an enduringly prized addition to community and public library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections. It should be noted that "Murder in Portofino" is also available in a digital download format ($20.99, Barnes & Noble).
Kings of Conflict
M. J. Porter, author
Matt Coles, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
2940192770078, $107.95, Unabridged, CD (10 Hours 57 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kings-of-conflict-mj-porter/1145695541
Synopsis: AD 942 -- In the wake of the agreement reached at Lincoln between Edmund and Anlaf Sihtricson of the Norse, Edmund returns to Wessex to reflect and rebuild, impatient to reverse his losses.
But this is the winter of discontent. In Jorvik and the kingdom of the Scots, those who've waited too long to become kings in their own right grow restless.
As the enemies of the English turn on themselves, Edmund senses the opportunity to reclaim all his brother, the victor of Brunanburh, managed to gain before his untimely death plunged England back into war with her many foes.
With his sights set firmly on York, can he recreate the England his brother built, or will the enemies of England realise the error of their ways and once more unite to drive Edmund back to Wessex, leaving York in the hands of the Norse?
Critique: This complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Kings of Conflict, MJ Porter's epic retelling of the consequences of the battle of Brunanburh) is expertly narrated by Matt Coles and concludes the The Brunanburh Series. Providing a true 'theatre of the mind' experience from Boldwood Books, "Kings of Conflict" is especially and unreservedly recommended for all community/public library audio book collections. It should be noted for personal lists that "Kings of Conflict" is also available as a digital download ($20.99, Barnes & Noble).
Valhalla's Fury
Donovan Cook, author
Sean Barett, narrator
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804838464, $112.95, CD, 16 Discs (10 Hours 13 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Valhallas-Fury-historical-bestseller-Charlemagnes-ebook/dp/B0CWB4C4W4
Synopsis: Abandoned by his people and destined for Valhalla, do not stand in the way of Sven's fury. Ribe is lost, its hall burnt, and Charles is still missing. Sven must once more sail into dangerous waters to rescue his grandson.
King Louis of East Francia, the man who took Sven's son from him almost twenty years ago, has Charles captive and uses him to force Sven to do his bidding and create chaos raiding his brothers Kingdom of West Frankia.
The long awaited meeting of Charles and his mother, Abbess Hildegard, is not what Charles dreamed it would be and soon it becomes clear that Charles is in even more danger.
Torn between the heathen gods and his Christian god, Charles must decide where his future lies. Sven must fight if he wants to see Charles again and keep the Cross of Charlemagne out of the hands of the Frankish kings.
The only thing that Sven knows is that to save Charles, innocent people must die.
Critique: "Valhalla's Fury" is the conclusion to author Donovan Cook's 'The Charlemagne's Cross' series -- a magnificent written Viking saga laid out in "Loki's Deceit", "Thor's Revenge", and "Odin's Betrayl". Dramatically narrated by the impressive vocal storyteller talents of Sean Barrett, this complete and unabridged historical action/adventure audio book from Boldwood Books is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library audio book collections -- and the series itself a 'must' for the legions of Viking enthusiasts!
Editorial Note #1: Donovan Cook (www.donovancook.net) is the author of the well-received Ormstunga Saga series and the Charlemagne's Cross series, both of which combine fast-paced narrative with meticulously researched history of the Viking world and are inspired by his interest in Norse Mythology.
Editorial Note #2: Sean Barrett is an English actor who has worked in film and television, with extensive experience vocal acting and narrating in animation, video games, and audio books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%A1n_Barrett_(actor)
Death In Helmand
Alison Belsham, author
Nick Huggins, author
Simon Mattacks, narrator
Isis Audio Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781399179591, $107.95, Audio Book, CD (8 Hours, 50 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-in-helmand-a-belsham/1145703785
Synopsis: "Death In Helmand" is set in Afghanistan's most lawless province in 2004, when and where nearly 90 per cent of the world's opium is grown. Gangsters and warlords battle for supremacy in the lucrative trade, territories well-known, and fiercely contested.
Well Diggers, an Anglo-Dutch NGO helping the farming community, comes under attack. One man is dead and another man is missing - suspected kidnapped, so head of security Ginger Jameson calls in his old friend Alasdair 'Mac' MacKenzie to help.
But when the expected ransom demand fails to materialise, rumours blossom, creating a web of deceit and a multitude of false leads.
Embarking on a rescue mission into the no-go reaches of southern Helmand might look like a major scoop to Mac's girlfriend, investigative reporter Baz Khan, but it puts the whole team in danger. And if they don't find him soon, they won't find him at all!
Critique: Talented narrator Simon Mattacks successfully brings co-authors Alison Belsham and Nick Higgins riveting action/adventure novel, "Death In Helmand" vividly to life in the mind's eye of the listener. A superbly crafted military thriller of a read from start to finish, this complete and unabridged CD edition of "Death In Helmand" from Isis Audio will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community/public library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Alison Belsham (www.alisonbelsham.com ) divides her time between London and Edinburgh, where She is a co-founder of the Edinburgh Writers' Forum, providing professional development and networking for writers.
Editorial Note #2: Nick Higgins is the brother part of the brother/sister collaboration, Alison Belsham and Nick Higgins. We're writing what we hope will become a series of books featuring Alasdair "Mac" MacKenzie set (mostly?) in Afghanistan. Nick worked in Afghanistan as a security contractor from late 2003 until 2007 on a variety of projects, mostly for the UN and NGOs. Based in Herat City he was able to travel round Herat, Badghis, Farah and Ghor Provinces. He spent just over 2 months in Kandahar running security and logistics for a Canadian Broadcasting Documentary crew and nearly a year in Helmand Province on an aid project. After finishing in Afghanistan Nick moved to the US and spent nearly 6 years as an anti-terrorism and Force Protection instructor to the United States Marine Corps. Nick is a former member of The Parachute Regiment and served in the 2nd Battalion.
Editorial Note #3: Simon Mattacks (www.simonmattacks.com) is an actor and audio book narrator. I have been a prominent voiceover for over 30 years. He can record, edit and a deliver a voiceover from my professional home studio.
Camera Shy
Julia Boggio, author
Susie Ridell, narrator
Isis Audio Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
2940192230350, $83.95, Audio Book, CD (6 Hours, 14 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/camera-shy-julia-boggio/1146047327
Synopsis: Heartbroken after her almost-engagement was called off, Jess goes on a mini-break to Paris and meets a hot French stranger called Gabriel. As sparks fly, Jess, fearing she was dumped because she was boring, vows to be more spontaneous, and she and Gabriel have mind-blowing sex.
With his troubled past and soulful eyes, Jess quickly realizes there's more to Gabriel than a great shag and, when he whisks her away to his fixer-upper chateau in the country, Jess thinks she might be falling for him. But is this what she wants? She was all for taking risks, but risking her heart so soon was not in the cards, especially when Gabriel's troubled past arrives in the present.
Can they both heal their emotional wounds and let love back into their lives before it's too late?
Critique: The narrative storytelling talents of Susie Ridell bring a true 'theatre of the mind' experience to this superbly produced, complete and unabridged audio book edition from Isis Audio of author Julia Boggio's original and fully entertaining romance novel. This 6 CD library audio book edition of "Camera Shy" is unreservedly recommended as an enduringly popular pick, especially for community/public library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Julia Boggio (https://juliaboggio.com/books)worked as an advertising copywriter until discovering her love of photography on a 6-month trip around South America. She started a wedding photography business which received some great PR when her own Dirty Dancing-themed wedding dance went viral on YouTube. In 2009 she opened a luxury portrait studio and has photographed everyone from the Queen to Queen, the band. After 15 years as a photographer, she returned to her first love: writing.
The Library CD Shelf
Soft Winds and Roses
Diana Panton
https://dianapanton.com
Privately Published
$12.99 CD / $9.99 download / $13.86 MP3 (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DHLPMPMB
Two-time JUNO Award winning jazz vocalist Diana Panton presents her eleventh album Soft Winds and Roses, in which she performs modern classic favorites composed in the 1960s and onward. Her dulcet vocals are supported by Don Thompson on piano, vibes, and bass, as well as Reg Schwager on guitar. Panton's stellar performance adds a unique, deeply personal touch to each composition, transforming Soft Winds and Roses into a work that transcends its time. Soft Winds and Roses is highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are Your Song; Close to You; Secret Heart; Sweet Happy Life; A Wish; How Deep Is Your Love; Pussywillows Cat-Tails; Here, There and Everywhere; You and I; And I Love You So; Until It's Time for You to Go; Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye; Snow; and Both Sides Now.
The Small Hours
Neil Patton
neilpatton.net
Privately Published
$12.00 CD / $9.00 MP3
https://neilpatton.bandcamp.com/album/the-small-hours
The Small Hours is a new age solo piano album of songs written and performed by talented music artist Neil Patton. All songs are Patton's original creations except for Nightwalk, which includes music from the 6th century hymn Be Thou My Vision. Created during the COVID pandemic and its stressful quarantines, Small Hours is a peaceful album that stirs the mind and the spirit to reach beyond immediate confines. Highly recommended. The tracks are Day's End, We Will Tell the Stories, Goodnight Daddy, Good to See You Again, Above the Treetops, A Room with a View, Falling Up, The Moon and Sun Dance, A Prayer in the Darkness, The Small Hours, Trust, Shame and Grace, This Grief Lies Down Beside Me, Nightwalk - Be Thou My Vision, and Daybreak.
