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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent
Simon Read
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
9780306823817 $26.99 www.perseusbooksgroup.com
Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent is the true-life story of
a lesser-known period in the life of British statesman Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Today
Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 (during
the harrowing years of World War II), and again from 1951-1955. But before Churchill was a
politician who made history, he was a journalist who reported history in the making. When
Churchill was in his 20s, he established a reputation as not only a talented war reporter, but also
as a strong-willed soldier. Extensively researched, rich in detail, and enhanced with notes, a
bibliography, and an index, Winston Churchill Reporting is worthy of the highest
recommendation for public and college library biography collections.
On the Origin of Superheroes
Chris Gavaler
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781609383817 $18.00 www.uiowapress.org
Chris Gavaler (assistant professor of English, Washington and Lee University) presents On the
Origin of Superheroes: From the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1, an extraordinary tour of the
pop culture mythology of superheroes - including their secret identities, disguises, iconic
symbols, origin stories, superhuman powers, and sense of nobility and duty. These key tropes
existed ages before Superman's comic book debut; they appear in mythology, folklore,
philosophy, even revolutionary manifestos throughout human history. A handful of
black-and-white illustrations, a bibliography, and an index enhance this enlightening analysis,
created to be thoroughly accessible to cultural studies scholars and superhero fans alike.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games
Robert Denton Bryant & Keith Giglio
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
9781615932290 $24.95 www.mwp.com
Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games is a practical, user-friendly guide to a specialized
type of writing - storytelling in the constantly evolving art form of video games. Unlike
traditional novel writers, video game writers must collaborate with a potential multitude of
programmers, designers, and artists, adapting their interactive story to suit the overall needs of
the game while delivering an immersive experience that "pulls in" the game player. Chapters
discuss "The No-Act-Fits-All Structure of Video Games", "Writing a Great Playable Character",
"Building Your World with the Narrative Design Toolbox", "We Can't All Be Batman: On
MMO's and Multiplayer", and much more. Thoroughly accessible to writers of all backgrounds,
Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games is an absolute "must-have" for any potential writer
in the game industry - from independent game creators to mobile game writers to those seeking
opportunities to contribute to triple-A, big-budget console and computer game titles. Highly
recommended!
Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book
Terrance Zepke
Safari Publishing
PO Box 4881, Greensboro, NC 27404
9780990765370, $9.95 pbk / $4.95 Kindle, 140pp, www.amazon.com
Terrance Zepke is an award-winning and best-selling author of twenty-eight fiction and
nonfiction books of. In "Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book" nicely distills with wit and
wisdom what he has learned for his own experience and expertise a series of invaluable 'tips,
tricks and techniques" about successfully selling what a self-published author has to offer in a
very highly volatile and competitive marketplace. Self-published authors and novice small press
publishers will learn twenty-five different ways to increase sales on Amazon.com; fifteen various
places for selling a book; utilizing fringe markets; the use of paid promotions, getting media
interviews; 'The Real Deal with Book Reviews'; author platforms; acquiring and exploiting free
publicity; and a great deal more. Simply stated, "Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book" (also
available in a Kindle edition for $4.99) should be a part of every author's personal instructional
reference collection -- even the authors being published by the big New York houses of the
publishing world! Full disclosure: there is a positive listing of the Midwest Book Review as a
recommended book review resource on page 29.
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, OH 45242
WritersDigest.com
Three titles from Writer's Digest Books are superb picks for both aspiring and professional
authors. Donald Maass' "The Breakout Novelist" (9781582979908, $24.99) is an all-inclusive
guide, spiral-bound for ease of reference while working. Maass, an experienced author and
literary agent, presents strategies that generations of authors have applied to craft sublime fiction,
from core elements (character-building, plot navigation, etc.) to advanced techniques involving
point of view, suspense, and the application of voice. Exercises for practicing these techniques
round out this excellent resource. Rebecca McClanahan's "Word Painting: The Fine Art of
Writing Descriptively, Revised Edition" (9781599638683, $18.99) is a specialized guide to
mastering the art of evocative writing, from improving one's personal powers of observation to
crafting standout metaphors to seamlessly incorporating vivid descriptions into stories, essays, or
poems. Enhanced with exercises, Word Painting is a superb self-teaching tool. Chuck
Sambuchino's "Get a Literary Agent" (9781599638010, $17.99) focuses on a practical aspect of
becoming a successful author - securing an effective literary representative, which is virtually
required if one desires the best possible deal with a traditional publisher (particularly in the case
of large, established publishing houses). From a step-by-step walkthrough of the submission
process and learning how to create polished query letters or book proposals, to forming a solid
partnership with one's agent and avoiding common pitfalls, "Get a Literary Agent" is invaluable.
All three guides are worthy of the highest recommendation.
