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Library Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 12 December 2007 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Library Science Shelf Library DVD Shelf
American History Shelf Travel Shelf Civil War Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Interior Design Shelf Education Shelf
Economics Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Hobby Shelf Meditation Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf
Fiction Shelf Photography Shelf Art Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Calendar Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Biography Shelf Psychology Shelf
Martial Arts Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Computer Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

DUI
Franklin Pierce
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581606171, $10.00 www.paladin-press.com 1-800-392-2400

Drawing up his professional investigative, legal and accounting experience and expertise, Franklin Pierce carefully and meticulously researched complicated drunk driving laws in order to understand his constitutional rights and to avoid a drunk driving arrest. The results of his inquiries is the basis for "DUI: How to Avoid A Drunk Driving Arrest And Conviction". Completely accessible and specifically designed for use by the non-specialist general reader, "DUI" is an information and instruction guide providing the insights and tools necessary to deal effectively and successfully with police and lawyers when accused of having driven under the influence of alcohol or other chemical substances. "DUI" identifies which sobriety tests are voluntary and which are mandatory; the common driving errors that can get a driver stopped by the police, as well as defense strategies that a defending attorney must know and be able to apply. A 'driving while under the influence' conviction can be costly, with the severity of the penalties varying from state to state, and can catastrophically affect an otherwise peaceful and law-abiding citizen. Very highly recommended as practical, informed and informative, "DUI" can help alleviate such adverse consequences -- if not avoid them altogether.

Sonny Sez!
Sonny Eliot
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780814333358, $14.95 http://wsupress.wayne.edu 1-800-978-7323

Enhanced with the inclusion of an accompanying audio CD, "Sonny Sez!: Legends, Yarns & Downright Truths" is an engaging and entertaining collection of 100 one-minute stories taken from the syndicated radio show hosted by popular broadcaster and Detroit personality Sonny Eliot. These whimsical stories range from why empty rooms get dusty, to the meaning and origin of the phrase 'the whole nine yards', to why a dog's nose is moist', and 97 other homespun stories reflecting a very special wit and (at times) wisdom. The text is deftly edited by Stanley D. Williams, offers an informative foreword by Dick Guindon, and is very nicely illustrated with more than seventy humorous illustrations by political cartoonist Draper Hill. Truly a 'must' for Sonny's legions of fans, "Sonny Sez!" will aptly serve to introduce a whole new generation of readers to the wit and talents of a truly gifted and genuinely entertaining storyteller.

Dream Notes
Theodor W. Adorno, author
Christoph Godde and Henri Lonitz, editors
Polity
c/o Blackwell Publishing
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780745638300, $17.95 www.blackwellpublishing.com 1-800-216-2522

German philosopher and cultural critic Theodor W. Adorno wrote down his dreams throughout his life. Dream Notes is an unvarnished, as-is selection of Adorno's writings concerning his dreams, spanning the final twenty-five years of his life. No attempts are made to "interpret" Adorno's dreams, or force a connection between them and the events of his life, or to psychoanalyze them. They are simply offered for the reader to evaluate as he or she sees fit. An editorial foreword, an afterword by Jan Philipp Reemtsma, and an index round out this one-of-a-kind collection. Especially recommended for students and scholars seeking an extra dimension of insight and understanding into Adorno's works and ideas.


The Library Science Shelf

Heart Of The Community
Karen Christensen & David Levinson, editors
Berkshire Publishing Group
314 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230-1615
9780977015924, $49.95 www.berkshirepublishing.com

Compiled and co-edited by Berkshire Publishing Group founders, Karen Christensen and David Levinson, "Heart Of The Community: The Libraries We Love" showcases eighty libraries throughout the United States and Canada. Ranging from the Norman Williams Public Library of Woodstock, Vermont; to the West Avenue Library of Newport News, Virginia; to the Oaklyn Branch Library of Evansville, Indiana; to the Runnymede Branch Library of Toronto, Canada, "Heart Of The Community" provides an illustrated and succinct history of the library. Each featured library includes the libraries address, founding date, the designing architect, the director, and any special collections associated with it. Combining historical information, inspiring stories, and simply beautiful images, "Heart Of The Community" offers the reader a true celebration of community libraries across the width and breadth of the land. Very strongly recommended for academic and community library reference collections, "Heart Of The Community" would serve as an admirable template for more volumes of such celebrations of libraries from around the country and around the world.

Library 2.0 and Beyond
Nancy Courtney, editor
Libraries Unlimited
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9781591585374, $45.00 www.greenwood.com www.lu.com

Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow's User is an anthology of essays by learned authors concerning the impact of the latest information-sharing media on modern libraries and their patrons. Topics discussed include blogs and wikis, social networking and tagging technologies, podcasting, gaming, digital storytelling, virtual reality libraries, and much more. "As players participate socially to learn about game worlds and overcoming specific in-game obstacles, they become part of a network of what Gee calls 'distributed knowledge.' In this network, the knowledge of the group about a particular game is spread out amongst all the players of the game, and accessed through social interactions and shared guides, often known as 'walkthroughs' or simply FAQs. Game knowledge thus becomes social, and even though parts of that knowledge may reside outside of an individual's physical body/mind, it is in a place (e.g., an Internet gaming site) where they can access it as needed (Gee 2003)." Highly recommended for modern libraries confronting the challenges of the modern century's technological advances.


The Library DVD Shelf

Billy Pate's Fly Fishing for Billfish
Bennett-Watt HD Productions
13021 - 244th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98027
1932978925 $29.95 www.bennett-watt.com 1-800-327-2893

Part of the respected "How to Fly Fish" series, Billy Pate's Fly Fishing for Billfish is a gorgeous on-location DVD that walks the reader through proven techniques for catching all six species of billfish. Following fly fishing expert Billy Pate, along with Kelly Watt (co-host of Fly Fishing Video Magazine), Billy Pate's Fly Fishing for Billfish covers technique, tackle, leaders, and water conditions. Filmed off the coast of Costa Rica, Billy Pate's Fly Fishing for Billfish offers gorgeous full-color scenery and even an underwater video of a sailfish taking a fly. A "must-have" for flyfishing enthusiasts interested in branching out their catch repertoire. Also highly recommended is the latest addition to the "Fly Fishing Adventure" DVD series, Bass (1932978658, $19.95).

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569943991 $24.95 www.montereymedia.com 1-800-424-2593

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama is an award-winning documentary DVD of ten soul-searching questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Among the profound questions asked are "Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich?", "Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future?", and "How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence?" Bonus features include an interview with the director, additional selected scenes, and an interview with Tenzin Geyche Tethong. An absolute "must-see" for practitioners of Buddhism, worthy of the highest recommendation for its thoughtful examination of both earthly and transcendental issues. 85 minutes, closed-captioned, color.