Tibet: 20th Anniversary Remaster
Deborah Martin and Cheryl Gallagher
Spotted Peccary Music
www.SpottedPeccary.com
$16.99 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Tibet-Anniversary-Remaster-Deborah-Martin/dp/B0DCC2SPCB
Now completely remastered and remixed for Dolby Atmos and Spatial audio, Tibet: 20th Anniversary Remaster features the eight original compositions crafted with electronic and acoustic instruments, as well as traditional Tibetan percussion, instruments, and on-site recordings of sounds and prayers by people indigenous to the region. Now upgraded to the highest quality that modern technology allows, Tibet: 20th Anniversary Remaster is a treasure for world music connoisseurs and highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. The tracks are Palace; Glacier; Morning in Tibet; Essence; Seeker and Sought; Leaving Shigatse; Eklabati; and Procession.
1Q84
Sahara von Hattenberger
https://saharathecellist.org
Odd Sound
oddsoundmusique.com
$TBA
Inspired by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami's fantasy novel of the same title, 1Q84 is a 2 CD instrumental album showcasing the extraordinary talents of Saraha von Hattenberger on cello, smoothly supported by Joanne Kang on piano, Adrian Vedady on bass, and Jim Doxas on drums. The first CD is a suite for cello and jazz piano trio, while the second CD represents an "alternate reality" 2024 similar to the parallel universe depicted in the 1Q84 novel. Haunting, resonant, and darkly inspirational, 1Q84 is a treasure for both literary and music connoisseurs, highly recommended. The disc 1 tracks are Baroque in Rhythm, Concertante, Galop, Ballade, Romantique, and Cello Fan; and the disc 2 tracks are Night Path (Malcolm Sailor), Air Chrysalis (Remy Le Boeuf), Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush, Remy Le Boeuf), and Rondo Squilibrato (Jeffrey Fong).
Portrait of Right Now
Jocelyn Gould
jocelyngould.com
Jocelyn Gould Music
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK6DC6QW
Portrait of Right Now is the fourth album by JUNO Award-winning jazz guitarist and vocalist Jocelyn Gould, along with Will Bonness on piano, Jared Beckstead-Craan on bass, and Curtis Nowosad on drums. All but two of the ten tracks are Gould's original compositions. Portrait of Right Now will especially appeal to connoisseurs of vocal jazz; Gould's beautiful voice is a captivating auditory experience that enkindles inspiration and delight. Highly recommended! The tracks are Portrait of Right Now; You're No Fun At All; Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart); Jingles (Wes Montgomery); You're in There Somewhere; Can I Tell You a Secret?; Io's Orbit; I Haven't Managed To Forget You; Early Bird; and Spring it Seems.
Reverence
Carn Davidson 9
taradavidson.ca/cd9
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $8.22 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJDSY1JF
Reverence is the fourth studio album by The Carn Davidson 9, a collaborative group of JUNO award-winning artists, trombonist Carn, and saxophonist Tara Davidson. Reverence features two original suites of music created especially for the chamber jazz performance: William Carn's "Pan-American Suite", which celebrates Latin heritage and Brazilian music, and Tara Davidson's "Saxophonist Suite", dedicated to superlative musical accomplishments of contemporary jazz saxophonists Dick Oatts, Joshua Redman, Christine Jensen, and Kenny Garrett. Immersive, inspirational, and a treasure for jazz connoisseurs, Reverence is highly recommended.
Object of Unknown Function
Brandon Seabrook
Pyroclastic Records
pyroclasticrecords.com
$18.00 CD / $12.00 digital
https://brandonseabrook.bandcamp.com/album/object-of-unknown-function
Object of Unknown Function is an extraordinary solo album that defies standard categorization. Music artist Brandon Seabrook layers vintage banjos, electric and 12-string guitars, and cassette recordings into a hybrid fusion of wild, free, and highly experimental original songs. Object of Unknown Function is creativity taken to a higher order of magnitude, and highly recommended for its bold spirit of adventure! The tracks are Object of Unknown Function; Melodic Incidents for an Irrational World; Unbalanced Love Portfolio; Perverted by Perseverance; Historical Importance of Eccentricity; Phenomenal Doggerel; Gondola Freak; Gawk Fodder; Some Recanted Evening; and The Snow Falling, Failing.
Usual Suspects
No Codes
Sunset Hill Music
sunsethillmusic.net
$9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDRKG7M2
The second album of instrumental jazz collective No Codes, Usual Suspects is an exciting blend of modern jazz, free jazz, world music, and punk. The original songs are exciting, creative, and spark the desire to explore beyond both physical and mental confines. Usual Suspects is a choice pick for connoisseurs of genre-bending music, highly recommended! The tracks are The Quest; Usual Suspects; Dog Days; Hyperstitions; Sokushinbutsu; Emit Time Item; Anon; Fiend Zone; Contemplation; and Comuna 13.
Urban Chaos
Nick Adema
nickadema.com
ZenneZ Records
zennezrecords.com
$TBA CD / $11.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGMGJRC3
Trombonist and composer Nick Adema presents Urban Chaos, an album of original jazz themed about the jumbled challenges, turmoil, and surviving loss in modern city life. Performed by the quartet of Nick Adema on trombone, Joy Shechter on piano, Azubike Onwuka on bass and Chen Har-Even on drums, Urban Chaos is ambitious and rowdy, reflecting the competitive bustle of an urban environment, and highly recommended for connoisseurs of hard-hitting modern music. The tracks are Beginnings, The Fool, 111, Y-Axis, The Friendly Ghost, Doglio, Oak, The End of a Love Affair, 222, Fracture, Still Moving, and Demetra.
Ancestral Numbers II
Jason Robinson
jasonrobinson.com
Playscape Recordings
www.playscape-recordings.com
$14.95 CD / $8.00 digital
https://jasonrobinson.bandcamp.com/album/ancestral-numbers-ii
Saxophonist and composer Jason Robinson presents Ancestral Numbers II, the second of a two-album set. Like the previously released Ancestral Numbers I, the original compositions of Ancestral Numbers II are inspired Robinson's own family history and reflections on ancestry. Robinson combines his talents on tenor and soprano saxophones (and alto flute!) with trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Joshua White, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Ches Smith, in this uplifting, expansive soundscape. The result is reverent, contemplative, and highly recommended. The tracks are Sweet Tooth, The Return, Ruby, Enos, Deployment, Arrival, Grayscale, and Ancestral Numbers.
Sui Generis
Mark Masters Ensemble
Featuring Tim Hagans
Capri Records Ltd.
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Sui-Generis-Mark-Masters/dp/B0DCC2ZB8B
Sui Generis is a masterful jazz concerto of nine original compositions performed by an octet of talented music artists on trumpet, saxophones, trombone, french horn, piano, bass, and drums. Each member has at least one solo in the entire album, which draws the listener on a multilayered, soul-stirring audio voyage. Sui Generis is a treasure for connoisseurs of orchestral jazz, highly recommended. The tracks are Doyle Hud's Two Step; The Stoic; Deep Pools; Velocity; Interlude; Waxing and Waning; Pebbles; Meet Me at Sal & Angie's; and The Hammer.
Gotham
Wayne Alpern
https://www.waynealpern.com
Henri Elkan Music
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCM2W91H
Gotham is an album of arranged standards and the creation of Wayne Alpern. The album back cover quotes Bruce Wayne, the alter ego of the comic-book superhero Batman: "All people have limits. They learn what they are and not to exceed them. I ignore mine." In the spirit of that inspiration, Gotham is Wayne Alpern's will to ignore his own limits in arranging and producing the most immersive music possible. From a genuine Batman theme to a treasured Beatles song ("Norwegian Wood") to a vitalized performance of Motown's "I'll Be There" and much more, Gotham brings old and new together in a grand concert performed by an incredible list of talented musicians on reeds and winds, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, keyboards, guitar, and violin. Gotham is a choice pick not only for pop music connoisseurs, but also fans of Batman comic book storytelling and the legendary superhero's will to strive for perfection and beyond! The tracks are Batman; Blue Room; Desafinado; Norwegian Wood; Anyone Can Whistle; Spartacus Love Theme; Lady Madonna; Two Sleepy People; Song for My Father; Have You Met Miss Jones; Little Darlin'; I'll Be There; and When I'm Sixty-Four.
A Little Taste
Rebecca Kilgore
http://www.rebeccakilgore.com
Cherry Pie Music
cherrypiemusic.com
$36.99 CD / $TBA digital
https://musicmillennium.com/UPC/806102128723
https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-little-taste-a-tribute-to-dave-frishberg/1767325491
Award-winning jazz vocalist Rebecca Kilgore presents A Little Taste, an album where she mellifluously performs nine songs by Dave Frishberg (some with co-composers including Johnny Hodges, Johnny Mandel, and Alan Broadbent). Supported by talented music artists on piano, string quartet, drums, trumpet, flugelhorn, flute, piccolo, and more, Rebecca Kilgore draws the listener into a wondrous, emotionally charged, and unforgettable journey. Highly recommended! The tracks are A Little Taste; Our Love Rolls On; Peel Me a Grape; Little Did I Dream; Heart's Desire; Snowbound; Brenda Starr; Telephone Song; Ah, So Pure; You Are There; and Eastwood Lane.