The Humor Shelf
Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years
Charles M. Schulz
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9781449471828 $45.00 pbk www.andrewsmcmeel.com
Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years is a deluxe paperback compilation of specially chosen strips from
the long-running, universally beloved "Peanuts" newspaper comic created by Charles M. Schulz
(1922-2000). In addition to these selected highlights (with all the chosen Sunday strips
reproduced in full color), Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years intersperses occasional snippets of
appropriate comments by Schulz himself concerning his life's work, as well as a brief overview
of each decade noting major changes of the strip, such as its introduction of a black character,
Franklin, in 1968. Schulz's own words reflect, "...I had always thought that black people might
feel I was [adding a black character] in a patronizing or condescending manner. Then, I received
two letters from black fathers asking that Peanuts be integrated. That was the turning point." The
complete run of Peanuts is far too large to fit into even this gigantic volume (well over 500 pages
long!), but Celebrating Peanuts is a wonderful way to page through the evolution, the highlights,
and the most cherished memories of Schulz's creative legacy. Highly recommended, especially
for gift-giving and public library collections.
The Audiobook Shelf
Magic Shifts
Ilona Andrews
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781480640316, $29.99, www.amazon.com
After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate (the former Beast
Lord Curran Lennart) are adjusting to a very different pace. While they're thrilled to escape all
the infighting, Kate and Curran know that separating from the Pack completely is a process that
will take time. But when they learn that their friend Eduardo has gone missing, Kate and Curran
shift their focus to investigate his disappearance. Eduardo was a fellow member of the Mercenary
Guild, so Kate knows the best place to start looking is his most recent jobs. As Kate and Curran
dig further into the merc's business, they discover that the Guild has gone to hell and that
Eduardo's assignments are connected in the most sinister way. An ancient and powerful enemy
has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it before it takes their city apart
piece by piece. With exceptional production values, this complete and unabridged audio book
edition of "Magic Shifts" continues author Ilona Andrews thrilling action/adventure Kate Daniels
fantasy saga. Dramatically narrated by Renee Raudman, "Magic Shifts" is enthusiastically
recommended for all fantasy fans in general, and community library audio book collections in
particular. (11 CDs; 14 hours, 17 minutes).
And West is West
Ron Childress, author
Read by Graham Halstead
Highbridge Audio Books
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781622318797 $34.99 www.highbridgeaudio.com
And West is West is a frightening, politically charged novel about corrupt systems and ruthless
consequences. Jessica is an Air Force drone pilot in Nevada, ordered to launch a missile against a
suspected terrorist halfway across the world even though she realizes innocent women and
children will become casualties of the strike. Ethan is a Wall Street "quant", a number-cruncher
who devises an algorithm that exploits and worsens international financial instability for
short-term gain. Jessica and Ethan are both minor players, forced to shoulder the consequences
for cruel deeds they had little control over. Suspenseful and thought-provoking, And West is
West is a choice pick for public library audiobook collections. 9 CDs, 10.75 hours.
The Library CD Shelf
Fats Waller Revisited
Dick Wellstood and his "Friends of Fats"
With Jane Harvey on Vocals
Classic Jazz Recordings
50 Executive Blvd., Elmsford, NY 10523
www.innercityjazz.com
$16.95 www.cdbaby.com
Fats Waller Revisited is an album celebrating the music of African-American jazz pianist,
composer, singer, and comedic entertainer Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (1904-1943). Dick
Wellstood and his "Friends of Fats" along with vocalist Jane Harvey bring Waller's classic jazz to
life with full musical performances including piano, tenor sax, trumpets, guitar, clarinet, bass,
and drums. An ebullient, vivacious collection, Fats Waller Revisited is a treasure for jazz
connoisseurs and enthusiastically recommended for public library music CD collections. The
tracks are "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (4:17), "I've Got a Feeling I'm
Falling" (2:23), "Squeeze Me" (4:01), "S'Posin'" (3:10), "Two Sleepy People" (4:31), "Ain't
Misbehavin' (I'm Saving My Love For You)" (3:43), "Honeysuckle Rose" (4:23), "I Can't Give
You Anything But Love" (5:04), "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" (3:28).
Musique de Nuit
Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Six Degrees Records
PO Box 411347, San Francisco, CA 94141-1347
c/o Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
$9.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 www.amazon.com
French cellist Vincent Segal and Malian kora expert Bailake Sissoko present Musique de Nuit,
an exquisitely beautiful music CD recorded outside Bamako (the capital of Mali), with ambient
noises on the edge of hearing smoothly incorporated into the virtuoso performance. Evoking the
almost mystical experience of an impromptu, late-night jam session, Musique de Nuit inspires
the listener to muse, reflect, and explore. Highly recommended. The tracks are "Nia Ndou"
(6:34), "Passa Quatro" (4:52), "Balazando" (6:26), "N'ka Palema" (7:52), "Diabaro" (5:16),
"Super Etoile" (3:55), "Prelude" (1:12), "Samba Tomora" (3:51), and "Musique de Nuit"
(2:42).