Prevention Fitness Systems
Rodale Press, Inc.
400 South Tenth Street, Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.411videoinfo.com www.rodale.com

Two new additions to the Prevention Fitness Systems series of exercise DVDs, developed guide consumers through exercises for improved fitness, balance, and flexibility. "Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss with Chris Freytag" (9780766232563, $14.98, 42 min.) is an express workout DVD offering three mix-and-match, ten-minute routines designed to burn calories and invigorate muscles. The routines are Cardio Sculpt, Kickbox Sculpt, and Pilates Sculpt; the viewer is encouraged to use inexpensive 2 or 3-pound hand weights along with a yoga mat to reap the full benefits. Certified fitness trainer and "Prevention" magazine's contributing fitness editor Chris Freytag is an energetic and helpful guide to these simple exercises ideal for looking and feeling one's best. "Better Belly Yoga with Desiree Bartlett" (9780766231207, $14.98, 36 min.) concentrates especially upon the waistline; each of the DVD's three segments focuses on a different part of the abdominal area. a standard yoga mat is recommended while following certified yoga teacher Desiree Bartlett's instructions for a flatter belly. Bonus segments offering breathing techniques for more energy and a basic introduction to meditation round out this welcome addition to personal fitness libraries.

Championship Hockey Drills & Ice Time Management
Nate & Bo Leslie
Youth Sports Club
9 Florence Court, Valley Cottage, NY 10989
9780978945138 $24.95 www.YouthSportsClub.com 1-800-511-2101

Championship Hockey Drills & Ice Time Management is a DVD collection of drills and techniques for sporting success used by coaches around the world. Former professional players and youth coaches Nate & Bo Leslie discuss time management theories and how to most efficiently run ice hockey practice with limited time and space. Exercises cover stick handling drills, game situations, skating technique, offensive moves, and much more. A superb, all-around guide accessible to and useful for hockey players and coaches of all ages and skill levels. 38 minutes, color.

INControl
Karen Armstrong
Collage Video
5390 Main St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55421, USA
411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.95 www.411videoinfo.com www.collagevideo.com 1-800-433-6769

INControl is a pelvic exercise DVD exclusively for women, teaching how to do simple Kegel pelvic exercises any woman can do anywhere, anytime to improve her pelvic health and sexual health, as well as prevent or minimize incontinence. Especially valuable for women who are preparing for childbirth, INControl recommends an easy-to-follow twelve-minute routine, and offers both basic and advance-level instructions. Certified Pilates instructor Karen Armstrong hosts this "must-have" exercise video, highly recommended for women's personal health shelves and public library collections. 28 minutes, color.

The Racing Sailor
Jumby Bay Studios
Vat19.com
11783 Borman Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146
$34.95 www.vat19.com

The Racing Sailor: Winning Tactics for Small Boat Racing is a DVD that combines in-depth, tactical sailing instruction from competitive experts with 3D animation into a comprehensive course designed to help sailboat racers of all skill and experience levels improve their performance. The Racing Sailor covers upwind strategy and tactics, downwind strategy, finishing techniques, wind shift management, mark rounding, and much more. A nautical dictionary with nearly 300 terms and a how-to guide to the most important sailing knots round out this "must-have" video guide for any small boat racer. 73 min., color.

Maui Pilates: Abs Made Easy
Eva Bondar
Razor Fitness
4401 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 210, Los Angeles, CA 90010
411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
1595523960 $14.99 www.411videoinfo.com www.razorfitness.com

AFAA certified fitness instructor, Pilates instructor of ten years' experience, and Maui resident Eva Bondar presents Maui Pilates: Abs Made Easy, a guide to low-impact Pilates stretches designed to redefine one's core, tone the body, and improve one's posture throughout the day. Set on a beautiful, sandy beach of Maui, Maui Pilates: Abs Made Easy is ideal for consumers of all fitness levels and offers precise abdominal moves for promoting strength without straining one's back or neck. A Pilates mat is recommended for following this user-friendly, health-conscious workout. 55 minutes, color.

10 Minute Solution: Dance It Off & Tone It Up!
Starz Home Entertainment
c/o Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
$16.98 www.anchorbayentertainment.com

The 10 Minute Solution DVD series continues to provide quality workouts customized for the needs of the time-conscious consumer. 10 Minute Solution: Dance It Off & Tone It Up! ($16.98, 57 min.) includes a free toning band and offers five separate ten-minute workouts that can be done in any combination: Sexy Slim Down to promote confidence, High Energy Fat Burner for an enthusiastic and energetic workout, Dancer's Abs focusing on belly moves, Upper Body Tone Up to sculpt the upper body muscles with slow movements and the toning band, and Buns & Thigh Sculpt for promoting lean legs. Hosted by professional dancer and ACE certified fitness instructor Jennifer Galardi hosts this easy-to-use workout aid perfect for anyone caught up in a hectic modern schedule. 57 minutes, color.

10 Minute Solution: Slim & Sculpt Pilates with Pilates Band
Starz Home Entertainment
c/o Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
$16.98 www.anchorbayentertainment.com

A welcome addition to the user-friendly 10 Minute Solution exercise series, 10 Minute Solution: Slim & Sculpt Pilates with Pilates Band introduces the consumer to the health, flexibility, and fitness benefits of Pilates through five ten-minute segments, which can be done in any combination. The included Pilates Band is a simple easy-to-use piece of exercise equipment to apply in "Upper Body Pilates", designed to firm one's arms, shoulders and upper back; Lower Body Pilates for toning and conditioning the other half of one's body; Pilates for Abs offering innovative spins on classic Pilates exercises especially to flatten the abs, Total Body Pilates to promote calorie burning and overall fitness; and Pilates for Flexibility offering a wide range of dynamic stretches. AFAA certified group fitness and Practical Pilates instructor Suzanne Bowen, a fitness professional of nearly 10 years' experience, cheerfully guides the viewer through the workout routine. Especially recommended for anyone new to Pilates and seeking to sample its benefits. 54 minutes, color.

Spiral Fitness
David Nakara Enterprise, Inc.
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.411videoinfo.com www.danceandmartialfitness.com

Featuring silver screen legend David Carradine, his expert Kung Fu trainer Rob Moses, and Rob's daughter Marissa Moses as hosts, Spiral Fitness is a set of DVDs instructing the viewer in a martial, fitness, and therapeutic exercise program that Rob created as a modern approach to an ancient art form. Spiral Fitness: Beginnings ($14.98, 60 min.) is a documentary describing how the innovative concepts of the Spiral Fitness program came to be - Rob designed the motions of elliptical shapes, gyros, wheels and spheres not only to enhance how one moves but also as a tool to enrich self-perception, expression, and the senses. Spiral Fitness: The Basics ($14.98, 60 min.) is a more standard, guided exercise workout blending elements of dance, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Yoga to enhance one's own natural and inherent movements. The result greatly promotes flexibility, balance, and efficiency of motion as well as fitness. Spiral Fitness: Nine Palms ($19.98, 80 min.) offers nine truths of joyful movement, from the motion of casting a net to pulling a line or feeling the contours of the wind. The result is an energizing workout promoting unity of purpose as well as motion. All three DVDs are enhanced for widescreen, and all make use of the inexpensive "Spiral Knot Energy Stick". An excellent addition to personal fitness collections.

