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Library Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 11 November 2021 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Social Issues Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
World History Shelf Biography Shelf Judicial Studies Shelf
Romantic Fiction Shelf Western Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Library CD Shelf Art Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Architecture Shelf Cookbook Shelf Mythology Shelf
Aviation Shelf Parenting Shelf Business Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice


Just Not That Likable
Christine Finnegan
Post Hill Press
https://posthillpress.com
9781642939804 $28.00 hc / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Not-That-Likable-Gender/dp/1642939803

Synopsis: Gloria Romero - former California Senate Majority Leader and Professor Emeritus of Psychology - shatters the glass ceiling in a sweeping takedown of gender bias at the workplace and the price women and society pay for the virulent, double standard of "the likability factor" that persists in the workplace. She exposes the link between success and likability that 21st-century women leaders face in politics and the workplace.

In a book both accessible and enlightening, Senator Romero stands as a woman unafraid to break down barriers for women. As the first female Majority Leader of the upper house in California's State Legislature, she authored major reform laws in public education, criminal justice, governmental ethics, and transparency.

Just Not That Likable is the story of a trailblazer who understood that while the 20th-century sexism of unequal pay for equal work had been outlawed and anti-discrimination laws had become common, there was still a hidden likability penalty and the so-called "double bind" applied to successful women. The book features the most comprehensive review to date of what is known about the "double bind" faced by women executives and leaders: they are expected to exhibit strength and lead, but are penalized as being "abrasive" or exhibiting characteristics stereotyped as being masculine. Drawing on her own life as well, Senator Romero's journey leads her to the realization that when women smash through the persisting ceiling - still with us in the 21st century - the shards cut. Too deep and too often, these practices and behaviors shut down opportunity for our daughters, sisters, and each other. Just Not That Likable recognizes that our workplaces must promote practices, policies, and cultures which confront and disassemble this double bind for women.

Critique: Former California Senate Majority Leader and Professor Emeritus of Psychology Gloria Romero presents Just Not That Likable: The Price All Women Pay for Gender Bias, a candid examination of the double bind that constrains working women today. A woman has to exhibit self-confidence, strength, and leadership to advance in her career, yet these traits are seen as "masculine" and potentially make a woman less "likable", and therefore less able to network or form mutually beneficial business relationships. This double standard harms all women in the workplace, keeping them in lower-paid positions where they aren't as frequently required to assert themselves - indeed, the ability to assert oneself may run counter to a woman's unconscious social conditioning. Just Not That Likable is thought-provoking and salient examination of a persistent problem, and promotes practices, policies, and cultures to address discrimination and make the workplace better for both men and women. Highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Just Not That Likable is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Social Issues Shelf

Handbook of Migration and Global Justice
Leanne Weber and Claudia Tasreiter, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
www.e-elgar.com
9781789905656 $240.00

https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Migration-Global-Justice-Handbooks/dp/1789905656

Synopsis: This timely Handbook brings together leading international scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and geopolitical perspectives to interrogate the intersections between migration and global justice. It explores how cross-border mobility and migration have been affected by rapid economic, cultural and technological globalization, addressing the pressing questions of global justice that arise as governments respond to unprecedented levels of global migration.

Chapters analyze the key issues arising from tensions between international and national priorities, duties and laws, as well as visions for human coexistence and harmony. Featuring chapters written by researchers, political activists and contributors with lived experience of migration injustice, the Handbook explores central topics including failures in refugee protection, worker exploitation and violence against migrants. Looking ahead, it also discusses possible pathways to achieve global justice in and through migration, in terms of geopolitics, subjective experience, human rights and redistributive justice, global solidarity and political activism.

Combining empirical case studies with cutting-edge theory, this Handbook will be an invaluable resource for scholars and students of migration, human rights and public policy. The application of the global justice concept to issues of migration and border control will also be useful for policy makers, practitioners and NGOs in these areas.

Critique: Handbook of Migration and Global Justice is an anthology of scholarly, extensively researched essays by a variety of independent scholars discussing economic and humanitarian crises connected to global migration. Individual writings include "Temporary labour and worker exploitation: Southeast Asian migration to Malaysia", "Contested global social justice: social services for migrants without international protection", "Refugees, Europe, death", "Immigration workplace raids and the politics of cruelty: the case of Postville, Iowa", "Racialized citizenship: challenging the Australian imaginary", and "Global justice and the governance of transnational migration". Handbook of Migration and Global Justice is an invaluable addition to college and university library Social Issues collections, worthy of the highest recommendation.

Pretreatment In Action
Jay S. Levy
Loving Healing Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
www.lovinghealing.com
9781615995950, $39.95, HC, 162pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pretreatment-Action-Interactive-Homelessness-Stabilization/dp/1615995951

Synopsis: Jay Levy's "Pretreatment In Action: Interactive Exploration from Homelessness to Housing Stabilization" by Jay S. Levy, MSW (and who has spent more than thirty years working with individuals who experience homelessness) provides the reader with a wonderfully crafted, detailed step-by-step manual with real-world scenarios on how Pretreatment and the Stages of Engagement play out in the actual work in dealing with a social issue here in the United Sates that is growing worse in every major American city. The vignettes are rich with descriptions that clearly come from a deep repertoire of experience working in the field that gives the reader confidence they are being guided by someone who has been in their shoes. The thoughtful questions and space to reflect add a helpful workbook touch to the feel of the text, and matches the grittiness of the material being covered.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Pretreatment In Action: Interactive Exploration from Homelessness to Housing Stabilization" must be considered essential reading for every citizen and governmental official concerned with and/or dealing with the growing problem of homelessness in America. While highly recommended as a core addition to community, college, university, and governmental Contemporary Social Issues collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of community activists, social workers, governmental policy makers, students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Pretreatment In Action: Interactive Exploration from Homelessness to Housing Stabilization" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781615995943, $27.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Hidden History of American Healthcare
Thom Hartmann
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
https://www.bkconnection.com
9781523091638, $17.00 pbk / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-History-American-Healthcare-Bankrupts/dp/1523091630

Synopsis: Other countries have shown us that affordable universal healthcare is not only possible but effective and efficient. Taiwan's single-payer system enabled the country to implement a nationwide coronavirus test-and-contact-trace program without shutting down the economy saving the country a fortune as well as thousands of lives during the pandemic. This resulted in just twelve deaths, while more than 500,000 have died in the United States.