Cali Mambo
Dred Scott, Moses Patrou, Tom Beckham, and Matt Pavolka
Ropeadope Records
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3
Cali Mambo is an exciting Latin jazz album exploring and reworking classic favorites from 40's, 50's, and 60's. Pianist Dred Scott recruited talented collaborators Tom Beckham on vibraphone, Matt Pavolka on bass, and Moses Patrou on percussion to explore new improvisational stylings on long-cherished compositions. Cali Mambo is a "must" for Latin jazz connoisseurs captivated by the history and evolution of the artform, highly recommended! The tracks are Cali Mambo, Star Eyes, Poinciana, La Enganadora, Danza Cubana #2, Guachi Guaro, You and the Night and the Music, Lulu, Footprints, and Manteca.
Transcend and Land
Dan Kennedy
www.dankennedy.us
Mt. Pollux Music
$14.99
https://www.dankennedy.us/store
Dan Kennedy presents his ninth album Transcend and Land, a new age solo piano album of Kennedy's original compositions performed with rapturous grace. The songs draw inspiration from classical tradition, while reaching beyond to encourage imagination and creativity. Beautiful, resonant, and inspirational, Transcend and Land is highly recommended especially for solo piano connoisseurs. The tracks are Soaring, A Look Within, Kilmari, Simple Song, Silver Maple, The Love In Your Heart, Praise, and Poeme. For audiophiles who enjoy more pop and electronic-oriented new age music with programmed drums, bass and synths, Dan Kennedy has also released an original four-track EP Ascend to Adonleigh ($9.99), a playfully vigorous experiment in techno excitement.
The Blu-ray Shelf
Meeting the Beatles in India
Paul Saltzman, director
David Lynch & Pattie Boyd, actors
Unobstructed View
B0D4RL4TH4, $24.98, Blu-Ray, (1 Hour 19 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/MEETING-BEATLES-INDIA-BLURAY-Blu-ray/dp/B0D4RL4TH4
Synopsis: It's 1968 and with the eyes of the world upon them, The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India, to study transendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Those few short weeks became one of the most prolific and creative periods of their lives, as they wrote 48 songs in approximately 48 days.
"Meeting the Beatles in India" is serene documentary with which Canadian filmmaker, Paul Saltzmanm recounts a spiritual journey for the ages, revealing how vital the exploration of our inner selves is for each and every one of us.
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, Saltzman weaves together archival material. including some stills and film footage never before seen by the public; along with interviews with long-time practitioner of transcendental meditation, film director David Lynch; Pattie Boyd; Jenny Boyd; pre-eminent Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn; Lewis Lapham; film composer Laurence Rosenthal, maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia; and the real 'Bungalow Bill'.
Critique: An absolute 'must' for the legions of Beatles fans, this Blue-Ray edition of "Meeting the Beatles in India" is especially and unreservedly recommended as an enduringly popular pick for personal, community, and college/university library DVD/Blu-Ray collections.
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut
Tinto Brass, director
Malcolm McDowell, actor
Helen Mirren, actor
Unobstructed View
https://unobstructedview.com
B0D6TF2B4N, $26.98, Blu-ray
https://www.amazon.com/Caligula-Ultimate-Blu-ray-Tinto-Brass/dp/B0D6TF2B4N
Synopsis: Tormented by the murder of his family, the young, wary Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather Tiberius (Peter O'Toole) and seizes control of the declining Roman Empire as it descends into a spiral of depravity, destruction and madness.
Restoring the complete performances of McDowell and O'Toole along with fellow film legends Helen Mirren and John Gielgud, "Caligula: The Ultimate Cut" is the extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle, based on the original narrative as conceived by writer Gore Vidal, and had it's world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Showcasing the sumptuous costume designs of two-time Oscar winner Danilo Donati (Fellini's Cassanova; Romeo & Juliet), Caligula: The Ultimate Cut" also features an entirely new score by Troy Sterling Nies as well as a new animated title sequence by graphic artist Dave McKean (Arkham Asylum, The Sandman). Of special note is the inclusion of the 1980 theatrically released version of Caligula, which was infamously transformed in post-production by it's financier, Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione.
Critique: This beautifully produced Blu-ray edition of "Caligula: The Ultimate Cut" especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Cinematic History DVD & Blu-ray collections. It should be noted that "Caligula: The Ultimate Cut" is also available in a DVD format (B0D6T6XFCJ, $18.92).
Editorial Note: Unobstructed View (https://unobstructedview.com) is a premier publisher of movies for personal and library collections. In 1993 Jonathan Gross bought the contents of an old VHS distributor called Video Entertainment Corp. and reconstituted it as Video Services Corp (VSC). This many years later, the company is the longest-running show on the Canadian film distribution stage and to celebrate, the company was rechristened Unobstructed View in 2016.Today Unobstructed View offers the most complete array of distribution services for independent film in Canada, thanks to its decades in the home entertainment area going back to the old Air Farce Video Yearbooks of the mid-90s, which built the company's reputation as a pioneer in the then burgeoning world of sell-through video.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Biilaachia-White Swan
Rodney G. Thomas
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476685946, $49.95, PB, 279pp
https://www.amazon.com/Biilaachia-White-Swan-Warrior-Custer-American/dp/1476685940
Synopsis: The story of the Apsaalooke (Crow) men who scouted for the Seventh United States Cavalry in 1876 has been told by historians, with details sometimes distorted or fabricated.
Biilaachia (better known as White Swan) survived the Battle of Little Bighorn despite severe wounds. One soldier recalled him standing beside his horse, firing at the Sioux: "He would not mount up and try to get away but stood and fought." White Swan continued to scout off-and-on for the U.S. Army until 1881 and recorded his 22 combat actions in 37 paintings and drawings.
Done in traditional Plains warrior biographic style, with the publication of "Biilaachia-White Swan: Crow Warrior, Custer Scout, American Artist" his complete body of work is presented here for the first time, along with the history behind each depiction. His life is detailed in photographs, some never before published, and four little-known interviews, as well as extensive research about the Apsaalooke people.
Critique: This large format (7 x 0.56 x 10 inches, 12.8 ounces) paperback edition from McFarland & Company of author Rodney G. Thomas' "Biilaachia-White Swan: Crow Warrior, Custer Scout, American Artist" is impressively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of numerous color and B/W illustrations, twenty-six pages of Chapter Notes, a fourteen page Bibliography, and a one page Index. Fascinating, informative, documented, "Biilaachia-White Swan: Crow Warrior, Custer Scout, American Artist" is a masterpiece of historical scholarship and a welcome contribution to Native American history and biography collections. An essential addition for community and college/university library Native American Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Biilaachia-White Swan: Crow Warrior, Custer Scout, American Artist" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Colonel (Ret) Rodney G. Thomas is an award-winning author and researcher about North American warfare and military history from before European arrivals to Wounded Knee and Indigenous warrior biographic art. He has been published in several history journals and references. (https://go.authorsguild.org/members/4905)
The Architecture Shelf
Revitalizing Japan
Mohsen Mostafavi & Kayoko Ota, editors
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
https://actar.com
9781638401407, $44.95, PB, 324pp
https://www.amazon.com/Revitalizing-Japan-Architecture-Urbanization-Degrowth/dp/1638401403
Synopsis: The shrinking and aging of the population is exacerbating the social decline in the regional cities of Japan. While excluded from the market-driven metropolitan areas, architects of the young generation are beginning to build ways of revitalizing regional cities through innovative design or new ways of practicing.
Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Mohsen Mostafavi & Kayoko Ota, "Revitalizing Japan: Architecture, Urbanization, and Degrowth" from Actar D features works by seven named or unnamed younger architects in Japan that preempt architectural responses to the post-growth condition. Plus a gripping essay by community designer Ryo Yamazaki, and a captivating photo documentation by Kenta Hasegawa. Of special note is the keynote essay by Toyo Ito.
Critique: Unique, informative, and a major contribution to Japanese architectural issues, "Revitalizing Japan: Architecture, Urbanization, and Degrowth" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, college and university library Contemporary Architectural Studies collections and supplementary International Architecture curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Mohsen Mostavi is the Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design and Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor. He served as the dean of the faculty of design between 2008 and 2019. An architect and educator, his work focuses on modes and processes of urbanization and on the interface between technology and aesthetics. Mostafavi is the author and editor of many books, including Ecological Urbanism (co-edited 2010 and translated into Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish); In the Life of Cities (2012); Architecture is Life (2013); Nicholas Hawksmoor: The London Churches (2015); Portman's America & Other Speculations (2017); Ethics of the Urban: The City and the Spaces of the Political (2017); and Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World (2023).
Editorial Note #2: Kayoko Ota is an architectural curator and editor. Before joining the Japan Research Initiative at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, she curated a series of the CCA c/o Tokyo programs for the Canadian Centre for Architecture and was commissioner of the Japan Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. Her editorial work includes Project Japan: Metabolism Talks... (2011).
Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong's Private Housing Estates
Christian J. Lange & Jason F. Carlow
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
https://actar.com
9781939621658, $50.00, HC, 260pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cities-Repetition-Private-Housing-Estates/dp/1939621658
Synopsis: "Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong's Private Housing Estates" is comprised of the original drawings and diagrams that illustrate and compare the ultra-dense, mass-produced, highly repetitive built environments in which hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents live.
