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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 27, Number 2 February 2017 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Psychology Shelf Business Shelf Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Self-Help Shelf Biography Shelf
Gardening Shelf Cookbook Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Gaming Shelf
Political Science Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Poetry Shelf Civil War Shelf Travel Shelf
Architecture Shelf Sports Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Automotive Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Photography Shelf
American History Shelf World History Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf International Studies Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Art Shelf Education Shelf
Judicial Studies Shelf Agriculture Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Library Science Shelf Nautical Shelf Anthropology Shelf
Parenting Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Beer/Wine Shelf
Autism Shelf Coloring Book Shelf Technology Shelf
Music Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Powered by Girl
Lyn Mikel Brown
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807094600, $16.00, PB, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Drawing from a diverse collection of interviews with women and girl activists, "Powered by Girl: A Field Guide for Supporting Youth Activists" by Lyn Mikel Brown (Professor of Education and Human Development at Colby College, Waterville, Maine) is both a journalistic exploration of how girls have embraced activism and a guide for adults who want to support their organizing. Here we learn about the inter-generational support behind thirteen-year-old Julia Bluhm when she got Seventeen to go Photoshop free; nineteen-year-old Celeste Montano, who pressed Google to diversify their Doodles; and sixteen-year-old Yas Necati, who campaigns for better sex education. And we learn what experienced adult activists say about how to scaffold girls' social-change work. Professor Brown argues that adults shouldn't encourage girls to "lean in". Rather, girls should be supported in creating their own movements and developing their own ideas on their own terms. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Powered by Girl" is an extraordinary and life-affection read that is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Women's Studies collections and supplemental studies lists. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Powered by Girl" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).

Cutting Edge
Victor Harris
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804847346, $24.95, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

The Japanese sword has long been appreciated both as a weapon and as an object of art. Only in Japanese culture has the sword been developed to such a level of technological excellence and spiritual importance. As a cutting weapon, the fully developed curved katana, or samurai sword, of the samurai warrior was uniquely effective. As a cultural object, it offers invaluable insights into the social and spiritual history of the Japanese people. Victor Harris recently retired as Keeper of the Department of Japanese Antiquities in the British Museum. He is a world expert on Japanese swords. In "Cutting Edge: Japanese Swords in the British Museum" Harris offers a fascinating introduction to the design, manufacture and collecting of these Japanese weapons. Harris covers the development of sword art and designs, traditional forging methods, regional variations in style and signature works by legendary craftsmen. Harris' informed and informative commentary is enhanced with the inclusion of hundreds of photos (and 16 pages in full color) making it an ideal addition to community, college, and university library Japanese Culture collections in general, and Japanese Sword supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Cutting Edge" is also available in a Kindle format ($29.95).

A Word in Edgewise
Martha Wegner
Beaver's Pond Press
7108 Ohms Lane, Edina, MN 55439
9781592987474 $16.95 www.BeaversPondPress.com

A Word in Edgewise: Life in between Raising Kids, Keeping a Home, and Staying Sane is a tongue-in-cheek compilation of vignettes from the daily life of author, wife, mother, and dog owner Martha Wegner. Navigating everyday needs and taking care of her family makes it difficult to get a "word in edgewise", hence the title of this nuanced, insightful, and often mirthful compilation. "I should be writing. I should be ironing. I should be volunteering at the local shelter. Instead I am secretly seeking. Looking for glossy smooth cupboard doors with polished nickel handles... Sleek stainless steel appliances... Every once in a while I sneak a peek at my bank account, which shouts 'No!' and slaps my hand when I inquire of its balance." A Word in Edgewise is a joy to read, one tale at a time or all at once, and highly recommended.

Slivers of Life
Yusef Saee, author
Ali Salami, translator
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
www.cambridgescholars.com
9781443890236, $90.95, HC, 375pp, www.amazon.com

Yusef Saee is a prominent Iranian writer who started his writing career in his youth. Born in Tabriz in 1961, Saee largely writes on human values, mysticism and human interests. He is widely read in Iran and some of his books have been translated into English. Salvation, spiritual love, and man as God's greatest creation are among his main themes. "Slivers of Life: Musings on Human Values" ably translated into English by Ali Salami, pieces together the puzzle of felicity, in a simple yet magnetic manner. No matter if you are broken-hearted or happy in life and no matter where you are, the lessons found in the pages of "Slivers of Life" offer a unique taste of contentment, solace and joy in a type of lyrical and poetic format. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, impressively well written, organized and presented, "Slivers of Life" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community, college, and university library collections..

Cancer is Funny
Jason Micheli
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9781506408477 $26.99 hc / $14.49 Kindle amazon.com

Humor may be the key to staying sane in the most dire of situations. Cancer is Funny: Keeping Faith in Stage-Serious Chemo part memoir, part emotional self-help guide, part barrel of laughs! Author, pastor, husband, and father Jason Micheli shows how a sense of mirth was vital to enduring his battle with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer so deadly it isn't classified with the normal four stages, but rather called "stage-serious". Written with wit, wisdom, and understanding, Cancer is Funny is highly recommended.

An Atheist and a Christian Walk Into a Bar
Randal Rauser and Justin Schieber
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633882430, $18.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

An Atheist and a Christian Walk Into a Bar ... Talking About God, the Universe, and Everything is both a comedy and a conversation and helps readers understand the basic differences between atheist and Christian perspectives by offering a discussion between the two. Arguments and contrasting perspectives represent the give-and-take of opinion and ideology between the two individuals using a dialogue format that captures these conversations. While audio format would perfectly dramatize these encounters, the print book provides an excellent feel for the basic arguments and contentions of the two participants, and is recommended for any reader looking for a reasoned discussion.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
PO Box 1402, LaCanada-Flintridge, CA 91012 - 1402
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
9781536948370, $17.95, PB, 340pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically", Carolyn Howard-Johnson draws upon her many years of professional experience and expertise spent helping writers to avoid pitfalls, misconceptions, and out-and-out scams perpetrated on unsuspecting authors -- and helping them reach their dreams of obtaining great reviews, going on great book tours, and experiencing great launches. Simply stated "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" comprises the complete, comprehensive, and core manual for obtaining reviews and utilizing them in a practical, effective, and successful marketing campaign that includes all those things and for building the readership necessary for a financially prosperous and emotionally satisfying writing career. Covering every aspect of the book review process from solicitation to exploitation, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, content, commentary, organization and presentation. Basically, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is classified as a "must" for the instructional reference shelf of any and all authors and publishers be they novice beginners or seasoned professionals. While an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.95).

So You Want to Write a Screenplay
Taylor Gaines
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781620232156, $19.95, PB, 180pp, www.amazon.com

Getting started as a screenplay writer at a young age is the key to mastering this specific literary skill. That's precisely the purpose driving Taylor Gaines to publish "So You Want to Write a Screenplay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing for Film, Video, and Television". This thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manuals includes: How to write a screenplay, from capturing the audience at the introduction to having a satisfying conclusion; How to use screenplay-writing software; How to pitch and sell your screenplay when the time comes; How to interact with agents, giving you a competitive edge over other young writers. Gaines has drawn upon interviews with a number of veteran screenwriters, producers, agents, and directors and provides a wealth of inside secrets to professional writing for television or the movies. While very highly recommended as a core addition to personal, community, college, and university Writing/Publishing collections in general, and screenwriting supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted that "So You Want to Write a Screenplay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing for Film, Video, and Television" is also available in a Kindle format ($19.95).