Author Thom Hartmann offers a deep dive into the shameful history of American healthcare, showing how greed, racism, and oligarchic corruption led to the current "sickness for profit" system. Modern attempts to create versions of government healthcare have been hobbled at every turn, including Obamacare. There is a simple solution: Medicare for All. Hartmann outlines the extraordinary benefits this system would provide the American people and economy and the steps we need to take to make it a reality. It's time for America to join every industrialized country in the world and make healthcare a right, not a privilege. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Hidden History of American Healthcare is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Critique: The Hidden History of American Healthcare: Why Sickness Bankrupts You and Makes Others Insanely Rich is a fierce indictment of America's for-profit healthcare system, which has evolved to extract as much money as it can out of sick people and let them die if they can't pay. Modern attempts to transform healthcare into a human right have been repeatedly hamstrung. Author and progressive radio talk show host Thom Hartmann advocates Medicare for All as the solution to save lives, relieve financial pressure from America's poorest and most vulnerable population, and eliminate the enormous siphon of privatized profits out of money spent on health care. The Hidden History of American Healthcare is highly recommended for both personal and public library Social Issues collections.

Editorial Note: Thom Hartmann is a four-time winner of the Project Censored Award, a New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two books, and America's #1 progressive talk radio show host. His show is syndicated on local for-profit and nonprofit stations and broadcasts nationwide and worldwide. It is also simulcast on television into nearly 60 million US and Canadian homes.


The World History Shelf

Ancient Rome: Infographics
Nicolas Guillerate, author
John Scheid, author
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500252628, $29.95, HC, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Rome-Infographics-Nicolas-Guillerat/dp/0500252629

Synopsis: Compiled and written by the team of data designer and graphic artist Nicolas Guillerate and historian John Scheid, "Ancient Rome: Infographics" tells the story of a great empire through graphic design. This innovative approach to history offers readers a new way to conceptualize ancient Rome from the birth of the empire to the Punic Wars, and from the Roman political system to the role of women, slaves, and public entertainment. Cleverly designed infographics bring alive the complex history and structure of this ancient empire for the general reader while still satisfying demands for the rigorous approach of a historian.

Drawing on the best international sources, "Ancient Rome: Infographics" charts ancient Rome's social, political, and cultural histories with breathtaking data visualizations. The result is an extraordinary new approach to Rome's history, and is sure to appeal to those looking for an overview of the period and to history buffs alike.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, impressively informed and informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in structure and presentation, "Ancient Rome: Infographics" is an extraordinarily well organized and comprehensive study and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, highschool, community, college, and university library Ancient Roman History collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.


The Biography Shelf

General Albert C. Wedemeyer: America's Unsung Strategist in World War II
John McLaughlin
Casemate
https://www.casematepublishers.com
9781612000695, $24.95 pbk / $16.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/General-Albert-C-Wedemeyer-Strategist/dp/161200069X

Synopsis: Like many heroes of the Second World War, General Albert C. Wedemeyer's career has been largely overshadowed by such well-known figures as Marshall, Patton, Montgomery, and Bradley. Wedemeyer's legacy as the main planner of the D-Day invasion is almost completely forgotten today, eclipsed by politics and the capriciousness of human nature.

Yet during America's preparation for the war, Wedemeyer was the primary author of the "Victory Program" that mobilized US resources and directed them at crucial points in order to secure victory over the Axis. In the late 1930s he had the unique experience of being an exchange student at the German Kriegsakademia, the Nazis' equivalent of Fort Leavenworth's Command and General Staff School. As the only American to attend, he was thus the only ranking officer in the US who recognized the revolutionary tactics of Blitzkrieg once they were unleashed, and he knew how to respond.

As US involvement in the European conflagration approached, Wedemeyer was taken under the wing of George C. Marshall in Washington. Wedemeyer conceived the plans for US mobilization, which was in greater gear than realized at the time of Pearl Harbor. The Victory Program, completed in the summer of 1941, contained actual battle plans and called for the concentration of forces in England in preparation for an early cross-channel invasion into France. However, to Wedemeyer's great disappointment (reflecting Marshall's), he was not appointed to field command in the ETO once the invasion commenced; further, he had run afoul of Winston Churchill due to the latter's insistence on emphasizing the Mediterranean theater in 1943.

Perhaps because of Churchill's animosity, Wedemeyer was transferred to the Burma-China theater, where a year later he would replace General Stilwell. Ultimately, Wedemeyer's service in the Asian theater became far more significant, though less known. Had the US political establishment listened to Wedemeyer's advice on China during the years 1943-48, it is possible China would not have been lost to the Communists and would have been a functioning US ally from the start, thus eliminating the likelihood of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Despite Wedemeyer's key position at the crux of modern history, his contributions have been overlooked in most accounts of World War II and the Cold War beyond. In this work we gain an intimate look at a visionary thinker who helped guide the Allies to victory in their greatest challenge, but whose vision of the post-war world was unfortunately not heeded.

Critique: General Albert C. Wedemeyer: America's Unsung Strategist in World War II is a fascinating military biography about a lesser-known World War II strategist whose contributions were nonetheless crucial. Chapters portray his early life, and meticulously chronicle his vision and involvement in the war effort. Unfortunately, his anticipation of the post-war world - in particular, the conquest of China by its own Communist faction - was ultimately disregarded. General Albert C. Wedemeyer: America's Unsung Strategist in World War II is a "must-have" for public and college library Military Biography and Military History collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that there is also a Kindle edition ($16.99).

Editorial Note: John Joseph McLaughlin is a retired attorney who returned to school and received his doctorate in History at Drew University in 2008. His dissertation was on General Albert C. Wedemeyer which he has expanded into a book length biography. Dr. McLaughlin is the Moderator of the New Jersey World War II Book Club which hosts monthly lectures at the Millburn Library by authors and historians interested in World War II.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

Research Handbook on Corporate Restructuring
Paul J. Omar and Jennifer L.L. Gant, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
www.e-elgar.com
9781786437464 $310.00

https://www.amazon.com/Research-Corporate-Restructuring-Handbooks-Commercial/dp/1786437465

Synopsis: This timely Research Handbook examines the increasingly economically vital topic of corporate restructuring. Reflecting a shift in the global approach to insolvency towards a focus on rescuing viable businesses rather than liquidation, chapters consider all areas of the law closely connected to corporate insolvency, rehabilitation and rescue, as well as the introduction of the EU Preventive Restructuring Directive and other reforms from around the world.

Featuring international expert academics, practitioners and judges, the Research Handbook takes a thematic approach, exploring national and international models for rescue, stakeholders in insolvency, corporate structures and organizational models, specialist process issues, and institutional support, as well as interdisciplinary and cross-field aspects of insolvency and restructuring. Contributions analyze issues from a broad variety of perspectives, including the economic and social aspects of insolvency, and provide a comparative discussion of topics that will further inform global academic debate in this area.

Scholars and students of corporate and insolvency law, commercial law, and law and economics, will find the inter-disciplinary legal, theoretical and jurisprudential discussion invaluable. The analysis of current reform agendas, practical and alternative solutions to common problems, and comparative approach will also be of interest to practitioners and policymakers.