Banda de los Muertos
bandadelosmuertos.com
Barbes Records
barbesrecords.com
c/o Press Junkie PR
$10.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Brooklyn-based Mexican brass band Banda de los Muertos presents their eponymous debut
album, celebrating Spanish language, Mexican culture, and the hard work of immigrants who toil
day in, day out for a fresh start on life. Powerful and exhilarating, Banda de los Muertos is a
"must-have" for brass aficionados! The tracks are "Cumbia de Jacobo" (4:53), "El Sinaloense / El
Jalisciense" (4:24), "La Puerta Negra" (2:18), "El Toro Viejo" (2:18), "Tragos Amargos" (3:28),
"Culiacan" (3:17), "Las Nubes" (3:41), "El Paso" (2:47), "Te Quiero Tanto" (4:54), "Ay
Mexicanita" (3:07), "Tu Recuerdo y Yo" (3:24), and "Arriba Mi Sinaloa" (2:47).
Love Will Find a Way
Mike Love
www.mikelovemusic.com
Privately Published
c/o Press Junkie PR
$16.00 download www.itunes.com
Love Will Find a Way is a reggae album by Mike Love that embraces the Rastafari philosophy of
"one love", and resonates with the concept that unconditional love is vital to human beings,
especially amid the threats posed by overpopulation, climate change, and the frightening rise of
corporate power. The extensive song lyrics (written in a booklet that accompanies the physical
album) speak a message of togetherness, harmony, and conservation. Love Will Find a Way is a
treasure for reggae connoisseurs, and highly recommended for both personal and public library
music collections. The tracks are "Time to Wake Up", "Good News", "Can't Take it With You
When You Go", "Let it Rain", "I Love You", "Gonna Make It", "No Regrets", "Step Lightly",
"Roll River Roll", "Advaya's Song", and "Love Will Find a Way".
Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio
Gerry Gibs, Ron Carter, and Kenny Barron
With guests Roy Hargrove and Cassandra Wilson
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Mixed Media (publicity)
$12.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com
Recorded live in studio, Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio is an album of pop covers from the
50s and 60s, enlivened with a jazz twist and artfully performed by Grammy-nominated group
The Thrasher Dream Trio. Evoking fly-high fantasy, fond memories, and fancy flourishes, Gerry
Gibs Thrasher Dream Trio reaches out to listeners of all ages and backgrounds. The tracks are
"Wives and Lovers" (6:09), "The Summer Knows" (6:01), "The Look of Love" (4:35),
"Spartacus Love Theme" (3:38), "On A Clear Day" (6:45), "The Surrey With The Fringe On
Top" (3:54), "Alfie" (6:28), "Watch What Happens (instrumental)" (5:23), "Theme From A Man
And A Woman" (3:34), "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" (3:24), "What Are You Doing The Rest
Of Your Life?" (5:46), "More (from Mondo Cane)" (4:21), "Watch What Happens (vocal)"
(4:06), "Music To Watch The Girls Go By" (4:15), "Girl Talk" (4:44), and "Charade" (4:28).
Also highly recommended is the Dave Liebman Group's jazz album, "The Puzzle" ($17.77 CD /
$8.99 MP3).
The Library DVD Shelf
The Story of Women and Power
Written and presented by Amanda Vickery
Athena Learning
c/o Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621724421 $34.99 www.acornonline.com
The Story of Women and Power is a documentary about women's fight for equality in Britain,
from the mid-1600's onward. Brave individual women profiled include Mary Wollstonecraft,
dubbed "the mother of feminism"; Hannah More, who quested for ways that women could enter
public life; suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst; and more. Viewers witness a livestock
market where men once sold their wives at auction; learn of an early march for women's rights in
1649; and discover a notorious incident in 1738 when the Duchess of Queensberry crashed the
House of Lords. Modern-day woman's activists advocate that the fight for full equality is not yet
completed, in this fascinating and enlightening chronicle enthusiastically recommended for
public library DVD collections. 3 episodes on one DVD, 182 min., widescreen, SDH
subtitles.
The Science Shelf
Decoding the Language of Genetics
David Botstein
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard
Woodbury NY 11797-2924
9781621820925 $79.00 www.cshlpress.com
Geneticist and teacher David Botstein presents Decoding the Language of Genetics, a resource
written especially for scientists and physicians taken aback by the technical terminology
omnipresent in the science of genes. Chapters explain how traits and diseases are inherited, how
genes are organized into the genome, and how cells function according to their genetic code. The
text is meant to be accessible to scholars of other disciplines, so a basic familiarity with the
fundamentals of life science is presumed. "Most mutations, especially those that result in a
simple recessive (loss-of-function) phenotype, consist of simple changes in DNA sequence, most
commonly single base-pair substitutions. Generally, the consequences of such mutations are
deleterious, especially when they occur in sequences that encode proteins." Decoding the
Language of Genetics is an invaluable study aid and research tool for students and professionals
alike, and highly recommended for public and college library collections.
