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Reviewer's Choice
The Philosophy and Practice of Science
David B. Teplow
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781107044302, $79.50, HC, 430pp
https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Practice-Science-David-Teplow/dp/1107044308
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Philosophy and Practice of Science", Professor David B. Teplow offers a novel
synthesis of the philosophy and practice of science, covering its diverse theoretical, metaphysical, logical, philosophical, and
practical elements.
The process of science is generally taught in its empirical form: what science is, how it works, what it has achieved, and
what it might achieve in the future. What is often absent is how to think deeply about science and how to apply its lessons in
the pursuit of truth, in other words, knowing how to know.
In "The Philosophy and Practice of Science", Professor Teplow presents illustrative examples of science practice, history
and philosophy of science, and sociological aspects of the scientific community, to address commonalities among these
disciplines. In doing so, he challenges cherished beliefs and suggests to students, philosophers, and practicing scientists
new, epistemically superior, ways of thinking about and doing science.
Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally thoughtful and thoroughly thought-provoking, "The Philosophy and
Practice of Science" by Professor Emeritus David B. Teplow is of particular relevance to readers with an interest in the
philosophy and history of science and physics. Highly recommended for personal, professional, community, college and
university library Science & Philosophy collections, "The Philosophy and Practice of Science" is an ideal textbook selection
for Philosophy of Science curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "The Philosophy and Practice of Science" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $52.49).
Editorial Note: David Teplow, (https://teplowlab.neurology.ucla.edu/david-teplow) a Professor of Neurology (Emeritus) at
University of California, Los Angeles, is an internationally recognized leader in efforts to understand and treat Alzheimer's
disease. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, books, book chapters, and commentaries and served on
numerous national and international scientific advisory boards. In addition to his basic science work, Dr. Teplow has had a
life-long interest in general philosophy and the philosophy of science. He spent a year-long sabbatical at the University of
Cambridge as a Fellow of Clare Hall and a visiting scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, where
much of this book was written. This experience stimulated Dr. Teplow to create new courses at UCLA in the ethics of
science, social aspects of scientific paradigm change, and the roles played by ignorance and failure in scientific
progress.
The Writing/Publishing Shelf
Among Friends
Buz Teacher, editor
Janet Bukovinsky Teacher, editor
Two Tree Press
https://twotreepress.com
9780578325804, $200.00, HC, 576pp
https://www.amazon.com/Among-Friends-Illustrated-Publishing-Bookselling/dp/0578325802
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Buz and Janet Teacher, "Among Friends: An Illustrated Oral History
of American Book Publishing and Bookselling in the 20th Century" is a 576-page deluxe, hand-numbered volume -- a
collectible edition limited to a single printing of 1600--pays homage to the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the book
business in the 20th century.
In fond recollections of the book titles that have helped shape our culture, and the people and companies behind them
including more than 100 prominent figures in publishing and bookselling who recall their careers from the postwar period
through the independent publishing revolution of the 1960s and '70s to the new millennium.
Profusely illustrated throughout with original photography of vintage book jackets, archival photos and period graphics from
Publishers Weekly, "Among Friends" reveals how the book business both reflected and responded to massive societal
changes.
The contributors to "Among Friends" includes: Tom Borders, Carolan Workman, Peter Kindersley, Jane Friedman, Dick
Snyder, Chip Gibson, Daniel Halpern, Clyde Anderson, Jim Chandler, David Cully, John Sargent, Betty Prashker, Bruce
Harris, John Cassidy, Lloyd Kahn, Joni Evans, Nan Talese, Esther Margolis, Sally Richardson, Constance Sayre, Jean
Feiwel, David Godine, Jack Romanos, Nigel Newton, Robert Haft and Gary Hoover.
Critique: This large format (10.1 x 3.2 x 12.4 inches, 8.6 pounds) hardcover edition of "Among Friends: An Illustrated Oral
History of American Book Publishing and Bookselling in the 20th Century" is a unique, seminal, exceptional, and massively
informative contribution to 20th Century publishing history. Extraordinarily informed and informative, "Among Friends" is
highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university Writing/Publishing collections -- and an
ideal pick for a community or academic library Memorial Fund acquisition.
Editorial Note #1: Buz Teacher (https://www.huffpost.com/author/buz-teacher) co-founded and was CEO of Running Press
from 1972 to March 2003. During that time, the company had more than 100 employees, published 220 new titles each year
under the Running Press, Miniature Editions, Courage, and Running Press Kids imprints, and distributed their books
worldwide. Under his leadership, Running Press produced five New York Times hardcover bestsellers, including the
photo-essay book Sisters, which was on the hardcover bestseller list for more than 63 weeks. Buz is currently a consultant in
the publishing industry, and a Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania Press. He is a longtime active board member of the
Children's Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia, as well as a member of the Solebury Township Historic Architecture
Review Board. He has served as an expert witness for other publishers involved in various legal issues concerning book
publishing.
Editorial Note #2: Janet Bukovinsky Teacher is a former magazine writer and editor. Her titles are listed at
https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL3823440A/Janet_Bukovinsky_Teacher
The Education Shelf
Promote Reading Gains
Laura Robb, author
Tim Rasinski, author
David Harrison, author
Shell Educational Publishing
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shell-Education
c/o Teacher Created Materials
https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com
9798765903421, $39.99, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Promote-Reading-Gains-Ready-Use/dp/B0BYRF3DGF
Synopsis: With "Promote Reading Gains: Ready-to-Use Differentiated Lessons for Grades 3-5" elementary school
classroom teachers can accelerate their students learning gains using differentiated instruction! This professional teaching
resource supports educators with easy-to-use lessons that strengthen students' reading skills.
"Promote Reading Gains" provides teachers with 36 lessons that support differentiated instruction in grades 3, 4, and 5. The
lessons focus on four advanced reading skills: visualize, infer, draw conclusions, and compare/contrast.
Written by literacy experts Laura Robb and Tim Rasinski and award-winning children's author David L. Harrison, "Promote
Reading Gains" offers useful lessons and reading strategies that meet students' diverse reading needs.
The first part of this resource provides helpful information that supports the ready-to-implement lessons in the second part.
These lessons create opportunities for individual and collective growth by reading, discussing, and writing about poems and
texts. Now both novice and experienced classroom teachers can build key literacy skills such as comprehension, critical
thinking, vocabulary building, and word study with this thoroughly 'user friendly' curriculum planning resource!
Critique: Of special relevance to readers with an interest in reading/phonics teaching materials and elementary school
curriculum planning resources, "Promote Reading Gains: Ready-to-Use Differentiated Lessons for Grades 3-5" is
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, school district, college/university library Reading Skills & Instruction
collections and supplemental Teacher Education curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for teacher and home-schooling
parents that "Promote Reading Gains: Ready-to-Use Differentiated Lessons for Grades 3-5" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $37.99).
Editorial Note #1: Laura Robb, M.S.Ed., is an author, teacher, coach, and speaker who has taught grades 4 to 8 for more
than 40 years. In addition to speaking and consulting, she coaches K-8 teachers. Robb is a featured speaker at conferences
and leads workshops in the United States and internationally. In 2016, Robb was NCTE's recipient of the Richard W. Halle
Award for Outstanding Middle Level Educator.
Editorial Note #2: David L. Harrison, M.S., is a children's author and Missouri's poet laureate. His poetry, fiction, and
nonfiction for young readers have been anthologized in more than 200 books. Harrison gives presentations at national,
regional, and local conferences and has been a featured speaker at literature festivals and schools. In 2020, Harrison received
the first Laura Ingalls Wilder Children's Literature Medal for his body of work.
Editorial Note #3: Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D., is the author of numerous articles, books, and curriculum programs on literacy
education. He is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University where he previously directed the university's
award-winning reading clinic. Rasinski is known for his work on word study, reading fluency, and readers who struggle. In
2010, he was inducted into the International Reading Hall of Fame.
Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners
Dr. Sarah Taylor Vanover Ed.D., author
Kristen Mennona LPC BC-DMT & CEDS, author
Brookes Publishing Company
www.brookespublishing.com
9781681256498, $29.95, PB, 160pp
https://www.amazon.com/Addressing-Anxiety-Young-Learners-Recognizing/dp/1681256495
Synopsis: Anxiety rates are skyrocketing among young learners -- and their teachers need explicit training on how to
understand and support these students. A concise, reader friendly guide written especially for teachers, "Addressing Anxiety
in Young Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Recognizing Needs and Resolving Behaviors" by educators Sarah Taylor Vanover
and Kristen Mennona is urgently needed book will prepare early educators to recognize anxiety issues in children ages 3 - 8,
identify the associated behaviors, and work effectively with students who have anxiety symptoms.
Teachers will start with a well organized primer on the different types of anxiety in children, featuring symptoms, causes,
triggers, treatment options, and case stories. Then they'll get expert guidance on addressing anxiety and challenging
behaviors in the classroom, with dedicated chapters on key topics like assessment, intervention, and the parents'
experience.
Ideal for both preservice and in service professional development, this introductory guide gives teachers the accessible
information they need to understand learners with anxiety and support their success inside and outside the classroom.
"Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Recognizing Needs and Resolving Behaviors" will prove of
immense benefit and interest to educators with an interest in: Exploring seven types of childhood anxiety: generalized
anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, OCD, phobias, and anxiety rooted in
childhood trauma; Reviewing the assessment and evaluation process, and understand the role a teacher should play;
Recognizing co-morbidities with anxiety (including ADHD, autism, and depression) and how they may affect a child's
symptoms and treatment plan; Understanding the issues and emotions parents face, so that teachers can offer them sensitive
support; Using effective classroom interventions to meet the needs of children with anxiety and create a nurturing learning
environment; Learning which strategies to avoid, from unrealistic expectations to excessive reassurance.
Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly in organization and presentation, "Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners: A Teacher's
Guide to Recognizing Needs and Resolving Behaviors" will be of particular value to readers with an interest in early
childhood education and mental health. Highly recommended for personal, professional, school district, college/university
library Developmental Psychology, Education Counseling, and Classroom Crisis Management collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Addressing Anxiety in Young Learners: A Teacher's Guide to Recognizing
Needs and Resolving Behaviors" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).
Editorial Note #1: Sarah Taylor Vanover has been working in the field of early childhood education for over twenty-three
years. She first began as an assistant teacher in an infant classroom, and since then she has served as a lead teacher, a
program administrator, a trainer, a classroom teaching coach, and a college professor. Dr. Vanover is currently the Director
for the Division of Child Care in Kentucky where she is responsible for early education policy development, child care
subsidy, the Kentucky child care quality rating system, and professional development for early childhood educators.
Editorial Note #2: Dr. Vanover completed her doctoral research on what families look for when selecting child care for their
children. She is an active trainer in Kentucky and surrounding states, and she frequently speaks at conferences on topics like
quality childcare indicators, early childhood special education, and the importance of the child care system.
Kristen Mennona is the founder of Nurture Family Counseling, LLC in Denver, Colorado. Her practice specializes in the
treatment of pediatric eating disorders, OCD and anxiety within the context of the family. Kristen is a licensed professional
counselor, a board-certified dance/movement therapist, a certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS), a registered yoga
instructor (RYT 200) and a BTTI trained clinician for pediatric OCD. Kristen combines best clinical practices with ancient,
embodied experiences for her clients. She believes in the inherent wisdom of the body to bring forth that which needs
healing.
Kristen presents nationally on topic of body image acceptance and the integration of expressive arts. She enjoys teaching
clinicians how to incorporate non-verbal methods to help clients tolerate body sensations (like anxiety). She hosts an
Instagram account called THE_BODY_AS to inspire more people to work on body image acceptance and to pass
that acceptance on to the next generation.
Creative Thinking in Schools: A Leadership Playbook
Bill Lucas, et al.
Crown House Publishing
81 Brook Hills Circle, White Plains, NY 10605
www.crownhousepublishing.com
9781785836848, $34.95, PB, 150pp
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Thinking-Schools-Leadership-Playbook/dp/1785836846
Synopsis: Written by an internationally renowned team of thought-leaders, researchers and facilitators, "Creative Thinking
in Schools: A Leadership Playbook" is a practical guide that draws together various understandings about school leadership
combined with a deep experience of cultivating creative thinking in all aspects of school life and promoting creative
learning habits in the classroom.
"Creative Thinking in Schnools" is a leadership playbook that has been published to coincide with the global release of the
first PISA test results on creative thinking, the Creativity Collaboratives under way in England and the growing importance
of creative thinking in countries across the world.
"Creative Thinking in Schools" focuses on how leaders can create capacity among their staff to embed creative thinking,
both in their own lives and in the lives of their pupils. It also offers a framework for improving creative thinking based on
the widely used five creative habits framework developed by the Centre for Real-World Learning. The framework focuses
on developing learners who are inquisitive, persistent, collaborative, disciplined and imaginative.
Underpinned by research and analysis of practice in hundreds of schools across the world, and more recently by an in-depth
study of fifty schools in England, "Creative Thinking in Schools" provides a range of accessible resources, planning tools
and practical examples. These support leaders to reflect on their core purposes, understand the changes needed to embed
creative thinking, develop leaders across their staff, facilitate the development of their teachers, plan, teach and assess
creative thinking, and work with external partners, all the while developing a vibrant professional learning community.
Complemented and supported by a dedicated website which contains additional downloadable materials and case studies,
"Creative Thinking in Schools" will allow leaders and teachers around the world to connect with each other and share their
own experiences in order to develop, spread, extend and evaluate creative thinking within and across schools.
"Creative Thinking in Schools" will support a professional learning community of leaders and teachers who see creative
thinking as a core purpose of education and are interested in making it a priority in their school. It will encourage pupils to
develop their creativity in the classroom, allowing future generations to thrive in a world that is increasingly complex.
Critique: creative thinking is a core purpose in education from preschool to highschool and beyond. Thoroughly 'user
friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be noted that "Creative Thinking in Schools: A Leadership Playbook"
has been supported by the Mercers Company, Creativity, Culture and Education and the Arts Council of Wales. While also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.99), "Creative Thinking in Schools" is especially and unreservedly
recommended for classroom teachers, school administrators, school board members, and education policy makers.
Editorial Note: Professor Bill Lucas is Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning at the University of Winchester. An
acknowledged thought-leader in education, Bill has been a school leader and the founder of two national educational
charities. With Guy Claxton he created the Expansive Education Network: an organisation of schools that share a common
view of the goals of education, as outlined in their seminal book, Educating Ruby. Bill is in demand across the world as a
researcher, speaker and facilitator. Bill's work on developing capabilities is widely used in Australia and across the UK. The
model of creativity on which Teaching Creative Thinking is based is the subject of a 14 country study by the OECD.
The Political Science Shelf
Transformative Civic Education in Democratic Societies
Tetyana Hoggan-Kloubert, et al.
Michigan State University Press
http://msupress.org
9781611864601, $49.95, PB, 250pp
https://msupress.org/9781611864601/transformative-civic-education-in-democratic-societies
Synopsis: Democracy is neither inevitable nor guaranteed to last. To survive, democracy needs people adequately prepared
to enact it. Such preparation for effective citizenship in a complex and plural world requires an adult civic education, one
that goes beyond simple knowledge acquisition. It requires a transformative education to help learners become agents and
co-shapers of their worlds.
Collectively compiled and co-edited by the team of Tetyana Hoggan-Loubert, Paul E. Mabrey III, and Chad Hoggan,
"Transformative Civic Education in Democratic Societies" offers examples of the roles that civic education has played and
can play in different communities. In this collection, scholars from around the world report and reflect on civic adult
education, examining approaches, paradigms, and concepts that help us to act in culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and
religiously diverse societies.
Critique: "Transformative Civic Education in Democratic Societies" is a timely and informatively erudite contribution to our
current national discussion with respect to the present forces that seek to replace our constitutional democracy with an
authoritarian governance in the form of a personality cult driven MAGA take-over the Republican Party resulting in the
attempted and violent overthrow of a freely elected government by an armed mob that invaded the Capital Building and
sought the execution of Vice President Mike Pence at the behest of then President Donald J. Trump in his attempt to retain
the presidency despite his having lost that election. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
community, governmental, and college/university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists, It should also be noted that "Transformative Civic Education in Democratic Societies" available in
a digital book format (Kindle, $47.45) for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note #1: Tetyana Hoggan-Kloubert is lecturer in Adult Education at the University of Augsburg, Germany. Dr.
Hoggan-Kloubert researches migration and civic education in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the United States. She
has conducted research as a visiting researcher at various universities, including Harvard University, Tufts University, and
Chernivtsi University. She is co-founder of the Civic Reconstruction Project and co-director of the Institute for Civic
Studies and Learning for Democracy.
Editorial Note #2: Paul E. Mabrey III is the Communication Center coordinator in the Learning Centers and assistant
professor in the School of Communication Studies at James Madison University. Dr. Mabrey has received a "Civvy" award
honorable mention for American Civic Collaboration, secured 4-VA and Colonial Academic Alliance grant funding, and
published scholarship on the use of debate for civic learning. Previously, he served as the assistant director of Debate at
James Madison University and president of the Cross Examination Debate Association.
Editorial Note #3: Chad Hoggan is an associate professor of adult and lifelong education at North Carolina State University
and has been co-editor of the Journal of Transformative Education since 2016. Previous books include Transformative
Learning in Community Colleges, which won the 2020 Cyril Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education.
Dr. Hoggan is co-founder of the Civic Reconstruction Project and co-director of the Institute for Civic Studies and Learning
for Democracy.
Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss
Juliet Hooker
Princeton University Press
https://press.princeton.edu
9780691243030, $32.00, HC, 360pp
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Grief-White-Grievance-Politics/dp/0691243034
Synopsis: In democracies, citizens must accept loss; we can't always be on the winning side. But in the United States, the
fundamental civic capacity of being able to lose is not distributed equally.
Propped up by white supremacy, whites (as a group) are accustomed to winning; they have generally been able to exercise
political rule without having to accept sharing it. Black citizens, on the other hand, are expected to be political heroes whose
civic suffering enables progress toward racial justice.
With the publication of "Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss", Professor Juliet Hooker (a leading thinker on
democracy and race), argues that the two most important forces driving racial politics in the United States today are Black
grief and White grievance. Black grief is exemplified by current protests against police violence -- the latest in a tradition of
violent death and subsequent public mourning spurring Black political mobilization. The potent politics of white grievance,
meanwhile, which is also not new, imagines the United States as a white country under siege.