The Social Issues Shelf

Indigenous Homelessness
Edited by Evelyn J. Peters and Julia Christensen
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
www.uofmpress.ca
9780887558269 $34.95 pbk / $14.74 Kindle amazon.com

Homelessness is, unfortunately, a social ill that disproportionately afflicts indigenous peoples. Indigenous Homelessness: Perspectives from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is an anthology of essays by learned authors about the social issue of homelessness in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Why is the social paradigm failing to provide sufficient help? Authors explore how the strict rules and regulations of Canadian public housing actively prevent families from taking care of an adult relative in need (once child reaches adult age, they must pay rent and sign the lease or be ejected from public housing); how the practice of "police dumping" (forcibly transporting panhandling homeless people to shelters located in the dangerous, crime- ridden inner city) more closely resembles ethnic cleansing than any true effort to help; why policies to aid homeless indigenous people need to be more solidly grounded in the Indigenous cultural understanding of home, land, and kinship; and much more. Scholarly, serious, and thought-provoking Indigenous Homelessness is highly recommended for public and college library social issues shelves, and a "must-read" for anyone who works with homeless people as part of their profession.

Cyberbullying and the Wild Wild Web
J.A. Hitchcock
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781442251175 $30.00 hc / $16.19 Kindle amazon.com

Cyberbullying and the Wild Wild Web: What Everyone Needs to Know is a "must-read" guide for parents, caretakers, educators, young adults, and everyone else to the harmful phenomenon of cyberbullying - using the internet or social media to harass others with threats, mockery, or worse. Chapters address what to do if one's own child is a victim of cyberbullying, or if one's own child engages in cyberbully themselves, and cover "Cell and Smartphone Know-how", "When Online Fun and Gaming Goes Wrong", "When an Adult Is a Cyberbully" and much more. Cyberbullying and the Wild Wild Web addresses a crucial social issue of the twenty-first century, and is a timely and much-needed contribution to school and public library collections. Highly recommended.


The Psychology Shelf

The Left Brain Speaks, the Right Brain Laughs
Ransom Stephens
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
www.vivaeditions.com
www.ransomstephens.com
9781632280466, $18.95, PB, 252pp, www.amazon.com

In "The Left Brain Speaks, the Right Brain Laughs: A Look at the Neuroscience of Innovation & Creativity in Art, Science & Life", physicist Ransom Stephens explains the interesting and often amusing tale of how the human brain works. Using understandable metaphors and easy to follow language, Stephens gives readers of any scientific level an introduction to neuroscience and shows them how things like creativity, skill, and even perception of self can grow and change by utilizing the body's most important muscle. Much like science popularizers Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephens employs a down to earth attitude and those interested in science will appreciate his thoughtful explanations of scientific terms. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Left Brain Speaks, but the Right Brain Laughs" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Psychology collections in general, and Neuroscience supplemental studies reading lists in particular. For students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject it should be noted that "The Left Brain Speaks, the Right Brain Laughs" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99). Librarians should be aware that there is a complete and unabridged audiobook edition of "The Left Brain Speaks, the Right Brain Laughs" (Dreamscape Media, 9781520037455, $29.99, CD).

Colour Psychology Today
June McLeod
www.colourpsychologytoday.com
O Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781785353048, $21.95, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

June McLeod is a color consultant, color-trends forecaster, intuitive, motivational trainer and author. With an esteemed color career spanning more than thirty years, June's dynamic and innovative work with color is legendary. In "Colour Psychology Today" she draws upon her more than thirty years of research, experience and expertise to reveal new color psychology information. "Colour Psychology Today" discloses unique knowledge on how color psychology impacts on the business world and the individual. This is a 'must read' for dedicated color enthusiasts, branding experts, marketeers, advertising executives, graphic designers, and anyone who would like to expand and develop the application of color in their lives and work. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Contemporary Psychology collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Colour Psychology Today" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.15).


The Business Shelf

The Etiquette Edge, second edition
Beverly Langford
Amacom Books
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780814437629, $16.00, www.amacombooks.org

The Etiquette Edge: Modern Manners for Business Success appears in its second edition to update information key to business interactions, from social media etiquette and virtual meetings to changing business settings and global encounters. The business world holds its own etiquette standards and approaches and Beverly Langford here creates an overall framework designed to identify specific etiquette ideas and define behaviors and relationships within these general parameters. The result is a set of approaches that reaches beyond the latest rules to set the standards for adopting a flexible, effective approach to understanding changing etiquette in the business environment, and is recommended for any business reader.

The Complete Guide to Your First Rental Property, second edition
First edition by Teri B. Clark
Revised by Jim Kim
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781620230596 $19.95 pbk / $11.99 www.atlantic-pub.com

Now in a revised and updated second edition with new stories from real estate investors and landlords (giving property owners a chance to learn from their worst mistakes and best successes!), The Complete Guide to Your First Rental Property lives up to its title as a straightforward, accessible, no-nonsense guide to renting property as an investment or as a business. Step-by-step instructions, black-and-white as well as color photographs, sample forms, a glossary, and an index make The Complete Guide to Your First Rental Property a reader- friendly "must" for any prospective landlord. Highly recommended! "Using a [rental tenant] locator service is more cost effective if you use a year lease since the price is low relative to the turnover of your property. On the other hand, six-month leases or month-to-month leases increase the relative cost and may make the service an unwise choice."

Deduct It!, 13th edition
Stephen Fishman, J.D.
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413323238, $34.95, PB, 536pp, www.amazon.com

Completely updated for 2016 returns, this 13th edition of "Deduct It!: Lower Your Small Business Taxes" shows how to maximize business deductions quickly, easily and legally. Easy to read and full of real-world examples, "Deduct It!" will pay for itself many times over as it covers legal deductions for: start-up and operating expenses; travel, meals, and entertainment; home offices; medical expenses under Obamacare; equipment and inventory; and so much more. Deduct It! also covers avoiding problems with the IRS -- including not having a business classified as a hobby. Whether an enterprise is just starting or well established, "Deduct It!" will prove to be an indispensable guide to financial success for the small business entrepreneur or owner as it is a thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of top business deductions along with do-it-yourself information on the most valuable ones and how to claim them. Simply stated, no small business enterprise should be without a copy of "Deduct It!" -- nor any community or academic library Business Management reference collection. It should be noted that "Deduct It!" is also available in a Kindle format ($19.99).

365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day, revised edition
Dianna Podmoroff
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781620230695, $19.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly revised, updated and expanded edition, "365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day: With Little or No Money" by Dianna Podmoroff offers simple and inexpensive ways to build an organization that people love to work at. From cover to cover, "365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day: With Little or No Money" offers quick, effective, humorous, innovative and fun ideas that will improve any business or entrepreneurial enterprise from the smallest of business to the largest of international conglomerates. Featuring a four page Glossary, a two page Bibliography, and a two page Index, "365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day: With Little or No Money" is an absolute 'must' for personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Business Management collections. It should be noted that "365 Ways to Motivate and Reward Your Employees Every Day: With Little or No Money" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Ten Red Hot Tips To Promote Your Business
Ellen Gunning
Mercier Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
978178117410, $18.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Ellen Gunning is the director of the Irish Academy of Public Relations, which she established in 1992. In "Ten Red Hot Tips To Promote Your Business" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to reveals the top ten most important types of PR for small to medium-sized businesses. Ellen cuts through the jargon to provide the reader with techniques to create the angles' that will interest the media. "Ten Red Hot Tips To Promote Your Business " outlines the importance of creative thinking, persistence, knowledge of the market, and devoting time to learning and applying the techniques. Informative, thoughtful, insightful, practical, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Ten Red Hot Tips To Promote Your Business" is very highly recommended, especially for professional, company, community, and academic library Business Management collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Ten Red Hot Tips To Promote Your Business " is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).