Pulse Yoga
Braun Media
11763 95th Avenue North, Maple Grove, MN 55369
411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.pulseyoga.com www.bmsdigital.com www.411videoinfo.com

Certified fitness instructor and yoga expert Argie Ligeros Tang presents the Pulse Yoga with Argie Tang series of fitness DVDs, designed to promote health and mental clarity by combining the best of the fitness disciplines Pilates, Core Fusion, and Yoga. Pulse Yoga I Basic (1599874008, $9.99, 60 min.) introduces the viewer to the Pulse concept of micro movements within a posture, and targets key areas such as abdominal, lower back, and gluteus muscles, as well as toning one's upper body by alternating right and left pulse movements with free weights. Pulse Yoga II Balance & Tone (1599874016, $9.99, 60 min.) emphasizes cultivating balance while in motion, and promotes flexibility in areas that tend to be tight such as hamstrings and hip flexors. Pulse Yoga III Stamina & Strength (1599874024, $9.99, 60 min.) concentrates on increasing personal stamina through more intense use of free weights, as well as promoting inner thigh strength and hip flexibility. Pulse Express (1599870002, $7.99, 42 min.) is a condensed routine designed to meet workout needs in thirty minutes, for the fitness-conscious who are pressed for time, and is enhanced with an exclusive interview with Argie Ligeros Tang and Prisca Boris, who co-founded the Y4A Teacher Training Programs with Tang. All DVDs are upbeat, instructive, and encouraging, but since most viewers are presumed to be unfamiliar with the unique Pulse Yoga system of micro-movements, watching each DVD in its entirety before performing the workout for the first time is recommended.

Fighting Fire with Fire
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
$250.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com 1-800-543-3764

Fighting Fire with Fire is a timely documentary ideal for junior high through college classroom viewing. Authorities in the United States and Canada contest forest fires that seem to be getting worse with each fire season; now, a controversial new approach to controlling the problem has taken shape. In the forests of Banff National Park, park wardens are deliberately setting fires called "prescribed burns" in order to prevent larger, hotter, more voracious fires, as well as regenerate the land by setting up optimum conditions for flora and fauna to thrive. This little-known technique has met with surprising success, as fire has always been part of the natural order but global warming and modern techniques to quickly squelch fire have prompted the accumulation of dead fire fuel until out-of-control blazes emerge. Highly recommended. 44 minutes, closed captioned.

Steam Across America Combo DVD
Bruce Ward
Pentrex
2652 East Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91107
1563421852 $29.95 www.pentrex.com 1-800-950-9333

As always, Pentrex lives up to its reputation for providing the best authentic railroad entertainment. Originally released as two separate programs, Steam Across America Combo DVD combines two steam railroading shows captured on 16 mm by rail photographer Bruce Ward, "Volume I - The East" and "Volume II - The West" on one DVD. Rare images of trains ranging from the Pennsylvania Railroad and Nickel Plate Road to the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Great Western Railway and much more, complemented by Hi-Fi sound and narration, are sure to delight locomotive enthusiasts. 1 hour 10 minutes, color.


The American History Shelf

The Most Notorious Crimes In American History
Time Life Books
c/o Goldberg McDuffie Communications Inc.
444 Madison Avenue, Suite 3300, New York, NY 10022
9781933821085, $29.95 www.amazon.com

From the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., to the kidnaping of Patty Hearst and the Lindbergh Baby, to the notorious Charles Manson family, to the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, "The Most Notorious Crimes In American History" is an illustrated history of famous and infamous American crimes and criminals, both historic and contemporary. The murders of Laci Peterson and John Lennon, the unsolved mystery of the Black Dahlia Murder, the nation chilling Oklahoma City Bombing, all these and so many more are showcased and highlighted in a unique and highly recommended volume of American criminal history.


The Travel Shelf

Enchanted Isles
David A.E. Spalding & Kevin Oke
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
9781550174229, $34.95 www.harbourpublishing.com 1-604-883-2730

David Spalding's informed and informative text is superbly embellished with the full color photography of Kevin Oke in "Enchanted Isles: The South Gulf Islands". Offering a true insider's perspective of the lovely southern British Columbia gulf islands found just off the coast between Victoria and Nanaimo, "Enchanted Isles" showcases their local wildlife, the incredible scenic beauty, and engaging history. Ideal for the armchair traveler and very highly recommended reading for the on-site tourist, "Enchanted Isles" truly and fully lives up to its title!


The Civil War Shelf

Images Of Civil War Medicine
Gordon Dammann & Alfred Jay Bollet
Demos Medical Publishing
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 201, New York, NY 10016
9781932603392, $34.95 www.demosmedpub.com 1-800-532-8663

Profusely illustrated throughout with hundreds of historic black-and-white photographs (many of which are previously unpublished), "Images Of Civil War Medicine": A Photograph History" is the collaborative project of Gordon Dammann (founder of the national Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland) and civil war historian and medical expert Alfred Jay Bollett. Covering every aspect of medicine during the four-year conflict, "Images Of Civil War Medicine" includes Confederate aspects of Civil War medicine, prominent contemporary medical educators of the era, Civil War hospitals and hospital stewards, field hospitals, as well as battlefield wounds and diseases. Of special note is the attention given to nursing and the role of women in Civil War medicine. a remarkable study of original scholarship, "Images Of Civil War Medicine" is very strongly recommended for inclusion into personal, academic, and community library American Civil War and American Medical History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

For Honor, Flag, and Family
Richard Wagner
White Mane Publishing Company
73 West Burd Street, PO Box 708, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0708
9781572493728, $19.95 www.whitemane.com

For Honor, Flag, and Family: Civil War Major General Samuel W. Crawford, 1827-1892 is a biography of General Samuel Wylie Crawford, who served in the United States Army during the Civil War from Fort Sumter through Appomattox, involved in major battles of the Eastern Theater. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1862; his brigade suffered the loss of half its strength in an engagement at Cedar Mountain; and he personally suffered a grievous wound at Antietam. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this extensively researched portrait of a true fighting leader, who remained in the United States Army until his retirement in 1873. Notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this welcome addition to Civil War biography shelves.


The Audiobook Shelf

Brother, I'm Dying
Edwidge Danticat, author
Robin Miles, narrator
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781428166318 $77.75 www.recordedbooks.com 1-800-638-1304

Skillfully narrated by professional stage actor Robin Miles, Brother, I'm Dying is the unabridged audiobook rendition of award-winning author Edwidge Danticat's memoir about the two men who raised her. When Edwidge was four years old, her parents emigrated from Haiti to New York, leaving her in the care of her uncle Joseph, a pastor in Port-au-Prince. Joseph raised and loved Edwidge as a father, but suffered both from throat cancer and from political turbulence afflicting his beloved homeland. At the tender age of twelve, Edwidge was at last reunited with her parents, and forced to confront her own emotions about the reunion. A bittersweet true-life story about the bonds of love that connect a family across distant gulfs. 7 CDs, 8 hours.

Stress Free Surgery
Linda Thomson, PhD MSN CPNP
Crown House Publishing
PO Box 2223, Williston, VT 05495-2223
9781845900731 $24.95 www.CHPUS.com 1-877-925-1213

Professional hypnotherapist Linda Thompson presents Stress Free Surgery: A Self Relaxation Program to Help You Prepare for and Recover from Surgery, an audiobook on 2 CDs created to help surgery patients tap into their own inner strength and place themselves in the optimum frame of mind. The first CD is designed to reduce stress and anxiety before surgery; the second CD promotes healing and recovery after surgery. Stress Free Surgery is meant to be used in conjunction with anesthesia to reduce pain and hospital stays, as well as lessen post-operative pain and nausea. The gentle, positive-minded encouragement is spiritually uplifting; Stress Free Surgery is very highly recommended as a gift for surgery patients of all backgrounds. 2 CDs, 89 minutes.