Drawing on African American political thought, Hooker examines key moments in US racial politics that illuminate the
problem of loss in democracy. Professor Hooker connects today's Black Lives Matter protests to the use of lynching
photographs to arouse public outrage over post-Reconstruction era racial terror, and she discusses Emmett Till's funeral as a
catalyst for the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s.
Professor Hooker also traces the political weaponization of white victimhood during the Obama and Trump presidencies.
Calling for an expansion of Black and white political imaginations, Professor Hooker argues that both must learn to sit with
loss, for different reasons and to different ends.
Critique: Of special relevance to readers with an interest in how race shapes expectations about whose losses matter and
whose losses are discounted, which in turn has shaped our political discord from generations (and which has only
accelerated and intensified with Donald Trump and the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party), "Black Grief/White
Grievance: The Politics of Loss" is a welcome and timely contribution to our understanding of contemporary political
discourse and political division. Informative, articulate, insightful, "Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university Contemporary
Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, political
activists, and governmental policy makers that "Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $17.60).
Editorial Note: Juliet Hooker (https://juliethooker.com) is the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political
Science at Brown University. She is also the author of Race and the Politics of Solidarity and Theorizing Race in the
Americas: Douglass, Sarmiento, Du Bois, and Vasconcelos, which was awarded the American Political Science
Association's 2018 Ralph Bunche Book Award for the best work in ethnic and cultural pluralism and the 2018 Best Book
Award of the Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association.
Machiavelli's Effectual Truth: Creating the Modern World
Harvey C. Mansfield
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781009320122, $105.00, HC, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Machiavellis-Effectual-Truth-Creating-Modern/dp/1009320122
Synopsis: Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 - 21 June 1527) was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher
and historian who lived during the Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince (Il Principe), written
around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political
philosophy and political science. (Wikipedia)
While Machiavelli was a Renaissance era thinker, yet in a notable phrase he invented, 'the effectual truth', he attacked the
high-sounding humanism typical of the Renaissance, while mounting a conspiracy against the classical and Christian values
of his time.
With the publication of "Machiavelli's Effectual Truth: Creating the Modern World", Professor Harvey C. Mansfield studies
and explains this overlooked phrase for the first time. The upshot of 'effectual truth' for any individual is to not depend on
anyone or anything outside yourself to keep you free and secure. Professor Mansfield argues that this phrase reveals
Machiavelli's approach to modern science, with its focus on the efficient cause and concern for fact. He inquires into the
effect Machiavelli expected from his own writings, who believed his philosophy would have an effect that future
philosophers could not ignore. His plan, according to Professor Mansfield, was to bring about a desired effect and thus to
create his own future and ours.
Critique: A seminal work of exhaustive research and meticulous scholarship, "Machiavelli's Effectual Truth: Creating the
Modern World" is an extraordinary contribution to Renaissance European political history and theory. Exceptionally
insightful, persuasively argued, expertly written, thoroughly 'reader friendly in organization and presentation, "Machiavelli's
Effectual Truth: Creating the Modern World" is an impressive and recommended addition to personal, community, and
college/university library Renaissance and Political Science collections, as well as supplemental Machiavelli curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Machiavelli's Effectual Truth: Creating the Modern World" is also available in a paperback edition (9781009320153,
$34.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.49).
Editorial Note: Harvey C. Mansfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Mansfield) has spent his life at Harvard
University, where he studies and teaches political philosophy. He is a translator of Machiavelli and Tocqueville, writing on
Edmund Burke, the invention of indirect government, defensible and constitutional liberalism, the discovery of the theory of
executive power, and the nature of manliness. He has received the National Humanities Medal (2004), delivered the annual
Thomas Jefferson lecture (2007), and has been awarded the Bradley Prize.
The Environmental Studies Shelf
Climate Resilience
Kylie Flanagan
North Atlantic Books
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623179021, $19.95, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Climate-Resilience-Communities-Against-Change/dp/1623179025
Synopsis: With the publication of "Climate Resilience: How We Keep Each Other Safe, Care for Our Communities, and
Fight Back Against Climate Change", climate justice and resilience strategist Kylie Flanagan invites us to see and act
beyond status-quo solutions, Big Tech promises...and everything we're usually told about how to save the planet.
Centering the voices of Native Rights activists, queer liberation ecologists, youth climate-justice organizers, Latinx
wilderness activists, and others on the front lines, "Climate Resilience" urges us toward a vision of climate care that invests
in place-based, community-led projects focused on: Relationship Repair; Ecological Restoration; Economic Regeneration;
Collective Care; Community Adaptation; Cultural Strategy; and People Power.
Each section offers practical blueprints for engaging with different aspects of climate-change action through mutual aid,
seed-saving, community-owned energy, community safety plans, and more, and includes a range of ideas for readers to
apply these strategies in their own communities.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a ten page Glossary, twenty-four pages of Notes, and a
ten page Index, "Climate Resilience: How We Keep Each Other Safe, Care for Our Communities, and Fight Back Against
Climate Change" will be of special value to readers with an interest in addressing the issues of an evolving climatology
driven crisis. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and
college/university Climate Science & Environment Science collections and supplemental Environmentalism curriculum
studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, environmental activists, governmental policy makers, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Climate Resilience: How We Keep Each Other Safe, Care for
Our Communities, and Fight Back Against Climate Change" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).
Editorial Note: Kylie Flanagan is a climate communicator and the Executive Director of a small, climate justice-focused
foundation. Originally from Miwok lands in the California Bay Area, she currently resides on Munsee Lenape lands in New
York City. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and received a Master's in Sustainability Solutions from
Presidio Graduate School. She has dabbled in goat midwifery, cheesemaking, tiny house architecture and construction,
supper club hosting, edible landscaping, and sustainable business consulting, always driven by a desire to make the world
more delicious, beautiful, joyous, and just. Climate Resilience is her first book.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
The Medical Revolution of Messenger RNA
Fabrice Delaye
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
www.cshlpress.com
9781621824947, $29.50, HC, 138pp
https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Revolution-Messenger-RNA/dp/1621824942
Synopsis: To the casual observer, it took just 10 months to develop a vaccine against the virus responsible for the
COVID-19 pandemic. That extraordinary success was made possible by the use of messenger RNA (mRNA), the molecule
that instructs cells to make a virus surface protein that stimulates the production of antiviral antibodies.
What most people don't know is that this apparently breakthrough technology had been in development for three frustrating
decades. And that it was preceded by 30 earlier years of fundamental research.
With the publication of "The Medical Revolution of Messenger RNA", technology journalist Fabrice Delaye tells the story
of how mRNA's medical potential was finally realized, setting the stage for a coming revolution in which our own bodies
will generate therapeutic molecules we need. mRNA was long overlooked by mainstream molecular biologists. The pathway
to recognition of its therapeutic possibilities was littered with broken careers, lawsuits, and opportunities missed by
pharmaceutical companies. For the scientists who persisted through years of academic and commercial disappointment, the
COVID-19 vaccine was an enormous vindication and an important step toward a new generation of therapies.
Fabrice Delaye interviewed more than 40 scientists and entrepreneurs worldwide to create this definitive account of the rise
of a technology that promises to revolutionize medicine.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of B/W photographs, a Foreword by Noble
Prize Winner Thomas R. Cech, a two page Glossary, a four page Selected Bibliography, and an eight page Index, "The
Medical Revolution of Messenger RNA" is an extraordinary and impressively well written, definitively detailed history of
the development of COVID-19 vaccine. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. "The Medical
Revolution of Messenger RNA" especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college,
and university library History of Medicine collections, and supplemental Immunology curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Fabrice Delaye (http://www.liftglobal.org/people/fabrice-delaye) is a science and technology journalist based
in Switzerland. He was U.S. correspondent at the daily Swiss newspaper L'Agefi, science and technology editor at magazine
Bilan, and is now a reporter-at-large for Heidi.news in Geneva. He is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris
and has a master's degree from the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne, EPFL.
When COVID-19 imposed its relentless grip on the global population and messenger RNA-based vaccines came to the
rescue in seemingly record time, Delaye realized that their development could not have been as simple and quick as people
wanted to believe. But it was not until he went in pursuit of the origins of mRNA technologies that he uncovered a dramatic
story that had never been told.
Maximizing his decades of contacts and his unique grasp of the science and the stakes involved, Delaye set out to document
the long, harrowing, unlikely but ultimately triumphant road to discovery of RNA-based technology with the potential to
transform the world far beyond the pandemic.
The American History Shelf
All That Can Be Expected
Robert Orrison, author
Mark Wilcox, author
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216868, $16.95, PB, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Can-Expected-Revolutionary/dp/1611216869
Synopsis: "They have done all that can be expected of them, we are outnumbered and outflanked," explained Lt. Col.
Benjamin Ford in regards to the desperate situation his Marylanders faced on the disastrous day of August 16, 1780.
Many historians consider the battle of Camden as the high tide of Great Britain's prospects for victory in the American
South. In the spring of 1780, British leadership focused their attention on conquering the Southern Colonies. Charleston
capitulated, along with the bulk of the American army defending it, in May of 1780. After its fall, the British set up outposts
across South Carolina's backcountry in an effort to secure that colony before moving into North Carolina.
In response, the Continental Congress sent Gen. Horatio Gates, the "hero of Saratoga", to take over the Southern
Department. Gates reorganized the forces there and named his field command "Grand Army", whose core was a small
contingent of experienced Continentals from Maryland and Delaware. The majority, however, was comprised of untested
soldiers and newly recruited militia from Virginia and North Carolina.
Soon after his arrival, Gates led his army south to confront the British near Camden, South Carolina. The mostly
inexperienced American force found itself facing some of the best units of the British army under the command of one of its
best generals, Charles Cornwallis.
The result was an unmitigated disaster for the Americans with far-reaching consequences. With the publication of "All That
Can Be Expected: The Battle of Camden and the British High Tide in the South, August 16, 1780", co-authors and
historians Rob Orrison and Mark Wilcox set forth the events surrounding one of the worst American military defeats in
United States history. Readers will also follow in the footsteps of American and British soldiers through the South Carolina
backcountry on a narrative tour to help better understand this fascinating campaign of August 1780.
Critique: An impressive work of collaborative historical research by historians Robert Orrison and Mark Wilcox, "All That
Can Be Expected: The Battle of Camden and the British High Tide in the South, August 16, 1780" is the newest title in the
simply outstanding 'Emerging Revolutionary War' series from Savas Beatie and a welcome, unreservedly recommended
pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library 18th Century American History collections in
general, and supplemental American Revolution curriculum studies lists in particular.
Editorial Note #1: Robert Orrison is co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War and has worked in the public history field
for more than 25 years. He serves as the Division Manager for the Prince William County (VA) Office of Historic
Preservation. His works include A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Beginning of the American
Revolution, A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg
Campaign, 1863, and To Hazard All: A Guide to the Maryland Campaign, 1862.
Editorial Note #2: Historian Mark Wilcox works as a ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park and the Maggie L.
Walker National Historic Site, leads battlefield tours around Richmond, and presents on the city's Revolutionary War, Civil
War, and Civil Rights history. Mark is also a living historian of the Colonial era and provides educational programs for
public history sites in Virginia. He is also a member of the Richmond Chapter of the Revolutionary War Roundtable and
blogs for Emerging Revolutionary War.
The World History Shelf
Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance
Jonathan Jones
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500023136, $39.95, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Earthly-Delights-Renaissance-Jonathan-Jones/dp/0500023131
Synopsis: With the publication of "Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance", art critic and historian Jonathan Jones
presents an imaginative reframing of Renaissance history as that of connections across Europe, where artists from the north
and south were products of the brilliantly fertile mix of classical inspiration, observation, and self-consciousness that set
European culture alight from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries. From Leonardo da Vinci to Hieronymus Bosch,
Pieter Bruegel to Titian, this stirring narrative sets the lives of artists against a period of great change across the
continent.
Across its thirteen chapters, art critic and writer Jonathan Jones relates the story of Renaissance artists as pioneers,
adventurers, and by their own rights "geniuses". He also reveals how they were inspired by their travels and encounters
across Europe and beyond, such as the Aztec treasures upon which Albrecht Durer gazed with wonder in Brussels in 1520,
or Antonello da Messina's arduous journey to Bruges to discover the true nature of oil paint.
In this seminal history of shared ideals, the arrival of a hitherto unknown Netherlandish painter, Bruegel, in 1550s Rome
carries the same importance as the work Michelangelo was engrossed in at that very same moment to raise the new Saint
Peter's Basilica toward heaven. From Italian palazzi and piazzas to German woods, the royal castle of Prague to the
Habsburg Empire, this engaging and evocative read will captivate general readers and scholars alike.
Critique: This large format (7.8 x 1.3 x 10 inches" hardcover edition of "Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance" is
impressively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 170 full color illustrations, an informative Introduction (The
Birth of Uncertainty), four pages of Notes, a one page listing of Acknowledgments, and a five page Index. Fascinating,
informative, impressively well organized and presented, "Earthly Delights: A History of the Renaissance" will prove of
immense interest and a welcome addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Renaissance Art
History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Jonathan Jones is an art critic for The Guardian. He is the author of several books, including The Lost
Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel that Defined the Renaissance, The Loves of the Artists: Art and
Passion in the Renaissance, Sensations: The Story of British Art from Hogarth to Banksy, and Artemisia Gentileschi. Jones
was also a member of the jury for the 2009 Turner Prize and has appeared in the BBC series The Private Life of a
Masterpiece. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Jones_(journalist)
Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality
Diane Wolfthal
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781913875374, $44.95, HC, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Medieval-Money-Merchants-Morality-Wolfthal/dp/1913875377
Synopsis: The rise of the monetary economy transformed every aspect of medieval Europe, including its values and culture.
With the publication of "Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality", historian Diane Wolfthal explores the ways art
reflected and reinforced the complex ethical discussions that developed from the widespread role of money in everyday life
in the Middle Ages.
"Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality" deftly traces the origins of global money, and surveys economic history,
focusing on the environment, the plague, Jews, and institutions, using a wealth of imagery including illuminated
manuscripts, coins, artworks, money chests, and account books.
The iconography, minting, and foreign exchange of coins are also examined in "Medieval Money, Merchants, and
Morality", and the choice that Christians faced is investigated: should they save their money or their soul?
"Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality" explores images of Avarice, the greedy punished in hell, and immoral ways to
earn and spend money, and analyze representations of charity and voluntary poverty. Final chapters examine the material
culture of the monetary economy (from an illuminated oath for minters to purses and lockboxes) and images of medieval
money management.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, this large format (8.25 x 1 x 10 inches, 2.6 pounds) hardcover
edition of Diane Wolfthal's "Medieval Money, Merchants, and Morality" from Giles is impressively informative,
exceptionally well written, organized and presented. A seminal work of eloquent and detailed scholarship, "Medieval
Money, Merchants, and Morality" will be of particular value to readers with an interest in money and monetary
history/policy, western political economic history, and coin collecting making it unreservedly recommended for personal,
professional, community, and college/university library Monetary History/Economics collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Diane Wolfthal specializes in late medieval and early modern European art. Founding Co-editor of Early
Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal, she is David and Caroline Minter Chair Emerita in the Humanities and
professor emerita of Art History, Rice University.
Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and Events
Andrew Beattie
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399007788, $49.95, HC, 236pp
https://www.amazon.com/Henry-VIII-History-Important-Places/dp/1399007785
Synopsis: The story of Henry VIII is well known: he is famed throughout the world as the charismatic king of England who
married six wives (and executed two of them), who broke with Rome and dissolved England's monasteries, and who grew
from a Renaissance prince into a lustful, egotistical and callous tyrant. He is the subject of scholarly and popular biographies
and of numerous fictional works, from John Fletcher and William Shakespeare's jointly authored play Henry VIII to
contemporary novels, films and TV series. But with the publication of "Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places
and Events", historian Andrew Beattie tells the story of Henry VIII in a very different way to any of these: through the
places where the events of his life unfolded.
From Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London to the site of the Field of the Cloth of Gold near Calais where Henry
met the French King Francis I for a week of pageantry in 1520, and from his lavish palaces in London to quieter manor
houses in the English countryside which he visited during his annual summer "progress", a whole new light is thrown on
this most compelling of historical figures.
While some sites associated with Henry are now very ruinous -- such as the Woking Palace in Surrey, which Henry
remodeled into a lavish royal residence but which is now little more than a few tumbledown walls, or Greenwich Palace,
where he was born, of which only a few remnants from his era remain -- others, most famously Hampton Court, are much
more substantial; "Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and Events" focuses on Henry's connections with
each site in turn, along with the conditions that today's visitors to the site can expect, beginning with the Thames-side
palaces from Greenwich upstream to Hampton Court, before broadening its scope to include properties and sites outside
London, in the West and North of England and in Northern France.
Critique: A seminal and ground-breaking study, "Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and Events" is
enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, a three page Bibliography and Further Reading, a
one page listing of Acknowledgements, and a nine page Index. A work of meticulous research and impressive scholarship,
"Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and Events" is unreservedly recommended as a core and essential
addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library 16th Century British Royal History collections
and supplemental Henry VIII curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that 'Henry VIII: A History of his Most Important Places and
Events" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: Andrew Beattie is the author of several cultural-historical titles, including books on Prague and Cairo in
Signal Books' Cities of the Imagination series and on the Scottish Highlands and the River Danube for their Landscapes of
the Imagination series; he has also written for the travel series Rough Guides. Having written Following in the Footsteps of
the Princes in the Tower, this is his second book for Pen and Sword. He is also an established children's playwright and his
play Arthur: Boy-King of Britain has been performed by schools and youth theatre groups in the UK, the United States and
Australia. He is a graduate of Oxford University and lives in London.
The Military History Shelf
The History of Roman Legion VI Victrix
Tony Sullivan
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399088572, $36.95, HC, 202pp
https://www.amazon.com/History-Roman-Legion-VI-Victrix/dp/1399088572
Synopsis: "The History of Roman Legion VI Victrix: The Original Watchers on the Wall" by Tony Sullivan and published
by Pen & Sword Books is the first in depth study on the history of Legion VI Victrix in Britain. Brought over from Germany
in 122 to assist in the building of Hadrian's Wall the Sixth Legion remained in Britain until the end of Roman rule. In "The
History of Roman Legion VI Victrix: The Original Watchers on the Wall", Sullivan investigates the changing military
organization, weapons and warfare as well as the many auxiliary units posted in the north of Britain.
The reader is introduced to those members of the Sixth Legion that are known from inscriptions and literary sources. From
lowly legionaries helping to build Hadrian's or the Antonine Wall to Pertinax, tribune of the Sixth, and destined to become
Emperor. Case studies will include a praefectus castrorum, Lucius Artorius Castus, along with the legionary bases at York
and Corbridge.