Drawings, diagrams and photographs not only display the immense scale of the housing estates within the city, but also present the hundreds of similarly planned housing units and their subtle differences.
Also included are detailed diagrams that compare statistical information to show how the planning of these massive estates has evolved over the past decades to efficiently conform to building regulations. This publication and larger research projects present a comprehensive analysis of the architectural and spatial realities of some of the most densely populated, urban environments ever built.
Critique: This large format (7.25 x 0.55 x 9.45 inches, 2.7 pounds) hardcover edition of "Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong's Private Housing Estates" is co-authored by academicians Christian J. Lange and Jason F. Carlow. A unique and seminal reference resource "Cities of Repetition: Hong Kong's Private Housing Estates" is especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and college/university library Residential/Regional Architecture and Urban Planning/Land Use collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Christian J. Lange is a registered German architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. He received his Master's of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University and his Diploma in Architecture from the HTWK in Leipzig.
Editorial Note #2: Jason F. Carlow (Associate AIA) is an Assistant Professor at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He holds a B.A. in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture from Yale University.
Houses in Forest Clearings
LCLA Office, author
Luis Callijas, photographer
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
https://actar.com
9781638401438, $34.95, HC, 100pp
https://www.amazon.com/Houses-Forest-Clearings-Luis-Callejas/dp/1638401438
Synopsis: One hundred photographs of houses in clearings by Luis Callejas. These photos are accompanied by drawings and three parallel conversations between Luis Callejas and Matteo Ghidoni, Elisa Cattaneo, and Jorgen Tandberg.
The photographs were taken during three trips between Norway and Colombia. Most photos were done using the same 35 mm lens, avoiding wide angles encompassing each small space's totality. The conversations were triggered later by the photographs as opposed to direct experience; these images and conversations address the parallels between the construction of a house, a clearing, and the construction of an image.
The houses were designed by LCLA office in found, edited, and constructed forest clearings.
Critique: This large format (9.6 x 0.6 x 12 inches, 1.7 pounds) hardcover edition of "Houses in Forest Clearings" from Actar Publishers is an extraordinary, thoughtfully inspiring pictorial series with accompanying commentaries that will hold a very special value to readers with an interest in residential/regional architecture and architectural photography. This edition of "Houses in Forest Clearings" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, college and university library Architectural Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists.
Editorial Note: Luis Callejas founded LCLA office, an architecture and landscape architecture practice based in Oslo, Norway. Callejas is professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and visiting professor in landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Previous visiting appointments include the Louis Kahn assistant professorship at Yale in 2020, lecturer in architecture and landscape architecture at Harvard GSD (2012-2016), visiting professor at the Escola da Cidade in Sao Paulo, visiting professor in Urban Design at the University of Toronto, and visiting professor in architecture at the Porto Academy.
The Education Shelf
Paying for College, 2025
Kalman Chany & Geoffrey Martz
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
www.PrincetonReview.com
9780593517864, $25.99, PB, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Paying-College-2025-Everything-Admissions/dp/0593517865
Synopsis: Financing a college education is a daunting task no matter your financial circumstances -- and with the latest changes to the FAFSA and its rocky rollout, it has never been more intimidating for parents and their students.
But with line-by-line instructions for filling out the FAFSA and consumer-friendly advice to minimize college costs, "Paying for College, 2025: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College" from the Princeton Review will help you take control of your experience and:
Maximize your financial aid eligibility
Explore long- and short-term strategies to reduce college costs and avoid expensive mistakes
Complete every question on the FAFSA and CSS Profile aid applications to your advantage
Compare aid offers and learn how to appeal them if necessary
Get advice for handling the impact of the 2024-2025 "FAFSA Fiasco"
Critique: Exhaustively comprehensive, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Paying for College, 2025: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College" is an absolutely essential addition to college bound students and their parents for the 2025-2026 school year. This current edition from The Princeton Review is a solid and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, highschool, and college/university library College Admissions Guides collections.
Editorial Note: The experts at The Princeton Review have been helping students, parents, and educators achieve the best results at every stage of the education process since 1981. The Princeton Review has helped millions succeed on standardized tests, and provides expert advice and instruction to help parents, teachers, students, and schools navigate the complexities of school admission. In addition to classroom courses in over 40 states and 20 countries, The Princeton Review also offers online and school-based courses, one-to-one and small-group tutoring, as well as online services in both admission counseling and academic homework help.
The Political Science Shelf
The Path to Paralysis
Donald G. Nieman
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839992766, $39.95, PB, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/Path-Paralysis-American-Politics-Dysfunctional/dp/183999276X
Synopsis: How did American (the world's oldest democracy) lose its mojo? How did we get to a point where we face existential crises like climate change yet leaders can't agree that there's a problem let alone develop solutions?
Political leaders bear some of the responsibility. Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, to name a few, have shattered political norms and transformed our politics into a free-for-all in which personal attacks, appeals to bigotry and fear, disregard for truth, and disdain for governing have become the norm. But they are more a symptom than the cause.
With the publication of "The Path to Paralysis: How American Politics Became Nasty, Dysfunctional, and a Threat to the Republic" Professor Donald G. Nieman examines changes in political culture during the past 60 years - conflict over race, religion and gender; wrenching economic changes and growing concentration of wealth; the end of the Cold War; hardening regional divisions; and dramatic changes in communications - that made Donald Trump possible, if not inevitable.
Long in the making, these cross-currents came together in the early 21st century as the United States experienced the deepest recession since the 1930s and elected its first Black president thereby creating the perfect political storm whose result was the emergence of a toxic and deeply polarized politics that threatened the existence of constitutional government.
Critique: A timely, articulate, and informative contribution toward understanding how the American body politic became so polarized that there is now a real threat to our American style democracy collapsing into an authoritarian state and/or a second civil war, "The Path to Paralysis: How American Politics Became Nasty, Dysfunctional, and a Threat to the Republic" is a significant, critically important, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, and college/university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental Civics/Citizenship curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of political science students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Path to Paralysis: How American Politics Became Nasty, Dysfunctional, and a Threat to the Republic" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $37.95).
Editorial Note: Donald G. Nieman (https://donaldgnieman.com) is an authority on modern U.S. law and politics, and Professor of History and Provost Emeritus at Binghamton University - State University of New York.
The Marriage Shelf
The Little Black Book of Marriage
Mike Kowis, Esq.
www.mikekowis.com
Lecture PRO Publishing
9798990013360, $9.99 Paperback, $2.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Marriage-Wisdom/dp/B0DFFPB5FK
Quote wizard Mike Kowis is at it again with a succinct but hard-hitting collection of quotes in another collection -- this one centering on marriage. The Little Black Book of Marriage should be prominent on any couple's wedding gift table because its words of wisdom (collected from all manner of writers, from Oscar Wilde and President Abraham Lincoln to novelist Philippa Gregory and sci-fi writer Tamora Pierce) will observe and smooth many a marriage pathway with its insights.
The quotes are organized in themed chapters which move from marriage to divorce, juxtaposing such insights as: "Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed." -Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) with: "I think a lot of people get so obsessed with the wedding and the expense of the wedding that they miss out on what the real purpose is. It's not about a production number, it's about a meaningful moment between two people that's witnessed by people that they actually really know and care about." -Jane Seymour.
The diversity of writers and reflections identifying what marriage is, how it operates for better or for worse, and the foundations of connection and discord which lead to either heady relationships or dysfunctional separation create powerful insights that will be perfect for those already married as well as readers contemplating marriage.
Libraries will find the diversity and attraction of this book extensive. It holds the power to reach out to any patron interested in the institution of marriage, the rigors of commitment and love, and the outcomes of engagement and melding lives.
The Divorce Shelf
Divorce Matters
Kathy Criscuolo Boufford, Esq.
Square One Publishers
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757005251, $18.95, PB, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Matters-What-Really-Need/dp/075700525X
Synopsis: If you are thinking of getting divorced or about to go through one, you likely have many questions and concerns. How will it influence your daily life? How will it impact your children? How will it affect your finances? Written by family law expert Kathy Boufford, "Divorce Matters: What You Really Need to Know When It's Time to Get a Divorce" provides all the answers and advice you need to navigate the process from start to finish in the format of a step-by-step guide.
Based on her years of legal experience, Kathy Boufford's "Divorce Matters" discusses the practical issues to consider at the outset of a divorce. It explains how to find the right professional to help you with your divorce and walks you through how to prepare for your case, detailing all the elements you may be required to produce.
"Divorce Matters" even strikes a hopeful note by showing how couples can bypass traditional litigation and end their marriage through mediation. It talks about contentious divorce-related issues such as children and finances, and outlines the process of negotiation, settlement, and trial.
Finally, "Divorce Matters' offers guidance on divorcing a spouse who may be abusive or struggling with mental illness, and closes by teaching you how to pave the way for a happy post-divorce life.