The Interior Design Shelf

Your Home: A Living Canvas
Curtis L. Heuser
North Light Books
c/o F&W Publications, Inc.
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990
9781581807837, $29.99 www.fwpublications.com 1-800-726-9966

In "Your Home: A Living Canvas", author Curtis L. Heuser follows the informed and informative process of renovating one particular home from its raw beginnings to its completed elegance. With a thoroughly 'reader friendly' text superbly embellished with a profusion of full color photographs throughout, the chapters are thematically organized: Foyer; Parlor; Dining Room; Kitchen; Study & Office; Guestroom; and Master Suite. Enhanced further with the inclusion of a two-page section on 'Terms & Techniques' and a comprehensive index, "Your Home: A Living Canvas" will prove to be an enormous source of inspiration and expert instruction for readers contemplating home make-overs and interior design art and painting projects of their own. With its instructions and ideas for crating faux finishes and murals with paint, "Your Home: A Living Canvas" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Interior Design and painting reference collections.

The New French Decor
Michele Lalande
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780810994591, $40.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

"The New French Decor: Living With Timeless Objects" is the collaborative work of journalist and interior decorator Michele Lalande and the photographer Gilles Trillard. 250 full-color photographs beautifully illustrated and showcase Michele Lalande's commentary about the sophistication, symmetry, minimalism, and other elements that make each of the featured rooms successful with respect to their thematic design conceived and executed by top stylists, decorators, and antiquarians. An intrinsically beautiful book, "The New French Decor" is an impressive contribution to the growing library of Interior Design literature and a welcome addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Education Shelf

Story Dictation
Ann Gadzikowski
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781933653280, $24.95 www.redleafpress.org 1-800-423-8309

In "Story Dictation: A Guide For Early Childhood Professionals", academician Ann Gadzikowsi draws upon her more than twenty years of experience and expertise as a classroom teacher and as a director of early childhood programs to provide teachers and caregivers with the fundamental tools and techniques to help children tell stories by recording their words on paper exactly as they are spoken. "Story Dictation" addresses the 'what, why & how' questions about the concept of recording children's stories, and goes on to address such topics as implementation techniques, interpreting story themes, and using diction for assessment purposes. The assertion is that telling stories will prove to be a significant aid with respect to interesting children in becoming literate and in expresses themselves with confidence. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Story Dictation" is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to the expanding library of instructional reference material for classroom instructors, home schooling parents, and caregivers and support staff involved with children from daycare centers, community library literacy efforts, and community center programs for young children.

Science Is Simple
Peggy Ashbrook
Gryphon House
PO Box 207, Beltsville, MD 20704
9780876592724, $19.95 www.ghbooks.com 1-800-638-0928

Teaching science to preschoolers since 1998, Peggy Ashbrook draws upon her considerable experience and practical expertise in "Science Is Simple" to showcase 250 child-friendly activities spanning 39 fun and informative science concepts ranging from magnets, to bubbles, to insects, to volcanoes, to plant life, to physics. "Science Is Simple" features both solo projects and group projects; an invaluable appendix listing science websites and other resources; a bibliography of children's literature related to science concepts, letters for explaining to parents each concept to be studies by the child; open-ended questions for creativity and self-discovery; and child-involving experiments for every season. "Science Is Simple" will prove a welcome addition to preschool, day-care center, elementary school, and homeschooling reference libraries and curriculums.

Remedia Publications
15887 North 76th Street, Suite 120, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
www.rempub.com 1-800-826-4740

Remedia Publications markets a wide and impressive variety of classroom teaching aids, learning games, and other curriculum supplemental materials. Five of them are especially recommended to the attention of classroom teachers and homeschooling parents. "Vocabulary Builder" (REM 6293, $19.99) is a fun learning game for two to six players and designed for children in grades 3 through 6, featuring a full-color board game in which the players build vocabulary. Players advance along a path by spinning the spinner and correctly defining words. Included is a bonus word list so that new vocabulary can be introduced once the original words are mastered. "5 W's Game" (REM 6005, $21.99) has a 3rd to 4th grade reading level and is designed for two to six players in grades 3 through 6. Players are provided with 'newspaper articles' and are then to answer the Who, What, Where, When, Why questions that will reveal their comprehension skills. The players move around a colorful gameboard reading the articles and answer the questions, collecting points as they do so. As fun as it is informative, "5 W's Game" consists of a gameboard, an instruction/answer booklet, 75 questions cards, 6 pawns, and 1 die. Two colorful, entertaining, and original language skill development games are especially recommended additions for classroom and homeschool curriculums: "Language Detective" (REM 6296, $21.99) is designed for grades 4 to 12 and has the players find mistakes in spelling, word usage, capitalization, and punctuation. "Fun With Language Arts" (REM 6004, $21.99) is intended for students in grades 3 to 8 and has the players dealing with 'pesky punctuation, camouflaged capitalization, sputtered spelling" in the form of a thoroughly 'kid friendly' board game. "Spelling Bee" is a spinner style board games designed for use by students in grades 3 to 5 and comes in two levels with each game covering 600 high utility words. Given a word list the player must decide which one is misspelled with points awarded for every correct answer. Although available separately (Level 1 - REM 6290, $18.99 and Level 2 - REM 6291, $18.99), schools should acquire both games for their curriculum resource library collections (REM 6291A, $37.95). These are only a small sampling of the many learning games offered by Remedia Publications. Classroom teachers, curriculum developers, and homeschooling parents would be well advised to visit the Remedia Publications website at www.rempub.com for a complete listing of their learning games and curriculum supplements.


The Economics Shelf

The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics
David R. Henderson, editor
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
9780865976665, $28.00 www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Compiled, organized and edited by David R. Henderson (Research Fellow with Stanford University's Hoover Institution and an Associate Professor of Economics at the naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California), "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" is a superbly presented introduction to economics comprised of more than 160 entries which draw upon the experience and expertise of some 152 contributors. Now it a completely revised, expanded and updated fourth edition, "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" covers a diversity of subjects ranging from basic economic concepts, to discrimination and labor issues, to corporations and financial markets, to economic history, to economic legal issues, governmental regulation, taxes, environmental regulations, economic policies, macroeconomics, money and banking, international economics, economic systems within and outside of the United States, schools of economic thought, and so much more. "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" is substantively enhanced with the inclusion of succinct biographies of leading and influential economists and a comprehensive Index. Also available in a hardcover edition (9780865976658, $45.00), "The Concise Encyclopedia Of Economics" ideal and indispensable addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Economic Studies reference collections.