Wicked Strategies
John C. Camillus
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
www.utppublishing.com
9781442650558, $32.95, HC, 200pp, www.amazon.com

In the business world some problems are so complex, intractable and threatening to organizations (and even entire industries) that they are best described as "wicked". These problems appear to be unsolvable and they render traditional analytical tools of strategy virtually impotent. In "Wicked Strategies: How Companies Conquer Complexity and Confound Competitors" John C. Camillus (Donald R. Beall Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Pittsburgh) offers a comprehensive framework for identifying, responding to and profiting from wicked problems. Professor Camillus, draws on detailed, real-life examples from companies across the globe, and has skillfully woven together the analytical techniques, processes and organizational designs that will enable managers to navigate a disruptive marketplace. Professor Camillus' feed-forward framework for fashioning wicked strategies empowers firms to presciently transform their business models before they are made obsolete by the competition. "Wicked Strategies" is a practical and evocative guide that demonstrates how business leaders can profitably capitalize on unknowable futures. While unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, and academic library Business Management collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wicked Strategies" is also available in a Kindle format ($18.12).


The Fiction Shelf

Guns At Q Cross
Merle Constiner
Sagebrush
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785412233, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 150pp, www.amazon.com

When Stiles Gilmore disembarks from the train, he doesn't look like what would be expected of the owner of the JJ ranch. Having traveled from one of the biggest cattle ranches in Texas to Prentice Creek, Idaho to check on the heard he sold to the Q Cross spread, he is shot at in the dark and starts to feel like an interloper at a rustlers' convention. With his life on the line, he must rely on his speed, his wits -- and his stag-handled .45. "Guns At Q Cross" showcases author Merle Constiner's genuine flair for deftly crafting impressively memorable and riveting reads and being a master of the western action/adventure genre. "Guns At Q Cross" is very highly recommended for community library Large Print Fiction collections in general, and all western novel fans personal reading lists in particular.

Destiny Valley
Fred Grove
Sagebrush
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785412240, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 258pp, www.amazon.com

The humble little cabin in the great Gila Wilderness of New Mexico Territory is more than a home to Evan Shelby. It's his last chance for life. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis and his condition was considered hopeless until he moved out here. It's been six months now since he showed any symptoms, and he's come to love the land and people in this little ranching community. But he's not the only one who loves the land. A major Texas cow outfit just opened a land office, and they plan to start a huge cattle ranch. They're not offering much money for folks' land, but they have plenty of hardcases to help convince people to sell. His friends have asked Evan to help, but as the invaders clash with the locals and tensions keep mounting, Evan may have the toughest battle of his life in front of him. With "Destiny Valley", author Fred Grove once again demonstrates why he is justifiably considered to be a master of the western genre. A consistently engaging and unfailingly entertaining read from cover to cover, this large print edition of "Destiny Valley" is especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Cardinal Hill
Mary Anna Bryan
Mercer University Press
1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207-0001
www.mupress.org
9780881465730, $18.00, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Margaret Norman lives in a family with secrets, not the least of which is her own. But what concerns Margaret more is that her family will not talk about her mother, "Weezie," an artist who died shortly after Margaret was born. Her father, Jim Norman, a brooding attorney, is too obsessed with his own pain to share. Louisa, her older sister, is hostile toward Margaret and ignores her. Black housekeeper, Ida, who is helping to raise Margaret, does not think it her place to tell what others will not. And gentle great aunt, Maggie, did not know Margaret's mother. When close friend Lily May, Ida's daughter, suggests "...there may be stuff 'bout your momma folks oughtn't to know," Margaret rejects the notion, and determines to find out all she can. Early impressions of her mother as an ethereal beauty are strengthened when she discovers the romantic inscription on Weezie's tombstone. Those impressions change, however, when Margaret's art teacher--and Weezie's best friend--gives her a painting of Weezie portrayed as a gypsy. Finally, Ida shares what she knows, and Margaret must face painful truths concerning her mother. Set in the South during the 1930s and 1940s, "Cardinal Hill" takes place in a world where blacks and whites, although separated by custom and law, often thrive in personal relationships; where half a world away, a war disrupts lives of those close to home; and where little girls suspect that kissing causes babies. A consistently well written and unfailingly entertaining read from cover to cover, "Cardinal Hill" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists is should be noted that "Cardinal Hill" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.00).

As She Was Discovering Tigony
Olympe Bhely-Quenum, author
Tomi Adeaga, translator
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
www.msupress.msu.edu
9781611862096, $20.95, PB, 274pp, www.amazon.com

Dorcas Keurleonan-Moricet is a brilliant white geophysicist posted on assignment in Africa. She falls in love with a young African man, Segue n'Di, and enters into an extramarital affair with him. In her professional work, she discovers deposits of minerals of inestimable worth. Reading the current age of globalization and neoliberalism as one in which the riches of Africa are again being cynically exploited by multinational companies (including her own) Keurleonan-Moricet's views and her life gradually change. As the popular resistance against the dictatorial regime in power grows, she comes to play a key role in the unfolding political drama. Ably translated into English for an American readership by Tomi Adeaga, "As She Was Discovering Tigony" by Olympe Bhely-Quenum is a deftly crafted and consistently compelling read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "As She Was Discovering Tigony" is also available in a Kindle format ($23.95).

The Insurrectionist
Herb Karl
Academy Chicago Publishers
c/o Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613736340, $15.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

A compelling historical novel by Herb Karl, "The Insurrectionist" follows the militant abolitionist John Brown from his involvement in violence that came to be referred to as 'Bleeding Kansas', to the invasion of Harpers Ferry and the dramatic conclusion of his subsequent trial and execution. Meticulous historical detail blends with dramatic personal descriptions to reveal critical episodes in Brown's life, illuminating his character and the motives that led up to the Harpers Ferry invasion, giving readers a complete picture of the man who has too often been dismissed as hopelessly fanatical. Brown's friendship with Frederick Douglass and their ongoing debate on how to end slavery, his devoted family who stands by him despite the danger, and his struggles to secure funding and political favor for his cause against deeply entrenched politicians, is brought vividly to life and showcases author Herb Karl's genuine flair for fully engaging his readers from cover to cover with a consistently compelling story. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Insurrectionist" is also available in a paperback edition (9781613736333, $15.99) and in a Kindle format ($12.75).

The Expense of a View
Polly Buckingham
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574416473, $14.95, PB, 196pp, www.amazon.com

The fourteen short stories by Polly Buckingham that comprise "The Expense of a View" explore the psyches of characters under extreme duress. In the title story, 'The Expense of a View', a woman who has moved across the country in an attempt to leave her past behind dumps an empty suitcase into the Columbia River over and over again. In another story, a woman who wakes up mornings only to discover she's been shooting heroin in a night trance, meets her doppelganger on a rainy Oregon beach. Most of the characters are displaced and disturbed; they suffer from dissociative disorders, denial, and delusions. The settings, ranging from Florida, to eastern Washington, to Seattle, to the Oregon coast, mirror their lunacies. While refusing to look at what's right in front of themselves might destroy them, it's equally likely to be just what they need. A consistently compelling and engaging read from cover to cover, "The Expense of a View" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Expense of a View" is also available in a Kindle format ($11.96).

Rules For Lying
Anne Corbitt
Southeast Missouri State University Press
One University Plaza, MS 2650, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
http://www.semopress.com
9780996259675, $15.00, PB, 308pp, www.amazon.com

After school, custodian Oliver Nix investigates a strange sound coming from the boys' locker room. What he finds rocks this suburban Atlanta community. Langley, a sophomore, claims she was forced, but Kevin, the accused, insists on his innocence while plotting his path out of town. His mother, Grace, defends her son despite having made a similar accusation twenty years before. Eleanor, Oliver's daughter, tries to reconcile her loyalty to best friend Langley, who created the rules for lying, with her unrequited love for Kevin. Rules for Lying follows the characters through a police investigation that makes them question their memories, allegiances, and actions, all while hiding secrets of their own. "Rules For Lying" is author Anne Corbitt's debut novel and clearly showcases her genuine and consistently impressive flair for deftly crafting a riveting read from beginning to end. "Rules For Lying" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.