Critique: Research Handbook on Corporate Restructuring is an anthology of erudite, extensively researched essays about legal theory and practice with respect to corporate restructuring (such as when insolvency or bankruptcy cause major changes, or even force a corporation to dissolve). Each essay is by a different expert and experts; topics include "The evolution of corporate rescue in Canada and the United States", "Reforms in adverse economic climates: how reforms take place in the Eurozone", "The position of shareholders in a restructuring", "Franchisees as externalities of insolvent franchisors", "Pension rights and funds", "Overlooked human rights concerns in restructuring and insolvency context", and much more. Research Handbook on Corporate Restructuring is a "must-have" for college and university collections as well as the reading lists of professionals in the field. Highly recommended.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance
Lucy Morris
Mills & Boon
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780263289633, $TBA, HC, Large Print, 384pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9780263289633

Synopsis: When Thorstein Bergson rescues a beautiful woman from a storm-tossed longship, he little expects to broker a powerful marriage alliance with her. A challenging wife for a warrior Viking, this high-status ice queen is not the comfortable female companion this warrior chief is seeking, but maybe the bittersweet pain in Gyda's eyes hides another woman beneath? -- The one he tasted that first night, when she kissed him with such pent-up longing?

Critique: A deftly written historical romance set in the Viking age, "The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance" author Lucy Morris adroitly blends her appreciation of Scandinavian myths, legends, and culture with the universal passions of strong men and even stronger women! "The Viking Chief's Marriage Alliance" is a compelling and rewarding read from first page to last -- making this large print edition from Mills & Boon unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Historical Romance collections.

A Daughter's Christmas Wish
Victoria Cornwall
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847635, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 328pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847635

Synopsis: Christmas, 1919. A promise to a fellow soldier leads Nicholas to Cornwall for Christmas, and to the teashop managed by Rose: the youngest daughter of a family whose festive spirit has been blighted by their wartime experiences. But as Nicholas strives to give Rose the best Christmas she could wish for, he begins to question whether his efforts are to honor his friend - or if there is another reason.

Critique: As an author of historical romance, Victoria Cornwall is among the very best. "A Daughter's Christmas Wish" is an impressively original, wonderfully entertaining, and emotionally satisfying read so well scripted that it will keep the reader's total and rapt attention from cover to cover. This large print paperback edition from the Linford Romance Library is especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library Historical Romance collections alike.

Breakfast At The Butterscotch Bakery
Angela Britnell
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847710, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 256pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847710

Synopsis: Following a skiing accident, Connie is laid up in Switzerland with a badly broken leg. Stepping into the breach, her sister has promised to run her business, the Butterscotch Bakery, during her convalescence. After all, Kaley's a capable computer programmer, and it's not exactly rocket science to rustle up a few cupcakes and coffees...is it? But baking's not as simple as it looks - and when Kaley comes unstuck, handsome customer Jacca is there to lend a hand!

Critique: A romance lover's delight, "Breakfast At The Butterscotch Bakery" by Angela Britnell is a original, extraordinary and a wonderfully entertaining read from first page to last. This large print paperback editon of "Breakfast At The Butterscotch Bakery" from the Linford Romance Library collection is especially appropriate and fully recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated romance fans and will prove to be an immediately popular addition to community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.


The Western Fiction Shelf

Law and Outlaw
William Vance
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419560, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 336pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419560

Synopsis: The old woman was dying. That meant a lot of things to Will Titus. It meant sorrow, for she'd raised him from a pup. It meant one fewer good person in a world where they were rare enough already. But mostly, it meant the eventual arrival of Bart Laney. Bart was almost a brother to Will -- but a brother gone wrong. You see, while Will had chosen a U.S. Marshal's badge, Bart had gone down the outlaw trail.

Critique: Complete and unabridged, this large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series of William Vance's extraordinary western novel, "Law and Outlaw" is a fully action packed drama of twists and turns and surprises from cover to cover -- making it a welcome and recommended addition to the personal reading lists of dedicated western novel fans and community library Western Fiction collections.

The House of Gold
Max Brand
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419683, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 536pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419683

Synopsis: "The House of Gold" by Max Brand is the story of an honest thief, James Geraldi, who embarks upon three of his greatest adventures, including a quest for the elusive Golden Horus, a gold statue inlaid with four perfect emeralds and a large, flawless yellow diamond. Whether he's seeking a treasure, protecting an innocent girl, or handling other thieves who may not be quite so honest, Geraldi remains a classic and unforgettable figure of the West.

Critique: Bringing back these three timeless tales of western bravado for a new generation of appreciative readers, "The House of Gold" are Max Brand western stories at their very best and this large print paperback edition form the Linford Western Library series is unreservedly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Death's Tally
Bradford Scott
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419577, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 272pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419577

Synopsis: Oil and bullets are the boon and bane of Sanderson City. When Walt Slade arrives to put a lid on the violence, the town is set to blow sky-high in his face. A lit fuse, a shotgun blast in the dark and the ace undercover Texas Ranger is plunged into a searing sixgun showdown with a greed-crazed pack of killers.

Critique: You can practically smell the gunsmoke rising from the pages of Bradford Scott's deftly crafted western novel, "Death's Tally". A simply riveting read from first page to last, this large print paperback edition of "Death's Tally" from the Linford Western Library series is especially commended to the attention of all western fans and community library Western Fiction collections.

Match Race
Fred Grove
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419546, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 464pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419546

Synopsis: Quarter horse racing presents a thrill few men in the Old West can resist. Dude McQuinn, Coyote Walking, and Billy Lockhart are no exception, riding from town to town, matching and trading racehorses. Dude is the straight-talking front man, Coyote the jockey, and Billy the doctor, concocting potions that can cure a horse of anything - at least temporarily. But Billy is being watched by a strange man in a black bowler hat - a man who knows a secret about his past.

Critique: Memorable characters, unexpected plot twists, "Match Race" by Fred Grove is a fun read from first page to last. This large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series is highly recommended reading and will prove to be a welcome addition to both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collectons.

The Deuce of Diamonds
Charles M. Martin
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419539, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 392pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419539

Synopsis: Roaming Reynolds and Texas Joe find themselves helping out a couple of old ranchers who are being plagued by rustlers. Reynolds suspects that local cattle baron Griff Tyson, owner of the Deuce of Diamonds spread, is behind the trouble. But Tyson is quite a gunfighter himself, able to shoot playing cards out of the air. Will Reynolds and Joe prevail against him?

Critique: A class western of good guys verses the bad guy (and his minions), "The Deuce of Diamonds" by Charles M. Martin is a quality read from first page to last and this large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library collection is certain to be a welcome and prized addition to the personal reading lists and community library collections.

The Lawless Border
Allan Vaughan Elston
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419522, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 384pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419522

Synopsis: It was just one year ago that the O'Hara brothers planned to buy themselves a ranch, settle down, and raise some stock. But that was before Milton disappeared the night after he won forty-four hundred dollars at a poker game. Certain that his brother was hijacked and murdered for his winnings, Lynn vows to investigate. When he arrives in Tucson, there's one man left on his list -- and he finds himself face-to-face with the ugly muzzle of a six-gun!