The International Studies Shelf
Japan's Postwar Military and Civil Society
Tomoyuki Sasaki
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781472525550 $112.00 www.bloomsbury.com
After Japan's defeat in World War II, its "peace constitution" renounced war as a sovereign right
and outlawed the nation from having war potential. However, Japan maintained a world-class
military organization dubbed the Self-Defense Forces (SDF). Japan's Postwar Military and Civil
Society is an in-depth scrutiny of the relationship between civilian Japanese society and the SDF,
from the 1950's to the present day. Chapters discuss SDF recruitment, its work in civil
engineering and disaster relief, anti-SDF litigation, state financial support for communities with
SDF bases, and much more. A thoughtful, scholarly account, heavily researched with extensive
notes and an index, Japan's Postwar Military and Civil Society is a welcome addition to
international studies shelved and college library collections.
The Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Cervantes's Eight Interludes
Edited and translated by Charles Patterson
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10010
9781495013034 $16.99 www.halleonard.com
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) is the legendary Spanish author of the classic novel "Don
Quixote", but he was also an accomplished playwright. Cervantes's Eight Interludes is an
anthology of eight of Cervantes' brief, comedic plays originally published in 1615. ("Interludes"
were originally meant to be performed in between acts of longer plays, but each stands out well
on its own). The plays are rife with raucous characters from the more questionable layers of
Renaissance Spanish society, including pimps, prostitutes, con artists, hicks, adulterous wives,
incensed husbands, and more. Superbly translated into modern English, Cervantes' Eight
Interludes is eyebrow-raising, raucous, and thoroughly accessible to contemporary readers.
The Civil War Shelf
"To Prepare for Sherman's Coming"
Wade Sokolosky and Mark A. Smith
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
9781611212662 $27.95 www.savasbeatie.com
"To Prepare for Sherman's Coming": The Battle of Wise's Forks, March 1865 scrutinizes a battle
late in the American Civil War. At the time of the Battle of Wise's Forks, the Confederacy was
running out of food and resources, and its morale was draining away. Confederate General
Braxton Bragg clashed with Major General Jacob D. Cox, in a bold plan devised by Confederate
General Joseph E. Johnston to buy precious time. Bragg successfully halted Cox at Wise's Forks
for four days, giving Johnston the opportunity he needed to prepare for the much larger Battle of
Bentonville. Occasional black-and-white photographs and maps illustrate this meticulous
accounting of a battle of key strategic importance, that may well have significantly prolonged the
war. Enhanced with a bibliography and an index, "To Prepare for Sherman's Coming" is a
welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and public library Civil War and military
history shelves.
The American History Shelf
Lion in the Bay
Stanley L. Quick with Chipp Reid
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612512365 $32.95 www.nip.org
Lion in the Bay: The British Invasion of the Chesapeake, 1813-14 is a heavily researched, close
analysis of the Chesapeake Bay conflict during the War of 1812. During the war, the British
adopted a strategy fo raiding the Chesapeake area in order to turn local residents against the
Madison administration and divert regular soldiers from the Canadian campaign, but was this
plan ultimately successful? The American response to the Chesapeake incursion was
unfortunately plagued with incompetence; how could it have been improved, or provided a better
defense? Thorough notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this thoughtful and
thought-provoking examination of American military history, and its lessons to be learned for the
future.
The World History Shelf
The Italian Baroque Table
Tomasso Astarita
ACMRS Publications
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
http://acmrs.org/publications
9780866985109, $59.95, 308pp, www.amazon.com
Impressively informed and informative, "The Italian Baroque Table: Cooking and Entertaining
from the Golden Age of Naples " is a unique and very welcome contribution to the popular
Italian culinary and cultural traditions during the 1600s. Deftly organized by academician and
historian Tomasso Astarita into two major sections (The Fat of the Land: Cooking Without
Limits; Lean Cuisine: Cooking for Lent), "The Italian Baroque Table" is enhanced with the
inclusion of an informative introduction (Antonio Latini and Italian Cooking); numerous
illustrations, a ten page listing of Works Cited; an eight page Index of Ingredients; and an
eighteen page Index of Names and Places, "The Italian Baroque Table" is a masterpiece of
original and seminal scholarship that is enthusiastically recommended for community and
academic library 17th Italian History reference collections and supplemental studies reading
lists.