During there occupation of Britain, the men of the Sixth witnessed the tumultuous, and often bloody, history of Roman
Britain: the border shifting back and forth under Antoninus; barbarian incursions and army mutinies under the murderous
Commodus; the bloody civil war against Septimius Severus and the subsequent invasion of Caledonia.
In the last century of Roman rule, the Sixth supported several rival emperors from Constantine the Great, to Magnus
Maximus, until finally Constantine III.
This journey through British and Roman history will end with a discussion of the likely fate of the Sixth in the early fifth
century after the end of Roman authority.
Critique; A seminal, fascinating, and impressively informative study, "The History of Roman Legion VI Victrix: The
Original Watchers on the Wall" is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the evolution of the Roman legion, the
empire in general and the history Roman Britain in particular. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a three page
listing of Sources for Images and Maps, four pages of Notes, a four page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "The History
of Roman Legion VI Victrix: The Original Watchers on the Wall" is a very special and thoroughly recommended
contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library Roman Britain history collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. "The History of Roman Legion VI Victrix: The Original Watchers on the Wall" is also available in
a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Tony Sullivan lives in Kent with his wife and children. He spent 31 years in the London Fire Brigade and
have recently retired. He has been interested in dark age history and King Arthur in particular for many years. There is a
listing of his published books at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tony-Sullivan/a/3739
Cavalry: A Global History
Jeremy Black
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399060899, $36.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Cavalry-Global-History-Jeremy-Black/dp/1399060899
Synopsis: With the publication of "Cavalry: A Global History", author Jeremy Black covers the role of horses and essential
mobility in 'shock action', in warfare in the classical world, in the major civilizations of China and India, Steppe cavalry, in
the middle ages with Islamic and European conflict, the 'social politics' in Christendom with knightly valor, and war with
non-Christian forces including the Muslim invasion of Europe, Islamic Spain, and conflict with the Mongols.
The early modern period covers the Asia and North Africa and the Ottomans (a major field of warfare continuing up to the
modern period) and the time is notable for the introduction of horses in the Americas -- a new phase in cavalry history.
The modern period from Napoleon to the First World War is the history of the mobility of cavalry in European warfare and
in imperial expansion and empire-building, but the concept of cavalry 'redundancy' arises in the maelstrom of 1914-1918
with artillery bombardment, trench warfare, and the role of infantry.
The long 'transition' period leading up the present and future is fascinating for both cavalry and infantry, with the
development of tanks and armor. And here is a fascinating and original concept of cavalry 'transformation' and not cavalry
'survivalism', with modern and post-modern development of drone warfare (from horses to drones) as a 'new cavalry' for
reconnaissance and combat.
Critique: An a seminal, original, and ground-breaking work of impeccable scholarship, "Cavalry: A Global History" will fill
a significant gap in the field of military history, and be of immense interest and value students, academia, military buffs, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. "Cavalry: A Global History" provides a comprehensive history
of the universal role of cavalry in warfare from earliest times to the present -- and future! Enhanced with the inclusion of a
one page bibliography of Selected Further reading, twelve pages of Notes, and a nine page Index, "Cavalry: A Global
History" is an essential pick for community and college/university library Military History collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Cavalry: A Global History" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Jeremy Black has recently retired as Professor of History at the University of Exeter. Graduating from
Cambridge with a starred first, he did postgraduate work at Oxford and then taught at Durham, eventually as professor,
before moving to Exeter in 1996. He has lectured extensively in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, New
Zealand, and the United States, where he has held visiting chairs at West Point, Texas Christian University, and Stillman
College. He was appointed to the Order of Membership of the British Empire for services to stamp design. His books
include The British Seaborne Empire, Contesting History and Rethinking World War Two.
Clan Battles
Chris Peers
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399070034, $34.95, HC, 184pp
https://www.amazon.com/Clan-Battles-Warfare-Scottish-Highlands/dp/1399070037
Synopsis: Warfare between the clans of the Highlands in the late Middle Ages determined the course of history in this
region of Scotland, and "Clan Battles: Warfare in the Scottish Highlands", historian and author Chris Peers' gripping
account of it (and of the rivalry between the strongest clans), gives the reader a deep insight into this bloody, turbulent phase
in the development of the far north of the British Isles. The battles he describes, all of them fought between the 1430s and
the 1540s, were flash points in the long struggle for dominance between the leading clans of the region.
The battles are reconstructed in vivid detail. The first, Druim n Coub, was fought in 1433 between the Mackays and the
Sutherlands. Then came Bloody Bay, a sea fight between rival MacDonald factions, Blar na Parc between the MacDonalds
and the Mackenzies, Creag an Airgid between the MacDonalds and the MacIains, Glendale between the MacDonalds and
MacLeods, and Torran Dubh between alliances headed by the Mackays and Sutherlands. The final battle, Blar na Leine,
fought between the MacDonalds and the Frasers in 1544, marked the end of an era.
The subsequent fate of the leading clans, principally the MacDonalds and Mackays, is also covered in a narrative that gives
the reader a fascinating new perspective of clan loyalties and conflict which still resonates today.
As well as covering the fighting "Clan Battles" also explains the way war in the Highlands was organized by the contending
clans during the period -- the strategies and tactics, weapons and armor they employed. The result is an absorbing all-round
account of the military history of the Highlands before the clans eventually lost their independence.
Critique: The sequel to "The Highland Battles: Warfare on Scotland's Northern Frontier in the Early Middle Ages" (Pen &
Sword, 2020), Chris Peer's "Clan Battles: Warfare in the Scottish Highlands" features a section of B/W photos, a five page
Sources & Further Reading bibliography, and a seven page Index. A work of elegant and fundamental research based
scholarship, "Clan Battles" is a welcome, impressively informative, inherently interesting, and recommended contribution to
personal, professional, community, and academic library Scottish History collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists. It is also available for students, academia, and military history buffs that "Clan Battles" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Chris Peers is a leading expert on the history of ancient and medieval warfare and has written widely on the
subject. He has contributed many articles to military history, wargaming and family history magazines, and his major
publications include Warlords of China: 700BC-AD1662, Warrior Peoples of East Africa, Soldiers of the Dragon, The
African Wars: Warriors and Soldiers of the Colonial Campaigns, Offa and the Mercian Wars: The Rise and Fall of the First
Great English Kingdom, and Genghis Khan and the Mongol War Machine.
The Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC)
Gareth C. Sampson
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526793621, $34.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Pharsalus-48-BC-Caesar/dp/1526793628
Synopsis: In August 48 BC, following the earlier battle at Dyrrhachium, the two greatest Roman commanders of their
generation met in battle again at Pharsalus in Greece. Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, had been defeated at Dyrrhachium
and forced to retreat but now stood at bay to face Pompey the Great, conqueror of the East. At stake lay the future of the
ailing Roman Republic, each man believing he alone had the solution to restoring Republican government.
With the publication of "The Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC): Caesar, Pompey and their Final Clash in the Third Roman Civil
War", author Gareth Sampson examines the campaigns which led up to the battle as well as the role played by the various
regional powers who got drawn into the Roman Civil War.
The Battle of Pharsalus itself is analyzed in detail to determine the strengths and weakness of both armies and their various
commanders, as well as the organization, equipment and tactics of the forces involved in the battle which culminated in a
decisive victory for Caesar -- and concludes with consideration of the aftermath of the battle, which saw Pompey murdered
in Egypt and Caesar distracted by the affairs of the East.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of B/W photos, an Introduction (The Battle of
Pharsalus: Winners, Losers, and the Judgement of History), a Timeline (Pre-Third Civil War 70-49 BC), Notes on Roman
Names, two Appendices, eight pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "The Battle of Pharsalus (48
BC): Caesar, Pompey and their Final Clash in the Third Roman Civil War" is a welcome addition to the growing library of
Ancient Roman Military History studies and highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and
college/university collections. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with
an interest in the subject that "The Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC): Caesar, Pompey and their Final Clash in the Third Roman
Civil War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: After a successful career in corporate finance, Gareth C Sampson returned to the study of ancient Rome and
gained his PhD from the University of Manchester, where he taught history for a number of years. He now lives in Plymouth
with his wife and children. His previous books, The Defeat of Rome (2008), The Crisis of Rome (2010), The Collapse of
Rome (2013), Rome Spreads Her Wings (2016) and Rome, Blood and Politics (2017) were also published by Pen &
Sword.
Military Dogs of World War II
Susan Bulanda
Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243252, $28.95, PB, 128pp
https://www.amazon.com/Military-Dogs-World-Casemate-Illustrated/dp/1636243258
Synopsis: Animals, especially dogs, have served in all the wars of men since time immemorial. During World War II, most
combatant nations employed dogs on the battlefield in a number of ways including searching for injured men or downed
airmen; detecting mines; carrying messages between units or dragging communications wires, particularly in difficult
terrain; transporting supplies; and sentry duty.
"Military Dogs of World War II" by Susan Bulanda is an illustrated book that provides an overview of how dogs were
trained and used in WWII by different countries, including the stories of some of the individual animals that served. It also
summarizes the various programs established to take care of the animals and send them home after the war.
Critique: A unique and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/academic library World War
II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, "Military Dogs of World War II" is a fascinating
and informative read from start to finish. Profusely illustrated throughout with B/W historic photos, it should be noted that
"Military Dogs of World War II" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).
Editorial Note: Susan Bulanda (https://sbulanda.com) is an author and certified animal behavior consultant with the
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a retired adjunct professor.
The Civil War Shelf
Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864
Edwin C. Bearss, author
David A. Powell, editor
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216707, $29.95, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Outwitting-Forrest-Campaign-Mississippi-Battles/dp/1611216702
Synopsis: Few students of the Civil War know that legendary historian Edwin C. Bearss produced a classic study on the
little-known but significant Tupelo Campaign. The fighting in Mississippi was overshadowed by Nathan Bedford Forrest's
more spectacular victory at Brice's Crossroads a month earlier. Bearss performed the research and writing for the
Department of the Interior in 1969, and only a handful of softcover copies were circulated. It is published here for the first
time, with the posthumous assistance of author David A. Powell, as "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in
Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864".
The engagement came about when Maj. Gen. A. J. Smith marched a Federal expeditionary force (his XVI Army Corps) into
northern Mississippi in early July 1864. The thrust forced a response, the largest of which was delivered by the combined
Confederate cavalry of Stephen D. Lee (who was in general command) and Forrest.
The tactical result was a Union defensive success. The larger Confederate strategic play, however - one that might have
impacted the course of the war in the Western Theater - would have been to unleash Forrest on a raid into Middle Tennessee
to destroy the single line of railroad track feeding and supplying the Union armies of William T. Sherman in his ongoing
operations around Atlanta. Instead, his troopers were contained within the Magnolia State, where his combat effectiveness
was severely curtailed.
As an editor, Powell has left Bearss's prose and notes intact, while adding additional sources and commentary of his own.
The result is an exceptional study that has finally been made available to the general reading public as part of the Savas
Beatie Battles & Leaders Series.
Critique: Simply stated, no personal, professional, community, college, or university library American Civil War History
collection can be considered current and comprehensive without the inclusion of "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign
in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864" Fascinating, informative, and with occasional B/W illustrations, this is a Civil War
study as only the late and now becoming legendary Edwin C. Bearss could produce. It should be noted for the personal
reading lists of all American Civil War students, scholars, and dedicated non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "Outwitting Forrest: The Tupelo Campaign in Mississippi, June 22 - July 23, 1864" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).
Editorial Note #1: Edwin C. Bearss (26 June 1923 - 15 September 2020) was an author, preservationist, and tour guide best
known for his work on the Civil War. The grievously wounded World War II Marine served as the Chief Historian for both
Vicksburg National Military Park and the National Park Service, authored dozens of books and articles, and led scores of
tours each year. Ed helped discover and raise the Union gunboat USS Cairo from the Yazoo River, now on display at
Vicksburg National Military Park. Ed passed away at the age of 97. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bearss)
Editorial Note #2: David A. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (1983) with a BA in history. He has
written dozens of books, articles, and historical simulations, including the award-winning Chickamauga Campaign trilogy,
The Maps of Chickamauga, and Failure in the Saddle. He is currently finishing the first of what promises to be a
five-volume history of the Atlanta Campaign. (https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/david-a-powell)
The Art Shelf
Essential Human Anatomy for Artists
Ken Goldman
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9781631599590, $26.99, PB, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Human-Anatomy-Artists-Structures/dp/1631599593
Synopsis: "Essential Human Anatomy for Artists: A Complete Visual Guide to Drawing the Structures of the Living Form"
by Ken Goldman is a comprehensive anatomy course that is specifically designed to offer new and experienced artist the
required tools to help them understand the connections between exterior forms and underlying structures.
Along with demonstrations of key materials are in-depth discussions of the skeleton and the study of the muscles. The
drawing demonstrations (which are based on a series of live model poses) are designed to help readers understand the
various forms of the human body. Key information on movement and lighting is also included.
For artists at every level of experience, "Essential Human Anatomy for Artists" will allow them to learn to work freely and
confidently with the human figure and use the information it provides to create an accurate visual impression.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, this large format paperback edition of "Essential Human Anatomy for Artists: A
Complete Visual Guide to Drawing the Structures of the Living Form" is exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'art
student friendly' in presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional,
community, art school, and college/university Human Figure Art Instruction collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists. It should be noted for art students and professionals that "Essential Human Anatomy for Artists: A Complete
Visual Guide to Drawing the Structures of the Living Form" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: The For Artists series from Rockport Publishers is comprised of expertly presented instructional guides for
artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and
representational art. In addition to "Essential Human Anatomy for Artists', this outstanding series also includes: Drawing the
Head for Artists, Figure Drawing for Artists, Life Drawing for Artists, Drawing and Painting Botanicals for Artists,
Dynamic Still Life for Artists, Landscape Painter's Workbook, Plein Air Techniques for Artists, and Sketching Techniques
for Artists.
Editorial Note: Ken Goldman (www.goldmanfineart.com) is an internationally known artist, author, teacher, and art juror. A
recipient of numerous awards, Goldman has exhibited widely in various group shows and solo exhibitions around the world.
In California, he has shown at the Oceanside Museum of Art, USC Fisher Museum of Art, and Autry Museum of the
American West. The author of many Walter Foster art instruction books, he teaches figure painting, artistic anatomy, and
plein air landscape at the Athenaeum School of the Arts in La Jolla and in workshops across the country, and has served as
president of the National Watercolor Society.
The Art of Fantasy
S. Elizabeth
Frances Lincoln
Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780711279957, $30.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fantasy-visual-sourcebook-Margins/dp/0711279950
Synopsis: Artists have explored imaginary worlds and fantastical creatures for centuries, expressing the unreal and
impossible, the mystical and mythical, via the medium of paint.
But what draws them to the imaginary, the uncharted and the unknown? Is it merely an escape from reality? Or are they
seeking a greater understanding of the human experience, or perhaps the very meaning of life itself? With myriad styles and
methods of expression, what links artists through the ages? And how have these visual flights of fancy and imagination
changed over the course of time?
With the publication of "The Art of Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal" by S. Elizabeth, artists are now
provided with a visual sourcebook of all that is fantastical, ranging from fine art to illustration, to surrealists and symbolists,
to the creatives working in undefined territories. While the artists in our history books (Blake, Goya, Dali, Magritte, Ernst)
first brought fantasy art to the galleries, it was the twentieth century artists who brought it to the masses. It is in "The Art of
Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal" that, for the first time, they are united and equally weighted, presenting
a mesmerizing and thoughtful curation of the best fantasy artwork out there.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, "The Art of Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All
That is Unreal" is an informative, inspiring and inherently fascinating collection that will have an immense appeal and
attraction for fans and students of myth, magic, fantasy and art history. A unique, special, and unreservedly recommended
pick for personal, professional, community, and academic library Fantasy/Pop Culture Art collections and supplemental Art
History studies lists, it should be noted that "The Art of Fantasy: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: S. Elizabeth (aka Mlle Ghoul) is a Florida-based writer specializing in art, the macabre and the supernatural.
She is a staff writer at Haute Macabre and has written for Coilhouse, Dirge and the blog Death & the Maiden. S. Elizabeth
was also the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book (vol 1 and 2) and runs two successful blogs: Ghoul Next Door
(www.ghoulnextdoor.tumblr.com) and These Unquiet Things (www.unquietthings.com).
The Cookbook Shelf
Taste of Home Budget-Friendly Cookbook
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781621459514, $19.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Budget-Friendly-Cookbook-thumbs-up/dp/1621459519
Synopsis: In this time of rising food casts, now with the publication of "Taste of Home Budget-Friendly Cookbook: 220+
recipes that cut costs, beat the clock and always get thumbs-up approval" it has never been easier to cut grocery bills while
dishing out the meals everyone requests ranging from homey meat loaves and lasagnas to new takes on pasta and
ramen.
Inside this very special cookbook you will find a culinary wealth of simply satisfying dinner ideas as well affordable
desserts that end menus on a sweet note.
"Taste of Home Budget-Friendly Cookbook" features for more than 220 delicious recipes (all approved by the Taste of
Home Test Kitchen); 150+ full-color photos; helpful icons for slow-cooked foods; recipes that use 5 or fewer ingredients,
some 50+ dietitian-approved, good-for-you dishes; Prep/Cook timelines with each dish; Nutrition Facts with every recipe;
and expert tips throughout help save money and time. Of special note is the bonus Pantry Staples chapter that will enable
you to 'stash some cash' when you make your own marinara sauce, biscuit mix, pizza dough and condiments.
Critique: An inspirational meal-planning pleasure to simply browse through, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in
organization and presentation, "Taste of Home Budget-Friendly Cookbook" is an especially appropriate, timely, and highly
recommended pick for the time stressed, food budget limited, family chef, as well as a guaranteed popular addition to
community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com) is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food,
cooking, baking and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food
made with love.
Taste of Home All-New Most Requested Recipes
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781621459675, $19.99, PB, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-All-New-Requested-Recipes/dp/1621459675
Synopsis: With the publication of "All-New Most Requested Recipes" from Taste of Home, kitchen cooks can now indulge
in 268 recipes for family favorite dishes. These recipes are ideal for creating a menu, planning a buffet, or serving a
impressive dessert. Need a dish to pass? Try any of these mouth-watering party contributions showcased here. Best of all,
along with their recipes, contributing family cooks share their kitchen secrets and heartwarming memories via interviews
featured throughout "All-New Most Requested Recipes", making this a culinary compendium that contemporary home
cooks refer to time and time again.