Critique: You can almost smell the gun smoke wafting up off the page in Allan Vaughan Elston's superbly crafted western novel "The Lawless Border". Originally published in 1969, this large print edition of "The Lawless Border" from the Linford Western Library series is a compelling, entertaining, and recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all western novel fans and community library Western Fiction collections.

Borders To Cross
Parker Bonner
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419515, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 240pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419515

Synopsis: It's clear that Dan Mason had a hand in killing his cousin Bill in order to gain control of the family ranch, the Lazy M. But Cal Holland is determined to steer clear of another man's fight -- that is until the fight is brought to his own doorstep. Mason sends a hired killer after him. And if this wasn't already enough to stir him to action, Cal discovers that the life of Bill's sister Nancy is also threatened by Dan's ambitious greed.

Critique: Originally published in 1969, "Borders to Cross" by author Parker Bonner is a puls- pounding read from cover to cover. Now available to a new general of western action/adventure enthusiasts and unreservedly recommended for community library collections.

Ride The Red Trail
Lewis B. Patten
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419720, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 368pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419720

Synopsis: "Ride The Red Trail" is comprised of a trio of short novels presenting western author Lewis B. Patten at his exciting best. In the title story, Lew Harvey was forced to leave home because of a shooting incident. Now a letter from his former girlfriend has summoned him back. His parents are about to be driven off their spread and they need his help, but his father hasn't forgiven Lew...and more gun trouble may be on the way. In "Summer Kill," a man seemingly without enemies is murdered on a nighttime trail ride, and it falls to his two sons to track down the killer. And "Rustler's Run" tells the story of young Burt Norden, who has been doing a man's job running the N Bar Ranch since his father's death. But now he may really have to prove himself. Rustlers have swept into the area and there's a confrontation brewing with a local hardcase.

Critique: A prolific author of American Western novels, Lewis Byford Patten, was born and died in Denver, Colorado (January 13, 1915 - May 22, 1981). He often published under the names Lewis Ford, Lee Leighton and Joseph Wayne. He used the last two names when writing in collaboration with Wayne D. Overholser. In all three stories, originally published in the 1950s, Lewis Patten creates Western truly entertaining and memorable action/adventure western stories that are as fresh to a new general of readers as they were to dedicated western fans of 70+ years ago. This large print paperback edition of "Ride The Red Trail" from the Linford Western Library is enthusiastically recommended for personal reading lists and community library Wester Fiction collections.

Lone Rider From Texas
Peter Dawson
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419706, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 448pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419706

Synopsis: This large print paperback edition of "Lone Rider From Texas" is an anthology comprising seven western action/adventure stories by Peter Dawson and were originally published in the age of the pulp magazine in the 1930s.

Among these stories is that of a young man is in a quandary when all the evidence in two murder cases points directly at his father. A guard is forced to choose between a seemingly impossible love and complicity in a stagecoach robbery. A Texas cattle rancher rides into New Mexico to learn why he has been implicated in a theft. An outlaw father who endeavors to save the life of his lawman son.

Critique: Peter Dawson is the nom de plume used by Jonathan Hurff Glidden. He was born in Kewanee, Illinois, in 1907 and studied English literature at the University of Illinois. He wrote over a dozen Western novels and published over 120 short novels and stories in magazines. He died in 1957. Dawson was a master of the western genre and this collection of his stories are true action/adventure gems with many a surprising twist or turn. Bringing a new generation of appreciative readers to the attention of the talent and imagination of a writer like Dawson, "Lone Rider From Texas" is recommended as a welcome and popular addition to both personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Stone Chamber
Kate Ellis
Charnwood Large Print / Thorpe
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444847673, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 390pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444847673

Synopsis: On a summer's evening, Robert and Greta Gerdner are shot dead at their isolated home in the Devon countryside. DI Wesley Peterson suspects the execution-style murders might be linked to Robert's past career in the police - until Robert's name is found on a list of people who've been sent tickets anonymously for a tour of Darkhole Grange, a former asylum on Dartmoor. When his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, finds the skeleton of a woman buried in a sealed chamber dating back to the 15th century at his nearby dig, Wesley wonders whether there might be a connection between the mysterious stone cell and the tragic events at Darkhole Grange. With the clock ticking, Wesley must solve the puzzle before the next person on the list meets a terrible end.

Critique: One of those compulsive page turner whodunnit mysteries with more plot twists and turns than Coney Island rollercoaster, "The Stone Chamber" is a mystery lover's delight and clearly establishes author Kate Ellis as a complete master of the genre. Original, entertaining, and with commendable attention to detail that plays fair with the reader, this large print paperback edition from Charnwood Large Print is especially recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery fans and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.


The Library CD Shelf

Awakening
Dave Eggar
Domo Music Group
www.DomoMusicGroup.com
$12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Dave-Eggar/dp/B09BPWYKM7

Awakening is a solo piano collection composed and performed by music artist Dave Eggar. The mellifluous themes inspire creativity and hope, shining as the audio soundscape equivalent of a beautiful sunrise. Awakening is a treasure for piano music connoisseurs, and highly recommended for public library music collections. The tracks are Awakening, Faded Memory, Through the Glass, Beyond, Forest Afternoon, Diamonds, My Simple Gift, Russian Winter, Arise, Fallen Leaves, Bristol Morning, Coming Home, Earth Story, and New Dawn.

You Are There
Shawnn Monteiro
Whaling City Sound
https://whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (distribution)
https://naxosusa.com
$17.86 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-There-Shawnn-Monteiro/dp/B09J5GJT77

You Are There showcases the lush jazz singing of Shawnn Monteiro, supported by masterful performances of associates on trumpet, piano, trombone, drums, and bass. The charged, intensely passionate music crested with dulcet beauty of Monteiro's vocals makes You Are There a rapturous listening experience, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are Dearly Beloved, Inside a Silent Tear, Let's Eat Home, You are There, How Deep is the Ocean, You'll See, The Shadow of Your Smile, Autumn Leaves, Alone at Last, Never Let Me Go, I Hear Music / How High the Moon, and My Old Friend.

Worldview
Avataar
Sundar Music
sundarmusic.com
$15.00 CD / $7.00 digital

https://avataar.bandcamp.com

Award-winning Toronto world-jazz group Avataar presents Worldview, an original album that draws upon jazz and the musical traditions of India, Africa, and Brazil to call for more humanitarian treatment of children. The songs reflect upon nostalgia, homesickness, and lament horrific tragedies including the death of a trafficked three-year-old Syrian boy who washed up in Italian shores, and the Sandy Hook massacre of 2012. Worldview is emotional, profound, utterly unforgettable, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Worldview", "Ekkriis Spirito [Reclaimed Spirit]", "Chrysalis [Emergence]", "Innocents [12/14/12]", "Song Song", "Blue As It Ever Was", "A Safe Space for Children [For All]", and "Little Kurdi [For Alan Kurdi]".