The Biography Shelf
Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism
John Norris
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780525429715 $28.95 www.penguin.com
Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism is the biography of Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Mary McGrory (1918-2004), well-known for her syndicated column and her fearless
criticism of those in power. From her first assignment covering the Army-McCarthy hearings, to
her columns mourning President Kennedy's death and her controversy-stirring criticism of
President Bush in the wake of the September 11th attacks, Mary McGrory: The First Queen of
Journalism covers the storied career of a woman who defied glass ceilings. Bobby Kennedy
consulted with her; Lyndon Johnson tried to seduce her; and Nixon put her on his infamous
"enemies list". Yet her personal life sometimes bore a high price for her tireless work. Enhanced
with notes, a bibliography, and an index, Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism is highly
recommended for public and college library biography collections.
The Missing Kennedy
Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff
Bancroft Press
PO Box 65360, Baltimore, MD 21209
9781610881746 $27.50 www.bancroftpress.com
Penned by the niece Sister Paulus, of Rosemary Kennedy's primary caregiver for thirty-five years,
The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women is a remarkable
biography about a little-known member of the celebrated and politically powerful Kennedy
family. Rosemary (Rosie) Kennedy (1918-2005) was the first daughter of a wealthy Bostonian
couple, and older sister to President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator
Ted Kennedy. Rosie had intellectual disabilities, and was a slow learner prone to emotional
outbursts. She underwent one of America's first lobotomies; her father Joseph Kennedy was
assured that the operation would normalize Rosie's life, but instead it dramatically worsened her
condition. She was isolated from her family in a Catholic-run home for the mentally ill in rural
Wisconsin; doctors had warned that any family visits would be disruptive to Rosie. Yet after
Joseph Kennedy's stroke in 1961, the Kennedy family resumed face to face contact with Rosie.
The Missing Kennedy is a testimonial grounded in the private notes of Sister Paulus and author
Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff's personal visits to Rosie. Nearly one hundred never-before-seen
black-and-white photographs round out this unforgettable true-life story.
Forks in the Trail
Jack Ward Thomas
Boone and Crockett Club Collection
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
www.booneandcrockettclub.com
9781940860145 $24.95 www.amazon.com
Forks in the Trail: A Conservationist's Trek to the Pinnacles of Natural Resource Leadership is
an extraordinary memoir by hunter, horseback rider, and field biologist Jack Ward Thomas, who
served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1993-96. He presents a vivid account of the life
experiences in the natural world that motivated him, as well as his harrowing years on the top
environmental job. His tenure included a fracas over the habitat of endangered spotted owls, and
the tragic deaths of 14 wildland firefighters in 1994. Profound, poignant, and unforgettable,
Forks in the Trail is a testimony of not only conservation, but also love and respect for nature
itself. Also highly recommended is Thomas' "Wilderness Journals: Wandering the High
Lonesome" (9781940860169, $24.95), a journal-style memoir that focuses on Thomas'
adventures amid the panoramic American West, and Thomas' "Hunting Around the World: Fair
Chase Pursuits from Backcountry Wilderness to the Scottish Highlands" (9781940860183,
$24.95), a candid testimony of responsible hunting and ardent conservationism.
The Education Shelf
Teaching Undergraduate Science
Linda C. Hodges
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive
Sterling, VA 20166-2012
9781620361764 $29.95 www.styluspub.com
Linda C. Hodges (Director of the Faculty Development Center, University of Maryland,
Baltimore County) presents Teaching Undergraduate Science: A Guide to Overcoming Obstacles
to Student Learning, a straightforward resource created especially for science and engineering
faculty stymied by disengaged and dispirited undergraduate students. Hodges offers new methods
to better understand the daily struggles that students undergo, and evidence-based teaching
strategies. Chapters discuss ways to motivate and help students learn on their own, as well as
learn from problem solving, laboratory work, and research; teaching students to write like
professional scientists; making choices in what to teach and how to teach it; and much more. For
example, a common roadblock for teachers who assign science problems in homework or testing
is that their students will "plug and chug", plugging in the first equation that seems appropriate,
without thinking about or learning from the problem. "Problem solving does not automatically
help students learn content... Teaching problem solving as a process through a combination of
modeling behavior, homework strategies, and class activities can indeed deepen students'
conceptual understanding and promote their critical thinking abilities." Highly
recommended.
Specific Learning Difficulties
Diana Hudson, author
Jon English, illustrator
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849055901 $19.95 www.jkp.com
Specific Learning Difficulties: What Teachers Need to Know is a guide for educators with
specific chapters focusing on individual learning disabilities: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia,
dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and
Asperger syndrome, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Additional chapters offer more
information on how to help learning disabled students with organizational skills, as well as
exams and revision. Tips, tricks, techniques, and practical suggestions make Specific Learning
Difficulties invaluable for every teacher, tutor, coach, or educator who works with learning
disabled students. "How can I spot a student with dysgraphia? The student is probably bright and
eloquent but consistently hands in work that looks untidy and is well below the quality that you
would expect. If you watch them write, you may notice that the process can be laborious and
their posture and pen grip look awkward. They are slow to copy from the board or from a book
and they may complain of an aching hand."