Metis Beach
Claudine Bourbonnais
The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
www.dundurn.com
9781459733510, $19.99, PB, 448pp, www.amazon.com

At fifty years of age, Roman Carr has made it. His television series In Gad We Trust, a scathing satire of the United States and its relationship with God, is a huge hit. He is carving out an enviable place for himself in Hollywood, the end of a long, tortuous journey for the man who fled his Gaspe Peninsula village in murky circumstances back in 1962. The debut novel of Claudine Bourbonnais, "Metis Beach" is both a coming-of-age story and an epic chronicle of America in the counter-culture Sixties. A deftly crafted and reader riveting read from cover to cover, "Metis Beach" is highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Metis Beach" is also available in a Kindle format ($8.69).

A Portrait of Emily Price
Katherine Reay
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.thomasnelson.com
9780718077914, $15.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Artist and art restorer Emily Price dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love. But Chef Benito Vassallo's relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle's faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well -- inviting her into his world and into his heart. Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben's proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben's tightly knit family. Only Ben's father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily's life and art begin to blossom, and Italy's beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit. Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben's world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible? Author Katherine Reay has a genuine flair for engaging her reader's rapt and riveted attention from beginning to end. Her latest novel, "A Portrait of Emily Price" is unreservedly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. For personal reading lists is should be noted that "A Portrait of Emily Price" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Me Against the World
Kazufumi Shiraishi, author
Raj Mahtani, translator
Dalkey Archive Press
University of Illinois
1805 S. Wright Street, MC-011, Champaign, IL 61820
www.dalkeyarchive.com
9781943150021, $15.00, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Kazufumi Shiraishi is a prolific and award-winning Japanese novelist. His novel, " Me Against the World" is the story of a jaded journalist inherits an abandoned manuscript penned by an old acquaintance who has recently passed away. The inherited writing turns out to be a collection of ruminations on the nature of existence by a fifty-three-year old businessman who, as far as the journalist remembers, was a kind and gentle soul -- is nothing short of shocking. In it, this apparent everyman (whom we know only as Mr. K) writes that he has a son, daughter, and wife, but has no love for them. He claims that humans are like cancer cells, destroying Mother Earth with their unrestrained propagation. He looks at our mortal destiny with an unflinching honesty and turns to psychic mediums for clues to the afterlife, wondering what immortality (if it were possible) would mean for our spiritual well-being. Ably translated into English by Raj Mahtani, provocative, inherently fascinating, and very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Japanese Literature Studies collections, "Me Against the World" deftly takes the reader into the raging mind of a man who rejects the world in order to save it from itself.

The Lady of the Lakes
Josi S. Kilpack
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629722269, $15.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Sir Walter Scott has three passions: Scotland, poetry, and Mina Stuart. Though Mina is young and they are from different stations in society, Walter is certain their love is meant to be. For years, he has courted her through love letters. She is the sunshine of his soul. Though Mina shares Walter's love of literature and passionate temperament, it's hard for her to know if she truly loves him or if she has only been dazzled by his flattery. When she meets the handsome and charming William Forbes, her heart is challenged. Who will she choose? But as every poet knows, "The course of true love never did run smooth," and on a windy morning in the lake country, Walter meets Charlotte. At twenty-six, Charlotte Carpenter believes she will never find love. After all, she is a Catholic-born Frenchwoman living in London with a family history shadowed by scandal. Though quiet, practical, and determined to live a life of independence, her heart longs for someone to love her and a place to call home. Passion and promises collide as Walter, Mina, and Charlotte must each decide the course for their futures. What are they each willing to risk to find love and be loved in return? "The Lady of the Lakes" is a thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover and showcases author Josi S. Kilpack's genuine flair for deftly crafted storytelling. While very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Romance collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fiction fans that "The Lady of the Lakes" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.99). Librarians should especially note that there is a complete and unabridged CD audio book edition of "The Lady of the Lakes" (9781629722337, $32.99).

The Big Book of Sound and Other Stories
Jon Steinhagen
Black Lawrence Press
http://www.blacklawrence.com
9781625579461, $16.95, PB, 225pp, www.amazon.com

Comprised of twenty-two deftly written short stories by Jon Steinhagen, "The Big Book of Sound and Other Stories" is a thoroughly entertaining and often thought-provoking read from cover to cover. This volume of his work clearly showcases Steinhagen's genuine flair for creating remarkable characters as well as unfailingly and entertaining tales. Very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and academic library Contemporary American Fiction collections, "The Big Book of Sound and Other Stories" is one of those all-too-rare anthologies that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf.

The Beauty of the Fall
Rich Marcello
Langdon Street Press
322 1st Avenue N, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55401
www.langdonstreetpress.com
9781635054026, $16.95, PB, 378pp, www.amazon.com

Dan Underlight is a divorced, workaholic technology executive who suffers a lingering grief over the death of his ten-year-old son, Zack. When Dan's longtime friend and boss fires Dan from RadioRadio (the company that Dan helped to create) he crashes and isolates himself. Willow is a poet and domestic violence survivor who helps Dan regain his footing. With her support, Dan ventures on a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting Fortune 500 companies to flesh out a software start-up idea. He then recruits three former RadioRadio colleagues and starts Conversationworks, a company he believes will be at the vanguard of social change. Guided by Dan's leadership, Conversationworks enjoys some early successes, but its existence is soon threatened on multiple fronts. Will Dan survive the ensuing corporate battles and realize the potential of his company? Or will he be defeated by his enemies and consumed? A deftly crafted novel by a master of the storytelling arts, "The Beauty of the Fall" is a consistently compelling read from cover to cover and very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Beautify of the Fall" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Wild Girls
Erica Abeel
Christine Brown
Texas Review Press
c/o Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
www.tamupress.com
9781680031034, $24.95, PB, 344pp, www.amazon.com

Three college friends from the 50s blaze their own path in love and work, braving the stifling conventions of the age, and anticipating the social thaw that would arrive ten years later. These "wild girls" pay heavy penalties for living against the grain, but, over the years, they rebound and re-set their course, drawing strength from their friendship. "Wild Girls" by Erica Abeel follows these three from an elite northeastern college, to Paris with Allen Ginsberg, to New York's avant-garde scene in the early sixties, to a mansion in Newport, to the slopes of Zermatt, to Long Island's Gold Coast, as it celebrates the nimbleness and vitality of women who defied an entire culture to forge their own journey. A fully absorbing and unfailingly entertaining read from beginning to end, "Wild Girls" is especially recommended for community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wild Girls" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

One-String Guitar
Mona de Vestel
Harvard Square Editions
2152 Beachwood Terrace, Hollywood, CA 90068
www.harvardsquareeditions.org
9781941861295, $22.95, PB, 380pp, www.amazon.com

Ten years after surviving the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Francine tries to rebuild her life in Upstate New York where she befriends Elbe, the medical interpreter assigned to her -- an adoptee in search of her roots on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Against the backdrop of the harrowing 100-day massacres of one million lives in Kigali and the revolution of the Lakota in 1972 on the reservation, "One-String Guitar" by writer, performer and professor Mona de Vestl deftly weaves a narrative of resilience, healing and ultimately, love. It is interesting to note that the novel's title is a reference to August Wilson's Seven Guitars in which Hedley plucks a single string instrument to connect with the memory of his mother -- urging us all to remain connected to the wisdom of our ancestors in order to avoid repeating the worst chapters of our history. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "One-String Guitar" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Sleeping Mask
Peter LaSalle
Bellevue Literary Press
c/o NYU School of Medicine
550 First Ave., OBV A612, New York, NY 10016
www.blpress.org
9781942658184, $16.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

The twelve stories by Peter LaSalle that comprise Sleeping Mask are deftly written in propulsive, fluid prose, and introduce his readers to truly remarkable characters. LaSalle's short stories include a child soldier sent to raid a girls' boarding school, a Virginia Woolf scholar surviving cancer, a desperate writer living under fascism in a futuristic Latin America, the spirits of recently deceased college students on a tour of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, and a middle-aged man transported back to his childhood, where he is led out to sea by his mother's ghost. Through all of their stylistic pyrotechnics LaSalle's stories never forsake rich characterization and plotting to probe the deepest parts of the contemporary human condition, such as the nature of erotic desire, the legacy of art and artistry, the power of grief and fear, and the horror of war and violence. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sleeping Mask" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.99).