"Divorce Matters" is meant to prevent you from making the common mistakes so many divorcing couples make and hopefully save you some heartache, time, and money. Going through a divorce may not be easy, but thanks to family law expert Kathy Boufford, it doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Critique: Impressively 'reader friendly' and informative effective in style, scope, organization and presentation, "Divorce Matters: What You Really Need to Know When It's Time to Get a Divorce" by Kathy Boufford must be considered essential reading for anyone contemplating or seeking a divorce. This paperback edition of "Divorce Matters" from Square One Publishers is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Divorce/Separation Family Law collections and supplemental Administrative Law curriculum reading lists.
Editorial Note: Kathy Criscuolo Boufford, Esq., received her law degree from Quinnipiac University, School of Law. She is a dedicated and skilled family law attorney with many years of experience as a trial advocate and mediator. Her underlying priority is to help her clients overcome their feelings of fear and despair and gain confidence and hope. Support and education are as important in her journey as the legal representation she provides. Kathy is also a highly sought-after speaker on the subject of family law and divorce. She is a partner at the firm of Bellenot & Boufford, LLC. (https://www.bbesq.com/attorneys/kathy-criscuolo-boufford)
The Photography Shelf
Affrilachia: Testimonies
Chris Aluka Berry, author
Kelly Elaine Navies, contributor
Maia A. Surdam, contributor
The University Press of Kentucky
www.kentuckypress.com
9781985900929, $50.00, HC, 252pp
https://www.amazon.com/Affrilachia-Testimonies-Appalachian-Futures-Native/dp/1985900920
Synopsis: "Affrilachia", a term first coined in 1991 by Kentucky poet Frank X Walker, refers to the cultural contributions of African Americans who live in Appalachia, a largely mountainous region stretching over thirteen states from Mississippi to New York. Although Black Americans have greatly influenced the popular culture landscape in this region, their stories, trials, and triumphs are often undocumented because Appalachia is perceived as wholly white.
Published by The University Press of Kentucky, "Affrilachia: Testimonies" is stunning visual history created by photographer and curator Chris Aluka Berry who gives voice to the broad spectrum of African Americans who have lived in the Appalachian region over the centuries.
Berry spent six years in western North Carolina, northeast Georgia, and eastern Tennessee, immersed himself in the communities and lives of Black Appalachians to present the diversity and commonalities of the proud people in the region. His intimate and revealing photographs capture African Americans in various settings including churches, homes, revival services, family gatherings, and homegoing celebrations.
Completing this comprehensive collection of photographs are powerful narratives from the people who inhabit these places, as well as contributions from Appalachian writers Kelly Elaine Navies and Maia A. Surdam, whose poignant and powerful poems and essays offer historical perspective and broaden the archival importance of "Affrilachia: Testimonies".
The first book of its kind, "Affrilachia: Testimonies" is an inspired historical artifact that honors, represents, and celebrates the proud people of color whose history and existence has greatly contributed to the broad tapestry of Appalachia.
Critique: This large format ( 11.00 x 11.00 in, 4 pounds) hardcover coffee-table style edition of "Affrilachia: Testimonials" by Chris Aluka Berry is enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of 1 map, 11 b/w illustrations, and 112 full color illustrations. and a ten page listing of photograph credits and captions. "Affrilachia: Testimonials" is a unique, informative, fascinating, and invaluable contribution that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary Photography & Black History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Chris Aluka Berry has worked in the South as an award-winning documentary photographer for more than twenty years, and his images have appeared in major American and international publications. (https://www.alukastorytellingphotography.com/portfolio)
Editorial Note #2: Kelly Elaine Navies (https://oralhistory.org/directory/kelly-elaine-navies) is a poet, writer, and oral historian. Her oral history projects and interviews are located at the Southern Oral History Program, the Reginald F. Lewis Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture, the Washington DC Public Library Peoples' Archive, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she currently coordinates the oral history program.
Editorial Note #3: Maia A. Surdam (www.linkedin.com/in/maia-surdam-4523b2171) is an historian, educator, and author who lives in western North Carolina. She holds a doctorate in US history and her work centers on rural communities. She is currently the programs director of the Partnership for Appalachian Girls' Education (PAGE), where she empowers adolescent girls in rural Appalachia.
The Business Shelf
Survive, Reset, Thrive
Rebecca Homkes
Kogan Page Inc.
www.koganpage.com
9781398607880, $89.00, HC, 280pp
9781398607866, $23.23, PB
https://www.amazon.com/Survive-Reset-Thrive-Implementing-High-Growth/dp/139860786X
Synopsis: Strategy is about making choices around where to play and where not to play, how to win, how to allocate resources among competing priorities and, critically, what to do. All these choices must be made when you never know everything you would like to know. "Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times" by Rebecca Homkes is about facing uncertainty head-on and then playing each round to not just survive, but thrive. Doing so only comes from the power move of executing a reset: the differentiated step where you embrace change, new insights and new opportunities to set your organization up for sustainable performance.
"Survive, Reset, Thrive" is a playbook for leaders derived from Homkes' first-hand experience working with executive teams across industries from software, technology, retail, fashion and construction through to manufacturing. Drawing from over a decade of rich real-world experience, Homkes illustrates how to navigate the most complex strategic situations with a simple, executable approach. Homkes also explains how proactively to stabilize your business to withstand and grow through market shocks, reset your strategy to take account of new realities and thrive through uncertainty.
Critique: Exceptional, insightful, informative, 'real world practical', "Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times" will prove of immense value for readers with an interest and responsibility for business management, planning, leadership, morale and motivation. This hardcover edition of "Survive, Reset, Thrive" is specifically recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Business Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Survive, Reset, Thrive" is also readily available from Kogan-Page in a paperback edition (9781398607866, $23.23) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.07).
Editorial Note: Rebecca Homkes (www.rebeccahomkes.com) is a high-growth strategy specialist and CEO and executive advisor. She is a Lecturer at the London Business School, Faculty at Duke Corporate Executive Education, and a former fellow at the London School of Economics Centre for Economic Performance. A global keynote speaker and recognized thought leader, she is also the global Faculty Director of the Active Learning Program with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), leads several fintech accelerators, and serves on the boards of many high-growth companies. She earned her doctorate at the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar and is now based in Miami, USA and London, UK.
Be the Unicorn
William Vanderbloemen
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9781400247103, $29.99, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Be-Unicorn-Data-Driven-Separate-Leaders/dp/1400247101
Synopsis: How do I stand out? How do I become irreplaceable? With a crowded workforce, an unstable job landscape, and the rise of AI, these questions are the ones that everyone either is or should be asking themselves.
William Vanderbloemen has asked these questions over the past 15 years while running one of the world's top executive search firms. Through extensive research of over 30,000 top leaders and proprietary data, in "Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest", Vanderbloemen has identified the 12 habits that the best of the best have in common. Traits such as authenticity, responsiveness, agility, and the ability to problem solve, among others.
Each habit includes information on What We Know (the hard data behind why the habit is so transformative), What We've Seen (first-hand accounts by high-achieving professionals on how they live the habit), and What We Do (simple ways to build this habit into your daily routine).
"Be the Unicorn" will help you: Discover the top twelve soft skills the most successful leaders, the top 1%, have; Understand how to develop these soft skills in your own life for better job success; Learn how to apply soft skills to interpersonal relationships outside of work; Understand how these soft skills can be applied in different work environments and job fields, especially with the rise of AI technology.
Critique: Informative, insightful, and timely with respect to our on-going national debates concerning the impact of rapidly advancing AI technology, "Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, corporate, and college/university library Business Leadership/Management collections and supplemental MBA curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Be the Unicorn" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and that an accompanying "Be the Unicorn" work book has also be newly released.
Editorial Note: William Vanderbloemen (www.vanderbloemen.com/william), founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group, has become an unlikely business expert over his long and continuing career. Combining over fifteen years of ministry experience as a Senior Pastor with the best practices of executive search, William created a brand-new industry: executive search for faith-based organizations. Prior to founding his own search company, William studied under a mentor with over twenty-five years of executive search at the highest level. He also has experience as a Manager in Human Resources in a Fortune 200 company, working on integration of corporate culture and succession planning.
Business Warfare
Paulo Cardoso do Amaral
Armin Lear Press
https://arminlear.com
9781963271218, $34.95, HC, 404pp
9781963271201, $24.95 PB, $9.99 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Business-Warfare-framework-Clausewitz-Machiavelli/dp/1963271211
Business Warfare offers a framework for revised business approaches based on the philosophies of Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Foch, and Machiavelli. While prior familiarity with these thinkers is not a prerequisite (because Paulo Cardoso do Amaral deftly covers their philosophies in the course of his discussion), independent reading will certainly lend a deeper understanding as to why Cardoso do Amaral's building blocks of business revision are so productive and important.
Readers with entrepreneurial interests who already know these ideas will have a leg up on this book's expanded insights and business applications. While they may, for example, know of Sun Tzu's writings, Cardoso do Amaral offers specific applications and extrapolations key to understanding how cultural and business warfare coalesce and clash. Even more importantly, Business Warfare invites a dialogue between business, political, and personal interests which reveals the boundaries of these three intersections and how players in different infrastructures and belief systems interact on many levels.
This, in turn, represents both heady, thought provoking reading and a call to action based on revised perceptions and thinking about all kinds of business and social issues: The five traits mentioned by Sun Tzu constitute a leadership audit to validate the merits covered in Sun Tzu's "Leadership Virtues." It's good to check these before and during battle due to their implicit nature. Some traits only reveal themselves through practice and can significantly influence combat decisions. Therefore, it becomes mandatory correcting any dysfunctions at this level. Please keep in mind the difficulty in being self-aware about tacit shortcomings and the risk of having authoritarian leaders completely immune to feedback and unwilling to evolve their leadership competencies.