Critique: Menu inspiring and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly in organization and presentation, "All-New Most Requested
Recipes" showcase palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, and popuar dishes that would be appropriate for any and all dining
occasions. It features top-rated dishes from TasteofHome.com, recipe contests and valued contributors; At-a-Glance icons
that spotlight contest winning, air-fryer and Instant Pot recipes; as well as interviews with America's top home cooks,
sharing their kitchen secrets, Of special note is a bonus chapter of menus perfect for entertaining all year long. While also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "All-New Most Requested Recipes" is an unreservedly recommended
pick for personal, professional, and community library Contemporary Cookbook collection.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking, baking and
entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love. Their
website, www.tasteofhome.com is a top destination for engaging audiences with kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques,
cooking videos and more.
Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781621459828, $17.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Everyday-Slow-Cooker/dp/1621459829
Synopsis: The slow cooker is the busy cook's best friend, and for good reason -- it delivers the perfect combination of
comfort food and convenience. When managing hectic schedules, there's something magical about a device that lets you do
your prep work in the morning and discover a ready-to-serve meal just a few hours later.
""Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker: 250+ recipes that make the most of everyone's favorite kitchen timesaver" is a
new cookbook comprised of beautifully illustrated recipes suitable for hot breakfasts, savory main courses, satisfying sides,
hearty soups and stews, and tempting desserts. Each and everyone one of these amazing, delicious, nutritious recipes can all
be made in the slow cooker so that you can plan cooking around whatever your schedule may be -- instead of planning your
schedule around cooking.
Shared by home cooks and approved in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, the slow-cooked specialties showcased in "Taste of
Home Everyday Slow Cooker" are sure to turn out perfect every time. Between family dinners, weekend snacks, charity
potlucks and game-day spreads, there's no reason to ever put your slow cooker in the cupboard because every day is a day
for slow cooking!
Critique: "Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker: 250+ recipes that make the most of everyone's favorite kitchen timesaver"
offers recipes suitable for creating: Slow & Easy Breakfasts; Snacks, Appetizers & Beverages; Side Dishes; Sandwiches;
Soups, Stews & Chilis; Entrees; and Desserts. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Taste of Home
Everyday Slow Cooker" is thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal menu
planning resource, and an especially recommended pick for personal, professional, and community library collections.
Editorial Note: Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com) is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food,
cooking, baking and entertaining, serving home cooks engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food
made with love.
Taste of Home Copycat Favorites: Volume 2
Taste of Home
https://www.tasteofhome.com
c/o Trusted Media Brands
https://www.trustedmediabrands.com
9781621459330, $17.99, PB, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Copycat-Favorites-restaurant/dp/1621459330
Synopsis: "Taste of Home Copycat Favorites: Volume 2" is a culinary compendium offering 'at home' versions of beloved
dishes from Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Rib Shack, Arbys', Applebee's, The Cheesecake Factory, Chick-Fil-A
and more.
Save money and don't just dial delivery, skip the drive-thru, and save your wait staff tips for yourself, because with
"Copycat Favorites: Volume 2" you can now enjoy an even greater collection of your favorite restaurant foods, snacks and
more at home with this unique cookbook comprised of beautifully illustrated DIY kitchen cook friendly recipes.
"Copycat Favorites: Volume 2" brings more of America's most popular menu items right to the at-home kitchen cook. It has
never been easier to treat your family to their favorite restaurant foods than with this all-new follow-up to Taste of Home's
best-selling cookbook "Copycat Restaurant Favorites" (2019) Inside "Copy Cat Favorites: Volume 2" are recipes more than
100 entrees, pizzas, sandwiches, soups and desserts -- each of which was inspired by popular eateries and the brands that
America loves best.
Critique: From Fun & Festive Cake Pops; Copycat Coleslaw; and Butterbeer; to The Famouse Doubletree Cookie; Fish &
Fries; Jalapeno Burgers with Gorgonzola; to Chipotle Chicken, the recipes comprising "Copycat Favorite: Volume 2" is an
effective DIY kitchen cook's way to bring restaurant fine dining and fast-food dining onto the family dining table to the
delight of all who sit there. Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Copycat Favorites" from Taste of
Home is a strongly endorsed addition to personal, professional and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: For more than 25 years, Taste of Home has been one of the world's most popular cooking publications.
Through the pages of the flagship magazine, popular cookbooks and online community, Taste of Home offers a friendly
exchange of family-favorite recipes, cooking tips and personal stories from genuine home cooks. Because professional food
staff test and evaluate every recipe in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, readers are guaranteed success every time.
The Biography Shelf
Our Secret Society
Tanisha C. Ford
Amistad
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063115712, $32.99, HC, 368pp
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Secret-Society-Glamour-Movement/dp/0063115719
Synopsis: With the publication of "Our Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil
Rights Movement", author and biographer Tanisha C. Ford brilliantly illuminates a little known yet highly significant aspect
of the civil rights movement that has been long overlooked as the powerhouse fundraising effort that supported the
movement -- the luncheons, galas, cabarets, and traveling exhibitions attended by middle-class and working-class Black
families, the Negro press, and titans of industry, including Winthrop Rockefeller.
No one knew this world better or ruled over it with more authority than Mollie Moon. With her husband Henry Lee Moon,
the longtime publicist for the NAACP, Mollie became half of one of the most influential couples of the period. Vivacious
and intellectually curious, Mollie frequently hosted political salons attended by guests ranging from Langston Hughes to
Lorraine Hansberry. As the president of the National Urban League Guild, the fundraising arm of the National Urban
League; Mollie raised millions to fund grassroots activists battling for economic justice and racial equality. She was a force
behind the mutual aid network that connected Black churches, domestic and blue-collar laborers, social clubs, and sororities
and fraternities across the country.
Historian and cultural critic Tanisha C. Ford brings Mollie into focus as never before, charting her rise from Jim Crow
Mississippi to doyenne of Manhattan and Harlem, where she became one of the most influential philanthropists of her time -
- a woman feared, resented, yet widely respected. "Our Secret Society" deftly chronicles Mollie's larger-than-life antics
through exhaustive research, never-before-revealed letters, and dozens of interviews.
"Our Secret Society" also ushers the reader into a world with its own rhythm and rules, led by its own Who's Who of
African Americans in politics, sports, business, and entertainment. It is both a searing portrait of a remarkable period in
America, spanning from the early 1930s through the late 1960s, and a strategic economic blueprint today's activists can
emulate.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 16 pages of never-before-seen photographs, "Our
Secret Society: Mollie Moon and the Glamour, Money, and Power Behind the Civil Rights Movement" rescues from an
undeserved obscurity one of the truly significant woman who made the Civil Rights Movement the success that it was (and
continues to be) as a much needed national tool to continue to establish racial equality in our still racially turbulent
American politics and culture. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic librry
American Civil Rights Movement History/Biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of readers
with an interest in Women's & African-American Biographies/Memoirs that "Our Secret Society" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $15.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Harper Audio, 9798212698917, $41.99,
CD).
Editorial Note: Tanisha C. Ford (www.tanishacford.com) is a cultural critic and award-winning writer. A professor of
history at The Graduate Center, CUNY, she has written for the New York Times, the Atlantic, Time, the Root, Elle,
Harper's Bazaar, and featured on NPR, among other places. In 2019, she was named to the Root's list of the 100 Most
influential African Americans. Ford is the author of Dressed in Dreams, Kwame Brathwaite: Black is Beautiful, and
Liberated Threads, which won the 2016 Organization of American Historians' Liberty Legacy Foundation Award for best
book on civil rights history. Her research has been supported by New America/Emerson Collective, Harvard Radcliffe
Institute, Schomburg Center, and Ford Foundation, among others. She can be followed on social media: @SoulistaPhD
A Man of Two Faces
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802160508, $28.00, HC, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Two-Faces-History-Memorial/dp/0802160506
Synopsis: With insight, humor, formal invention, and lyricism, in "A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A
Memorial", Viet Thanh Nguyen tells the story of his own life. He expands the genre of personal memoir by acknowledging
larger stories of refugeehood, colonization, and ideas about Vietnam and America, writing with his trademark sardonic wit
and incisive analysis, as well as a deep emotional openness about his life as a father and a son.
At the age of four, Nguyen and his family are forced to flee his hometown and come to the USA as refugees. After being
removed from his brother and parents and homed with a family on his own, Nguyen is later allowed to resettle into his own
family in suburban San Jose.
But there is violence hidden behind the sunny facade of what he calls AMERICA (TM). One Christmas Eve, when Nguyen
is nine, while watching cartoons at home, he learns that his parents have been shot while working at their grocery store, a
place where he sometimes helps price tins of fruit with a sticker gun.
Years later, as a teenager, the blood-stirring drama of the films of the Vietnam War such as Apocalypse Now throw Nguyen
into an existential crisis: how can he be both American and Vietnamese, both the killer and the person being killed?
When he learns about an adopted sister who has stayed back in Vietnam, and ultimately visits her, he grows to understand
just how much his parents have left behind. And as his parents age, he worries increasingly about their comfort and care,
and realizes that some of their older wounds are reopening.
Profound in its emotions and brilliant in its thinking about cultural power, "A Man of Two Faces" deftly explores the
necessity of both forgetting and of memory, the promises America so readily makes and breaks, and the exceptional life
story of one of the most original and important writers working today.
Critique: Impressively candid, insightfully informative, thoughtful, thought-provoking, memorable, exceptionally well
written, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A
Memorial" is an extraordinary life story that is a distinctive and unreservedly recommended addition to community and
college/university library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A
Man of Two Faces" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.24).
Editorial Note: Viet Thanh Nguyen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Thanh_Nguyen) was born in Vietnam and raised in
America. He is the author of The Sympathizer, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and soon to be an HBO Original Series; its
sequel, The Committed; the short story collection The Refugees; the nonfiction book Nothing Ever Dies, a finalist for the
National Book Award; and is the editor of an anthology of refugee writing, The Displaced. He is the Aerol Arnold Professor
of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and a recipient of fellowships from
the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations. He now lives in Los Angeles.
The Graphic Novel Shelf
Kafka: A Manga Adaptation
Nishioka Kyodai, author/illustrator
David Yang, translator
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782279846, $19.95, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Kafka-Graphic-Adaptation-Japanese-Novellas/dp/1782279849
Synopsis: Franz Kafka's work is given vivid new life in "Kafka", a collection of manga adaptations of 9 of his greatest
stories by author/illustrator Nishioka Kyodai and deftly translated into English by David Yang.
With spectacularly detailed, otherworldly illustrations, the brother-and-sister duo known as Nishioka Kyodai create a
haunting, claustrophobic visual world for Kafka's surreal masterpieces.
Features are adapted versions of: The Metamorphosis; A Hunger Artist; In the Penal Colony; A Country Doctor; The
Concerns of a Patriarch; The Bucket Rider; Jackals and Arabs; A Fratricide; The Vulture.
Among the standouts are "The Metamorphosis" and "A Hunger Artist," which present absorbing moments for their unique
art style to offer vivid entry points into Kafka's world and which take the immersion experience to a whole other level.
Critique: An inherently fascinating, entertaining, and novel approach to the short stories of Franz Kafka, this manga-style
graphic novel adaptation of his work, and presented in this paperback edition by Pushkin Press is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and college/university library Dystopian Fiction & Graphic Novel
collections, as well as a supplemental Franz Kafka curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Nishioka Kyodai (literally 'Nishioka siblings') are the brother-and-sister manga duo of Satoshi Nishioka
and Chiaki Nishioka. They debuted in the weekly magazine Morning in 1989 and have since produced more than a dozen
works and have become well-known for their surreal illustration style and dark psychological themes.
Editorial Note #2: David Yang is a Ph.D. student in Japanese Literature at UCLA, having previously received a B.A. in
German Literature and Cultural History from Columbia University. He translates from Japanese, Chinese, and German.
Watership Down: The Graphic Novel
Richard Adam, author
Joe Sutphin, illustrator
James Sturm, adaptor
Ten Speed Graphic
c/o Ten Speed Press
https://crownpublishing.com/archives/imprint/ten-speed-press
9781984857194, $35.00, HC, 384pp
https://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Graphic-James-Sturm/dp/1984857193
Synopsis: A stellar story about a group of rabbits who must go on an epic journey in search of home, "Watership Down" by
novelist Richard Adam is a classic tale of survival, hope, courage, and friendship that has delighted and inspired readers
around the world for more than fifty years.
Adams originally began telling the story of Watership Down to his two daughters, Juliet and Rosamond, on a trip to
Stratford-on-Avon, to see a play. They insisted he publish the tale as a book. When Watership Down was finally published,
it sold over a million copies in record time in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Watership Down has become
a modern classic and won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972.
Now masterfully adapted by James Sturm and gorgeously illustrated by artist Joe Sutphin, "Watership Down" is now a
spectacular graphic novel from Ten Speed Press that will once again delight old fans while inspiring new ones, bringing the
joy of "Watership Down" to a new generations of appreciative readers.
Critique: An acclaimed work of literary excellence when it was first published some five decades ago, with the publication
of "Watership Down: The Graphic Novel" we see a flawless adaption of this original and legendary fable into an extended
graphic novel format. This large format (7.25 x 1.34 x 10.28 inches, 1.25 pounds) hardcover edition is especially and
unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists for ages 10 to Adult, as well as community, college, and university
library Classic Literature/Fiction Graphic Novel collections. It should be noted that "Watership Down: The Graphic Novel"
is also available in a paperback edition (9781984857200, $26.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note #1: Richard George Adams (9 May, 1920 - 25 December, 2016) is best remembered as the author of
Watership Down, but he also wrote many other novels, short stories, poems and a biography. During the last year of his life
he kept a blog: https://www.watership-down.com/blog/.
Editorial Note #2: Joe Sutphin (https://www.joesutphin.com) is an illustrator of fine books for kids such as Andrew
Peterson's beloved Wingfeather Saga, the newly envisioned edition of Hellen Taylor's timeless classic Little Pilgrim's
Progress (Moody Publishers) and the official graphic novelization of Richard Adams's masterpiece Watership Down (Ten
Speed - 2023). His love of nature, and of the living creatures in the fields and woods around his home, has informed his art
for much of his life.
Editorial Note #3: James Sturm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sturm) is an American cartoonist and co-founder of
the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Sturm is also the founder of the National Association of
Comics Art Educators (NACAE), an organization committed to helping facilitate the teaching of comics in higher
education.
Prince in Comics!
Nicholas Finer, author
Tony Lourenco, author
Montana Kane, translator
Joel Alessandra, et al., artist/illustrators
NBM Publishing
www.nbmpub.com
9781681123219, $27.99, HC, 168pp
https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Comics-NBM-Biographies/dp/1681123215
Synopsis: The late Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016) was a complete artist, all at once an author,
composer, performer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. A real showman on stage, songs like " 1999" or " Purple Rain,"
made him an international star. With his tormented life, sulfurous relationships, sex and drugs, he was above all a genius
artist with a very distinctive original style who sold more than 80 million records around the world. "Prince in Comics!"
from NBM Publishing is his extraordinary destiny in a mix of colorfully illustrated articles and comics!
Critique: In an impressive graphic novel style biography that includes the work of two co-authors, sixteen illustrators, a
graphic designer, and a translator, "Prince in Comics!" is a 'must' for the legions of dedicated Prince fans and a welcome
addition to community library American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Prince in
Comes!" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).
Editorial Note #1: Nicolas Finet, author, publisher, filmmaker, journalist, curator, speaker, translator, has worked in comics
for more than three decades. He is the author of more than half a dozen reference works on it. In music, he is the writer on
NBM's recent bio of Janis Joplin Love Me Please and he has just made a documentary on the blues and comics, Mississippi
Ramblin, devoted to bluesman Robert Johnson. He is also the writer of the graphic novel Forever Woodstock.
Editorial Note #2: Tony Lourenco (alias Nyt) has been exploring and expressing his artistic sensibility for a long time. He
did this first through singing and piano at the Paris International Conservatory of Music, then, seduced by imagery, he
created a photo studio in a Parisian barge. At the same time, he paints and writes short stories, scenarios, tales and
travelogues.
The Audiobook Shelf
One
Eve Smith, author
Rose Robinson, narrator
Isis Publishing
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781399153584, $103.95, MP3-CD (10 Hours 50 Minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-r-j-smith/1100485492
Synopsis: One law. One child. Seven million crimes.
Climate emergency has spawned a one-child policy in the UK, ruthlessly enforced by a totalitarian regime. Compulsory
abortion of 'excess' pregnancies and mandatory contraceptive implants are now the norm.
Kai is a 25-year-old 'baby reaper', working for the Ministry of Population and Family Planning. If any of her assigned
families attempt to exceed their child quota, she ensures they pay the price. Until she discovers that an illegal sibling on her
Ministry hit-list is hers. And to protect her parents from severe penalties, she must secretly investigate before anyone else
finds out. Kai's hunt for her sister unearths much more than a dark family secret.
As she stumbles across a series of heinous crimes perpetrated by the people she trusted most, she makes a catastrophic
discovery that could bring down the government -- and tear her family apart!
Critique: A combination of medical thriller, political extrapolation, and dystopian science fiction, "One" by author Eve
Smith is brought to life in a true theatre of the mind experience by the narrative storytelling talents of vocal actress Rose
Robinson. This flawless, complete and unabridged audio production from Isis Publishing is especially and unreservedly
recommended for both personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Eve Smith (https://www.evesmithauthor.com) writes speculative fiction, mainly about the things that
scare her. Eve's debut novel The Waiting Rooms, is set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis and was shortlisted
for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award.
Editorial Note #2: There is a lengthy list of audio books narrated by Rose Robinson at
https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Rose+Robinson
77 North
D. L. Marshall, author
David Morley Hale, narrator
Isis Publishing
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781399153881, $122.95, MP3-CD (14 Hours 30 minutes)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/77-north-d-l-marshall/1143313493
Synopsis: John Tyler has gone rogue, pursuing an international vendetta against those responsible for killing his brother. But
now he is lured back by the CIA for one final mission.
Simple, for a man like Tyler: journey to an old Soviet-era hotel in the frozen wastes of Siberia to obtain information from a
Russian scientist about a double agent within NATO. But strange things are afoot, events related to the hotel's grisly past
and the KGB's Cold war experiments into psychic phenomena.
Unexplained deaths revolve around the scientist, and with enemies from Tyler's own past emerging, he must fight to keep
the man alive. But a killer stalks the hotel's dilapidated corridors, able, apparently, to kill through concrete walls and sealed
doors.
As Tyler homes in on the double agent, he quickly realises nothing is as it seems, and his own past is coming back to haunt
him...