The Art Shelf

Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature
Angelica Daneo, author
Christoph Heinrich, editor
Ortrud Westheider, editor
Michael Philipp, editor
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791379258, $35.00, PB, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Claude-Monet-Nature-Angelica-Daneo/dp/3791379259

Synopsis: Capturing fleeting natural impressions played a central role in the art of Claude Monet (14 November 1840 - 5 December 1926). He deeply engaged with the landscape and light of different places, from the metropolis of Paris to the Seine villages of Argenteuil and Giverny. "Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature" is a lavishly illustrated study that explores the development of Monet's art from the 1850s to the 1920s, focusing on the places, both at home and on his frequent travel, from which he drew inspiration for his painting. In addition, "Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature" traces the critical shift in Monet's art that occurred when he began to focus on series of the same subjects such as grainstacks, poplars, and the water-lily pond at his meticulously designed garden in Giverny.

Critique: Impressively informative with its exceptionally well written commentary, "Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature" will enhance the reader's appreciation of Monet's art and is the next best thing to being able to view his work as displayed throughout many a museum gallery. Now available in a coffee-table style paperback (9.5 x 1.03 x 11.88 inches", "9.5 x 1.03 x 11.88 inches) is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections in general, and Claude Monet supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular.

Watteau at Work: La Surprise
Emily A. Beeny, author
Davide Gasparotto, author
Richard Rand, author
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606067352, $24.95, PB, 88pp

https://www.amazon.com/Watteau-at-Work-Emily-Beeny/dp/1606067354

Synopsis: The painting La Surprise by Jean Antoine Watteau (baptized October 10, 1684 - died July 18, 1721) belongs to a new genre of painting invented by the artist himself -- the fˆte galante.

These works, which show graceful open-air gatherings filled with scenes of courtship, music and dance, strolling lovers, and actors, do not so much tell a story as set a mood: one of playful, wistful, nostalgic reverie.

Esteemed by collectors in Watteau's day as a work that showed the artist at the height of his skill and success, La Surprise vanished from public view in 1848, not to reemerge for more than a century and a half.

Acquired by the Getty Museum in 2017, it has never before been the subject of a dedicated publication. Marking the three hundredth anniversary of Watteau's death, "Watteau at Work: La Surprise" considers La Surprise within the context of the artist's oeuvre and discusses the surprising history of collecting Watteau in Los Angeles.

"Watteau at Work: La Surprise" is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from November 23, 2021, to February 20, 2022.

Critique: The collaborative work of Emily A. Beeny (former associate curator of drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum, is curator in charge of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco); Davide Gasparotto (senior curator of paintings and chair, curatorial affairs, at the J. Paul Getty Museum); and Richard Rand (associate director for collections at the J. Paul Getty Museum), "Watteau at Work: La Surprise" is the next best thing to being able to personally visit the exhibit -- and will informatively enhanced the experience of those who can attend the exhibit on site. Beautifully illustrated, "Watteau at Work: La Surprise" is highly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections.

The Life of Lambert Lombard (1565); and Effigies of Several Famous Painters from the Low Countries (1572)
Dominicus Lampsonius, author
Edward H. Wouk, translator/editor
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606067406, $60.00, PB, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lambert-Effigies-Painters-Countries-Documents/dp/1606067400

Synopsis: Lambert Lombard (c. 1505 - August 1566) was a Renaissance painter, architect and theorist for the Prince-Bishopric of LiŠge. During his career he worked for Jan Gossaert in Middelburg and trained Frans Floris. Lombard was born in LiŠge, where in 1532 he became court painter and architect. A few paintings and many drawings have been preserved. In 1537 he was sent to Rome by Erard de La Marck, prince-bishop of LiŠge, to buy works of art, and he discovered the wonders of the Italian Renaissance. On his return he brought not only works of art, but also the new ideas concerning art and the position of the artist, to LiŠge. (Wikipedia)

Dominicus Lampsonius's The Life of Lambert Lombard (1565) is the earliest published biography of a Netherlandish artist. This neo-Latin account of the life of the painter, architect, and draftsman Lambert Lombard of LiŠge offers a theoretical exposition on the nature and ideal practice of Netherlandish art, emphasizing Lombard's intellectual curiosity, interest in antiquity, attentive study of the human body, and exemplary generosity as a teacher.

This volume offers the first English edition of The Life of Lambert Lombard, complemented by a new translation of the inscriptions Lampsonius composed to accompany the Effigies of Several Famous Painters from the Low Countries (1572), a cycle of twenty-three engraved portraits of Netherlandish artists developed in collaboration with the print publisher Hieronymus Cock.

Together, "The Life of Lambert Lombard (1565); and Effigies of Several Famous Painters from the Low Countries (1572) established frameworks for a distinctly Netherlandish history of art. Responding to a growing sense of Netherlandish cultural and political identity on the eve of the Dutch Revolt, these texts proposed a critical alternative to Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists and its Italian model of art historical development, celebrating local ingenuity and skill. They remain the starting point for any history of the northern Renaissance.

Critique: An exceptionally informative, beautifully illustrated, and unique contribution to Renaissance Art History collections, "The Life of Lambert Lombard (1565); and Effigies of Several Famous Painters from the Low Countries (1572)" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library European Art History & Biography collections.

Editorial Note #1: Dominicus Lampsonius (1532 - 1599) was a Flemish polymath humanist, poet, and painter, who worked as Latin secretary to a succession of Catholic bishops, including the embattled English Cardinal Reginald Pole.

Editorial Note #2: Edward H. Wouk is reader in art history and visual studies (1400 - 1800) at the University of Manchester and the author of Frans Floris (1519/20 - 1570): Imagining a Northern Renaissance (2018).

Rubens: Picturing Antiquity
Anne T. Wollett, editor
Davide Gasparotto, editor
Jeffrey Spier, editor
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606066706, $40.00, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rubens-Picturing-Antiquity-Davide-Gasparotto/dp/1606066706

Synopsis: For the great Peter Paul Rubens ( 28 June 1577 - 30 May 1640), the classical past afforded lifelong creative stimulus and the camaraderie of humanist friends. A formidable scholar, Rubens ingeniously transmitted the physical ideals of ancient sculptors, visualized the spectacle of imperial occasions, rendered the intricacies of mythological tales, and delineated the character of gods and heroes in his drawings, paintings, and designs for tapestries. His passion for antiquity profoundly informed every aspect of his art and life.

Showcasing some 170 color illustrations, "Rubens: Picturing Antiquity" by the editorial team of Anne T. Woollett (curator of paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum), Davide Gasparotto (senior curator of paintings and chair, curatorial affairs, at the J. Paul Getty Museum; and Jeffrey Spier (senior curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum) specifically addresses the creative impact of Rubens's remarkable knowledge of the art and literature of antiquity through the consideration of key themes.