Corporate Governance in Banking
Benton E. Gup, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
136 West Street, Suite 202, Northampton, MA 01060-3711
9781845429409, $125.00 www.e-elgar.com 1-800-390-3149

Corporate Governance in Banking: A Global Perspective is an assembly of essays by learned authors discussing international laws and recommendations concerning corporate governance in banking, as seen from a global perspective. In an era of expanding globalization and corporations of ever-increasing power, the need for effective but not overstifling regulation of corporate banking and accounting is more pronounced than ever. Individual essays in Corporate Governance in Banking include "Corporate Governance in Banks: Does the Board Structure Matter?", "A Survey of Corporate Governance in Banking: Characteristics of the Top 100 World Banks", "Bank Mergers and Insider Trading", and much more. Corporate governance and banking is scrutinized in the setting of a number of different nations, including the United States, Australia, Germany, Hungary, and Korea. A heavily researched text especially for advanced students, scholars, and professionals in the field, highly recommended for the economic studies shelves of college libraries.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The American Religion
Harold Bloom
AtlasBooks
c/o BookMasters, Inc.
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
9780978721008, $20.00 www.atlasbooks.com 1-800-BOOKLOG

In "The American Religion", Harold Bloom (Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University) examines a number of American-based faiths including Pentecostalism, Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Southern Baptism, Christian Fundamentalism, and African American spirituality. Tracing the distinctive features of American religion, Professor Bloom provides insight into the role religion plays in the broader American culture, and in each American's concept of his or her relationship to God. Professor's Blooms persuasively articulated conclusion is that American spiritual believes provide an illuminated portrait of the American national character. Strongly recommended for both academic and community library Religion & Spirituality reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "The American Religion" is informed and informative reading.


The Cookbook Shelf

Amy's Table
Amy Tobin
Orange Frazer Press
PO Box 214, Wilmington, OH 45177
9781933197395, $22.95 www.orangefrazer.com 1-800-852-9332

In "Amy's Table: Food For Family & Friends", culinary expert Amy Tobin has compiled a wealth of simply wonderful and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friend' recipes that are ideal for any dining occasion. Profusely illustrated in full color throughout, each individual recipe identifies how many it would serve, the preparation time involved, a brief anecdote about the recipes, cooking tips, ingredients, and instructions. From Seared Peppered Tuna with Pickled Cucumber to Italian Wedding Soup; Rough-Cut Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese; Macadamia Chicken with Mango Butter Sauce; Lemon Panna Cotta with Berry Sauce; Spiced Pumpkin Pie with Bourbon Cream; and Chocolate Bowls with Raspberry Sauce, "Amy's Table" offers an amazing variety of gourmet quality dishes and is enthusiastically recommended for both personal and community library cookbook collections.

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan
Dreena Burton
Arsenal Pulp Press
341 Water Street, Suite 200, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1B8
Consortium Books Sales & Distribution (distributor)
34 Thirteenth Avenue NE, Suite 101, Minneapolis, MN 55413-1007
9781551522241, $22.95 www.cbsd.com 1-800-283-3572 www.arsenalpulp.com

Her third vegetarian cookbook, Dreena Burton's "Eat, Drink & Be Vegan" focuses on recipes for celebratory foods that consist of vegan fare perfect for everything from a romantic meal, to dinner parties, to casual potlucks, to formal dining occasions of all kinds. A compilation offering more than 150 delicious vegan recipes ranging from Zucchini Spelt Muffins; Cinnamon Sweet Tortilla Strips; Cocoa-Coconut Chili; and White Bean Rosemary Soup with Jumbo Cruton and Fresh Basil; to Cashew-Ginger Tofu; Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds and Pine Nuts; Five Spice Almond Cookies; and Mulled Cran-Apple Cider, "Eat, Drink & Be Vegan" is enhanced with sixteen full-color photographs and a welcome addition to personal, professional, and community library vegetarian cookbook collections. Also very highly recommended are Dreena Burton's two previous vegetarian cookbooks: "The Everyday Vegan" and "Vive le Vegan!".

Entertaining With Bluegrass Winners
The Garden Club of Lexington
Eclipse Press
PO Box 919003, Lexington, KY 40591-9003
9781581501742, $29.95 www.eclipsepress.com 1-800-582-5604

"Entertaining With Bluegrass Winners" is a compendium of recipes contributed by bluegrass hostesses who share their favorite dishes along with their family traditions for every season of the year and every special occasion from a formal winter dinner to a Derby-day brunch. Featuring new recipes and menus from Kentucky's legendary horse farms. "Entertaining With Bluegrass Winners" offers thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' dishes that range from Fried Green Tomatoes; Cheese Wafers with Pecans; Marinated Cucumber Sandwiches; and Artichoke Soup; to Fireside Venison Chili; Goat Cheese Salad with Pancetta, Dried Cherry, and Port Dressing; Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts; and Banana Cake with Caramel Icing. Organized by Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, each recipe is part of a menu from a distinguished horse farm. Very nicely illustrated throughout with more than one hundred color photographs, "Entertaining With Bluegrass Winners" is a unique and prized addition to any personal and community library cookbook collection.

My Love For Naples
Anna Teresa Callen
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781812054, $35.00 www.hippocrenebooks.com 1-212-685-4371

Enhanced with the photography of Kenneth Chen and Kirsztina Simsa-Crane, "My Love For Naples: The Food, The History, The Life" by Anna Teresa Callen is a culinary tribute to the cuisine and culture of Naples, Italy. With chapters of commentary and recipes for Antipasti; Soups; Pizza; Sauces; Pasta, Gnocchi, Polenta & Rice; Fish; Poultry and Rabbit; Veal; Beef; Pork; Variety Meats; Vegetables; Salads; and Desserts, "My Love For Naples" offers 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes ranging from Pastina E Zucca in Brodo (Pumpkin soup with Pastina); to Scialiatelli Con Sugo Di Pesce (Homemade Pasta with Seafood Sauce); to Cotolette Di Vitello Con Piselli E Proscuiutto (Veal Cutlets with Peas and Prosciutto); to Granita Di Caffee Con Panna (Coffee Granita with Whipped Cream). A delight to browse, and a simply wonderful resource for planning Neopolitan menus, "My Love For Naples" is the perfect addition to personal and community library cookbook collections.

Bundt Cake Bliss
Susanna Short
Minnesota Historical Society Press
345 Kellogg Boulevard, West, St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
9780873515856, $16.95 www.mnhs.org/mhspress 1-800-647-7827

Susanna Short draws upon a life-time of interest in baking, as well as her professional experience and expertise as a caterer, to showcase eighty-five truly impressive recipes drawn from Midwestern kitchens and cooks. Following an informative chapter on 'Ingredients, Tools, and Preparation Tips', the individual recipes comprising "Bundt Cake Bliss" are organized into sections that focus on Chocolate Cakes; Coffee Cakes; Harvest Bundts; Springtime Bundts; Bundts off The Beaten path; Blazes; Frostings and Fillings; and Sauces. From Red Devil Cake; Hungarian Cheese-Filled Coffee Cake; Apple Butter Bundt with Cider Glaze; and Coconut Swirl Cake with Easter Jellybeans; to Pine Nut and Chili Bundt with Chili Glaze; Eastern European Honey Cake with Lemon Sugar Glaze; Butter Vanilla Frosting; and Old-Fashioned Lemon Sauce, "Bundt Cake Bliss" is a welcome and recommended culinary resource for baking that perfect desert cake for that perfect occasion all year round!