The Little Wagons
Crozier Green
www.croziergreen.com
Top Hat Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781785355288, $24.95, PB, 360pp, www.amazon.com

"The Little Wagons: The Traumatic Birth of Sicily's Cosa Nostra" is a fictional novel in which author Crozier Green deftly captures the turmoil of late nineteenth-century Sicily, when the reverse alchemy of greed and violence forever changed the emerging Cosa Nostra from benevolent organization dedicated to protecting the popular from foreign invasion and oppression, into corrupted Mafia that enriched its members through extortion, murder, and all manner of crime. The horrors of slavery and oppression forged revolutions and rebels in equal measure, and within this cornucopia of nepotism and brutality, hostility and passion are pitted against endemic hegemony. With protagonists as fiery as Mount Etna itself, and equally unpredictable, "The Little Wagons" shows how poverty and despair become the omnipotent catalysts of vengeful change. With an impressive attention to historical accuracy in detail and background, "The Little Wagons" is a consistently compelling read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Little Wagons" is also available in a Kindle format ($7.99).

Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Ed Tarkington
Algonquin Books
PO Box 2225, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2225
www.algonquin.com
9781616203825, $25.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Eight-year-old Rocky worships his older brother, Paul. Sixteen and full of rebel cool, Paul spends his days cruising in his Chevy Nova blasting Neil Young, cigarette dangling from his lips, arm slung around his beautiful, troubled girlfriend. Paul is happy to have his younger brother as his sidekick. Then one day, in an act of vengeance against their father, Paul picks up Rocky from school and nearly abandons him in the woods. Afterward, Paul disappears. Seven years later, Rocky is a teenager himself. He hasn't forgotten being abandoned by his boyhood hero, but he's getting over it, with the help of the wealthy neighbors' daughter, ten years his senior, who has taken him as her lover. Unbeknownst to both of them, their affair will set in motion a course of events that rains catastrophe on both their families. After a mysterious double murder brings terror and suspicion to their small town, Rocky and his family must reckon with the past and find out how much forgiveness their hearts can hold. Showcasing author Ed Tarkington's genuine flair for creating memorable characters and deftly crafted plot twists and turns, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a consistently engaging and unfailingly entertaining read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is also available in a paperback edition (9781616205263, $15.95) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Cat Came Back
Louise Clark
Epublishing Works!
www.epublishingworks.com
9781614178903, $27.99, HC, 334pp, www.amazon.com

A young mother, Christy Jamieson just learned her husband Frank has embezzled his trust fund, sold their Vancouver mansion, and ran off with a socialite. Worse, Frank's trustees are telling Christy to let them handle it. But they aren't doing anything, and Frank's enemies are coming after her and her daughter. Desperate to find Frank and fend off his enemies, Christy asks journalist Quinn Armstrong for help. His price: the dirt on Frank. But the closer Christy and Quinn get to the dangerous truth, the more convinced they become that only the one who knows where Frank is at, is Stormy the Cat Stormy the Cat, who rescued by Quinn is not what he seems. A deftly crafted and consistently compelling read from beginning to end, "The Cat Came Back" is the first volume in author Louise Clark's new '9 Lives Cozy Mystery' series. Replete with unexpected twists and turns, "The Cat Came Back" is very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs it should be noted that "The Cat Came Back" is available in a paperback edition (9781614178583, $17.99), hardcover edition (9781614178903, $27.99) and in eBook format (9781614178576, $3.99).

Circle of Terror
Larry Powalisz
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781630479763, $17.95, PB, 276pp, www.amazon.com

Milwaukee Police Detective Declan Tomczyk, a former Marine Corps officer, is dispatched to investigate the damaging and desecration of headstones at a local cemetery. Initially chalked up as the handiwork of Halloween pranksters, it becomes anything but when his good friend and former squad partner is critically injured. Tomczyk is determined to track down the domestic terrorists, leading him further into danger. This marks the beginning of a series of violent crimes, eerily similar to the "reign of terror" that paralyzed Milwaukee decades earlier. As Tomczyk probes into the mysterious leads, he teams up with FBI Agent Anne Dvorak, and a romance blossoms. With the unlikely assistance of a high school athlete and World War II veteran, the investigators scramble to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. As they close in, it becomes a race against the clock to pinpoint the next target before it's too late. "Circle of Terror" is a simply riveting read from cover to cover and documents author Larry Powalisz as a master of the mystery/suspense genre. While very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Circle of Terror" is also available in a Kindle format ($7.99).

Chain of Custody
Anita Nair
Bitter Lemon Press
www.bitterlemonpress.com
9781908524744, $14.95, PB, 365pp, www.amazon.com

What does thirteen-year-old Nandita's disappearance have to do with the murder of a well-known lawyer in a gated community? Inspector Gowda is soon embroiled in the investigation of a child-trafficking racket. Negotiating insensitive laws, indifferent officials, and uncooperative witnesses, he is in a race against time to rescue Nandita from one of the most depraved criminal rings he has ever encountered. Bangalore India's Inspector Gowda is back in another nail-biting thriller in Anita Nair's "Chain of Custody". A simply riveting read from cover to cover, clearly author Anita Nair is a master of the mystery/suspense genre. While highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of Inspector Gowda fans that "Chain of Custody" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

A Killer in King's Cove
Iona Whishaw
TouchWood Edition
103 - 1075 Pendergast Street, Victoria, BC V8V 0A1
http://www.touchwoodeditions.com
c/o Publishers Group West (distributor)
9781771511988, $14.95, PB, 432pp, www.amazon.com

"A Killer in King's Cove" by Iona Whishaw is set in 1946, and is the story of war-weary young ex-intelligence officer Lane Winslow who leaves London looking for a fresh start. When she finds herself happily settled in King's Cove, a sleepy hamlet nestled in the idyllic interior of British Columbia surrounded by a suitably eclectic cast of small-town characters Lane feels like she may finally be able to put her past to rest. But then a body is discovered, the victim of murder, and although Lane works alongside the town's inspectors Darling and Ames to discover who might possibly have motivation to kill, she casts doubt on herself. As the investigation reveals facts that she has desperately tried to keep a secret, it threatens to pull her into a vortex of even greater losses than the ones she has already endured. A simply riveting read by a master of the genre, "A Killer in King's Cove" is especially recommended the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, as well as an enduringly popular acquisition choice for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

The Keller Papers
Ellis M. Goodman
http://kellerpapers.com
Roundfire Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781785354861, $24.95, PB, 432pp, www.amazon.com

A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Keller Papers" by Ellis M. Goodman is a fast-paced, deftly crafted, consistently compelling espionage story that is based in 1980s Eastern Europe, and includes factual events and personalities of the times -- some of whom having once again become relevant in today's strained East/West political environment. "The Keller Papers" clearly documents novelist Ellis Goodman as a master of the suspense/thriller genre. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Keller Papers" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.15).