Critique: Action-adventure suspense thriller fiction at its very best, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "77
North" by D. L. Marshall is vividly narrated by the vocal talents and performance of David Morley Hale. The result is a fully
entertaining and highly recommended pick for personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: D. L. Marshall (https://www.canelo.co/authors/d-l-marshall) was born and raised in Halifax, West
Yorkshire. Influenced by the dark industrial architecture, steep wooded valleys, and bleak Pennine moors, he writes thrillers
tinged with horror, exploring the impact of geography and isolation. In 2016 he pitched at Bloody Scotland. In 2018 he won
a Northern Writers' Award for his thriller novel Anthrax Island.
Editorial Note #2: David Morley Hale (https://www.davidmorleyhale.com) is a very versatile voice actor with a soft
Lancastrian natural accent but with a strong facility for characterisations and a warm, reassuring natural read. Many years
experience in professional theatre and as a skilled musician ensure performances are realistic, natural and with an ear
attuned to the aural medium.
The Grave Robber
Darynda Jones, author
Lorelei King, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781501207884, $9.99, MP3-CD (3 Hours 5 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Grave-Robber-Charley-Davidson-Novella/dp/1501207881
Synopsis: Eric Vause is done. -- He is done with ghosts. Done with hellhounds. And definitely done with asshole demons,
mostly because he'd been possessed by one. Even now, five years later, the rage he absorbed from the creature has yet to
wane, so he decides a road trip is in order.
Surely some cool air, great scenery, and a case of Dos Equis will shake things loose. But unfortunately, supernatural events
happen everywhere. When he meets up with a friend whose partner's daughter needs help with a pest problem (aka, a ghost).
So Eric takes that as his cue to leave. -- Until he sees her.
He can tell Halle's house isn't the only thing that is haunted. The hopelessness behind her eyes tugs at something deep inside
him. Something all too familiar. The fact that she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen has nothing to do with his
change of heart. And he vows to leave her in his rearview the minute he takes care of the poltergeist. Then again, vows were
never his strong suit.
Critique: Flawless performed by vocal actress Lorelei King, "Every 1001 Dark Nights" is a novella by Darynda Jones that is
a standalone story. For new readers, it's an introduction to an author's fantasy world. And for fans, it's a bonus book in the
author's fantasy adventure series starring Charley Davidson's adventures and misadventures with the supernatural. This
complete and unabridged audio book edition from Brilliance Audio is highly recommended for both personal and
community library Fantasy Fiction audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Darynda Jones (http://www.daryndajones.com) has won numerous awards for her work, including a
prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a
born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who
happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and
is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press
and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction.
Editorial Note #2: Lorelei King (https://www.loreleiking.com/audiobooks.html) is one of the most successful and
accomplished American actresses working in the UK today, appearing in numerous films from Hollywood blockbusters
such as 'Notting Hill' and 'The Saint,' to British independent films, such as 'House of Mirth,' '24 Hours in London,' and
'Suzie Gold.' Most recently she can be heard in the role of spaceship's computer MUTHUR in 'Alien: Covenant'.
The Court of Shadows
Victor Dixen, author
Carlotta Brentan, illustrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781799798477, $29.99, MP3-CD (12 Hours 35 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Court-Shadows-Vampyria-Saga/dp/179979847X
Synopsis: Louis XIV transformed from the Sun King into the King of Shadows when he embraced immortality and became
the world's first vampire. For the last three centuries, he has been ruling the kingdom from the decadent Court of Shadows
in Versailles, demanding the blood of his subjects to sate his nobles' thirst and maintain their loyalty.
In the heart of rural France, commoner Jeanne Froidelac witnesses the king's soldiers murder her family and learns of her
parents' role in a brewing rebellion involving the forbidden secrets of alchemy. To seek her revenge, Jeanne disguises
herself as an aristocrat and enrolls in a prestigious school for aspiring courtiers. She soon finds herself at the doors of the
palace of Versailles.
But Jeanne, of course, is no aristocrat. She dreams not of court but of blood. The blood of a king.
Critique: Highly recommended for community library fantasy audio book collections, and of particular appeal and specific
interest to fans of the vampire novel, novelist Victor Dixen's "The Court of Shadows" is the first of a 'Vampyria Saga', a two
volume audio book series from Brilliance Audio. Complete and unabridged, "The Court of Shadows" is brilliantly narrated
by Carlotte Bentan whose vocal performance brings the story to life in a true theatre of the mind experience and will leave
the listener eagerly looking toward the second volume of this outstanding historical fantasy series. .
Editorial Note #1: Two-time winner of the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, Victor Dixen stands at the forefront of French
fantasy. His acclaimed series include Animale, Phobos, Cogito, Extincta, and Vampyria. A nomadic writer, he has lived in
Paris, Dublin, Singapore, New York, and now Washington, DC, drawing inspiration from the promises of the future as
much as the ghosts of the past. He has a fascinating website at www.victordixen.com.
Editorial Note #2: Carlotta Brentan (http://carlottabrentan.com) is New York based, Meisner trained actor, award-winning
audiobook narrator & producer working in theater, audiobooks, film, commercials, and voice-over projects.
Androne
Dwain Worrell, author
Gary Tidemann, illustrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400132308, $19.99, MP3-CD (11 Hours 45 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Androne-Dwain-Worrell/dp/B0BMDC6CWG
Synopsis: In one terrifying event called the Ninety-Nine, all major military installations on earth were eviscerated. But by
whom? Foreign powers, AIs, ETs? Every conceivable adversary was ruled out. Reeling from massive casualties and amid
hundreds of conspiracy theories, humanity creates Andrones: bipedal android drones piloted remotely by soldiers who will
never again need to be on the field of battle. Newly minted Androne pilot Sergeant Paxton Ares has now been deployed into
a fight against an enemy no one understands or has ever seen.
Passing mostly uneventful days patrolling an unidentified desert, Paxton spends time communicating with his pregnant
girlfriend back home and reflecting on his impending fatherhood. But as he is drawn deeper into military camaraderie and
begins quickly rising up the ranks on the strength of his father's military legacy, Paxton starts to question the swirling
rumors about the nature of the conflict. What he's encountered in the shifting dunes (something inexplicable, indomitable)
fills him with the fear that whatever is out there is destined to win.
Whether it's curiosity, ambition, or a newfound paternal instinct, Paxton has a driving need to understand the dangerous
truths of this strange, invisible war. And the choices he must make have the power to change everything.
Critique: Riveting science fiction at its very best, "Androne" by novelist Dwain Worrell is brought vividly to life by the
impressive narrative storytelling skills of vocal actor Gary Tidemann in this complete and unabridged audio book edition
from Brillance audio. Simply stated, "Androne" is a prized pick for both personal and community library Science Fiction
audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Dwain Worrell (www.dwainworrell.com) is a filmmaker, Chinese interpreter, and novelist. The
Barbadian native now works as a film and television writer and producer in Los Angeles. His writing credits include
Marvel's Iron Fist, CBS's Fire Country, and the Disney+ series National Treasure, among others.
Editorial Note #2: Gary Tidemann (https://www.garytiedemann.com) is a bilingual, half-Cuban, half-dude from L.A. who
learned how to act in the studios and improv, sketch comedy and theatre stages of Chicago.
The Wedding Shake-Up
JJ Knight, author
Kendra Kenneth, narrator
Victor Quixabas, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9781491555071, $19.99, MP3-CD, (8 Hours 30 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Shake-up-Meet-Cute/dp/1491555076
Synopsis: A destination wedding on La Jarra Island for Tillie James's sister has its drawbacks: hair-wrecking ocean spray
and pincher crabs. And its perks: sexy, hotheaded beachfront bartender Gabe Landers, who brings out the competitive streak
in fellow drinkslinger Tillie. When the rivals get together for a cocktail-making challenge, the blend is pure bliss, leaving
them shaken and stirred.
The spirited blue-eyed tourist from Georgia makes Gabe's head spin faster than his signature drink, the mermaid sunrise.
But he's determined not to obsess because out-of-towner love stories never last. Tillie agrees. They'll just enjoy each other
for now and make a clean break. No strings. No attachments. No chance. But when Tillie's kiss goodbye comes with an
invitation for Gabe to visit Atlanta, he can't resist. As fate has it, it's home to a heartbreaking piece of his own past.
As Tillie and Gabe face new challenges, destiny could tear them apart -- or turn an intoxicating romance on the rocks into
more than they ever expected!
Critique: Of special interest to fans of romance comedy, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "The Wedding
Shake-Up" by J. J. Knight is impressively narrated by the vocal performances of Kendra Kenneth and Victor Quixabas. Fun
and funny, "The Wedding Shake-Up" is the stuff of which Hallmark Romance Movies are made and is a highly
recommended pick for personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: JJ Knight (http://www.jjknight.com) is an author of romantic comedy and sports romance. Her books
portray characters who learn to push through hardship to find love and belly laughs. She can be follow her on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@jjknight.author, Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7827726.J_J_Knight, and
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jjknightauthor
The Brewery Murders
J. R. Ellis, author
Michael Page, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400137815, $19.99, MP3-CD (8 Hourse 10 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Brewery-Murders-Yorkshire-Murder-Mystery/dp/B0BQ74FGN8
Synopsis: Steeped in a history of award-winning Yorkshire ale, the town of Markham boasts not one but two breweries.
Richard Foster runs one; his sister, Emily, along with her partner, Janice, runs the other. And not without some
resentment.
The unwelcome return of the town's former bad boy, Brendan Scholes, threatens to ignite the sibling rivalry further. Scholes
claims to have found the long-lost secret recipe to the beer that made Richard and Emily's father famous, and he wants
money.
But it isn't long before Scholes' body is found floating in a fermentation tank at one of the breweries, his head caved in by a
hammer. DCI Oldroyd and Andy Carter are called in to investigate the murder, and there's no shortage of suspects.
As rumours of the possible existence of a recipe for the famous beer spread against a backdrop of growing homophobia and
misogyny, tempers run high. With Markham's beer industry at stake, a killer on the loose and the town's residents out for
blood, Oldroyd needs to solve the murder before someone else is killed!
Critique: Another solidly entertaining British murder mystery from the pen of J. R. Ellis, this complete and unabridged
MP3-"CD author book edition of "The Brewery Murders" is superbly performed by veteran narrator Michael Page. The
result is an inherently fascinating 'whodunnit' that will be an especially appreciated and popular addition to personal and
community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: John R. Ellis has lived in Yorkshire for most of his life and has spent many years exploring Yorkshire's
diverse landscapes, history, language and communities. He recently retired after a career in teaching, mostly in further
education in the Leeds area. In addition to the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series, he writes poetry, ghost stories and
biography. He has completed a screenplay about the last years of the poet Edward Thomas and a work of faction about the
extraordinary life of his Irish mother-in-law.
Editorial Note #2: Michael Page (https://tantor.com/narrator/michael-page.html) has been recording audio books since the
mid-1980s and now has nearly 500 titles to his credit. He has won two Audie Awards and several AudioFile Earphones
Awards. A PhD and a professional actor, Michael is also a retired professor of theater.
The House Beyond the Dunes
Mary Burton, author
Erin Bennett, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400137471, $19.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 17 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/House-Beyond-Dunes-Mary-Burton/dp/B0BPHVLNMG
Synopsis: Lane McCord wakes up in a hospital having survived a near-fatal fall at a North Carolina beach cottage. Her
boyfriend, Kyle, wasn't so lucky. A senseless tragedy on their first romantic getaway. All Lane remembers is lying at the
bottom of the stairs in Kyle's pooling blood.
Confused and grieving, Lane plans to return to the cottage, collect her personal belongings, and get out. Until a winter
rainstorm leaves her stranded and vulnerable, but not alone. A concerned neighbor, who claims he heard a violent argument
before the accident, has come out of the storm. So has a suspicious detective on the trail of a missing woman, whose diary
deepens the mystery -- and raises more questions that fill Lane with dread.
How well did she know Kyle? How well does she know herself? What really happened?
Critique: Mary Burton's suspense thriller of a read, "The House Beyond The Dune" is brought to life in a true theatre of the
mind and imagination by the narrative storytelling talents of vocal actress Erin Bennett in this complete and unabridged
audio book edition from Brilliance Audio. In an MP3-CD format, "The House Beyond The Dune" is a solidly entertaining
and highly recommended addition to personal and community library audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Mary Burton (www.maryburton.com) is the author of more than thirty-five romance and suspense novels,
including The Lies I Told, Don't Look Now, Near You, Burn You Twice, and Never Look Back, as well as five
novellas.
Editorial Note #2: Erin Bennett (https://www.erinbennettvo.com) is a Los Angles based voice and stage actress who has
recorded more than 220 titles for major publishers ranging from Penguin Random House to Blackstone, Recorded Books,
Brilliance, Dreamscape and Audible.
Salt House Place
Jamie Lee Sogn, author
Danice Cabanela, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400141812, $29.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 45 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Salthouse-Place-Jamie-Lee-Sogn/dp/B0BRB9T4RB
Synopsis: In the far reaches of the Pacific Northwest, three best friends spend a day at the lake -- but only two come
home.
Ten years later, Delia Albio is tormented by the mystery of what happened to fifteen-year-old Zee on the lake that day.
When she receives an email from Cara, the remaining friend in the trio, she can't resist the pull of the "life-changing" news
in the message. Delia, hopeful for answers, travels home to see her old friend.
But Cara is gone by the time she gets there, setting off another mystery. When Delia hears about the women's empowerment
group that Cara joined, she sets out for the group's retreat property on the Oregon coast to find her. Delia feels this could be
her chance to reconnect with Cara and reckon with that fateful day at the lake.
Instead, Delia uncovers a possessive group with a dark agenda. As their leadership closes in, Delia hurtles ever closer to the
truth - if only she can survive a cult that will protect its secrets at any cost.
Critique: Now available as a complete and unabridged audio book that is effectively narrated by the impressive and effective
storytelling talents of Danice Cabanela, "Salt House Place", the psychological thriller of a novel by Jamie Lee Sogn is
especially recommended for personal and community/public library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Jamie Lee Sogn (https://www.jamieleesogn.com) studied anthropology and psychology at the University
of Washington and received her juris doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law. She is a recovering attorney who
writes contracts by day and (much more exciting) fiction by night.
Editorial Note #2: Danice Cabanela (https://www.danicecabanela.com) is a Filipino American actor, producer & activist.
She is also a co-founder of Filipinx Actors Barkada, an all-Filipinx artist group with members across the U.S. and Canada.
Over the pandemic, she also co-founded APA Artists for Change that aims to connect, educate, and galvanize artists toward
higher civic engagement on local and national levels.
It Ends With Knight
Yasmin Angoe, author
Tamika Katon-Donegal, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400115554, $29.99, MP3-CD (12 Hours 59 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Ends-Knight-Nena/dp/B0BLZ6QK6V
Synopsis: Until his untimely death, Nena's mentor was the backbone of the Tribe. With his leadership position unfilled and
despite the Tribe's newfound misgivings about her, Nena has stepped into a new role she never wanted.
Politics is an entirely new venture for her, and now one of the Tribe's own has been kidnapped, forcing her back to her
origins as an assassin. But the only person qualified for such a rescue mission is Nena Knight -- and a new team whose trust
in her continues to waver.
Determined to harness the power of her former role to succeed in her new one, Nena must also face what she left behind.
Old fears, resentments, and anger threaten the precarious hold Nena has on her new life as she realizes that the past (and the
people from it) are never far behind.
Critique: Of special appeal to readers with an interest in novels involving assassination, serial killers, and political thrillers,
"It Ends with Knight" by Yasmin Angoe is now available as a complete and unabridged audio book deftly narrated by
Tamika Katon-Donegal. A flawlessly produced audio book from Brilliance Audio, "It Ends with Knight" is especially and
particularly recommended for both personal and community Suspense/Thiller audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Yasmin Angoe is the author of Her Name Is Knight and a first-generation Ghanaian American. She has
served in education for nearly twenty years and works as a developmental editor. Yasmin received the 2020 Eleanor Taylor
Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award from Sisters in Crime and is a member of numerous crime, mystery, and
thriller organizations like Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color, and International Thriller Writers. You can find her at
www.yasminangoe.com, on Twitter at @yasawriter, and on Instagram at @author_yas
Editorial Note #2: Tamika Katon-Donegal (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1346532) is a seasoned professional vocal actor
and audio book narrator.
The Taken Ones
Jess Lourey
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400116230, $19.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 31 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Taken-Ones-Novel-Steinbeck-Reed/dp/B0BM9DB4FC
Synopsis: Summer 1980: Despite the local superstition that the Bendy Man haunts the woods, three girls go into a
Minnesota forest. Only one comes out, dead silent, her memory gone. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the
nation.
Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide -- a
woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry
trusts in facts. They're both desperate to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has
ties to the original case in ways they're reluctant to share.
As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish
childhood -- and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may
never return.
Critique: A carefully and skillfully crafted novel of intense suspense from start to finish, "The Taken Ones" by Jess Lourey
will have a special interest for fans of kidnapping themed 'whodunit' crime thrillers. Brought vividly to life by the narrative
talents of Carly Robins, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "The Taken Ones" is highly recommended for
both personal and community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections.
Editorial Note: Jess Lourey (www.jessicalourey.com) is the author of The Quarry Girls, Litani, Bloodline, Unspeakable
Things, The Catalain Book of Secrets, the Salem's Cipher thrillers, and the Mira James mysteries, among many other works,
including short stories, young adult fiction, and nonfiction. Winner of the Anthony and Thriller Awards, Jess is also an
Edgar, Agatha, and Lefty Award - nominated author; TEDx presenter; Psychology Today blogger; and recipient of The
Loft's Excellence in Teaching fellowship. Check out her TEDx Talk for the true story behind her debut novel, May Day. She
lives in Minneapolis with a rotating batch of foster kittens (and occasional foster puppies, but those goobers are a lot of
work).
Editorial Note #2: Carly Robins (https://www.carlyrobins.com) is an actor and voiceover artist based in NYC. She has
narrated close to 1000 audiobooks and has completely fallen in love with the medium. Her voice can also be heard on video
games, promos, commercials, animation and ESL.
Redemption
Deborah J. Ledford, author
Jennice Ontiveros, narrator
Brilliance Audio
https://audiobookstore.com/publishers/brilliance-audio
9798400132247, $19.99, MP3-CD (10 Hours 26 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Eva-Lightning-Dance-Duran/dp/B0BMDCCSF8
Synopsis: After four women disappear from the Taos Pueblo reservation, Deputy Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran dives into
the case. For her, it's personal. Among the missing is her best friend, Paloma, a heroin addict who left behind an
eighteen-year-old son.