When Everybody Ate At Schrafft's
Joan Kanel Slomanson
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
9781569803356, $16.95 www.barricadebooks.com 1-800-592-6657

Lavishly illustrated throughout, "When Everybody Ate At Schrafft's" by Joan Kanel Slomanson is a compilation of memories, pictures, and recipes from a very special New York City based restaurant empire that grew to more than fifty establishments popular with celebrities, businessmen, and the public at large. Slomanson writes with a special expertise as a former advertising agency creative director and a friend of Schrafft's founder Frank G. Shattuck's grandson who provides files filled with exclusive information on Schrafft's -- including hundreds of previous unavailable recipes. "When Everybody Ate At Schrafft's" also includes maps of all the Schrafft's locations, including more than 50 in New York City, and the many motor inns that stretched along I-95 from New England to Florida. A welcome addition to any personal or community library cookbook collection for the recipes alone, "When Everybody Ate At Schrafft's" will also have a very special appeal for anyone who has ever dined at a Schrafft's and would appreciate the nostalgic pictures capturing the look and feel of a unique era in American restaurant history.


The Hobby Shelf

200 Creative Crafts For You & Your Home
Megan Hiller, editor
Sellers Publishing
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
9781569069820, $22.95 www.makefun.com 1-800-625-3386

A compilation of projects ranging from the creation of glittery vases, unique button-made handbags, blue jean rugs, and flat pebble chess boards, to fancy stools, personalized jewelry, creative frames, and original lampshades, "200 Creative Crafts For You & Your Home" is a cornucopia of fun and easy do-it-yourself projects, each of which is illustrated by full-color photography, step-by-step instructions, and drawn from experts throughout the field of craft hobbies. The projects range from needle felting, sewing, crocheting, beading, and painting, to collage, paper crafting, boondoggling, and more. "200 Creative Crafts For You & Your Home" is enhanced with extra tips, a variety of techniques, and thoroughly 'user friendly' examples. Offering a wealth of imaginative ideas for using readily found items from around the home and/or easy-to-find objects from craft stories and the internet, these are projects that will appeal to teens and adults alike, "200 Creative Crafts For You & Your Home" is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library Crafts & Hobbies reference collections.


The Meditation Shelf

Love Reigns
Diana Rogers
Sounds True Audio
413 South Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027
M1209D, $17.88 www.soundstrue.com 1-800-333-9185

Diana Rogers is a master of devotional chant and in "Love Reigns" has compiled eight superbly performed traditional Sanskirt chants supported on vocals and instrumentation by Jai Uttal, Ben Leinbach, Daniel Paul, and Manose. A flawlessly produced technical production, and with a total running time of 58:06, "Love Reigns" includes Jai Radha Madhava (6:54); Om Narayani (9:24); He Mata Durga (8:15); Jaya Rada (6:47); Jai Ambe (6:07); Jai Jagadambe (5:37); Sri Ram (6:33); and Om Shanti (8:19). Inspired and inspiring, "Love Reigns" is confidently recommended for personal and community library collections.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Pocket Field Dressing Guide
James A. Smith
Stoeger Publishing
17603 Indian Head Highway, Suite 200, Accokeek, MD 20607-2501
9780883173640, $7.95 www.stoegerpublishing.com

Simply stated, "The Pocket Field Dressing Guide", the pocket sized, 160-page instructional manual by life-long hunter, trapper, and angler James A. Smith is the perfect (and portable) how-to guide for field dressing every species of North American game that it is lawful to hunt. This includes such big game as deer, elk, moose, caribou, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, rocky Mountain goat, black bear, wild board, and javelina. It also includes game birds such as mourning dove, the band-tailed pigeon, woodcocks, common snipes, quail, chuka, pheasant, grouse, ptarmigan, prairie chicken, and wild turkey. Waterfowl are also featured including the American widgeon, black ducks, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, green-winged teal, gadwall, mallard, pintail, shoveler, wood duck, canvasback, greater scaup, lesser scaup, redhead, Canadian geese, and the snow goose. Fully illustrated step-by-step instructions on skinning and dressing game will enable even the most novice hunter to prepare his kill with professional level expertise. Also featured are guides to transporting large game, cooling game, safe food handling, choosing the proper tools for field dressing game, and even methods for skinning for trophy mounts. If you are a conscientious hunter who respects the sport and the animals, then you need a copy of James A. Smith's "The Pocket Field Dressing Guide"!


The Fiction Shelf

Hoffman's Hunger
Leon de Winter
The Toby Press
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
9781592642113, $14.95 www.tobypress.com

A Dutch diplomat who is now an Ambassador in Prague, Felix Hoffman has some serious physical and emotional problems that result in bulimia and insomnia as he studies the writings of Spinoza and obsesses on the traumas from his past. A child survivor of the Holocaust, Hoffman had married and fathered twin daughters. But one daughter died young from leukemia, and the other became a heroin addict and committed suicide. These were tragedies that also wrecked Hoffman's marriage, his life, and have left him vulnerable to a Czech double agent named Carlo. Against an historical background history of Europe from the end of World War II to the late 1980s setting for this riveting novel, author Leon de Winter has deftly created a memorable character whose search for identify that combines the personal and the political. "Hoffman's Hunger" is a sophisticated novel that is an extraordinary work of articulate fiction and highly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library fiction collections.


The Photography Shelf

It's Complicated
Robin Bowman
Umbrage Editions
515 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013
9781884167690, $40.00 www.umbragebooks.com 1-212-965-0197

"It's Complicated: the American Teenager" is a compilation of photographs taken in a five year exploration by Robin Bowman of the largest generation of teenagers in American history. Consisting of a series of 415 'collaborative portraits', a diverse range of teenagers are showcased by in pictures and in their own words. The photographed teens represent every region of American and every socioeconomic group from Texas debutantes to New York City gangbangers. Offering visually reinforced insights into the diversity of individual personalities and attitudes, "It's Complicated" is an impressive and unique photographic journal, making it a very highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Photography reference collections.

Chicago: Impressions
Gerald D. Tang
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
9781560374749, $9.95 www.farcountrypress.com 1-800-821-3874

An impressive compilation of full color photographs taken by Gerald D. Tang, "Chicago: Impressions" is a visual tour-de-force of Chicago's landmarks, street scenes, buildings, and architectural details. Each individual photograph has a succinct caption identifying the image taken. A browser's delight, "Chicago: Impressions" also demonstrates an artist's eye through the medium of the camera lens. Perfect for the armchair traveler, "Chicago: Impressions" is the perfect visual souvenir and will prove to be of immense interest to anyone who has ever lived or visited the Windy City, a truly iconic metropolis of the American Midwest.

China Naked
Frank Rothe
Kehrer
c/o Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
3939583111, $40.00 1-800-242-7737

"China Naked" is a unique compendium of men and women of the Chinese mainland that Frank Rothe was somehow able to persuade to pose nude for his camera. These full length frontal nude shots are interspersed with scenes from China's urban streets and buildings. This book of color photography is enhanced at the end with brief but insightfully informative commentary by Frank Rothe on how he came to be in China and take these images, as well as commentaries by Celina Lunsford and Christoph Tannert on Rothe's images and work. The text is dual-lingual (English and German). "China Naked" is an unusual and strongly recommended photo album for personal, professional, and academic library Photography reference collections.