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Puritans Day by Day
H.J. Horn
Banner of Truth
PO Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013
www.banneroftruth.org
9781848717077 $23.00 amazon.com

The Puritans Day by Day: Puritan Quotations for Each Day of the Year is a compilation of quotes from Puritans, a group of English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who emphasized simplicity and devotion to God. These quotes were selected by minister H.J. Horn (b. 1868) and ensconce unwavering faith. Half a dozen or more inspirational quotations are presented for each day of the calendar year. The Puritans Day by Day is an excellent daily devotional, highly recommended. "'A humble man will never be a heretic.' -John Trapp".

Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes
Denis O. Lamoureux
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
9780310526445, $16.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Christians throughout history have believed that God reveals himself both through Scripture and nature. The Book of God's Words is the Bible. Scripture reveals inerrant spiritual truths. In "Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes", theologian and scientist Denis O. Lamoureux (Associate Professor of Science and Religion at St. Joseph's College in the University of Alberta) reviews several options for embracing biblical Christianity and findings of science, including biological evolution. Holding to a high view of Scripture alongside an expert appreciation for scientific discovery, Professor Lamoureux further outlines a way to understand passages referring to the natural world in the Bible and also demonstrates how modern science can point toward God. Professor Lamoureux also shares his own story along the way, recounting struggles many readers will relate to on his journey toward PhDs in both theology and biology and a fruitful relationship between the two. "Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes" includes: A biblical model of intelligent design in nature based on Psalm 19 and Romans 1; An examination of the ancient science in Scripture, such as a flat earth and 3-tier universe; Compares different Christian views on origins -- young earth creation, progressive creation (old earth creation), and evolutionary creation; Criticisms of the atheistic interpretation of evolution held by Richard Dawkins and his belief that intelligent design is merely an illusion; Galileo's peaceful relationship between Scripture and nature; Darwin's religious beliefs and evidence of the impact that intelligent design had on him throughout his life. Informative, thoughtful, and ultimately inspiring, "Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes" is very highly recommended for church, seminary, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Evolution: Scripture and Nature Say Yes" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

With God in America
Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.
Loyola Press
3441 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657
www.loyolapress.com
9780829444544, $19.95, PB, 264pp, www.amazon.com

In 1963, following twenty-three years of hard labor and abuse in Russian prison camps, the late Walter J. Ciszek (1904-1984), finally returned to America. Had he come back a bitter man, or a man of diminished faith, it would have been hard to fault him. But he didn't. For the remainder of his years, until his death in 1984, Fr. Ciszek's grace, faith, and wisdom touched in often profound and lasting ways everyone who came into contact with him. "With God in America" is a collection of previously unpublished writings on Ciszek's post-imprisonment life and thoughts. The contents (which include articles he wrote, speeches he delivered at retreats, letters he sent to people he was counseling, and interviews with individuals who knew him personally) present a man unbroken by all that he had endured and eager to share God's love with others. From Ciszek's first days back home in the States to his final words before his death, "With God in America" demonstrates that saintliness isn't primarily about acting heroically in dramatic or devastating circumstances, but about honoring the ordinary, everyday aspects of life as treasured gifts from God. Exceptional, extraordinary, inspired and inspiring, "With God in America" is very highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "With God in America" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Love, Loss, and Abjection
Melanie Baffes
Pickwick Publications
c/o Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401-2960
http://wipfandstock.com
9781498284103, $21.00, PB, 156pp, www.amazon.com

An exceptionally well written study, "Love, Loss, and Abjection: The Journey of New Birth in the Gospel of John" by writer and independent biblical scholar Melanie Baffes (MDiv, Ph.D) deftly explores the premise that the experience of being "born from above" in John's Gospel can be seen as mirroring the development of human subjectivity, particularly as understood through the psychoanalytic work of Julia Kristeva. "Love, Loss, and Abjection" draws specifically on Kristeva's theory of how the human self/subject takes shape in infancy, her contention that subjectivity is a work in progress, and her insistence on abjection as a catalyst for developing selfhood. Examining the story of Mary of Bethany (as narrated in John 11-12) through this lens, "Love, Loss, and Abjection" provides a thoughtful and thought-provoking analysis that seeks to better understand the concept of new birth and how it relates to being fully human within a traditionally Christian context. While very highly recommended for church, seminary, and academic library Christian Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Love, Loss, and Abjection" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Getaway with God
Letitia Suk
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444159, $14.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

We all seem to life hectic and stressed lives with not enough time to experience the intimacy, grace, and peace that God offers. "Getaway with God: The Everywoman's Guide to Personal Retreat" by author, speaker, and life coach Letitia Suk does more than invite her readers to step away from life's pressures to take a personal retreat. It shows them exactly why they must for their sake and for their family's emotional and spiritual welfare. With grace and warmth, "Getaway with God" provides step-by-step guidance and the necessary tools to enable any woman on any budget to plan time away, whether it's a quick, half-day break or a week long time of restoration. Here detailed are steps for preparation, including descriptions of different kinds of retreats and how to choose the best one, and ways to bring the renewal thus experience back into the home. Practical appendixes identify retreat centers nationwide and provide exercises and prayers to kick-start a getaway with God. Inspired and inspiring, "Getaway with God" is very highly recommended for all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Getaway with God" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.69).

Evangelicalism in America
Randall Balmer
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
www.baylorpress.com
9781481305976, $24.95, HC, 215pp, www.amazon.com

Evangelicalism has left its indelible mark on American history, politics, and culture. It is also true that currents of American populism and politics have shaped the nature and character of evangelicalism. This story of evangelicalism in America is thus riddled with paradox. Despite the fact that evangelicals, perhaps more than any other religious group, have benefitted from the First Amendment and the separation of church and state, several prominent evangelical leaders over the past half century have tried to abrogate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. And despite evangelicalism's legacy of concern for the poor, for women, and for minorities, some contemporary evangelicals have repudiated their own heritage of compassion and sacrifice stemming from Jesus' command to love the least of these. In "Evangelicalism in America", Randall Balmer (the John Phillips Professor in Religion and Chair of the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College) chronicles the history of evangelicalism, including its origins and development as well as its diversity and contradictions. Within this lineage Professor Balmer explores the social varieties and political implications of evangelicalism's inception as well as its present and paradoxical relationship with American culture and politics. Professor Balmer debunks some of the cherished myths surrounding this distinctly American movement while also prophetically speaking about its future contributions to American life. Exceptionally well written, impressively informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Evangelicalism in America" is very highly recommended, especially for church, community, and academic library American History collections in general, and Evangelical Christian History supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Evangelicalism in America" is also available in a Kindle format ($23.70).