The Political Science Shelf
Anything for a Vote, revised and updated edition
Joseph Cummins
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
9781594748325 $19.95 www.quirkbooks.com
Now in a revised and updated edition with chapters on the 2008 and 2012 elections, Anything for
a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns lives
up to its title as a chronicle of political mudslinging (and much, much worse!). Every American
presidential campaign is contemplated, all the way back to the time of founding President George
Washington (who had to oversee a divisive political quarrel between Alexander Hamilton's
Federalists and Thomas Jefferson's Republicans). Chronicling incidents of foul language, sordid
behavior, outright slander or libel, and even electoral fraud, Anything for a Vote reminds the
reader that "dirty politics" in America is nothing new - not that it deserves to be quietly tolerated!
Anything for a Vot is highly recommended, especially for public library political science
collections. "Among other things, according to Conyers, Republicans engaged in a deceptive
direct-mail practice called 'caging' to trim Democratic voters off the rolls. In the summer of 2004
the GOP, using ZIP codes, sent registered letters to 200,000 newly registered voters in urban
areas more likely to vote for Kerry. Thirty-five thousand people who had refused to sign the
letters or whose mail came back marked "undeliverable" were knocked off the voter rolls just
two weeks before the election."
The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK
Sean J. Savage
Excelsior Editions
c/o State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438457031, $34.95, 362pp, www.amazon.com
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963), commonly referred to by
his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United
States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. The Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty, the establishment of the Peace Corps, developments in the Space Race, the building of
the Berlin Wall, the Civil Rights Movement, and increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
all took place during his presidency. But before he became president of the United States, he was
a young senator from Massachusetts. "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" by
Sean J. Savage (a political analyst for the news media, and a Professor of Political Science at
Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana) is a 362 page compendium organized into ten
informative chapters (JFK and Massachusetts Politics; JFK and New England Economics; JFK
and the St. Lawrence Seaway; JFK and the Politics of 1956; JFK and the 1958 Elections; JRK
and the Politics of 1959; From New England to the Nation: 1960) that follows the political
evolution and progress of Kennedy that was to one day see him in the most powerful political
office the nation has to offer. Enhanced with the inclusion of a Photo Gallery; a list of
abbreviations; an informative Preface and Epilogue; a thirty-three page Photo Gallery; fifty-six
pages of Notes; a sixteen page Selected Bibliography; a four page list of Photographic Credits;
and a thirty-seven page Index, "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" is an
impressive and seminal work of scholarship. Very highly recommended for community and
academic library 20th Century American Political Science reference collections in general, and
JFK supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists
that "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" is also available in a Kindle edition
($24.07).
The Military Shelf
Storming the City
Alec Wahlman
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
9781574416190 $29.95 www.unt.edu/untpress
Storming the City: U.S. Military Performance in Urban Warfare from World War II to Vietnam
examines the nightmare problem of urban warfare, and how the American military confronted it
in four specific mid-twentieth century battles: Aachen 1944, Manila 1945, Seoul 1950, and Hue
1968. American forces were ultimately successful in each battle due to two key factors:
transferable competence and battlefield adaptation. Yet overall tactical performance declined in
each of these battles. What lessons can be learned from these episodes of military history, and
how can they aid American military forces in a future where the landscape of the world, and
therefore also warfare, is increasingly urbanized? Enhanced with extensive notes, a bibliography,
and an index, Storming the City is erudite, analytical, and carries within the potential to save
soldiers' lives.
The Archaeology Shelf
The Neanderthals Rediscovered, revised edition
Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
9780500292044 $16.95 www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
Now in a revised and updated edition, The Neanderthals Rediscovered: How Modern Science is
Rewriting Their Story examines what archaeological research, including advances in DNA
technology, has revealed about the Neanderthal - a species very similar to homo sapiens, that
appears to have evolved in Europe parallel to homo sapiens in Africa. The latest evidence reveals
that Neanderthals were more like us that one might guess; they buried their dead, cared for the
sick, hunted large animals, used red pigment, and had a spoken language. Both species journeyed
into Asian territory, but the Neanderthals became extinct in prehistory. Was their extermination
due to maladaption, inbreeding, or violent conflict with homo sapiens? Does the presence of a
small amount of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans imply that interbreeding took place, and if
so, then during what prehistoric period did this happen? Black-and-white and a handful of color
photographs illustrate this fascinating survey, thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds
and highly recommended especially for public library archaeology collections.