The Art Shelf

Earthscapture
Setsuo Ito
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, 74-2 Union Street, Manchester, VT 05254
National Book Network (distributor)
4270 Boston Way, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781555952815, $65.00 www.hudsonhills.com www.nbnbooks.com 1-800-462-6420

"Earthscapture: The Art Of Setsuo Ito" is a form of art created by the artist's fascination with the natural beauty of the American Southwest, his respect for the philosophy of Native Americans, and the influence of his own Japanese culture. The sculptures he has created incorporate materials that include sandstone, mortar, plastic resin, seashells, and stones -- all composed with an artist's eye for form and image. "Earthscapture" offers a compendium of 116 full color images of Ito's creations taken by photographer Lou Manna. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative essay by journalist Roger Yee and a foreword by Native American activist Russell Means, "Earthscapture" is the compilation of a unique artist's imaginative and memorable works of art making it a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community Art History reference collections.

In Another Light
Patricia Berman
The Vendome Press
1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (distributor)
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780865651814, $75.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

"In Another Light: Danish Painting In The Nineteenth Century" by Patricia Berman (Theodora L. and Stanley H. Feldberg Professor of Art, Wellesley College) is an impressively illustrated and informative history of Danish artists and their works reflecting and influencing the European art world and included the artistic movements known as Classicism, Romanticism, Impressionism, and Symbolism. A seminal and scholarly study of 19th century Danish art, "In Another Light" is beautifully illustrated with 288 full-color and flawless reproductions of paintings. Of special interest to students of European art, "In Another Light" is very highly recommended to for professional and academic library Art History reference collections, and would make a superb selection Memorial Fund selection choice for community libraries.

The Layout Book
Paul Harris & Gavin Ambrose
AVA Publishing
56a Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1BE, United Kingdom
9782940373536, $45.00 www.avabooks.ch

The collaborative work of freelance writer, journalist and editor Paul Harris and professional graphic designer Gavin Ambrose, "The Layout Book" is a profusely illustrated introduction to the basic principles of graphic design as they have been employed for in the worlds of fashion, the principles of architecture, the creation of art, and the organization of the illustrated printed page. With a wealth of images ranging from magazine covers, to maps, to packaging design, "The Layout Book covers everything from the use of white space, to the measurement of images, to the balancing of lines and geometrical spacing of individual elements into something that is so much greater than the mere assembled sum of its parts. The transformation of image and proportion into graphically designed works of art. "The Layout Book" is the perfect introduction for graphic art design students, and will prove to be of immense interest to non-specialist general readers with an interest in art and design as well. Also very highly recommended from AVA Publishing is Tony Gibbs' "Fundamentals of Sonic Art and Sound Design".


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knitting America
Susan M. Strawn
Voyageur Press
c/o MBI Publishing Company
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101
9780760326213, $35.00 www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454

"Knitting America: A Glorious heritage From Warm Socks To High Art" by Susan M. Strawn (Assistant Professor in the Apparel Design and Merchandising department of the Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois) presents an illustrated history of knitting in American from the pilgrims to the pioneers, from slaves to First Ladies, from the Amish and the Shakers to the Native Americas. Of special note are the chapters dedicated to 'the Knitting Doldrums of the 1920s', 'The Families that Knits Together', and 'Knitting Redefined'. Enhanced with extensive Endnotes, References, and a comprehensive Index, "Knitting America" is a unique and informationally impressive needlecraft history that will be of special interest to all dedicated needlecrafters, and should be a part of every community library American History reference collection.


The Calendar Shelf

Tide-Mark
PO Box 20, Windsor, CT 06095-0020
www.tidemarkpress.com 1-860-683-4499

Tide-Mark is a premier publisher of calendars. Every year they produce some of the finest calendars ever to grace the home or office. Their calendars for 2008 continue to demonstrate and document their expertise with an impressive variety of calendar subjects and themes. Among the beautifully executed wall calendars for 2008 are eight that deserve special mention. "Hearth & Home" (9781594902918, $13.95) features twelve paintings by Vermont artist Fred Swan who incorporates country homes, farms, and cottages into his rural landscapes. "Wizards" (9781594902673, $13.95) showcasing the paintings of twelve distinctive wizards by fantasy artist Don Maitz. "Pirates!" (9781594902659, $13.95) presents twelve pirate scenes by Don Maitz. "Shadowscapes" (9781594903083, $13.95) presents strikingly beautiful paintings by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law of fairies, angels, and other whimsically ethereal creatures. "For Giving Souls" (9781594902871, $13.95) offers twelve images thematically highlighting each of the twelve months of the year. "When Darkness Falls" (9781594903229, $13.95) presents twelve memorable and unique paintings of shadowed female images by Tony Mauro. "Sara Steele Originals" (9781594902994, $13.95) is a strikingly colorful, Chinese-like stylistic presentation of intimate flowers and richly toned landscapes by a renowned Philadelphia artist. For a complete roster of the extensive Tide-Mark collection of calendars for 2008, visit their website at www.tidemarkpress.com -- there is certain to be just the right one for you, a family member, or a friend.


The Human Sexuality Shelf

Rules of the Game
Neil Strauss
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780061540455, $25.95 www.harpercollins.com 1-800-242-7737

Rules of the Game is a two-book boxed set by author and playboy extraordinaire Neil Strauss. One paperback, "The Style Diaries", is a reminiscence of how Neil Strauss turned around his sex life and taught himself to be attractive to women; the other paperback, "The Stylelife Challenge", is a step-by-step instruction manual for men seeking to engineer a similar turnaround in their own life. The Style Diaries reads very much like a steamy letter column in a men's entertainment magazine (to put it politely)... but when not describing the author's raunchy sexual escapades, The Style Diaries cuts to the heart of the attractions between men and women. Especially of note is the author's hard-learned lesson that making the successful transition from sexual flings to a long-term relationship/marriage requires more than merely staying monogamous - a steady relationship needs at least as much energy and drive applied to its maintenance as the sexual career of a playboy does. Unlike The Style Diaries, The Stylelife Challenge isn't meant to be read cover to cover in one sitting - each of its thirty chapters contains an exercise or activity that the reader is meant to practice and internalize in order to gradually learn how to become more attractive to the opposite sex, with the goal of getting a date within a month (a date is defined as a planned second encounter with a woman, even if it's just arranging to get a cup of coffee together). Covering everything from improving one's grooming, to reading a woman's body language to tell whether she's interested or not, to learning how to send subtle verbal or nonverbal cues that she won't have to beat you off with a stick if she's not interested and much more, The Stylelife Challenge is enthusiastically recommended for any man preparing to enter the dating world, and especially for shy men, 40-year-old virgins, widowers, and the newly divorced. Women will also find The Rules of the Game fascinating and up-front honest; there are plenty of insights into human nature and other tidbits of wisdom that adults of both genders and all sexual orientations should know.