The lively interpretive essays comprising "Rubens: Picturing Antiquity" explores the formal and thematic relationships between ancient sources and Baroque expressions: the significance of neo-Stoic philosophy, the compositional and iconographic inspiration provided by exquisite carved gems, Rubens's study of Roman marble sculpture, and his inventive translation of ancient sources into new subjects made vivid by his dynamic painting style.

Critique: Exceptionally well presented and impressively informative, making "Rubens: Picturing Antiquity" very highly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Art History collections in general, and Rubens supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular, "Rubens: Picturing Antiquity" is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa from November 10, 2021, to January 24, 2022.

Poussin and the Dance
Emily A. Beeny, author
Francesca Whitlum-Cooper, author
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781606066836, $30.00, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Poussin-Dance-Emily-Beeny/dp/1606066838

Synopsis: Scenes of tripping maenads and skipping maidens, Nicolas Poussin's dancing pictures, painted in the 1620s and 1630s, helped him formulate a new style. This style would make him the model for three centuries of artists in the French classical tradition, from Jacques-Louis David and Edgar Degas to Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso.

"Poussin and the Dance" by the team of art experts Emily A. Beeny and Francesca Whitlum- Cooper is the first published study devoted to this theme and situates the artist in seventeenth-century Rome, a city rich with the ancient sculptures and Renaissance paintings that informed his dancing pictures.

Tracing the motif of dance through his early Roman production, "Poussin and the Dance" examines how these works helped their maker confront the problem of arresting motion, explore the expressive potential of the body, and devise new methods of composition. The essays investigate how dance informed nearly every aspect of Poussin's artistic production, notably through his use of wax figurines to choreograph the compositions he drew and painted. This publication also considers Poussin's dancing pictures within a broader context of seventeenth-century European culture, collecting, and patronage.

This volume, "Poussin and the Dance", is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the National Gallery, London from October 9, 2021, to January 2, 2022 and at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from February 15 to May 8, 2022.

Critique: With its magnificently reproduced artwork and accompanying impressively informative commentaries, "Poussin and the Dance" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections in general, and Poussin supplemental studies curriculum lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Emily A. Beeny, former associate curator of drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum, is currently the curator in charge of European paintings at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Francesca Whitlum-Cooper is the Myojin-Nadar Associate Curator of Paintings, 1600 - 1800, at the National Gallery, London. She also edited "Boilly: Scenes of Parisian Life" (2019).


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Directing Great Television
Dan Attias
Michael Wiese Productions
https://mwp.com
9781615933297 $29.95 pbk / $26.59 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Directing-Great-Television-Inside-Golden/dp/1615933298

Synopsis: Sharing his own process honed over a decades-long career, Emmy-nominated director Dan Attias brings you into the actual experience of directing series television. Whether it's the high-stakes pressure of solving a last-minute problem on set, or the joy of pulling off a perfect shot by the skin of your teeth, Attias brings you right into the director's chair, sharing his knowledge and taking you through the process one challenging episode at a time. Offering a fundamental focus on story, and eschewing industry language for plain talk, Attias offers in-depth guidance how best to work with actors, how to "speak" through the camera, how to work with a showrunner, and how to be ready for the many ways a director will be challenged, large and small.

Directing Great Television is a fascinating window into television's best shows, compelling to directors and non-directors alike. Attias's book transcends other filmmaking guides by detailing his journey to a surprising place of self-discovery, one with applications beyond entertainment.

Critique: Award-winning film and television director Dan Attias, who has worked in the industry since 1984 and has taught numerous acting and directing workshops, distills his wisdom in Directing Great Television: Inside TV's New Golden Age. Directing Great Television is written to be accessible to readers from all backgrounds, deliberately avoiding an excess of industry jargon for plain terms. Attias shows what it's like to be in the director's chair, from coping with unexpected pressures and emergencies, to coaching actors, dealing with difficult personalities, and insights into the human condition that potentially transcend the craft of directing. Directing Great Television is a thoroughly fascinating read for lay television connoisseurs and aspiring directors alike, highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Directing Great Television is also available in a Kindle edition ($26.59).

Editorial Note: Dan Attias has worked as a director in the film and television industry since 1984. As a director of series television, he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television for The Wire, and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing. He continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including Homeland, The Americans, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Previously he has directed The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, True Blood, Entourage, The Killing, True Detective, The Walking Dead, Bloodline, Friday Night Lights, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Lost, and The Boys, among many others. He has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States, and has conducted master classes in Italy, Greece, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada.


The Architecture Shelf

Almost, Not
Leslie Van Duzer
ORO Editions
https://www.oroeditions.com
9781951541774 $35.00

https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Not-Architecture-Atelier-Nishikata/dp/1951541774

Synopsis: Almost, Not: The Architecture of Atelier Nishikata is the story of a remarkable architecture practice in Tokyo. Partners Reiko Nishio and Hirohito Ono have built just four residential works, until now remaining little-known outside of Japan. But the extraordinary, almost-ordinary quality of their work warrants the spotlight. It has much to teach students of architecture and experienced architects alike. This book is a hybrid between an architectural monograph and a magic instruction book.

Author Leslie Van Duzer, a former magician's assistant and author of four monographs on 20th-century architecture, draws parallels between the effects and methods of architects and magicians. The introductory essay, "Almost, Not," presents an overview of Atelier Nishikata's approach, describing the effects engendered by their architecture and the methods behind the them. The essay is followed by four detailed project descriptions that elaborate on the strategies behind the work. These texts are richly illustrated with process work, diagrams, detailed drawings, and photographs, including before and after views of the renovated spaces, and views post-inhabitation. The volume closes with a lengthy interview with the architects to help flesh out the methods behind their madness.

Critique: A blend of architectural monograph and magic instruction manual, Almost, Not: The Architecture of Atelier Nishikata is an extraordinary architecture book that explores what the methods of a residential-works architectural practice in Tokyo, and the methods of stage magicians, can contribute to the greater understanding of architectural form, function, and practical use. The essay writing scrutinizes the visual and practical effects of the strategies behind the architecture, and the detailed illustrations (including diagrams, drawings, photographs, images of process work, before and after views of renovated spaces, and more) beautifully illuminate the aesthetic result. Almost, Not is a welcome contribution to college and trade school library Architecture shelves, highly recommended.


The Cookbook Shelf

Dining with the Dead
Mariana Ruiz & Ian McEnroe
Rio Nuevo Publishers
https://rionuevo.com
9781940322384 $35.00

https://rionuevo.com/product/dining-with-the-dead-a-feast-for-the-souls-on-day-of-the-dead

Synopsis: Dining with the Dead is an unforgettable cultural and culinary odyssey. Traditional, celebratory Mexican food is the soul of this one-of-a-kind cookbook. Make tamales, pozoles, pan de muerto, and many other festive, iconic dishes. Learn about altars, sugar skulls, and decorations. Unlock the essence of chiles, make scratch tortillas, and perfect the king of the moles.