By deploying a 'battle strategy' approach to better understand leadership, innovation, and impact, Cardoso do Amaral's multifaceted book evolves within (and possibly even beyond) business special interests, crafting discussions that will prove vivid and unique... especially to business leaders who traditionally receive pat answers and set programs and approaches to achievement from their business reading.
This is why business libraries and college-level discussion groups need to make Business Warfare an essential collection addition. Its juxtaposition of social inquiry, psychological insight, and business applications makes for a standout in business literature, reaching into other disciplines, as well: Humbleness precedes learning because acknowledging unknowns is mandatory, with either a tacit or explicit nature. Without this recognition, learning cannot occur. On the one hand, being humble with explicit knowledge means being honest about ourselves. When we acknowledge what we don't know, it's easy because we can take deliberate action to acquire that knowledge it. But how can we become aware that there is something new to learn when we are unaware of what we should already know? That is why learning is a constant search for the unknown, with humbleness as its cornerstone.
The Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Murder in the West End Volume II
Amnon Kabatchnik
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887714721, $50.00, HC, 552pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-West-End-hardback-Disciples/dp/B0D93BLWDN
Synopsis: During the first two decades of the twentieth century, only a few criminous plays premiered in London's West End.
The Tragedy of Nan (1908), by John Masefield, is the story of Nan Hardwick, whose father was hung for stealing sheep and she moves in with her uncle, William Pargetter, a farmer. Soon Nan finds herself under the yoke of Pargetter's shrewish wife and gossipy daughter. The growing torment leads to deadly violence and a tragic climax.
A.E.W. Mason's The witness for the Defense (1911) takes place in colonial India. An English woman, Stella Ballantyne, is tortured by her husband Stephen, and the curtain falls as Stella points a rifle at him.
In The case of Lady Camber (1915), by Horace Annesley Vachell, Alice Camber, a former music hall entertainer, is a patient at a nursing home. When Alice is found fatally poisoned, the suspect is Esther Yorke, a good looking research assistant who had in the past a liaison with Alice's husband.
George Playdell's The Ware Case (1915) is centered on a trial unfolding at the Old Bailey. Sir Hubert Wane, a resident of a small English town, is accused of drowning his wealthy brother in the estate's pool. He is arrested and brought to trial, with the audience serving as a jury.
In The Secret Woman (1920), by Eden Phillpotts, primitive emotions explode when Ann Redvers, a farmer's wife, discovers that after twenty years of blissful marriage, her husband has fallen for another woman.
Bulldog Drummond (1921), by "Sapper" and Gerald du Maurier, begins with a patriotic Englishman, Hugh Drummond, launching a series of adventures, wherein he clashes with arch-villain Carl Peterson in a battle Royal.
Then came Edgar Wallace, a prolific writer of thrillers. He was the first to make a specialty of detective drama. Among his many plays, The Ringer, On the Spot, and The Case of the Frightened Lady are generally considered the best.
It is widely perceived that only the Bible and the plays of Shakespeare have sold more copies than Agatha Christie's whodunits. Among Christie's fifteen stage thrillers, the notable ones are Ten Little Indians, The Mousetrap, and Witness for the Prosecution.
Playwrights who followed Wallace and Christie with their plays of menace and crime include W. Somerset Maugham, A.A. Milne, J. B. Priestley, Daphne du Maurier, Terrence Rattigan, Aldous Huxley, John Osborne, Graham Greene, and Jeffrey Archer.
Amnon Kabatchnik, now retired, was a professor of theater at SUNY Binghamton, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Elmira College. He directed numerous dramas, comedies, thrillers, and musicals in New York and across the United States. He is also the author of Sherlock Holmes on the Stage as well as the seven-volume series Blood on the Stage.
Professor Kabatchnik's "Murder in the West End Volume II: The Plays of Agatha Christie and Her Disciples" informative entries are presented chronologically and include a plot synopsis, production data, opinions by critics and scholars, as well as biographical sketches of playwrights and key actors-directors.
Critique: A meticulous and detailed work of impeccable scholarship, "Murder in the West End Volume II: The Plays of Agatha Christie and Her Disciples" is as informative as it is comprehensive. Exceptionally well organized and presented, this monumental study is a critical success and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library collections for readers with an interest in detective murder mystery themed plays and stage dramas. An absolute 'must' for the legions of Agatha Christie fans, it should be noted that this hardcover edition of "Murder in the West End Volume II: The Plays of Agatha Christie and Her Disciples" is also available for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject is also readily available from BearManor Press in a paperback edition (9798887714714, $40.00).
Editorial Note: "Murder in the West End: The Plays of Agatha Christie and Her Disciples Volume 1" (May 13, 2024) is also readily available in both hardcover (9798887714707, $49.00) and paperback (9798887714691, $38.00) editions from BearManor Press.
The Sports Shelf
Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture
Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher, et al.
Tra Publishing
www.trapublishing.com
9781962098038, $24.95, HC, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Game-Sports-Art-Culture/dp/1962098036
Synopsis: Sports serve as a major driver for artistic and technological innovation, community building, and debates about social and cultural priorities and norms. Produced in conjunction with the eponymous wide-ranging exhibition opening at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in fall 2024, "Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture" from Tra Publishing offers an expansive view of the areas of contemporary culture where sports and art overlap to reveal beauty, power, emotion, and what makes us human.
"Get in the Game" features a graphic-novel visual style brings together an array of voices and perspectives, featuring a foreword by activist, advocate and two-time FIFA World Cup gold medalist Megan Rapinoe; nine artist/athlete dialogues; a reprinted poem by Natalie Diaz; and the following essays: Jay Caspian Kang on youth sports, Frank A. Guridy on the stadium and its role in American cities, Sara Hendren on goalball and the history of adaptive sports, Theresa Runstedtler on race and mental health in sports, Bruce Schoenfeld on the data analysis revolution in baseball, and Seph Rodney on the competitive drive.
"Get in the Game" also features text-paired illustrations as well as representations of iconic moments in sports history and related activism by artist and surfer AJ Dungo.
Critique: A fun and informative read from first page to last, "Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture" will hold a very special appeal for readers with an interest in sports -- in terms of its history and sociology. Effective and 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Get in the Game" is a unique and ideal pick for personal, community, and academic library collections and supplemental Social Sciences/Sport Sociology curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. The museum's collection spans seven gallery floors and encompasses various forms of art, including painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts. SFMoMA believes the art of our time is vital and that art and the creative process can open minds and help build a better world.
Editorial Note #2: AJ Dungo is an American surfer and illustrator known for his 2019 graphic novel In Waves. He has worked with great people at Nike, Nobrow, The New York Times, Esquire, Narratively, Vissla, Skechers, etc. His work has been recognized by American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, and AD&D.
Editorial Note #3: Megan Rapinoe is an American professional soccer player. As a member of the US Women's national soccer team, she helped win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments and a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. A co-captain of the team since 2018, she was named the Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, and was awarded the Golden Boot. Rapinoe is an advocate for numerous LGBTQIA+ organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally. In 2013, she received the Board of Directors Award from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Rapinoe was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. And in July 2022, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
Editorial Note #4: Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher is a Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She executed several curatorial projects and has published significant essays on the practices of A. Quincy Jones, Ewan Gibbs, Tobias Wong, and Lebbeus Woods. Since 2010, she has been building SFMOMA's Architecture and Design collection with an emphasis on experimental works of design since 1980. Recent acquisitions include seminal works by Neri Oxman, Ant Farm, Neil Denari, Nathalie du Pasquier, Iwan Baan, Nacho Carbonell and Mathieu Lehanneur.
Editorial Note #5: Seph Rodney is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and is featured on the podcast "The American Age." His book, The Personalization of the Museum Visit, was published by Routledge in 2019. He is a former senior critic and opinion editor for Hyperallergic, and has also written for CNN, NBC Universal, and American Craft Magazine. He has recently been awarded the Rabkin Arts Journalism Prize (2020) and an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant (2022).
Editorial Note #6: Katy Siegel is Research Director, Special Program Initiatives, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Siegel's scholarly and curatorial interests are focused on the relationship between material art-making and social history. Siegel serves on the advisory committee for the African American Archive Initiative at the Getty Research Institute, is a contributing editor at Artforum, and a member of the editorial board at The Brooklyn Rail.
The Travel Shelf
Home Base Hiking Europe
Cassandra Overby
Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680516159, $26.95, PB, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Hiking-Europe-Explore-Foot/dp/1680516159
Synopsis: Author of the critically acclaimed "Explore Europe on Foot", Cassandra Overby now shares her hand-picked destinations and itineraries for a "home-base" adventure -- stay in just one or two places while enjoying day trips on the region's trails and other activities with the publication of "Home Base Hiking Europe: An Explore-on-Foot Guide to Unforgettable Destinations"
"Home Base Hiking Europe" focuses on ten unique destinations, each tailor-made for its scenic locales, comfortable lodgings, lively restaurants, interesting cultural and historic sights, and access to fabulous day hiking.