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Shonen Jump Volume 5, Issue 12, Number 60, December 2007
Viz Communications Inc.
295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
$4.99 www.viz.com www.shonenjump.com 1-800-394-3042

As always, the sixtieth issue of Viz's Shonen Jump magazine is brimming cover-to-cover with teen-friendly Japanese manga (comics) meant to especially appeal to boys and young men, though all fans of action-packed art are sure to enjoy its contents regardless of their age or gender. At a hefty 416 pages for a modest $4.99, Shonen Jump is a bargain for shonen manga lovers. Not only is the English translation flawless, but the manga is presented in its original "unflipped" right-to-left format - though this may take a moment for new manga readers to get used to, it allows the artwork to be shown as the creators originally intended rather than in "mirrored" form. Most of the serialized comic chapters are in black-and-white, but some pages are in color for extra impact. The manga chapters presented are Slam Dunk, a series about the passion of basketball (in color); Naruto, the saga of cursed boy determined to become the greatest ninja ever; Bleach, featuring a high school student with the power to see and fight evil spirits; Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo, about poetry battles of the most outlandish and crazy nature; One Piece, following the enthusiastic Monkey D. Luffy in his self-appointed mission to become King of the Pirates; Yu Yu Hakusho, about a "spirit detective" seeking to protect the innocent in both the human and supernatural realms; Hikaru no Go, about a young man with the aid of an ancient Go master's spirit striving to test his skills to their limit in the board game of Go; and Yu-Gi-Oh and Yu-Gi-Oh GX, two manga based on the wildly popular trading card game of the same name. Issue 60 features the resounding conclusion of the Yu-Gi-Oh saga - the climax of the final card duel between Yugi and his grim alter-ego, a Pharaoh who has lingered between life and death for three thousand years! A handful of articles, including reviews of holiday season video games, round out this hotly anticipated issue.


The Biography Shelf

Christopher Marlowe
Park Honan
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
9780199232697, $23.00 www.oup.com 1-800-451-7556

Park Honan (Emeritus Professor at the School of English, University of Leeds) presents Christopher Marlowe: Poet & Spy, an in-depth biography of the famous literary figure. Chapters cover Marlowe's childhood, his street fighting, his alleged atheism, a thorough examination of the circumstances that led to Marlowe's murder, and much more. A handful of black-and-white illustrations intersperse this involved, heavily researched and meticulously presented true-life story. Also highly recommended are Honan's previous biographies, most notably the acclaimed "Shakespeare, A Life".


The Psychology Shelf

Integral Psychology
Brant Cortright
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
9780791470725, $21.95 www.sunypress.edu 1-800-666-2211

Brant Cortright (Professor of Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies) presents Integral Psychology: Yoga, Growth, and Opening the Heart, a daring new approach to psychology and healing that seeks to learn from Eastern methods that focus on the inner being and the psyche's spiritual foundation, as well as the Western methods that focus on the outer being and the injuries of body, heart, mind, and self. Chapters apply classical East Indian yogas as a means to perceive psychotherapy: psychotherapy as behavior change or karma yoga, psychotherapy as mindfulness practice or jnana yoga, and psychotherapy as opening the heart or bhakti yoga. An approach that combines the best of both worlds for psychological and spiritual healing and self-improvement lies at the heart of Integral Psychology. Though Integral Psychology touches upon spirituality, the concepts presented are emphatically not meant to convert the reader to any specific religion, but rather to promote healing and wellness for patients of all faiths and cultural backgrounds. The result is a highly recommended supplementary text especially recommended for psychologists and psychotherapists.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Sunrise Tai Chi
Ramel Rones & David Silver
YMAA Publications
4354 Washington Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
9781594390838, $16.95 www.ymaa.com 1-800-669-8892

Written with the assistance of author David Silver, "Sunrise Tai Chi: Simplified Tai Chi For Health & Longevity" is the work of martial arts gold medalist Ramel Rones (who is also a Scientific Consultant for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, as well as the Tufts and Harvard Medical Schools). Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese system of exercises that has become popular throughout the United States. Rones provides an historical overview of Tai Chi Chuan, as well as its underlying principles. Specifically designed for use by beginners, "Sunrise Tai Chi" has much of value for even the more experienced practitioner in developing symmetry and balance between strength and flexibility; the loosening and strengthening of muscles, tendons, and ligaments; improving the circulation of blood and Qi energy; increasing bone density; massaging internal organs, boosting the immune system, taping into the energy of the universe, improving martial arts skills, and generally improving the quality of daily life. "Sunrise Tai Chi" is very highly recommended for students of the martial arts, for students of alternative medicine, and for non-specialist general readers with an interest in developing and maintaining their general health and overall physical fitness.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Natural History Of Ireland's Dragonflies
Robert Thompson & Brian Nelson
Blackstaff Press Ltd.
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9780900761454, $49.95 www.dufoureditions.com 1-800-869-5677

The collaborative work of Robert Thompson and Brian Nelson, "The Natural history Of Ireland's Dragonflies" is a 464-page compendium of descriptive information about one of the jewels of the insect world which for centuries has been celebrated in art, poetry and religion. The co-authors combine some twenty years of field study with the findings of an extensive four-year study carried out by the Dragonfly Ireland Project. Profusely illustrated with more than 300 full color macro-photography of fireflies, as well as various charts and maps, "The Natural History Of Ireland's Dragonflies" covers all aspects of dragonfly biology and ecology. There are informed and informative descriptions of resident and migrant species, detailed descriptions of major odonate habitats, a gallery section illustrating and describing over fifty sites, and more. Of special note are the chapters devoted to 'Fieldcraft', 'Conservation', and 'Photography'. Enhanced with an extensive and extended bibliography listing all currently known and relevant publications, "The Natural History Of Ireland's Dragonflies" is a very strongly recommended acquisition selection for academic library collections, and especially commended to the attention of non-specialist general readers with an interest in these impressive wetland insects.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar
Thinley Norbu
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
9781590303382, $24.95 www.shambhala.com 1-800-733-3000

Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism teacher and primary holder of the Dudjom Tersar lineage Thinley Norbu Rinpoche presents A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar, an amassment of wisdom written in direct and straightforward terms, without an excess of scholarly elaboration. Offering commentary on the Preliminary Practices (Ngondro) prayer from Tragtung Dudjom Lingpa and the Tsok Khang Dechen root text prayer of the second Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje, as well as insights into the fundamental concepts of Vajrayana Buddhism, A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar flows as fluidly as its title. "The essence of immeasurable phenomena is emptiness. How can what gods are be made into absolute truth? With attachment to materialism, one always creates materializations. No matter what the absolute truth of eternalism may be, according to Dzogchen's point of view, although histories exist of gods and deities over many generations, they are still momentary. That is why worshiping a god is not ultimate, whether the god is worshiped by everyone or not." Highly recommended for any scholar or practitioner of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.


The Computer Shelf

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual
Barbara Brundage
Pogue Press
c/o O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N., Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9780596514440, $39.99 www.oreilly.com 1-800-998-9938

Written by Barbara Brundage, who has been teaching people how to use Photoshop Elements since its creation in 2001, Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual lives up to its title by walking the reader through all he or she needs to know about Photoshop Elements 6 - a software that gives most of the image-manipulation functionality of full-fledged Photoshop at a much more reasonable price. Photoshop Elements 6 is ideal for scrapbookers, photographers, and beginning graphic artists; The Missing Manual covers everything from importing and saving photos to understanding the layers palette to drawing with brushes and other tools, creating projects, creating online galleries, and much more. Full-color screenshots and images throughout illustrate this "user-friendly" guide. A "must-have" for anyone who wants to get started with and explore the possibilities of Photoshop Elements 6.


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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
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