Highlights include 112+ delicious recipes, 540+ beautiful and mouthwatering photos, how to find them and treat ingredients, photographic step-by-step instructions, the origins of Dia de Muertos, and more.

Critique: Dining with the Dead is more than a lavish, full-color illustrated cookbook of traditional Mexican recipes for celebrating the Day of the Dead. Dining with the Dead also draws the reader into Mexican cultural traditions for honoring loved ones who have passed on, including the origins of the holiday, altars and ofrendas (offerings), what it means to hold a night vigil at a cemetery in Mexico, and more. Connoisseurs of homemade Mexican cuisine will especially appreciate the step-by-step instructions for finding and preparing special ingredients. Dining with the Dead is an excellent resource for cooks seeking to broaden their cultural appreciation and understanding, and a treasure to simply page through. Highly recommended!


The Mythology Shelf

Egyptian Mythology
Garry J. Shaw
Thames & Hudson
https://thamesandhudson.com
9780500252284 $24.95 hc / $11.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Egyptian-Mythology-Travelers-Guide-Alexandria/dp/0500252289

Synopsis: Join Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw on an entertaining tour up the Nile, through a beautiful and fascinating landscape populated with a rich mythology: the stories of Horus, Isis, Osiris, and their enemies and allies in tales of vengeance, tragedy, and fantastic metamorphoses. Shaw retells these stories with his characteristic wit, and reconnects them to the temples and monuments that still stand today, offering a fresh look at the most visited sites of Egypt.

The myths of ancient Egypt have survived in fragments of ancient hymns and paintings on the walls of tombs and temples, spells inked across coffins, and stories scrawled upon scrolls. Illustrations throughout bring to life the creation of the world and the nebulous netherworld; the complicated relationships between fickle gods, powerful magicians, and pharaohs; and eternal battles on a cosmic scale.

Shaw's evocative descriptions of the ancient ruins will transport readers to another landscape - including the magnificent sites of Dendera, Tell el-Amarna, Edfu, and Thebes. At each site, they will discover which gods or goddesses were worshipped there, as well as the myths and stories that formed the backdrop to the rituals and customs of everyday life. Each chapter ends with a potted history of the site, as well as tips for visiting the ruins today. Egyptian Mythology is the perfect companion to the myths of Egypt and the gods and goddesses that shaped its ancient landscape.

Critique: Expert Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw presents Egyptian Mythology: A Traveler's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria, a captivating tour of the gods, goddesses, creation stories, netherworld sagas, heated divine clashes and more in Egyptian Mythology. Written to be thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, and interspersed with black-and-white illustrations and maps, Egyptian Mythology is a treasure for armchair travelers and lay historians, as well as tourists interested in making the most of a visit to this storied nation. Egyptian Mythology is highly recommended both for personal and public library Mythology collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Egyptian Mythology is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).

Editor's Note: Dr. Garry J. Shaw studied archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool. He has taught Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, the University of Liverpool, the Egypt Exploration Society, and currently teaches online Egyptology as a part-time tutor for Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education. He has appeared on various television and radio programmes, regularly writes for magazines and newspapers, including The Art Newspaper and Timeless Travels, and has worked for archaeological projects in Egypt and Turkey.


The Aviation Shelf

Flying Catalinas: The Consoldiated PBY Catalina in WWII
Andrew Hendrie
Pen & Sword Books
https://penandswordbooks.com
c/o Casemate
https://www.casematepublishers.com
9781399013093, $26.95

https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Catalinas-Consoldiated-Catalina-WWII/dp/1399013092

Synopsis: The consolidated PBY Catalina was probably the most versatile and successful flying boat/amphibian ever built, serving not just with the US Army, Navy and Coast Guard during the Second World War, but also with the air forces of Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with the Danes, Free French and Norwegians as well as in Brazil, Chile, Indonesia and elsewhere.

With a remarkable lifting capacity and endurance, this long-range twin-engine aircraft could absorb a great deal of punishment and still return home after flights lasting an entire day and covering thousands of miles. It was employed as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, as a bomber and torpedo-bomber, as an anti submarine weapon, as a mine layer, as a special operations machine and as a search-and-rescue craft by day and night. It ferried stores, mail and people - many of them sick and injured - across the world's oceans.

In this book Andrew Hendrie tells the story of the "Flying Cats", of their achievements and exploits, of the heroism of many of the crews and the problems they had to endure.

Critique: Flying Catalinas: The Consoldiated PBY Catalina in WWII is an in-depth, extensively researched study of this extraordinary flying boat/amphibian, used not only by the US Army Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard during World War II, but also by the air forces of a multitude of other Allied powers - Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more. A wealth of vintage black-and-white photographs enhance the chapters about Catalinas deployed in a vast array of different locations, with detailed historical records of the outcome. A wealth of appendices and an index round out this superb reference and resource highly recommended for personal and public library Aviation and Military History collections.


The Parenting Shelf

Why Is My Child in Charge?
Claire Lerner
Rowman & Littlefield
https://rowman.com
9781538149003, $24.95 hc / $17.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Child-Charge-Struggles-Cooperation/dp/1538149001

Synopsis: Through stories from her practice, Claire Lerner shows parents how making critical mindshifts - seeing their children's behaviors through a new lens - empowers parents to solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. This process puts parents back in the driver's seat, where they belong and where their children need them to be. These real life stories provide a roadmap for how to tune into the root causes of children's behavior and how to create and implement strategies that are tailored to the unique needs of each child and family. Through these stories, Claire provides a treasure trove of practical solutions that are based in science and which work in real life.

Why Is My Child In Charge? picks up where other books have left parents hanging. Most parenting books offer solutions that sound good on paper but don't work in practice. They are aspirational rather than achievable, or they offer one-size-fits-all approaches that don't meet the needs of an individual child. They can compound parents' feelings of frustration and thus, can be counterproductive. Case by case, Claire unpacks the individualized process she guides parents through to solve the most common challenges such as throwing tantrums in public; delaying bedtime for hours; refusing to participate in family mealtimes; and resisting potty training. Employing a relatable story-telling approach, Claire elucidates:

The faulty mindsets that pose obstacles to parents seeing the situation more objectively
The essential mindshifts that enable parents to quickly identify the root causes of the problem
The development of an action plan tailored to each unique child and family

Why is My Child in Charge? is like having a child development specialist in your home. It shows how you can develop "win-win" strategies that translate into adaptable, happy kids and calm, connected and in-control parents. It will help you be the parent you want to be.