Eva senses a lack of interest from the department as she embarks on the investigation. But their reluctance only fuels her
fire. Eva teams up with tribal police officer and longtime friend Cruz "Wolf Song" Romero to tackle a mystery that could
both ruin her reputation and threaten her standing in the tribe.
And when the missing women start turning up dead, Eva uncovers clues that take her deeper into the reservation's protected
secrets. As Eva races to find Paloma before it's too late, she will face several tests of loyalty -- to her friend, her culture, and
her tribe.
Critique: Holding a very special interest for fans of police procedural murder mysteries playing out in a contemporary
Native American context, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Redemption" from Brilliance Audio features
the vocal performance skills of seasoned narrator Jennice Ontiveros who brings Deborah Leford's 'whodunnit' alive in a true
theatre of the mind experience from start to finish.
Editorial Note #1: Deborah J Ledford (http://DeborahJLedford.com) is an Agatha Award winner, three-time nominee for the
Pushcart Prize, two-time finalist for the Anthony Award, and the Hillerman Sky Award nominee for best mystery who
captures the landscape of the Southwest. "Redemption" is her fifth crime fiction novel. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she
lives in Phoenix with her husband and their awesome Ausky.
Editorial Note #2: There is a listing of the audio books narrated by Jennice Ontiveros at
https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Jennice+Ontiveros
The Library CD Shelf
Spring Comes Early
John Herberman
johnherberman.com
Ceola Records
$TBA CD / $7.92 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJ1GWZTD
Award-nominated music artist John Herberman composed and arranged all of the multi-instrumental jazz songs in Spring
Comes Early. Spring Comes Early features John Herberman on piano and Rhodes keyboard, and a grand entourage of
contributions from additional performers on saxophones, flugelhorn, trumpet, electric guitar, vibraphone, acoustic and
electric bass, drums, cello, and more. The extraordinary musical confluence resonates with the artistry of a concert
performance. Spring Comes Early is a choice pick for both personal and public library jazz collections, worthy of the
highest recommendation. The tracks are Courtenay Circle, Central Park West, Not The Blues, Modalities, Gentle Giant,
Spring Comes Early, St. James Town, and Ballad for M.T.
Now or Never
Girls Next Door
https://www.girlsnextdoormusic.com
Privately Published
$15.00 CD
https://www.girlsnextdoormusic.com/gnd-store/p/girls-next-door-now-or-never-cd
Girls Next Door is an all-female vocal group who have reunited to share their talent with the world, after taking a decades-
long break from the music scene to raise children and care for family. Now or Never is their latest album, beautifully
showcasing their talent and harmony with support from a variety of musicians. A treasure through and through, Now or
Never is highly recommended and also makes an excellent gift. The tracks are What's This Thing (You've Got Against
Leaving), Glow in the Dark, When the Water's Down, She's Gone, Shades of Gray, If God Was a Woman, and Livin' in the
Rain.
With Peter Bradley: Soundtrack and Original Score
Javon Jackson
javonjackson.com
Solid Jackson Records
$16.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Bradley-Javon-Jackson/dp/B0BZZMZHBR
With Peter Bradley: Soundtrack and Original Score is the score to the art world documentary "With Peter Bradley",
performed by the quartet Javon Jackon on saxophone, Jeremy Manasia on piano, David Williams on bass, and Charles
Goold on drums along with guest trumpeter Greg Glassman. Javon Jackson, a longtime friend of Peter Bradley, composed
the score to reflect a wide range of emotions and life experiences, as befits the long and creative career of a talented artist.
(Four of the tracks are bonus gifts that were not part of the film's original soundtrack or score.) With Peter Bradley:
Soundtrack and Original Score is a masterpiece worthy of a place on personal and public library shelves, in addition to the
documentary film. Highly recommended! The tracks are Peter Bradley, The Game, Brother G, Edith Ramsey, Amy's Theme,
1 Plus 1, Easy Peasy, On the Move, Never Let Me Go, In the Studio, C.B., That's Earl Brother, Mr. Parker, That's It, In the
Clouds, and "D" Town.
Night Birds
Sara Serpa & Andre Matos
www.saraserpa.com
www.andrewmatos.com
Robalo Music
www.robalomusic.com
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCF36J1F
Vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist Andre Matos, an album of original compositions, improvisations, and a Bartok bagatelle.
Additional talented performers lend their mastery of piano/synth, drums, voice, and cello to various individual tracks. The
songs have a strong eco-centric message, questioning excessive consumption and the destructive exploitation of natural
ecosystems. Night birds is evocative, beautiful, and highly recommended especially for personal and public library music
collections. The tracks are From a Distance, Carlos, Melting Ice, Family, Night Birds, Counting, Underwater, Degrowth,
Bergman's Island, Lost Whale, Watching You Grow, and Bagatelle Op.6: Lento.
Aspenrose: Live at the Opera House
Herb Silverstein
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFRZV2S5
Aspenrose: Live at the Opera House is a jazz album featuring Herb Silverstein on piano and Michael Ross on bass. The
original songs resonate with expression, craft, and emotion drawn from the highs and lows of everyday life. Aspenrose: Live
at the Opera House is a choice pick for personal and public library jazz collections, highly recommended. The tracks are
Happy Daze, Monday Morning, My Way or the Highway, My Four Legged Girlfriend, Si Senorita, our Little Secret,
Synchrony, SB Blues, She Only Has Eyes for Herb, Waiting by the Window, Helix 49, and Zorro.
Nohmad
Seulah Noh Jazz Orchestra
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $15.00 digital
https://seulahnoh.bandcamp.com/album/nohmad
South Korea-born pianist, composer, and conductor Seulah Noh presents Nohmad, her debut album of six original
compositions and two arrangements. Supported by a jazz orchestra that includes both a string quartet and a traditional 17-
piece big band, Seulah Noh has created a resonant masterpiece of sweeping emotion. Nohmad is highly recommended for
both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are L'illusionniste (feat. Song Yi Jeon), Arrogant or Elegant,
Hear the Light (feat. Astghik Martirosyan), Heartsong, Traveler's Suite: I. 6829 Miles, Traveler's Suite: II. A Letter From
Me, Traveler's Suite: III. Sail at Dawn, have You Heart (feat. Kan Yanabe), and L'illusionniste (Alternate Take).
Chronicling the Times
Leon Rosselson
Free Dirt Records
www.freedirt.net
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Chronicling-Times-Leon-Rosselson/dp/B0CG3WSFPY
English musician and political satirist Leon Rosselson presents Chronicling the Times, a collection of seventeen of
Rosselson's favorite songs from his repertoire throughout the decades. The music and lyrics hold nothing back on charged
political topics of modern history, as well as biting criticism of powerful leaders. Chronicling the Times is music not only as
an art, but also as a powerful message for social change, and highly recommended. The tracks are Songs of the Old
Communist; Stand Firm; Across the Hills; Ballad of a Spycatcher; Flower Power = Bread; She Was Crazy, He Was Mad;
Topside Down Party; Rules of the Game; Postcards from Cuba; Bringing the News from Nowhere; General Lockjaw Briefs
the Troops; Where Are the Barricades?; Talking Democracy Blues; Wo Sind Die Elefanten?; World Turned Upside Down
(Part 2); The Ghost of Georges Brassens; and Stand Up for Judas.
The Library DVD Shelf
Flying Boat
Dirk Braun, actor/director
Tom Casey, actor
Outsider Pictures
https://www.outsiderpictures.us
ASIN: B0CCSVC98R, $19.99, DVD (1 Hour 17 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Boat-Dirk-Braun/dp/B0CCSVC98R
Synopsis: In the film, "Flying Boat", a handful of pilots and mechanics are featured who have restored, fly, and maintain the
last few airworthy examples of the flying boat, a magnificent aircraft from a long lost era of adventure and romance. The
aircraft featured was restored and brought back to flying condition after being decommissioned and sitting in neglect for
decades in the Tucson, Arizona desert known as the Boneyard. These aviators share a camaraderie and reflect upon their
experiences and aspirations as to why they fly them today. With the capabilities of landing and taking off on open ocean,
land, and even snow and ice, these venerable machines inspire dreams and speak to fantasy.
Critique: With a very special appeal to viewers with an interest in aircraft restoration and aviation history, "Flying Boat" is
an inherently fascinating, informative, and entertaining documentary film that is especially and unreservedly recommended
for personal and community library DVD collections.
Editorial Note: Outsider Pictures is a sales and distribution company releasing films in the US and Canada. Outsider Pictures is
dedicated to realizing the visions of independent filmmakers without compromise and committed to bringing moviegoers
the most original stories from around the world. Outsider Pictures releases 6-8 films per year for distribution and acquires
3-4 film for World sales.
The General Fiction Shelf
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop
Jenny Colgan
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063345096, $30.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-at-Christmas-Bookshop-Novel/dp/0063345099
Synopsis: Christmas comes early (far too early) to McCredie's little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. It's summer, but an
American production company has decided that McCredie's is the perfect location to film a very cheesy Christmas movie.
After all, who can resist the charmingly narrow historic street with its Victorian grey stone buildings and warmly lit shop
windows?
Carmen Hogan, the bookshop's manager, is amused and a bit horrified by the goings-on, but the money the studio is paying
is too good to pass up. She uses the little windfall from filming to create new displays and fend off a buyout offer from an
obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn McCredie's into a souvenir shop selling kilts made in China and plastic
Nessies.
Still reeling slightly from a breakup, Carmen is not particularly looking forward to the holidays. But just as snow begins to
fall and the lights of Christmas blink on, all sorts of lovely new possibilities present themselves -- for McCredie's bookstore,
and for Carmen herself!
Critique: An original and fun read from cover to cover, "Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop" is yet another example of
author Jenny Colgan's impressive flair for the kind of narrative storytelling that fully enchants and entertains her reader from
first page to last. While an especially recommended and certain to be popular addition to community library Women's
Fiction and Holiday Fiction collections, it should be noted for the growing legions of Jenny Colgan fans that "Midnight at
the Christmas Bookshop" is also available in a paperback edition (9780063260450, $18.99), in a digital book format
(Kindle, $9.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212697866, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Jenny Colgan (https://www.jennycolgan.com) is the author of numerous novels, including The Christmas
Bookshop, The Bookshop on the Corner, Little Beach Street Bakery, and Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe. Jenny, her
husband, and three children live in a genuine castle in Scotland.
We Are Family
Beth Moran
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837513390, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 564pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/we-are-family-beth-moran/1143237267
Synopsis: Thirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the
tragic death of Maggie's father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return
home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can't see any option other than for the two of them to move back in
with her parents.
Going home means many things -- finally confronting her estranged father, navigating her mother's desperate need to make
everything ok despite the wobbles in her own marriage, not to mention helping a still-grieving Maggie to settle into a new
school, find new friends, and stop expressing her emotions through her ever-changing hair color.
What Ruth needs are friends, but she abandoned her childhood ones when she left all those years ago. Luckily for Ruth, they
haven't abandoned her. Slowly she lets herself be embraced by a group of women who have always had her back -- even
when she didn't know it. And as the grief and shock recede, Ruth can even begin to imagine sharing her life with someone
other than just Maggie -- if Maggie will let her.
Critique: With a special appeal for fans of women's family and friendship fiction, this Boldwood Books large print
paperback edition "We Are Family" by Beth Moran is highly recommended reading and will prove to be a memorably
popular addition to personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Beth Moran (https://bethmoranauthor.com) worked as a biochemist and then taught antenatal classes before
giving it up to follow her dream of becoming an author. As well as writing novels, she is a foster carer and a trustee of the
fabulous Free Range Chicks charity.
The Historical Fiction Shelf
Bomber
Len Deighton
Grove Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161611, $17.00, PB, 496pp
https://www.amazon.com/Bomber/dp/0802161618
Synopsis: Skilled Royal Air Force bomber pilot Sam Lambert is exhausted, and his veteran crewmen have just been
replaced by an inexperienced new team. Victor von Lowenherz, a German night fighter pilot who intercepts RAF bombers
in his Junkers Ju 88, looks on with horror at the Nazi regime. And Hansl, a German boy in the small market town of
Altgarten, sleeps at home. Lambert and his crew prepare for a bombing raid on the Ruhr area. It's a night that many will
never forget.
Critique: Although a work of fiction "Bomber" by Len Deighton offers an historically accurate background to his
masterfully written, inherently gripping, minute-by-minute account of what was to occur over the next twenty-four hours.
Told from the perspective of protagonists on all sides and astonishingly precise in its depictions of planes, weapons, and
behind-the-scenes war strategy, "Bomber" is novelist Len Deighton at his best as he presents unforgettable portrait of war,
both in the air and on the ground. A "must" for the legions of Len Deighton fans, this edition of "Bomber" from Grove Press
is highly recommended for personal and community library World War II fiction collections. It should be noted that this
edition of "Bomber" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.67).
Editorial Note: Len Deighton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Deighton) is considered one of the most important British
espionage writers. He has written more than thirty books that range from historical fiction, dystopian alternative fiction, and
brilliant nonfiction on the Second World War.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
A Description of Moldavia
Dimitrie Cantemir
Center for Romanian Studies
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592110254, $49.99, HC, 276pp
https://www.amazon.com/Description-Moldavia-Dimitrie-Cantemir/dp/1592110258
Synopsis: Written by one of the country's most renowned rulers, "A Description of Moldavia" by Dimitrie Cantemir
provides unique insight into the geography, history, economy, ethnography, culture, and traditions of the principality.
Born to a noble family, Dimitrie Cantemir, ruled as Prince of Moldavia on two occasions (March-April 1693 and
1710-1711). He was a famed statesman, philosopher, and scholar. Cantemir wrote his Description of Moldavia (Descriptio
Moldaviae) in 1716 at the request of the Royal Academy in Berlin, of which he was a member.
Cantemir's manuscript included a map (reproduced in this current edition), which the first real map of the country and
containing geographical detail. "A Description of Moldavia" also provides a wealth of information about the country's
natural resources, political organization, customs and traditions, history, religion, and language. This deluxe edition of this
classic work marks the first time "A Description of Moldavia" has appeared in the English language.
An introduction and notes by Dr. A.K. Brackob, a noted specialist on Romanian and East European history, further
enhances this invaluable historical resource.
Critique: Deftly edited and featuring an informative Introduction by A. K. Brackob, "A Description of Moldavia" by
Dimetrie Cantemir (26 October 1673 - 21 August 1723) is organized into three major sections: Geography; Politics;
Religion & Literature. Fascinating, informative. A unique historical resource, "A Description of Moldavia" is unreservedly
recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Romanian History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: A. K. Brackob is a noted specialist in East European history. His other books include Scanderbeg: George
Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Southeastern Europe in the Fifteenth Century and Mircea the
Old: Father of Wallachia, Grandfather of Dracula.
At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia
Ionel Teodoreanu
Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592112920, $24.99, PB, 356pp
https://www.amazon.com/At-Medeleni-Moldavia-Classics-Literature/dp/1592112927
Synopsis: "At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" by Ionel Teodoreanu is classic work of Romanian literature and a
wonderful novel for all ages. Ionel Teodoreanu captivates your mind and your heart as he places you alongside his
memorable characters: Olga, Monica, and Dan.
"At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" takes place during the years between the two world wars and is a delightful account
of brother-sister rivalry, along with the life of a generally happy, easy-going family in rural Moldavia.
Critique: A finely crafted novel written with 'warmth, wit, love, and the pursuit of dreams', "At Medeleni: A Summer in
Moldavia" will prove to be of special appeal for readers ages 15 to 95 with an interest in a family life novel whose
excellence and merit raise it to the level of timeless Fine Arts Literary Fiction. While an especially and unreservedly
recommended pick for highscool, community and academic library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for
personal reading lists that "At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$9.49).
Editorial Note: Ionel Teodoreanu (6 January 1897 - 3 February 1954) wrote more than twenty books during his prolific
literary career, including the classic Lorelei, but At Medeleni remains his most beloved work. In it, the author drew on his
experiences growing up in rural Moldavia. Published as a trilogy, At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia is a translation of
volume 1 of the trilogy, titled in Romanian, Hotarul Nestatornic. The illustrated edition of At Medeleni is part of the
Classics of Romanian Literature series published by the Center for Romanian Studies as part of its efforts to promote access
to Romanian culture in the world. It includes an introduction by A.K. Brackob.
The Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin, author
Edwein lowe, introduction
H. Bencraft Joly, translator
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804840965, $29.95, PB, 992pp
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Red-Chamber-Tuttle-Classics/dp/0804840962
Synopsis: "The Dream of the Red Chamber" by Cao Xueqin is one of the "Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese
Literature." It is renowned for its huge scope, large cast of characters, and telling observations about the life and social
structures of 18th century China. Many consider it to be the pinnacle of the classical Chinese novel.
The "Red Chamber" is a term used to describe the sheltered area where the daughters of wealthy Chinese families lived.
"The Dream of the Red Chamber" is believed to be based on the author's own life and intended as a memorial to the women
that he knew in his youth.
As Edwin Lowe writes in his introduction, "Henry Bencraft Joly's attention to detail and the faithfulness in his translation of
Hong Lou Meng makes this revised edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber an excellent book for the student of modern
Chinese."
Critique: A work of fiction that easily rises to the full level of literary excellence and aptly translated into English by H.
Bencraft Joly for a contemporary American readersip, a student studying Chinese, a member of academia studying or
teaching Chinese historical literature, or a non-specialist general readers simply interested in Chinese literature, "The Dream
of the Red Chamber" is an eloquent, elegant, multilayered, richly descriptive, complex and entertaining story that also
provides a wealth of key insights into Chinese culture and history. While especially and unreservedly recommended for
personal, professional, college, college/university Chinese Classical Literature collections and supplemental curriculum
studies lists, it should be noted that "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is also available in a digital format (Kindle,
$1.99).
Editorial Note #1: Cao Xueqin (4 April 1710-10 June 1765) was a Chinese novelist and poet during the Qing dynasty.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Xueqin)
Editorial Note #2: There is a lengthy listing of titles translated into English by H. Bencraft Joly at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10034387.H_Bencraft_Joly
Editorial Note #3: Edwin H. Lowe has been a university researcher and academic for over 20 years in the diverse fields of
conservation genetics, molecular biology, defence and strategic studies, Chinese history, Chinese politics and Chinese to
English translation. He has worked and taught at Macquarie University, the Australian National University, the University
of New South Wales and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, Australian Defence College. Edwin has authored and
co-authored articles and books in these fields, and has translated and edited translations of Chinese texts.