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
Career Success in Health Care, third edition
Bruce J. Colbert & Elizabeth D. Katrancha
Delmar Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
www.cengagebrain.com
9781285866888, $92.95, 302pp, www.amazon.com
Developing interpersonal skills and establishing a "brand" as a professional early in a medical
student's academic career will directly affect their future success. With its unique "worktext"
format, this newly revised third edition of "Career Success in Health Care: Professionalism in
Action" will help to sharpen interpersonal skills to showcase the reader as a top-performing
student as well as a top-quality job candidate. Drawing from their many years of teaching,
clinical experience, and conducting workshops concerning the behavioral domain, Bruce J.
Colbert (Associate Professor and Director of the Allied Health Care Department at the University
of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) and Elizabeth D. Katrancha (Assistant Professor of Nursing at the
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) have created a work-text packed from cover to cover with
real-life examples, clear direction, and step-by-step assistance in assessing the reader's current
state of professionalism and creating effective action plans for improvement. Equipping the
reader with both academic and life skills, "Career Success in Health Care" will enable the reader
to reach his or her full potential. Very highly recommended for community, medical school, and
academic library Jobs/Careers reference collections in general, and Health Care career
supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Career
Success in Health Care" is also available in a Kindle edition ($37.50 Rental, $73.49
Purchase).
The Cookbook Shelf
Make It Easy
Jane Lovett
New Holland Australia
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781847739230, $24.99, www.amazon.com
"Make It Easy" is a beautifully illustrated and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly" 192 page
compendium of simple, nutritious, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying dishes that can be
prepared in advance, that making cooking for friends and family a stress-free and fun experience.
Ranging from simple starters to quick suppers to more elaborate meals, all the dishes are
contemporary, seasonal and fresh and aim to keep ingredients to a minimum. Ranging from
Twice-Baked Roquefort Souffles; Salmon En Croute with Lime and Coriander Sauce;
Mediterranean Rack of Lamb Platter; and Vietnamese Herby Chicken with Nutty Green Rice
Salad; to Raised Pork Pie; Roast Butternut Squash with Blue cheese, Parma Ham and Walnuts;
and Ginger Creams with Pistachio Brittle, "Make It Easy" is an impressive collection of recipes
deftly organized by category: Simple soups and starters; Meat, poultry and seafood; Weekend
lunches; Desserts; Quick salads, nibblies and drinks. Also available in a paperback edition
(9781504800549, $19.99), "Make It Easy" is highly recommended for personal, family, and
community library cookbook collections.
Seasons To Taste
Jonathan Bardzik
Story Farm
www.jonathanbardzik.com
9780990520597, $40.00, www.amazon.com
"Seasons To Taste: Farm-Fresh Joy For Kitchen & Table" by professional storyteller, cook, and
author Jonathan Bardzik is a gorgeously illustrated, 320 page culinary compendium of delicious,
nutritious, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes arranged and presented by the seasons of
Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from a
Wild Rice cider Pilaf; Apricot Chile Glazed carrots; Wild Mushroom & Gruyere Frittata; Sirloin,
Asparagus & Portabella with Bearnaise; and Honey & Chive Glazed Pork; to Cantaloupe Soup
with Cherry Red Wine Syrup; Sauteed Chard with Mexican Chorizo; Curried Zucchini Red
Pepper Soup; Turnip Potato Latkes; Gram's Red Cabbage with Beer Braised Brats; and Pumpkin
Lamb Sausage Pizza. Of special note are the succinct commentaries that accompany each recipe.
A pure pleasure to browse through and exceptionally practical to plan menus with, "Seasons To
Taste: Farm-Fresh Joy For Kitchen & Table" is very highly recommended for personal, family,
professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos
Elizabeth Kurtz
Feldheim Publishers
208 Airport Executive Park, Nanuet, NY 10954
http://www.feldheim.com
9780692450277, $34.99, www.amazon.com
Shabbat, also known as Shabbos, is Judaism's day of rest and seventh day of the week, on which
religious Jews remember the Biblical creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and the
Exodus of the Hebrews, and look forward to a future Messianic Age. An integral part of Shabbos
is the family meal. "Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos" by Elizabeth Kurtz is a beautifully
illustrated, 352 page culinary compendium showcasing 'kitchen cook friendly' kosher dishes
appropriate for the weekly Shabbos observance and celebration. The recipes range from
Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Fig-Shallot Marmalade; Velvety Corn Soup; Roasted Chicken with
Shiitake Mushrooms and Artichokes; and Root Bear Braised Beef Ribs; to Acorn Squash Stuffed
with Jeweled Israeli Couscous; Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie; Pearl Barley Salad with Roasted
peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Olives; and Red Velvet and Cream Cheese Brownies. A pure
pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "Celebrate: Food, Family,
Shabbos" is very highly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library
cookbook collections.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Pharmacology For Women's Health, second edition
Mary C. Brucker & Tekoa L. King
Jones & Bartlett Learning
5 Wall Street, Burlington, MA 01803
9781284057485, $99.95, www.jblearning.com
Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Pharmacology for Women's Health" is
collaborative compiled and co-edited by Mary C. Brucker (Assistant Professor, Adjunct
Nurse-Midwifery/WHNP Program, Georgetown University, Washington, DC) and Tekoa L.