"Home Base Hiking Europe" also provides comprehensive information to help plan the perfect trip, including best time to visit; what to pack; how to get there; tips for traveling with children; as well as recommendations for lodging, restaurants, supplies, attractions, and more. Readers will find turn-by-turn directions and maps on four different trails in each region, plus details on organizing transportation to trailheads, tips for hiring local guides, and how to get the most out of each excursion.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of color illustrations, detailed maps, a five page listing of Online Resources, and a three page Index, "Home Base Hiking Europe: An Explore-on-Foot Guide to Unforgettable Destinations" is the ideal itinerary planning resource and one that is comprehensively informative and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. While this paperback edition of Home Base Hiking Europe" from Mountaineers Books is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library European Travel Guide collections, it should be noted that it is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Cassandra Overby (www.explore-on-foot.com) is a freelance travel and outdoors writer who loves combining her enthusiasm for foreign travel and hiking by encouraging people to explore the world on foot -- and helping them do it!
The Buddhist Studies Shelf
The Six Bardos of the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche
Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
www.innertraditions.com
9798888501290, $22.99, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Six-Bardos-Tibetan-Book-Dead/dp/B0CSBSYTGL
Synopsis: According to the Buddha, all sentient beings are naturally enlightened and have been pure since the beginning. However, in waking life, grasping and fear develop into ego-clinging and a cyclic state of delusion. This interval from the beginning of delusion until we return to our primordial nature is known as the bardo. Until we rediscover enlightenment, everything we feel, know, and experience is bardo phenomena.
Exploring this understanding, so essential to the myriad schools of Buddhism, in rich and practical detail, with the publication of "The Six Bardos of the Tibetan Book of the Dead: Dzogchen Teachings on the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities" renowned Dzogchen masters Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche offer a guide to implementing the teachings of the bardos of life and death from the Bardo Thodrol, commonly known as The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Drawing on their Dzogchen background -- a Buddhist lineage focused on resting and abiding in our true nature
The co-authors explore key ideas from this famous Tibetan text, including the Vajrayana teachings, the five elements, peaceful and wrathful deities, and the nature of the six bardos (with particular emphasis on the bardo of dying). They also provide practical advice for deeper self-awareness, improved care of the self and others, and confronting challenges fearlessly, especially the process of dying.
The teachings offered by the co-authors in this guide are truly universal, offering a path out of delusion and allowing us all to "ignite our inner light" and rediscover our inner buddha nature as we move forward on the path to enlightenment.
Critique: Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and an inherently fascinating read from start to finish, this paperback edition of "The Six Bardos of the Tibetan Book of the Dead: Dzogchen Teachings on the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities" from Inner Traditions is a highly commended and core addition to personal, community, and college/university library Buddhism collections and supplemental Bhuddism curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, Buddhism practitioners, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Six Bardos of the Tibetan Book of the Dead: Dzogchen Teachings on the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche (1938 - 2010) was an extraordinary lama, teacher, and Dzogchen master in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche is an accomplished scholar and renowned Vajrayana master. He travels extensively worldwide to teach. Together the two brothers founded the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center in upstate New York, which now has centers around the world.
The Interior Design Shelf
Beautiful Living
Valerie Darden
Rock Point
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9781577154273, $30.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Living-Elevate-Every-Signature/dp/1577154274
Synopsis: With the publication of "Beautiful Living: Elevate Every Room with Your Signature Style ", Valerie Darden (founder and owner of Brexton Cole Interiors) will show you how eo elevate the elegance of every room in your house, from the entryway to the living room, from the bathroom to the kids' rooms.
Deftly organized in the order that you should design/renovate your house, Valerie provides a wealth of meaningful tips and tricks to design now matter how big or small a room may be. Experience her design philosophy through a photographic journey that including photos of spaces she has created for her client's as well as her own home, and draw inspiration from her signature modern-meets-traditional style to create the best version of your space.
Alongside gorgeous photographs, of special note is the Style Guide section featuring all the nitty gritty details you will want (and need) when it's time to start thinking about numbers and room styling. The diagrams and charts found in "Beautiful Living" make intimidating interior design tasks more approachable. Valerie is the master of staying within budget and still creating the home you want, and she's set to give you the best tips and tricks including:
How to make smaller spaces appear larger
How to understand the cost of renovations and where to splurge and save
How to mix patterns and metals
Advice on wallpaper, paint, and other important finishes
Guidance on selecting the correct rug size and lighting heights
Val's favorite stores to shop for all your home essentials
The Common Questions section gives you unfettered access to Valerie's design ethos via short and casual Q&As. Here Valerie will address her most frequently asked questions from client's and her viewers on social media, offering real-life advice for all homeowners and design mavens.
A compendium of professional guidance, tried and tested tricks, and insider thoughts from Valerie herself, "Beautiful Living" will inspire you to transform your space into one that is warm, stylish, and reflective of your life and signature style.
Critique: This large format (9.3 x 1 x 11.25 inches, 2.2 pounds) hardcover coffee-table style edition of "Beautiful Living: Elevate Every Room with Your Signature Style" is an inspirational pleasure to browse through again and again. Beautifully and magnificently illustrated throughout will full color, full page photography and a thoroughly 'reader friendly' and informative text, "Beautiful Living" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Interior Design/Home Decorating collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that this edition of "Beautiful Living" from Rock Point is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.99).
Editorial Note: Valerie Darden founded Brexton Cole Interiors in 2014, naming the company after her two sons, Brexton and Cole. Now a nationally recognized design firm, Brexton Cole Interiors have completed multiple residential and commercial design projects all over the USA. Since 2014, Valerie's designs have been featured on HGTV, The Pioneer Woman, The Cottage Journal, The Washingtonian, Northern Virginia Magazine, Virginia Style magazine, One Kings Lane, My Domain, The Spruce, Ethan Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, The Home Edit, Business of Home, H3R Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and The Every Girl. Brexton Cole Interiors has a unique design style that is described by clients as a sophisticated blend of traditional meets modern. Valerie's style is timeless with added touches that meet the modern aesthetic of today's consumers. (www.brextoncoleinteriors.com/about)
The Needlecraft Shelf
Anna Maria's Blueprint Quilting
Anna Maria Parry
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760389065, $26.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Marias-Blueprint-Quilting-Structures/dp/0760389063
Synopsis: Featuring 16 stunning quilts and patchwork projects based on four underlying "blueprints", all while learning skills to create your own original designs, novice and experienced quilting enthusiast alike will enjoy uncovering the mystery of quilt designing with "Anna Maria's Blueprint Quilting: Explore Color, Pattern, and Technique with 16 Joyful Projects from 4 Simple Design Structures " from Quarry Books.
Here celebrated fiber artist and seasoned quilt maker Anna Maria Parry demystifies her seemingly complex patterns and sumptuous color combinations as she breaks down her signature designs into accessible "blueprints," or underlying structures.
This accessible, visually inspiring DIY instruction manual features: A behind-the-scenes glimpse into an expert quilt designer's process; Four quilt blueprints and accessible projects for different skill levels; Techniques for intensifying details, adjusting colors, and scaling designs for endless possibilities; Insight into planning and executing quilting and applique techniques; Clear illustrations and photography for an inspiring and informative experience; QR codes linked to videos that further illuminate important techniques.
With its easy-to-follow projects and insightful techniques for all levels of quilters, "Anna Maria's Blueprint Quilting" will empower your quilting journey as you infuse your own creations with the beauty and inspiration found within Anna Maria Parry's extraordinary designs.
Critique: This large format (8.75 x 0.73 x 10.25 inches, 2.1 pounds) hardcover edition of "Anna Maria's Blueprint Quilting: Explore Color, Pattern, and Technique with 16 Joyful Projects from 4 Simple Design Structures" is an ideal and enduringly valued pick for personal, professional, and community/public library Fiber Arts/Quilting Design collections. Thoroughly 'user friendly' and with illustrated step-by-step instruction, it should be noted that "Anna Maria's Blueprint Quilting" is also readily available from Quarry Books in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.99) as well.
Editorial Note: After graduating with a fine arts degree from the University of Tennessee, Anna Maria Parry (www.annamariatextiles.com) opened Handmaiden, a clothing and housewares shop through which she sold her own line of clothing. She has partnered with more than two dozen manufacturers to design homewares, gift items, and textiles, including fabrics with FreeSpirit. She has authored three sewing books; publishes sewing, quilting, and needlework patterns; and teaches design, stitching, and patchwork. Anna Maria's paintings are in hundreds of private and commercial collections, and she has been featured in Artists Magazine. Anna Maria is the owner of Craft South, an online fabric and craft boutique. She also curates a collection of textiles in collaboration with a group of international artists (Anna Maria's Conservatory Craft). She lives in Franklin, Tennessee and can be followed on Instagram: annamariahorner & Facebook: AnnaMariaHornerStudio
The Literary Studies Shelf
From Soldier to Storyteller
Kathleen Broome Williams, editor
Hal M. Friedman, editor
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476694702, $49.95, PB, 226pp
https://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Storyteller-Veterans-Childrens-Authors/dp/1476694702
Synopsis: Many of the best-known and most popular children's stories of the 20th and early 21st century were written by veterans of World War I and World War II. These include works by such writers as A.A. Milne, C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and J.R.R. Tolkien, among others.