Ignatius of Loyola: Legend and Reality
John W. O'Malley, S.J.
Saint Joseph's University Press
5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
9780916101916, $40.00, HC, 149 pages

The Jesuits are known for having an especially close relationship to the papacy. "Ignatius of Loyola: Legend and Reality" by the preeminent Jesuit church historian John W. O'Malley, S.J. (who is also the University Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University) traces that relationship from the earliest days of the Jesuit order until Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope. As such, it is the first study in any language to trace this full history and to analyze each phase of it as it unfolded. It covers, therefore, a history of some 450 years and does so in relatively few pages. This means that "Ignatius of Loyola: Legend and Reality" moves at a swift pace that pulls the reader along with it. While "Ignatius of Loyola: Legend and Reality" directly deals with the Jesuits and the popes, it at the same time leads readers into the larger issues of church history that determined how the Jesuits and the popes reacted to one another at any given moment. Enhanced with the inclusion of 19 b/w and color images, "Ignatius of Loyola: Legend and Reality" is impressively informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making it very highly recommended for personal, community, seminary, and church library Catholic Church History collections in general, and Jesuit History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

All God's Angels
Martin Shannon, CJ
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
www.paracletepress.com
9781612617749, $19.99, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Fr. Martin Shannon is an Episcopal priest, liturgist and writer of daily devotional collections, seasonal studies, and other materials for spiritual formation at his home, the Community of Jesus on Cape Cod. He holds a PhD in Liturgical Studies from the Catholic University of America. In "All God's Angels: Loving and Learning from Angelic Messengers" Fr. Martin Shannon pulls back the veil between heaven and earth with Biblical stories, meditations and sacred art on the role of heavenly messengers and their work in our lives. Angels are servants of love, doing God's bidding with a theology of burning love. God seeks out his servants, and once he has our attention, he draws us closer, long enough for the sparks of his glory to reach us and ignite a flame in our own souls. This is the work of angels. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "All God's Angels" is very highly recommended and informative reading for all members of the Christian community and will prove to be an enduringly popular and appreciated addition to community, church, and academic library Christian Studies collections.

Galatians and the Rhetoric of Crisis
Nina E. Livesey
Marketing Department
Polebridge Press
c/o Westar Institute
P.O. Box 346, Farmington, Minnesota 55024
www.polebridgepress.com
9781598151749, $26.00, PB, 284pp, www.amazon.com

Nina E. Livesey (Ph.D., Southern Methodist University) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Liberal Studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, USA. A specialist in Jewish-Christian relations and Christian origins with an emphasis on Pauline studies, The Apostle Paul employed strategies to win over his audiences. At times his desire to oust his opponents overrode any loyalty he may have felt toward any particular reading of the Jewish scriptures. Indeed, Paul exhibits no angst over adapting scriptures to suit the needs of his situation. In "Galatians and the Rhetoric of Crisis: Paul - Demosthenes - Cicero" Professor Livesy provides a close reading of Paul's letter to the Galatians by drawing upon classicist Cecil Wooten's "rhetoric of crisis" to compare Paul's strategies to those of his predecessors, the Greek orator Demosthenes and Roman consul Cicero. A seminal work of truly impressive scholarship, "Galatians and the Rhetoric of Crisis" is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking. Enhanced with sixty pages of Notes, an eighteen page Bibliography, an eighteen page Index of Ancient Sources, a four page Index of Modern Authors, and a three page Index of Rhetorical Terms and Devices, "Galatians and the Rhetoric of Crisis" is unreservedly recommended for seminary, college, and university library New Testament Theology collections in general, and Pauline Studies supplemental reading lists in particular.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Tehillim: Book of Psalms
Rabbi Yosef Marcus
Kehot Publication Society
291 Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213
9780826602185, $59.95, 696 Gilded Pages, www.kehot.com

Anthologized from hundreds of commentators, classic to obscure, "Tehillim: Book of Psalms with English Translation & Commentary " by Rabbi Yosef Marcus is a bilingual (English/Hebrew) body of work will allow Tehillim readers to bring newly-found inspiration and meaning to their daily, weekly and monthly recitations. Enhanced with erudite and insightful commentary form the Talmud, Midrash, kabbalah, classic commentators, and Chasidic Masters, "Tehillim: Book of Psalms with English Translation & Commentary" is an impressively informed and informative volume that is exceptionally well organized and presented, making it unreservedly recommended for personal, temple, and academic library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Rendezvous With God
Rabbi Nathan Laufer
Maggid / Koren Publishers Jerusalem Ltd.
c/o Toby Press
PO Box 8531, New Milford, CT 06776-8531
www.korenpub.com
9781592644551, $27.95, HC, 310pp, www.amazon.com

"Rendezvous With God: Revealing the Meaning of the Jewish Holiday and Their Mysterious Rituals" by Rabbi Nathan Laufer (Director of the Advanced Institute for Judaic Studies at the San Diego Jewish Academy) reveals the holidays as never seen before. Rabbi Laufer deftly explores the seven major Jewish holidays of Passover, Shavuot; Rosh HaShana; Yom Kippur; Sukkot; Shemini Atzeret, and shabbat in terms of the original events and encounters with God upon which they are based. "Rendezvous With God" is impressively well researched, written, organized and presented, making it an ideal, informative, and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as temple, community, and academic library Judaism collections in general, and Jewish High Holy Days supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The Buddha Journey
Quang Tri
Waldorf Publishing
2140 Hall Johnson Road, #102-345, Grapevine, TX 76051
www.WaldorfPublishing.com
9781944781705, $16.95, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Quang Tri has been practicing meditation since 2002 and Buddhism since 2006. He is a Dharma teacher and a Truth seeker, teaching others about Buddhism, mindfulness and meditation. As the writer of the popular website, BuddhaJourney.net, Quang Tri continuously aspires to help everyone with their path toward Awakening. He is one of the senior members of his temple, Chua Phuoc Hue, as he trains to ordain as a monk. In "The Buddha Journey" Quang Tri answers the most commonly asked questions beginning or advancing students of Buddhism would ask. Essentially, "The Buddha Journey" covers your basic "Buddhism 101" introduction, then answers over 100 questions about compassion, anger, forgiveness, meditation, impermanence, sex, karma, death, becoming a Buddhist and more! Quang Tri writes in a simple, easy-to-understand way that allows the reader to understand the content and contemplate the subject matter on their own for their own interpretation. While every highly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library Buddhist Studies collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Buddha Journey" is also available in a Kindle format ($8.99).

Stars at Dawn
Wendy Garling
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
www.shambhala.com
9781611802658, $18.95, PB, 328pp, www.amazon.com

"Stars at Dawn: Forgotten Stories of Women in the Buddha's Life" by Buddhist practitioner, independent scholar in Sanskrit language and literature, and authorized dharma teacher Wendy Garling is a retelling of the ancient legends of the women in the Buddha's intimate circle. These are lesser-known stories drawn from Sanskrit and Pali sources and which are here for the first time woven into an illuminating, coherent narrative that follows Buddha's life from his birth to his parinirvana or death. Interspersed with original insights, fresh interpretations, and bold challenges to the status quo, the stories are both entertaining and thought-provoking, and some may even appear controversial. Focusing first on laywomen from the time before the Buddha's enlightenment (his birth mother and stepmother, his co-wives, and members of his harem when he was known as Prince Siddhartha) then moving on to the Buddha's first female disciples, early nuns, and to female patrons, "Stars at Dawn" is consistently compelling, impressively informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. While very highly recommended for community and academic library Buddhist Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Stars at Dawn" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).


The Self-Help Shelf

The Overwhelmed Brain
Paul Colaianni
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612436395, $14.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Stress, anxiety and negative thoughts are huge obstacles to happiness. We must learn to make healthy decisions and place our needs first. "The Overwhelmed Brain: Personal Growth for Critical Thinkers", provides proven methodologies for smarter, actionable ways to: Be true to yourself; Build positive relationships; Overcome stress and anxiety; Stop self-sabotage; Make smart decisions; Rise above your fears. Filled with a profusion of tips, anecdotes, exercises and expert advice from popular life coach and podcaster Paul Colaianni, "The Overwhelmed Brain" will enable the reader to take control over their emotional well-being and act on their personal dreams, goals and values. As user friendly in tone, content, organization and presentation as it is impressively practical, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Overwhelmed Brain" is especially recommended for community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Overwhelmed Brain" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.20).