King (Health Sciences Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of California - San
Francisco). Offering a unique 1212 page text that discusses pharmacology as it specifically
relates to women's health issues, the "Pharmacology For Women's Health" provides cutting edge
information that reflects the changing field of pharmacology. "Pharmacology For Women's
Health" includes new pharmacological agents for common conditions, changes in indications, the
use of vaccines, updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
for treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and the effects of the Affordable Care Act.
"Pharmacology For Women's Health" also includes new resource boxes in each chapter for easy
access to more information. Informed and informative, "Pharmacology For Women's Health" is
impressively well organized and presented, making it an ideal textbook for Medical Studies and
Nurse Practitioner academic curriculums, as well as Women's Health Issues supplemental studies
reading lists. No medical school or university library Health/Medicine reference collections can
be considered complete or up to date without the inclusion of "Pharmacology For Women's
Health".
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Daniel Port Omnibus 2
Peter Rabe
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781933586663, $23.95, 338pp, www.amazon.com
Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, (1921 - 1990), was a German American writer who also
wrote under the names Marco Malaponte and J. T. MacCargo (though not all of the latter's books
were by him). Rabe was the author of over 30 books, mostly of crime fiction, published between
1955 and 1975. The newest addition to the outstanding 'Stark House Noir Classics' series,
"Daniel Port Omnibus 2" is comprised of three of Rabe's best crime fiction stories: The Cut of
the Whip; Bring Me Another Corpse; Time Enough to Die. Enhanced with an informative
introduction by Rick Ollerman (The End of Daniel Port), "Daniel Port Omnibus 2" will be of
immense interest to crime noir novel enthusiasts and will prove to be an enduringly popular
addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
The Language Studies Shelf
Hmong Picture Dictionary
Mao Amy Yang-Lee
Master Communications
2692 Madison Road, Suite N1-307, Cincinnati, OH 45208
www.master-comm.com
9781604801590, $19.95, 72pp, www.amazon.com
Hmong Picture Dictionary was specially created for home and educational setting among Hmong
families and at schools. Whether a self learner or as part of a school classroom curriculum, the
"Hmong Picture Dictionary" will be valuable resource for inter-generational communication and
relation development among the Hmong in English speaking countries. The dictionary features:
Brief History of the Hmong; Tone Markers; Consonants; Vowels; Tone combination; The Body
and helpful phrases; Clothing; Numbers and helpful phrases; Colors and helpful phrases;
Motions/Emotions with simple sentences; Fruits and helpful phrases; Vegetables; School;
Animals; At Home; Location; Nature; Types of Weather; Seasons and helpful phrases; The
Market; Family / Relations; Opposites; Traveling Phrases; Verb List; Hmong Names; and a
Complete Index. Thoroughly 'user friendly' throughout, the "Hmong Picture Dictionary" is very
highly recommended.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease
Douglas W. Esson
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com
9781118840771, $129.99, www.amazon.com
The "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" by Douglas W. Esson (a
board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and clinical director at Eye Care for Animals in
Tustin, California), provides an image-rich resource for diagnosing and treating ophthalmic
conditions in clinical practice. This 344 page compendium deftly presents more than 600
high-quality color photographs depicting commonly encountered ocular conditions in dogs and
cats Included are multiple images for each disease to show varying presentations Organized for
easy reference, covering the most commonly encountered conditions first, "Clinical Atlas of
Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" specifically designed for daily use in a busy clinical
setting, thereby allowing practitioners to quickly find and compare images as they see their cases.
Of special note is that the "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" provides a
concise summary of the most clinically relevant information on diagnosing and managing
ophthalmic disease. The "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" should be
considered an essential, core addition to professional, veterinary clinic, and academic library
Veterinary Medicine reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.
The Gardening Shelf
The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers, second edition
Lizz Shepherd
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781620230145, $14.99, 288pp, www.amazon.com
Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply" by container gardening expert Lizz Shepherd is a 288 page compendium of practical 'do-it-yourself' information presented in eleven thematic chapters: Why Garden in Containers?; What Should I Grow?; Choosing and Preparing Containers for Growing; Tools; Soil and Amendments; Start with Seeds or Start with Plants?; Growing Herbs in Containers; Growing Vegetables in Containers; Growing Fruits in Containers; Growing Flowers in Containers; Maintaining Your Plants. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction; an encouraging Conclusion; an appendix (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; a four page Bibliography; a two page Author Biography; and a three page Index, "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers" is complete course of instruction and particularly recommended to the attention of the non-specialist general reader with an interest in container-based gardening. This new edition of "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Gardening instructional reference collections.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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