The Siren's Lament: Essential Stories
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, author
Bryan Karetnyk, translator
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782278092, $18.00, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Lament-Essential-Stories/dp/1782278095
Synopsis: Featuring "The Qilin," "The Siren's Lament," and the novella "Killing O-Tsuya", this gorgeous new edition of 3
classic works from Pushkin Press are ably translated into English by Bryan Karetnyk who deftly distills the essence of
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's shorter fiction: the co-mingling of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, the chillingly dark side of desire,
and the paper-thin line between the sublime and the depraved.
"The Qilin": The sage Confucius travels to a kingdom ruled by a struggling duke, whose pursuit of virtue is threatened by
his consort's obsession desire for pleasure.
"Killing O-Tsuya": A naive servant elopes with his master's daughter, only to be plunged headlong into a world of murder
and corruption.
"The Siren's Lament": Exhausted by a lifestyle of never-ending debauchery, a young prince finds himself in possession of a
dazzling, beguiling mermaid.
The essential short works of one of the most important and widely-read figured in modern Japanese literature, and the
author of hugely popular works including In Praise of Shadows, The Makioka Sisters, and Naomi, author Jun'ichiro
Tanizaki is renowned for his investigations of family dynamics, eroticism, and cultural identity.
Critique: This compact (4.78 x 0.6 x 6.44 inches, 6.40 ounces) paperback edition of "The Siren's Lament" will prove to be
of immense interest to students, academia, and the non-specialist general reader of Japanese literature. While also available
for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), "The Siren's Lament" is an ideal and unreservedly
recommended pick for community and college/university International Literary Fiction collections and supplemental
Japanese Literary Studies curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Jun'ichiro Tanizaki (24 July 1886 - 30 July 1965) was a widely acclaimed writer, considered to be one of
the most important figures in modern Japanese literature. His writing career extended from the end of the Meiji era in 1912
through the rapid growth and modernization of the 1960s. His writing draws on elements of classical Japanese literature, as
well as Chinese mythology and Western literature.
Editorial Note #2: Bryan Karetnyk (https://lithub.com/author/briankaretnyk) is a British writer and translator. His
translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He
is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Emigre Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.
The Romantic Fiction Shelf
The Woman in the Castle
Evelyn Orange
Linford Romance
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444851809, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 324pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-woman-in-the-castle-evelyn-orange/1143941400
Synopsis: Malory has landed her dream job for the summer. She's restoring a collection of old paintings in a Swiss castle,
owned by a young, handsome businessman. But her life changes drastically when a young Canadian turns up, looking for his
missing sister. Malory is flung into an adventure she had never imagined -- one which stirs up memories from her past and
may even threaten her life as she investigates the secret of the woman in the castle.
Critique: Mixing deftly crafted mystery with the perils and promise of romance, with the publication of "The Woman in the
Castle, author Evelyn Orange demonstrates her impressive flair for narrative driven storytelling of the kind that is as riveting
as it is memorable. This large print paperback edition of "The Women in the Castle" is an especially recommended addition
to personal reading lists and community library Romance Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Evelyn Orange (https://www.evelynorange.co.uk) is an author from north east England who writes
contemporary romantic suspense novels, twentieth century sagas, and has a blog at
https://evelynorangeauthor.blogspot.com
Kiss The Girl
Zoraida Cordova
Hyperion Avenue
c/o Disney Publishing Group
https://books.disney.com/imprint/hyperion-avenue
9781368053365, $26.99, HC, 352pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kiss-the-girl-zoraida-c-rdova/1142170077
Synopsis: Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters (together, known as the band
Siren Seven) have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined
costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she's the girl who has everything.
But lately, she wants more. Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can't wait to spend the summer just
living a normal life -- part of a world she's only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records,
has other plans: begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk
show.
The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert
in Brooklyn. It's there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of
her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys
her father -- and goes with him.
Caught between the world she longs for and the one she's left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and,
somehow, find her own voice?
Critique: An original and fun read that will have a very special appeal to fans of romantic comedy with a feel-good vibe
from start to finish, "Kiss The Girl" by novelist Zoraida Cordova is an extraordinarily entertaining and highly recommended
pick for community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Kiss The Girl" is also readily
available in a paperback edition (9781368053365, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: Zoraida Cordova (www.zoraidacordova.com) is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short
stories, including the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: A Crash of Fate, and The Inheritance of Orquidea
Divina. In addition to writing novels, she serves on the Board of We Need Diverse Books, and is the co-editor of the
bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old, as well as the cohost of the writing podcast, Deadline City. She also writes
romance novels as Zoey Castile.
The Western Fiction Shelf
The Talons of Iron Eyes
Rory Black
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850482, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 240pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-talons-of-iron-eyes-rory-black/1137640881
Synopsis: In pursuit of Squirrel Sally on his way back from Fort Liberty, the infamous Iron Eyes is bushwhacked by a pair
of horse thieves who steal his thoroughbred palomino stallion. Leaving him for dead, the outlaws head on to the logging
town of Bear Creek. What neither man knows is that Squirrel Sally has observed them leaving the stallion at the livery
stable. Realizing that Iron Eyes would never willingly part with his prized horse, she fears the worst -- and sets off to find
her beloved.
Critique: Featuring one of the most unique and lethal figures of the fiction Old West, "The Talons of Iron Eyes" by Rory
Black is western action/adventure at its best. This large print paperback edition of "The Talons of Iron Eyes" is a prized pick
for community library Western Fiction collections and a 'must' for the personal reading lists of any and all dedicated western
readers.
Editorial Note: There is a comprehensive on-line listing of the novels by Rory Black at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/273423.Rory_Black
Cry Riot!
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850369, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 217pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Cry%20Riot!
Synopsis: Spargo was a mining town -- but there hadn't been any mining there for a while. The mines were in a dangerous
condition, and their owner, Foley Kingston, refused to make improvements. So the miners (those who'd survived the
numerous cave-ins and accidents) went on strike, and Kingston called on his old friend, Duke Benedict, to help him break
it.
Benedict's partner, big Hank Brazos, immediately sided with the miners. And even though Benedict knew Kingston was at
fault, he had to stand by him. Back in the War, Kingston had saved his life, so he owed the man. But there were darker
forces at work in Spargo -- from Kingston's cheating wife Rhea to saloon owner Ace Beauford, who wanted to run the entire
outfit all by himself.
And then there was a man-mountain named Paddy Clancy, who figured to double-cross all of them!
Critique: "Cry Riot!" is the sixth title in the stellar western series by novelist E. Jefferson Clay and features the continuing
adventures (and misadventures) of former Union calvary office Duke Menedict and is trail companion and partner, former
confederate sergeant Hank Brazos. A fun read from start to finish, this large print paperback edition of "Cry Riot!" from the
Linford Western Library collection is unreservedly recommended for community libraries and the personal reading lists of
any and all dedicated western novel fans.
Editorial Note: Editorial Note: E. Jefferson Clay (www.fantasticfiction.com/c/e-jefferson-clay) is one of the many
pseudonyms for Australian author, comic book writer and illustrator Paul Wheelahan.
Brand of the Forgotten
Sheldon B. Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850376, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 201pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Brand%20of%20the%20Forgotten
Synopsis: Blake Durant wasn't looking for trouble, but as usual, trouble found him anyway. It came in the shape of a crusty
old miner called Pete Doubell, who was outnumbered and under attack by a bunch of gunmen when Blake ran across him.
Ever the loner, Blake wanted no part of it, but somehow he got drawn into a complicated web of lies, death and
double-dealing. Along the way he locked horns with gunfighter Vance Carter, and vengeance-hungry Reke Bodie and his
gun-hung crew. But when he looked into the eyes of Doubell's niece Christine, all the danger seemed a price worth
paying...
Critique: Another riveting action/adventure western from novelist Sheldon B. Cole, who is as prolific as he is good, "Brand
of the Forgotten" this large print edition from the Linformd Western Library series is a fun read for all dedicated western
buffs and a solid pick for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Editorial Note: There is a comprehensive and available listing of Sheldon B. Cole's novels at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19648928.Sheldon_B_Cole
Bandidio!
Cole Sheldon
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850383, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 228pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bandido-cole-shelton/1136785773
Synopsis: One hundred factory-new repeating rifles had gone missing and if they fell into the wrong hands, the west would
run red with blood.
The job of finding them and returning them to the army fell to Shane Preston and Jonah Jones. Along the way, they
collected a rag-tag bunch of helpers, from a Mormon missionary to a disgraced sheriff. And even when they located the
rifles, getting them back to Fort Dumas wasn't going to be easy.
The Mexican outlaw Pedro Mantez wanted those weapons, and he didn't care how many innocent people his army of
renegades had to kill to get them!
Critique: A fun read for the dedicated western fan from first page to last, this large print paperback edition of "Bandidio!" by
Cole Sheldon newly released by the Linford Western Library is a decidedly recommended pick for personal reading lists and
community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Editorial Note: There is an impressive on-line listing of novels by Cole Sheldon at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7160486.Cole_Shelton
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Murder Most Royal
S. J. Bennett
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063051201, $30.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Most-Royal-Majesty-Investigates/dp/0063051206
Synopsis: Queen Elizabeth II is looking forward to a traditional Christmas gathering with her family in Sandringham when a
shocking discovery interrupts holiday plans. A severed hand has been found -- but even more unsettling, she recognizes the
signet ring still attached to a finger. It belongs to a scion of the St Cyr family, her old friends from nearby Ladybridge Hall.
Despite the personal connection, the Queen wants to leave the investigation to the police -- that is, until newspapers drag her
name into the matter.
As reporters speculate about the proximity of the crime to the Crown and the police fail to investigate a suspicious accident
on her doorstep, Elizabeth quietly begins to mull over the mystery herself. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary,
Rozie Oshodi, she delves into the interlocking layers of fact and fiction surrounding the high-profile case. Someone in the
quiet county of Norfolk seems to have a secret worth killing for, and the Queen is determined to find out who and what that
is -- even if that means discovering that someone in her close circle is a murderer.
Critique: A cozy mystery with the amateur female sleuth being Elizabeth II, Queen of England! An original, well written,
riveting and fun read from start to finish, "Murder Most Royal" (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates) is certain to be a
wildly popular pick for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
the legions of dedicated cozy mystery enthusiasts and Queen Elizabeth II fans that "Murder Most Royal" is also available in
a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99). Librarians should also note that "Murder Most Royal" is also available in a large
print paperback edition (Harper Large Print, 9780063297708, $34.00) and as a complete and unabridged audio book
(Blackstone Audio, 9798212695459, $41.99, CD).
Editorial Note: S. J. Bennett (https://www.sjbennettbooks.com) gained her PhD in Italian Literature from the University of
Cambridge and was a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co before becoming a professional writer. She has published ten
books for teenagers, winning the Times/Chicken House Competition for Threads in 2009 and the Romantic Novel of the
Year award for Love Song in 2017.
Condor's Fury
Clive Cussler, author
Graham Brown, author
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group
www.penguin.com
Penguin Audio
https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com
9780593543979, $29.95, HC, 432pp
https://www.amazon.com/Clive-Cussler-Condors-Fury-Files/dp/0593543971
Synopsis: On a NUMA training mission in the Caribbean, Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala catch a distress call from a nearby
freighter. Leaping into action, they locate a damaged vessel and a dead captain clutching a shotgun.
While searching the freighter for clues, Kurt and Joe are ambushed by crew members who seem terrified and disoriented,
almost brainwashed. The trawler they were hauling has vanished, taken (the men say) by baffling lights that circled the
ship.
Kurt and Joe deduce that the men are suffering from Havana Syndrome, which deepens the mystery and raises the stakes.
Soon, they're confronting Cuban mercenaries who plan to use magnificent modern airships to hijack a nuclear submarine --
culminating in a life-or-death showdown in the skies.
Critique: Begun by the legendary author and master of the action/adventure novel Clive Cussler, and posthumously
completed for publication by accomplished novelist Graham Brown, "Condor's Fury" is a spellbinding and memorable read
from start to finish. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Suspense Thriller and
Action/Adventure collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Clive Cussler fans that (with
the assistance of Graham Brown) "Condor's Fury" is also readily available in a digital book format ($14.99). It should also
be noted for librarians that there is a large print paperback edition (Random House Large Print, 9780593792520, $32.00) of
"Condor's Fury" and that it is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (Penguin Audio, 9780593787823,
$45.00, CD).
Editorial Note #1: Clive Cussler was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt(R),
NUMA Files(R), Oregon Files(R), Isaac Bell(R), and Sam and Remi Fargo(R). Cussler passed away in February 2020.
Editorial Note #2: Graham Brown is the author of Black Rain, Black Sun, and Clive Cussler's Dark Vector, and the coauthor
with Cussler of Devil's Gate, The Storm, Zero Hour, Ghost Ship, The Pharaoh's Secret, Nighthawk, The Rising Sea, Sea of
Greed, Journey of the Pharaohs, and Fast Ice.
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
The Girl from Wudang
P.J. Caldas
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804856928, $17.99, PB, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Wudang-Artificial-Intelligence-Immortality/dp/0804856923
Synopsis: Yinyin, called Tigress, was raised in the sacred mountains of Wudang, where her life was about Tai Chi, the Dao,
and trying to balance her yang with yin. Artificial intelligence and neuroscience were things she'd never even heard of. But
then her overpowering yang sets her on a course to the Bay Area to become a professional fighter.
For as long as she could remember, Yinyin had been told she was poised to become part of something big, but what "big"
turned out to be was beyond her imagining: a scientific experiment that would allow her to connect her brain to a thing they
called "Brainternet" and become unbeatable. And then there would be a bonus -- the suicidal headaches that had plagued her
all her life would cease.
But nothing comes without a price, and this connection would give others access to family secrets Yinyin has sworn to
protect. Secrets that, at large and in the wrong hands, could be a very dangerous thing.
Critique: Riveting, original, and of particular interest to fans of immortality, cyberpunk, techno-thriller, martial arts,
artificial intelligence, and gritty action/adventure science fiction novels, "The Girl from Wudang" by novelist PJ Caldas is
an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university library Science Fiction
collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that "The Girl from Wudang" is
also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note: PJ Caldas (https://www.pjcaldas.com) is the author of multiple best-selling novels in Brazil. He was picked
by the Dictionary of Brazilian Literature as one of the most important writers of the twenty-first century. There, he published
four books inspired by the mythology carried to the country by the African diaspora, and reached the top five best-selling
titles multiple times. PJ is also a martial artist with 40 years of experience in combat sports, including kempo, karate, tai chi,
and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
The Business Shelf
International Entrepreneurship, second edition
Antonella Zucchella, et al.
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781802204834, $125.00, HC, 182pp
https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/international-entrepreneurship-9781802204858.html
https://www.amazon.com/International-Entrepreneurship-Second-Antonella-Zucchella/dp/1802204830
Synopsis: Now in a thoroughly revised and updated second edition, "International Entrepreneurship" explains the
opportunities and challenges facing internationalising entrepreneurial ventures. With a new section on international
sustainable entrepreneurship and new cases and examples throughout, this second edition of a heretofore successful
textbook will be indispensable for students of international entrepreneurship.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, this new second edition of "International Entrepreneurship: provides a
solid foundation for all international entrepreneurship course curriculums, as well as an ideal supplementary text for
graduate students studying entrepreneurship and international business. While unreservedly recommended for
college/university library Business/Entrepreneurship collections and supplemental MBA curriculums studies lists, it should
be noted that "International Entrepreneurship: 2nd Edition" is also available in a paperback edition (9781802204858,
$58.95) and an ebook edition (9781802204841, $47.16).
Editorial Note: Antonella Zucchella, Full Professor, Department of Economics and Management, University of Pavia, Italy,
Birgit Hagen, Associate Professor of International Entrepreneurship and Marketing, Department of Economics and
Management, University of Pavia, Italy and Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, Austria and Manuel G. Serapio,
Associate Professor, Business School, and Faculty Director, IIB-CIBER, University of Colorado - Denver.
The Veterinary Studies Shelf
Pathology and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases for Practitioners
Laura Urdes, et al.
Wiley-Blackwell
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781119839675, $170.00, PB, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Pathology-Epidemiology-Aquatic-Diseases-Practitioners/dp/111983967X
Synopsis: Collectively compiled and co-edited by the team of Laura Urdes, Chris Walster, and Julius Tepper, "Pathology
and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases for Practitioners" provides information on the diseases and applied
epidemiology of all aquatic animal taxa, including invertebrates and vertebrates, along with information on applied
epidemiology, acknowledging the One Health concept, and discussion on probabilities of disease outbreaks occurring and
assesses the economic costs of treating those outbreaks, if applicable.
Divided into two sections ('Pathology of Aquatic Animal Species' & 'Epidemiology and Animal Health Economics'),
"Pathology and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases for Practitioners" looks at the pathology of major aquatic taxa
and their associated infectious diseases (parasitic, viral, and bacterial) and non-infectious diseases. Each entry includes an
overview, their host range and transmission, signs and diagnosis, differentials, and treatment and management. These assets
are accompanied by clinical signs-lesion differential charts.
Sample topics discussed in Pathology and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases rang from: Echinoderms, including
crinoidea (crinoids, sea lilies, feather stars, and asteroidea), sea stars/starfish, and ophiuroidea (brittle stars and basket stars);
to Reptiles, including turtles (freshwater and marine), crocodilians, marine iguanas, and sea snakes; to Pinnipeds, including
otariidae (eared seals), odobenidae (walruses), phocidae (earless seals), mustelidae (otters), and sirenia (manatees and
dugongs); to Tropical marine aquarium fish (damselfish, angelfish, gobies, wrasses, parrotfish, butterfly fish, and clownfish)
and anemones.
Critique: Illustrated throughout in full color, "Pathology and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases for Practitioners" is
a comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' reference for veterinary students, veterinary practitioners, academic staff, and
and aquatic life researchers. Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library Aquatic Veterinary collections, "Pathology and Epidemiology of Aquatic Animal Diseases" is also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $136.00) and especially suitable for students, academia, veterinarians, and non-specialist
general readers who are interested in aquatic veterinary medicine. Of special note is that "Pathology and Epidemiology of
Aquatic Animal Diseases for Practitioners" also serves as a companion to "Fundamentals of Aquatic Veterinary Medicine"
from the same editorial team.
Editorial Note #1: Laura Urdes is Assistant Professor at The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of
Bucharest in Romania. She is also Past-President of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Association (WAVMA).