Critique: Licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist Claire Lerner, MSW presents Why Is My Child in Charge?: A Roadmap to End Power Struggles, Increase Cooperation, and Find Joy in Parenting Young Children, a no-nonsense, plain-terms resource for parents of young children. Drawing upon examples from the author's own practice, Why Is My Child in Charge? offers parents practical, experience-tested advice for dealing with tantrums, physical aggression, sleep problems, potty training, mealtime, and much more. Why Is My Child in Charge? is absolutely invaluable for especially for new parents, and highly recommended for both personal and public library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Why Is My Child in Charge? is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

Editorial Note: Claire Lerner, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist. She served as the Director of Parenting Resources at ZERO TO THREE for more than eighteen years. Lerner has been a practicing clinician for over thirty years, partnering with parents to decode their children's behavior and solve their most vexing childrearing challenges. She also provides training to local preschools and pediatric residents. Lerner is the author of hundreds of parenting resources, including books, blogs, podcasts, and videos. She writes a column for PBS Kids, and her work has been published by several parenting publications. She has also served as a content expert for numerous national daily newspapers.


The Business Shelf

The Family Office
William I. Woodson and Edward V. Marshall
Columbia University Press
https://cup.columbia.edu
9780231200622, $35.00 hc / $19.24 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Office-Comprehensive-Practitioners-Heilbrunn/dp/0231200625

Synopsis: Family offices are private organizations that assume the daily administration and management of a wealthy family's personal and financial affairs. Historically, these repositories of great wealth were shrouded in secrecy, their activities conducted behind closed doors. Recently, family offices have acquired a considerably higher public profile: they represent a mere 7 percent of the world's ultra-high-net-worth population, yet control a staggering 50 percent of the wealth. As only a select few families now hold a disproportionate amount of global wealth, there are significant social implications to how such assets are managed and used.

This book provides an insider's view for anyone looking to understand family offices and how to best serve and advise them. The veteran practitioners William I. Woodson and Edward V. Marshall offer a thorough guide to family offices: why wealthy families create them, what they do, and how to manage them effectively. They present these insights through a series of problem-based learning cases that follow a single family's journey from the time of a significant liquidity event; through the creation, staffing, and management of their family office; and on to its succession.

Each case study is supported by detailed background reference material. The cases and background materials are drawn from the authors' practical knowledge, network of industry experts, and experience advising family offices large and small. They shed light on the unique issues that ultrawealthy families face and the solutions they adopt to address them throughout the life cycle of a family office. This book is the definitive resource for practitioners and students, as well as family principals, advisers, service providers, and all others who engage with the world of family offices.

Critique: Part of the Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing series published by Columbia Business School Publishing, The Family Office: A Comprehensive Guide for Advisers, Practitioners, and Students is an educational resource about the practical institution of the family office - a private organization tasked with managing the personal and financial affairs of wealthy families. As wealth has grown more concentrated in a small number of households, family offices have become more prominent in their economic and practical influence. The Family Office is an insider's testimony by professionals in the field of wealth management; chapters discuss case studies, leadership and staffing requirements of family offices, strategies that family offices use for investments, risk management, and philanthropy, and much more. The Family Office is a "must-have" for college library School of Business collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Family Office is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.24).

Editorial Note: William I. Woodson is a lecturer on wealth management at Columbia University School of Professional Studies and serves on the advisory board for the Stanford University Global Family Office Initiative. He is the former head of a family office and ran the family office practices for Citi Private Bank and Credit Suisse.

Edward V. Marshall is a family office expert, author, consultant, and speaker. He is the global head of the family office practice at Dentons, the world's largest law firm. Marshall has held leading family office roles at Credit Suisse, Citibank, and Boston Private, and he is a guest lecturer on the family office at New York University's Stern School of Business.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Reverse Colonization
David M. Higgins
University of Iowa Press
https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu
9781609387846, $38.99 pbk / $31.16 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Reverse-Colonization-Imperial-Alt-victimhood-American/dp/1609387848

Synopsis: Reverse colonization narratives are stories like H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds, in which technologically superior Martians invade and colonize England. They ask Western audiences to imagine what it's like to be the colonized rather than the colonizers. David Higgins argues that although some reverse colonization stories are thoughtful and provocative, reverse colonization fantasy has also led to the prevalence of a very dangerous kind of science fictional thinking in our current political culture. It has become popular among groups such as anti-feminists, white supremacists, and far-right reactionaries to appropriate a sense of righteous, anti-imperial victimhood - the sense that white men, in particular, are somehow colonized victims fighting an insurgent resistance against an oppressive establishment. Nothing could be timelier, as an armed far-right mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to stop the presidential election from being "stolen from them."

Higgins shows that this reverse colonization stance depends upon a science fictional logic that achieved dominance within imperial fantasy during the 1960s and has continued to gain momentum ever since. By identifying with fantastic forms of victimhood, subjects who already enjoy social hegemony are able to justify economic inequality, expansions of police and military power, climatological devastation, new articulations of racism, and countless other forms of violence - all purportedly in the name of security, self-defense, and self-protection.

Critique: Reverse Colonization: Science Fiction, Imperial Fantasy, and Alt-victimhood is a critical literary analysis of science fiction narratives about humanity being colonized by alien races. Author David Higgins reveals the disturbing connection between such works and a victimhood-mentality that justifies violence in the form of expanded police and military power, continued environmental destruction in spite of the threat of man-made climate change, expressions of racism, and more. A troubling cross-examination of dark interpretations of science fiction literature from H.G. Wells' classic "War of the Worlds" to 1960s-era pulp stories and beyond, Reverse Colonization is an erudite and scholarly addition to public and college library Literary Studies shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Reverse Colonization is also available in a Kindle edition ($31.16).

Editorial Note: David M. Higgins is senior editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books. He teaches in the English department at Inver Hills Community College.


The Human Sexuality Shelf

The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide
Dr. Brooke Ah Shay
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922417398, $16.95, HC, 120pp

https://www.amazon.com/Penis-Vagina-Owners-Guide/dp/1922417394

Synopsis: It's not breaking news that our understanding of those parts of our bodies involved with procreation are often left in ignorance because of various sexual taboos established by different cultural biases. Throw in the misinformation lurking on the internet and throughout social media and you've got a real mess when it comes to sex and our reproductive bits.

"The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide" by Dr. Brooke Ah Shay will tell you everything about the male penis and the femail vagina that you did not even know that you did not know, whether you're 16 or 60. Dr. Ah Shay has distilled all the clinical anatomical information into a fun, informative guide for anyone, boy or girl, man or woman, curious about what exactly is going on when you're getting it on, or any other part of the day.

Designed as two books in one, this owner's one-stop guide is flippable: one side has information all about the vagina. Turn it around, and it's a guide to the penis. Full of infographics and some mind-boggling facts, "The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide" is the perfect guide for anyone seeking medical and anatomical sound information on the human reproductive organs.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide" is impressively 'reader friendly' in tone and commentary style. Comprehensively detailed, "The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, highschool, college, and university library Human Sexuality & Anatomy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Dr Brooke Ah Shay is a Fellowed GP from Queensland, Australia, currently working in a remote outback community. As a doctor, she's heard every myth under the sun about penis and vaginas and is happy for the opportunity to set the facts straight with the publication of "The Penis / The Vagina: An Owner's Guide".


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