Although they had experienced war, most of the veterans did not overtly write about it. The seeming paradox of warriors who went through searing combat and then wrote books for children has not been addressed collectively before now.
The essays comprising "From Soldier to Storyteller: Essays on World War Veterans Who Became Famous Children's Authors" explore what motivated these veterans to write for children, what they wrote, and how their writing was influenced by the wars they lived through.
Also examined is how their combat experience can be traced in their writing, however subtly, whether it was stories about a bear and his piglet companion, a World War I flying ace, or a flying car. Their reactions to war, as reflected in their writing, yield important lessons about the complicated legacy of the 20th century's two great conflicts and their long-lasting impact (through children) on society at large.
Critique: Unique, informative, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "From Soldier to Storyteller: Essays on World War Veterans Who Became Famous Children's Authors", collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Kathleen Broome Williams and Hal M. Friedman, is an inherently fascinating read throughout. A welcome and truly singular contribution to personal, community, and college/university library Literary Criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that this paperback edition of "From Soldier to Storyteller: Essays on World War Veterans Who Became Famous Children's Authors" is also readily available for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject is available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99) as well.
Editorial Note #1: Kathleen Broome Williams is the recipient of the 2021 Commodore Dudley W. Knox medal for Lifetime Achievement in Naval History. She serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journal of Military History, the U.S. Naval Institute's Naval History Advisory Board, and Marine Corps History Magazine's Editorial Review Board and is the author of numerous articles and books on naval history.
Editorial Note #2: Hal M. Friedman is the chair of history and professor of modern history at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan, and both the recording secretary and the midwest regional coordinator for the Society for Military History. He has published a trilogy on U.S. national security policy in the immediate postwar Pacific and another trilogy on the transition of the U.S. Naval War College from the Pacific War to the Cold War in the Pacific in the same time period.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
A Confluence of Witches
Casey Zabala, editor
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
www.redwheelweiser.com
Blackstone Publishing
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781578638451, $18.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Confluence-Witches-Celebrating-Decolonizing-Reenchanting/dp/1578638453
Synopsis: Knowledgeably compiled and edited by Casey Zabala, "A Confluence of Witches: Celebrating Our Lunar Roots, Decolonizing the Craft, and Reenchanting Our World" explains how witchcraft has always been a diverse, constantly evolving, culturally specific practice with many lineages and rich traditions. It features essays, spells, and reflections from witches, traditional healers, herbalists, and artists on themes of magical activism, animism, and merging ancient practices with modern technologies, among other mystical subjects. The diverse representation of contributors will honor and celebrate the multicultural and multivalent ways that the witch operates within our society.
With an increased interest in and practice of witchcraft comes a greater need for authentic sources of wisdom that are culturally relevant and sensitive to the many lineages and traditions of witchcraft, healing work, and magic. "A Confluence of Witches" provides insights and perspectives from a diverse range of people who in one form or another identify as a "witch." The anthology's contributors are diverse, representing the African diaspora, Indigenous, Latine, and Romani traditions, as well as voices from the LGBTQ witch community -- each with their own sacred blend of spirituality to share. These voices come together to illuminate the multitude of ways one can practice.
Contributors to this ouststanding anthology include: adrienne maree brown, Aja Daashuur, Alejandra Luisa Leon, Amanda Yates Garcia, Angela Mary Magick, Ariella Daly, Aurora Luna (aka) Baby Reckless, Damiana Calvario, Dori Midnight, Edgar Fabian Frias, Eliza Swann, Jessie Susannah Karnatz, Jezmina Von Thiele, Kiki Robinson, Kimberly Rodriguez, Liz Migliorelli, Madre Jaguar, Maria Minnis, Olivia Ephraim Pepper, Rachel Howe, Sanyu Estelle, Star Feliz
Critique: Exceptional, informative, thought-provoking, illuminating, inspiring, "A Confluence of Witches: Celebrating Our Lunar Roots, Decolonizing the Craft, and Reenchanting Our World" will prove to be a highly prized addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Wicca and Witchcraft collections and supplemental Metaphysics Studies curriculum reading lists. It should be noted for students, practitioners, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "A Confluence of Witches" from Weiser Books is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Publishing, 9798228249370, $39.50, CD).
Editorial Note: Casey Zabala (www.wandererstarot.com) is the founder of Modern Witches, a community and sacred container for those witch-curious, witch-identifying, and magically minded to authentically connect and learn. Casey received her masters in philosophy, cosmology, and consciousness from California Institute of Integral Studies in 2018. She has been featured in Sabat Magazine and is quoted in Witchcraft from Taschen's Library of Esoterica series.
Pagan Portals - Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic
Daniela Simina
Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803415482, $12.95, PB, 136pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Portals-Fairy-Practical-Herbal/dp/1803415487
Synopsis: A practical DIY guide to herbal medicine, "Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic" by Daniela Simina is the first book to cater exclusively to fairy-related herbalism. Gathers in this single volume are more than 40 fairy-specific herbs, and details their uses in fairy magic.
Introducing its reader to fairies, their mercurial nature and relationship to people, "Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic" gives insights into the roles and attributes of fairy witches and seers from olden times to the present day. It also introduces the role of fairy familiars.
As a practical resource, "Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic" is complete with ideas for rituals, charms, and spells.
Critique: A unique, fascinating, inspiring, and thoroughly 'user friendly' metaphysical introduction to herbal medicine and the fairy folklore associated with it, "Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic" is a part of the Pagan Portals series from Collective Ink Books and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Herbal Medicine, Fairy Folklore, and Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted that this paperback edition of "Fairy Herbs for Fairy Magic" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99) as well.
Editorial Note: Daniela Simina (https://siminayoga.com/blog) is a practitioner of energy medicine, fairy witch, and author focusing fairy lore and traditions. She researches, writes, and teaches various classes on esoteric subjects related to energetic healing, yoga, and of course, fairies.
Pagan Portals - Mestra the Shapeshifter
Dianna Rhyan
Moon Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803415291, $12.95, PB, 144pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Portals-Shapeshifter-Ancient-Heroine/dp/1803415290
Synopsis: In Greek mythology, Mestra was a daughter of Erysichthon of Thessaly. Antoninus Liberalis called her Hypermestra and Erysichthon Aethon. Mestra was the mother of King Eurypylus of Cos by Poseidon. According to Ovid, she was married to the thief Autolycus. (Wikipedia)
In mythologist Dianna Rhyan's new study, "Pagan Portals - Mestra the Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove", interested readers will follow Mestra the shapeshifter through sacred groves and ancient seas, where lyrical voices evoke forgotten worlds of peril and beauty. Mestra invites you on a journey to re-enchant the world, to discover unforeseen landscapes where primeval spirits, nymphs, and priestesses dance together. Goddesses shelter mysteries here, nurtured by prophetic trees, watered by wellsprings of the spirit.
A luminous mystical maiden who is also a cunning trickster, escape artist, lover, and beast, Mestra is more than a figment of imagination. Exploring her ancient myth evokes the deep foreknowing of Earth, the dynamic energy of wild creatures, the pull of elemental forces, and the strength of immortal passions. Her transformations call us to seasonal cycles of change, and beckon us into the heart of nature's sacred powers.
Mestra embodies the vibrant, evergreen potential that dwells in the female psyche, accessible to us all.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, erudite, engaging, and informative read from start to finish, this paperback edition of Dianna Rhyan's erudite study, "Pagan Portals - Mestra the Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove" from Moon Books, is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Greco-Roman mythology and folklore collections.
Editorial Note: Dianna Rhyan (www.staffoflaurel.com) is a mythologist and therapist who studies ancient nature goddesses, forgotten voices, and the spirituality of sacred landscapes. She has a PhD in Ancient Greek and Latin, taught college for thirty years, and has been a visiting scholar for archaeological excavations in Greece and Cyprus.
Pagan Portals - Celtic Fairies in North America
Morgan Daimier
Moon Books
c/o Collective Ink Books
https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
9781803414348, $12.95, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Portals-Celtic-Fairies-America/dp/1803414340
Synopsis: With the publication of "Pagan Portals - Celtic Fairies in North America" by Moon Books, fairy expert Morgan Daimier looks at the question of whether Celtic cultural fairies can be found in North America by exploring folklore across the last four hundred years through today.
Stories of belief and personal encounters from Canada, the US, and Mexico show the flexibility of fairy belief and the way that these beings and ideas adapt to new places and times as they are carried along with the people who believe in them. This study is ideal for anyone who ever wondered if Celtic fairies can be found outside of Europe, what those appearances may be like, and what people have believed and do believe about fairies in diasporic communities.
Fairy beliefs survived thousands of years of attempted suppression by religious groups. Celtic Fairies in North America shows that they survived and adapted to emigration, immigration, and the influences of popular culture.
Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Pagan Portals - Celtic Fairies in North America" must be considered essential reading for anyone with an interest in North American fairy-themed folklore and is definitively recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Celtic Religion, Paganism, and Metaphysical/Magick collections and supplemental Fairy Folklore curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Morgan Daimler (https://irishpagan.school/morgan-daimler) is a blogger, poet, teacher of esoteric subjects, witch, and priestess of the Daoine Maithe. Morgan is a prolific pagan writer, having published more than a dozen books under Moon Books alone, and she is one of the world's foremost experts on all things Fairy.
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