Editorial Note #2: Chris Walster is a qualified veterinary surgeon with a long-standing interest in aquatic veterinary
medicine and current WAVMA administrator in Stafford in the UK. He is also Past-President of WAVMA.
Editorial Note #3: Julius Tepper is a Veterinarian at Long Island Fish Hospital in Manorville, New York in the USA. He is
also Past-President of WAVMA.
The Philosophy Shelf
Ancient Women Philosophers
Kathrine R. O'Reilly, editor
Caterina Pello, editor
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781316516188, $110.00, HC, 290pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Women-Philosophers-Recovered-Perspectives/dp/1316516180
Synopsis: Despite the common misconception that ancient philosophy was the sole domain of male thinkers, sources
confirm that ancient women engaged in philosophical activity.
Bringing together a collection of essays on ancient women thinkers, with special focus on their ideas and contributions to
the history of philosophy, "Ancient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives " is about the earliest
women philosophers, their breakthroughs, and the methods we can use to excavate them.
The essays comprising "Ancient Women Philosophers" survey the methodological strategies we can use to approach the
surviving evidence, retrieve the largely unresearched thought and the original ideas of ancient women philosophers, and
carve out a space for them in the canon. The broad focus includes women thinkers in ancient Indian, Chinese, and Arabic
philosophy as well as in the Greek and Roman philosophical traditions.
"Ancient Women Philosophers" will be valuable for a wide range of researchers, teachers, and students of ancient
philosophy.
Critique: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Professor Katharine R. O'Reilly and Research Fellow
Caterina Pello, "Ancient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives" is a compendium of twelve
informative, intrinsical and erudite essays contributed by individual scholars studying women in Greco/Roman antiquity.
Along with an informative Introduction (The Value of Women Philosophers for the History of Philosophy), "Ancient
Women Philosophers" also includes a listing of the contributors and their credentials, a list of abbreviations, a twenty-two
page list of References, and a three page Index. Original, seminal, ground-breaking, unique, "Ancient Women Philosophers"
must be considered an critically essential addition to personal, professional, community, college and university library
History of Philosophy and Women's History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for
students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Ancient Women Philosophers:
Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $104.50).
Editorial Note #1: Katharine R.O'Reilly (https://katharine-oreilly.com) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Toronto
Metropolitan University. Her research areas include moral psychology in the Ancient Greek and Roman traditions, and
ancient women philosophers (particularly in the Hellenistic schools).
Editorial Note #2: Caterina Pello (https://philpeople.org/profiles/caterina-pello-3) is a Research Fellow at the University of
Geneva (SNSF Ambizione). She has published Pythagorean Women (Cambridge 2022) in the series Cambridge Elements
on Women in the History of Philosophy.
The Music Shelf
Rock This Way
Mel Stanfill
University of Michigan Press
www.press.umich.edu
9780472076284, $70.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Rock-This-Way-Constructions-Legitimacy/dp/0472076280
Synopsis: Any and all songs are capable of being remixed. But not all remixes are treated equally. With the publication of
"Rock This Way: Cultural Constructions of Musical Legitimacy", Professor Mel Stanfill examines transformative musical
works (cover songs, remixes, mash-ups, parodies, and soundalike songs) to discover what contemporary American culture
sees as legitimate when it comes to making music that builds upon other songs.
Through examples of how popular discussion talked about such songs between 2009 and 2018, Professor Stanfill uses a
combination of discourse analysis and digital humanities methods to interrogate our broader understanding of
transformative works and where they converge at the legal, economic, and cultural ownership levels.
"Rock This Way" provides a new way of thinking about what it means to re-create and borrow music, how the racial identity
of both the reusing artist and the reused artist matters, and the ways in which the law polices artists and their works.
Ultimately, Professor Stanfill demonstrates that the extent to which a work is seen as having new expression or meaning is
contingent upon notions of creativity, legitimacy, and law, all of which are shaped by white supremacy.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a six page Data Appendix, thirty-eight pages of Notes,
a two page listing of References, and a nine page Index, "Rock This Way: Cultural Constructions of Musical Legitimacy" is
a seminal work of original scholarship and a ground-breaking contribution to the subject of musical creativity that will have
immense appeal and value to musicians, their fans, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and also available in a paperback edition (9780472056286,
$29.95), "Rock This Way" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university
library Music Development/Creation collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Mel Stanfill (http://melstanfill.com/curriculum-vitae) is Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the
Texts and Technology Program and the Department of English at the University of Central Florida.
The Architecture Shelf
Universal Principles of Architecture
Cruz Garcia, author
Nathalie Frankowski, author
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760380611, $40.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Architecture-Architectural-Relationships/dp/0760380619
Synopsis: Divided into Archetypes, Methods, Conditions, Relationships, and Imaginaries, each of the five sections
comprising "Universal Principles of Architecture: 100 Architectural Archetypes, Methods, Conditions, Relationships, and
Imaginaries" introduces in 20 principles architecture at different scales and stages of the design process. Through an
inclusive and holistic approach, "University Principles of Architecture" refers to initial design ideas, creative design
approaches, reflections on the effects of the built and destroyed environments, and architectural desires and aspirations to
transform the world and engage with the cosmos.
Because architecture is the converging point where many fields of knowledge, ideas, forms, approaches, methods,
sensibilities, and materials meet, "Universal Principles of Architecture" provides a flexible and dynamic space where the
material, conceptual, and social take shape.
Written, illustrated, and designed by critically acclaimed architects, educators, and co-authors Cruz Garcia and Nathalie
Frankowski of WAI Architecture Think Tank, "Universal Principles of Architecture" deftly combines accessible writing
with otherworldly images like the ones they have displayed in exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou Metz, Museum of
Modern Art New York, Neues Museum Nuremberg, and Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology Lisbon.
Intended as an intergenerational and transdisciplinary reference volume, "Universal Principles of Architecture" presents an
ambitious overview of what architecture has been and can be in a world full of urgent challenges and abundant opportunities
for social and ecological responsibility, and design creativity.
Critique: This large format (8.25 x 0.75 x 10 inches, 2.3 pounds), beautifully illustrated, hardcover edition of "Universal
Principles of Architecture: 100 Architectural Archetypes, Methods, Conditions, Relationships, and Imaginaries" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college and university library Architecture
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for architecture students, academia, working
architects, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Universal Principles of Architecture: 100
Architectural Archetypes, Methods, Conditions, Relationships, and Imaginaries" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $19.99).
Editorial Note #1: Founded by Puerto Rican architect, artist, curator, educator, author, and theorist Cruz Garcia and French
architect, artist, curator, educator, author, and poet Nathalie Frankowski, WAI Architecture Think Tank is an internationally
recognized studio invested in the development of new curricula and experiments that support public engagement with
architecture. They are particularly interested in decolonization and anti-racist reconstruction of the role of architecture in the
construction of new worlds. Garcia and Frankowski are Associate Professors at Iowa State University, where they are
Design for Critical Futures Fellows in Activism and Emancipatory practice respectively, as well as faculty at the Advanced
Architectural Design program at Columbia University. Their work has been part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture
Biennial and exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou Metz, Neues Museum Nuremberg, Museum of Modern Art New York, and
the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology Lisbon. They are authors of Universal Principles of Architecture.
(www.waithinktank.com).
Editorial Note #2: All the titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and
edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and
anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.
The Psychology Shelf
The Science of Romantic Relationships
Theresa DiDonato, author
Brett Jakubiak, author
Cambridge University Press
www.cambridge.org
9781108841603, $150.00, HC, 500pp
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Romantic-Relationships-Theresa-DiDonato/dp/1108841600
Synopsis: Why do people fall in love? Does passion fade with time? What makes for a happy, healthy relationship? "The
Science of Romantic Relationships" is an introduction to relationship science and follows the lifecycle of a relationship
from attraction and initiation, to the hard work of relationship maintenance, to dissolution and ways to strengthen a
relationship.
Designed for advanced undergraduates studying psychology, communication or family studies, "The Science of Romantic
Relationships" is textbook presentation for a fresh, diversity-infused approach to relationship science. It includes real-world
examples and critical-thinking questions, callout boxes that challenge students to make connections, and researcher
interviews that showcase the many career paths of relationship scientists. Article Spotlights reveal cutting-edge methods,
while Diversity and Inclusion boxes celebrate the variety found in human love and connection.
Throughout "The Science of Romantic Relationships", students see the application of theory and come to recognize
universal themes in relationships as well as the nuances of many findings. Instructors can access lecture slides, an instructor
manual, and test banks.
Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Science of Romantic Relationships" by co-authors and
academicians Theresa DiDonato and Brett Kakubia is seminal and informative enhanced for psychology students and
counselors with the inclusion of a fifteen page Glossary, ninety-four pages of References, and an eighteen page Index.
Holding a special relevance and interest for readers studying the medical psychology of sexuality, "The Science of Romantic
Relationships" is an ideal textbook selection for college and university library Human Sexuality/Counseling collections and
Human Sexuality curriculum studies list. It should be noted for personal and professional reading lists that "The Science of
Romantic Relationships" is also available in a paperback edition (9781108794961, $64.99) and in a digital book format
(Kindle, $48.99).
Editorial Note #1: Theresa DiDonato is a professor of psychology at Loyola University Maryland, where she has served as
the Director of the Undergraduate Program in Psychology. She serves on the Teaching Committee of the International
Association of Relationship Research (IARR) and is a long-time member of SPSP. She has a Psychology Today blog, 'Meet,
Catch, and Keep. (https://www.loyola.edu/academics/psychology/faculty/full-time-faculty/didonato)
Editorial Note #2: Brett Jakubiak is an associate professor of psychology at Syracuse University and won the Syracuse
University Meredith Early Performance Award for exemplary teaching. Brett also maintains an active program of research
focused on the interpersonal support processes that regulate stress, encourage autonomous goal pursuit, and enhance
relationship quality across the lifespan. This research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National
Institutes of Health. (https://artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/people/faculty/jakubiak-brett-k)
The Mathematics Shelf
Math for Security
Daniel Reilly
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781718502567, $49.99, PB, 312pp
https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Math-Security-Introduction-Programmers/dp/1718502567
Synopsis: "Math for Security: From Graphs and Geometry to Spatial Analysis" will equip you with essential tools to tackle
complex security problems head on. All you need are some basic programming skills.
Once you've set up your development environment and reviewed the necessary Python syntax and math notation in the early
chapters, you'll dive deep into practical applications, leveraging the power of math to analyze networks, optimize resource
distribution, and much more. In the final chapters, you will take your projects from proof of concepts to viable applications
and explore options for delivering them to end users.
As you work through various security scenarios laid out in "Math for Security", you will: Employ packet analysis and graph
theory to detect data exfiltration attempts in a network; Predict potential targets and find weaknesses in social networks with
Monte Carlo simulations; Use basic geometry and OpenCell data to triangulate a phone's location without GPS; Apply
computational geometry to Voronoi diagrams for use in emergency service planning; Train a facial recognition system with
machine learning for real-time identity verification; Use spatial analysis to distribute physical security features effectively in
an art gallery.
Whether you're an aspiring security professional, a social network analyst, or an innovator seeking to create cutting-edge
security solutions, "Math for Security" will empower you to solve complex problems with precision and confidence.
Embrace the intricate world of math as your secret weapon in computer security!
Critique: "Math for Security: From Graphs and Geometry to Spatial Analysis" covers Python 3.x, and is fundamental to
learning how to utilize mathematics with respect to maximizing computer security. While also available for personal DIY
training in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99), Daniel Reilloy's "Math for Security: From Graphs and Geometry to
Spatial Analysis" from No Starch Press is a welcome and essential addition to personal, professional, community, and
college/university library Computer Science & Computer Security collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Daniel Reilly is a security researcher, analyst, and consultant based out of Seattle, WA. He has worked in the
security field for 20 years, more than half of which has been spent developing and managing operational security for small
businesses.
The Judicial Studies Shelf
Judicial Dispute Resolution
Lawrence Susskind, author
Justice William Tilleman, author
Nicolas Parra Herrera, author
Anthem Press
www.anthempress.com
9781839988660, $110.00, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Judicial-Dispute-Resolution-Ensuring-Justice/dp/1839988665
Synopsis: "Judicial Dispute Resolution: New Roles for Judges in Ensuring Justice" describes the ways in which judges,
using JDR (Judicial Dispute Resolution), have been facilitating problem-solving among litigants, and in the process,
ensuring more just outcomes. JDR is similar to mediation ADR (alternative dispute resolution), but it is provided by a
judge, not a private mediator.
Very little has been written about JDR, especially in Canada where it has been pioneered for several decades, because all the
records have remained confidential. The story can now be told because the co-authors Susskind, Tilleman, and Para-Herrera
were given exclusive access to the records and the parties (including the JDR judges) in nine illustrative cases.
The three co-authors also have collaborated to provide a complete Teaching Appendix summarizing the JDR cases from the
standpoint of a variety of legal specialties, while highlighting the differences between JDR and ADR.
Critique: Informative enhanced for readers with an interest in the Canadian and American judicial systems, "Judicial
Dispute Resolution: New Roles for Judges in Ensuring Justice" features nine Case Studies, an eight page Bibliography, a
two page Appendix, a two page
Teaching Guide. While also available for students, academia, members of the legal profession, and judicial reform activists
in a paperback edition (9781839988981, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45), "Judicial Dispute
Resolution: New Roles for Judges in Ensuring Justice" is especially recommended for college and university Judicial
Studies collections and supplemental Arbitration/Negotiation/Mediation law school curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Lawrence Susskind is Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT), Co-founder and Vice Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and Founder and
Chief Knowledge Officer of the Consensus Building Institute.
Editorial Note #2: William A. Tilleman, LL.B., J.D., LL.M, S.J.D., is federally appointed judge (2009 - 2021) and
Chamberlain Fellow in Legislation, Columbia University.
Editorial Note #3: Nicolas Parra-Herrera is S.J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School, Graduate Fellow at the Program on
Negotiation, Harvard Law School, and Visiting Professor at Universidad de los Andes (Colombia).
The Military Shelf
U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century
Brent Droste Sadler
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682477779, $39.95, HC, 372pp
https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Naval-Power-21st-Century/dp/1682477770
Synopsis: Our Cold War and Global War on Terror defense structures need an update. With the publication of "U.S. Naval
Power in the 21st Century: A New Strategy for Facing the Chinese and Russian Threat", Brent Droste Sadler provides such
a framework for the changed world we live in, offering a detailed roadmap that shows how the United States can field a
war-winning fleet that can also compete aggressively in peacetime against dangerous competitors unlike any the nation has
faced before.
Sadler presents a compelling new strategy and organizing approach that he calls naval statecraft, which acknowledges the
centrality and importance of the maritime domain. While similar in scale and scope to Cold War containment strategies
against the Soviets, naval statecraft is much more. It must be to challenge China's involvement in global supply chains,
which gives that country significant financial heft and influence around the world.
Unlike what existed during of the Cold War, however, Sadler provides a unique vision for competing with China and
Russia. Rather than simply calling for better coordinated U.S. diplomacy, military operations, and economic statecraft,
Sadler argues for integrating the levers of national power coherently and in a sustainable way.
This is no small feat, and his approach is informed by a long career rich in working with various agencies of government,
foreign militaries (including hostile ones), and our allies. It is an approach imminently appropriate to our times but comes
with a realization that the nation is not ready for the competition it faces from China and Russia.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century: A New Strategy for
Facing the Chinese and Russian Threat" is a timely and invaluable contribution to our political and military national debate
over how best to respond to China's rise seeking dominance in the Pacific, and Russia's antagonisms as represented by their
invasion of Ukraine. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99), "U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century:
A New Strategy for Facing the Chinese and Russian Threat" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, military, governmental, college, and university library Contemporary Naval Military Strategy
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Brent Droste Sadler (https://www.usni.org/people/brent-sadler) is a twenty-six year Navy veteran with
numerous operational tours on nuclear powered submarines and has been a member of personal staffs of senior defense
department leaders and was a military diplomat in Asia.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Unrepentant Dakota Woman
Linda M. Clemmons
South Dakota Historical Society Press
https://www.sdhspress.com
9781941813485, $29.95, HC, 280pp
https://www.amazon.com/Unrepentant-Dakota-Woman-Angelique-Indigenous/dp/1941813488
Synopsis: Born in Minnesota in 1845 into a prominent mixed-blood Dakota family, Angelique Renville (1845-1876)
initially learned traditional Dakota ways of life from her relatives while navigating the complex multi-cultural world of the
declining fur trade.
At age six, she and her younger sister Agnes were adopted by Protestant missionaries Stephen and Mary Riggs, who did
their utmost to erase her Dakota identity and educate her as a "proper" Christian woman. Despite the Riggs's best efforts,
Angelique remained close with her Dakota kin, especially her mother and siblings.
After a frustrating year at a female seminary in Ohio, Angelique worked as a domestic servant for a Riggs family friend,
ostensibly continuing her education. The outbreak of the U.S. - Dakota War in 1862 and Agnes's subsequent death at a U.S.
Army prison camp changed everything.
Returning to Minnesota, Angelique turned her back on the missionaries, entered a polygamous marriage with a Dakota man,
and moved with her relatives to Dakota Territory, where she increasingly distanced herself from the Riggs family.
In 1869, she took legal action to emancipate herself from the guardianship of Stephen Riggs and to seek legal redress
against unscrupulous loan sharks who had illegally sold her lands. This was an extraordinary act for an American Indian
woman of the time, and she faced a steep uphill battle in court.
Until her untimely death from tuberculosis in 1876, Angelique Renville lived her adult years on her own terms.
Critique: An impressively informative biography, "Unrepentant Dakota Woman: Angelique Renville and the Struggle for
Indigenous Identity, 1845-1876" by Professor Linda M. Clemmons is an extraordinary account of the extraordinary life of a
19th Century Native American woman. An exceptional and meticulous work of exhaustive research and seminal
scholarship, "Unrepentant Dakota Woman: Angelique Renville and the Struggle for Indigenous Identity, 1845-1876" is a
critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, community and college/university
library 19th Century Native American History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: As an author, Linda M. Clemmons works from extensive primary sources, including letters written by
Angelique herself -- a rarity for American Indian women who are all too often silenced or ignored in the written historical
record. Linda is a professor of 19th century American and Native American history and the current director of the Honors
Program at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. She is the author of "Dakota in Exile: The Forgotten Stories of
Captives in the Aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota War" (University of Iowa Press) and "Conflicted Mission: Faith, Disputes,
and Deception on the Dakota Frontier" (Minnesota Historical Society Press). Her work examines the interaction of
Protestant missionaries and Dakota families in the nineteenth century.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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