Awareness
Chris Condon
Balboa Press
c/o Hay House, Inc.
PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
www.balboapress.com
9781504352789, $24.95, HC, 124pp, www.amazon.com

The first time we come to an understanding of who we are as human beings is accompanied a genuine sense of awe and gratitude. True insight into our personal potential can bring us a special kind of inner peace, a sort of luminous guidance, and a natural strength to accomplish what we perceive our purposes to be. In the pages of "Awareness: A Pathway into a Quiet Mind and Open Heart", licensed professional counselor, meditation teacher and practitioner Chris Condon provides 52 exceptionally well written, insightful, thoughtful, inspiring little commentaries that will deepen, clarify, and express the core of our personal awareness. A potentially life changing read, "Awareness: A Pathway into a Quiet Mind and Open Heart" is especially recommended for personal Body/Mind/Spirit reading lists and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be noted that "Awareness: A Pathway into a Quiet Mind and Open Heart" is also available in a paperback edition (9781504352765, $11.99) and in a Kindle format ($5.99).

Identity Design
Frank Szymanski
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781630475734, $33.95, HC, 222pp, www.amazon.com

Many of us are not happy most of the time, not because we don't have what we think we want, but because we don't know who we are. "Identity Design" is the research-driven guide to powerful and generous living for those of us who want more meaning in our lives. The key is to answer this question: Who do you want to be? In the pages of "Identity Design: Design The Identity You Need To Get The Life You Want", Frank Szymanski (who is a juvenile court judge in Detroit who has spent years transforming the lives of young people facing extreme challenges), draws from his professional experience and expertise to give provide the reader with the ultimate do-it-yourself manual and guide for designing their identity according to their own personal aspirations. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Identity Design" is very highly recommended, especially for community library Self-Help / Self-Improvement instructional reference collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Identity Design" is also available in paperback edition (9781630474355, $17.95) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Joyful Living
Amy Leigh Mercree
Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.llewellyn.com
9780738746593, $16.99, PB, 360pp, www.amazon.com

Experience joy each day and equip yourself for the ups and downs of life with "Joyful Living: 101 Ways to Transform Your Spirit and Revitalize Your Life" by Amy Leigh Mercree. Offering a practical roadmap to achieving inner and outer happiness, and using a mindful and balanced approach, "Joyful Living" presents a hundred and one ways to enliven our spirits and step into the blissful life desired. Comprised of affirmations, exercises, inspirational stories, and so more, "Joyful Living" is packed from cover to cover with uplifting entries that are easy to use and can be enjoyed in any order. Readers will explore a variety of themes ranging from spiritual ecstasy, to attitudes of gratitude, to creative inspiration. Apply mindfulness techniques and work toward greater awareness of the present moment with "Joyful Living" anyone can calm their busy life and focus on the joyful world around them. A handy and easily portable volume deftly organized and presented for browsing, "Joyful Living" is inspired and inspiring. While recommended for community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Joyful Living" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Biography Shelf

Not All Sunshine & Sand, revised edition
Paul Rowlands
5m Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781910456309, $24.95, PB, 292pp, www.amazon.com

In this newly revised edition of "Not All Sunshine & Sand: The Tales of a UK-Middle East Truck Driver", Paul Rowlands takes his readers on a ride through foreign lands in the cab of a long-haul lorry, while providing an insider's perspective on overland travel. "Not All Sunshine & Sand" is a tremendous tale in which run-ins with the locals, dramatic encounters with foreign drivers, and mechanical problems seem the norm for a long-haul lorry driver. "Not All Sunshine & Sand" is a compelling memoir that takes the reader into Paul's world as a truck driver, initially around rural Suffolk and the rest of the UK, before embarking on the Middle East run. The long-distance lorry driver deals with life in the raw, with many hardships and occasional comforts: difficulties are tempered by the sheer beauty of mountain passes, lakeside stops and the generous hospitality of the people he meets. Trucking camaraderie has seen Paul through many a crisis, and he shares the belief that help is always at hand when a fellow driver is facing a problem. The new edition incorporates 72 photographs taken at the time, many of which have never been previously published. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Not All Sunshine & Sand" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Biography collections, and will have particular interest for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the culture and current history of the Middle East.

That Hidden Road: A Memoir
Rocco Versaci
Apprentice House Press
Loyola University Maryland
4501 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210
www.roccoversaci.com
www.apprenticehouse.com
9781627201339, $16.99, PB, 334pp, www.amazon.com

On a Wednesday morning in May of 2010, 42-year-old Rocco Versaci dipped the rear tire of his bicycle into the Pacific Ocean and began to pedal, alone, across the country. He had what he thought was a simple idea - to sort out the story of his life, which had taken a couple of unexpected detours in recent years. "That Hidden Road" is Rocco's personal memoir of the two months he spent crossing the country by bike. It's a story of burning saddle sores, heart-popping climbs, and unleashed dogs with a taste for ankle. It's a story of America's less-traveled roads and the people who live there. And it's a story of rebuilding a life from fragments, the spirit of the whole journey captured in a question most of us ask at one point or another: Can I find my way home? Blending travel writing, memoir, and even comics, "That Hidden Road" is engaging, compelling, unforgettable story of being lost and found on the road in America. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that Rocco Versaci's "That Hidden Road" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.29).

Painting Life
Carol K. Walsh
www.ckwalsh.com
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781631520990, $16.95, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

When Carol Walsh pulled her fiance, dead from a massive heart attack, from the bottom of a diving well her life was turned upside down. Even though she was a psychotherapist working with clients suffering from trauma, this personal shock felt unbearable. Nonetheless, she had to heal herself while supporting clients -- and, as a single mother, her two children. Using the creative interests she'd developed during childhood in order to emotionally save herself from a difficult mother, she fully recovered from her grief and PTSD symptoms -- and as she recreated her personal, artistic, and professional life, she began to thrive. A compelling, intimately personal, insightful, and ultimately inspirational account, "Painting Life: My Creative Journey Through Trauma" is very highly recommended for both community and academic library collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Painting Life" is also available in a Kindle format ($8.69).

Get Back Up
George A. Santino
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626342767, $22.95, HC, 344pp, www.amazon.com

In "Get Back Up: From the Streets to Microsoft Suites", George A. Santino describes his rise from rags to riches through a series of adventures that begin in Philadelphia's violent Tasker Street projects where he dodges his alcoholic father's fits of temper, fishes for rats, and sells tomatoes from the back of a truck. His escapades continue as he opens a sports bar with no walls in North Tampa, curses out a drill sergeant in Fort Jackson, and battles a hiring manager to get a job in Menlo Park that he fully intends to turn down. Santino's adventures culminate when he enjoys a long, successful career with Microsoft, builds a family, loses (and regains) a small fortune along the way, and triumphs over a freak spinal injury that doctors predicted would prevent him from ever working again before his thirtieth birthday. Throughout, Santino shares his perspectives on business and mentorship and stresses, by example, his central lesson: No matter what life throws at you, get back up. Candid, informative, exceptional, and consistently engaging, with "Get Back Up" Santino (with the help of M. J. Beaufrand) presents an inherently fascinating and compelling autobiography that is unreservedly recommended, especially for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Get Back Up" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Gardening Shelf

100 Plants to Feed the Bees
The Xerces Society
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612128863, $26.95, HC, 240pp
9781612127019, $16.95, PB, 240pp
1612127010, $9.99, Kindle, www.amazon.com

100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide a Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive explores the various steps anyone can take to grow plants that encourage bee populations, and discusses native species, balcony gardens, small and large plots, and more. The focus on which plants provide the most to bee populations offers many specifics for homeowners and landscapers, while color photos pack a presentation that includes plant distribution maps and at-a-glance details on which insects are attracted to each flower and plant.

The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden
Roy Strong
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500252246, $19.95, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Sir Roy Strong is an art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster, and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He is also an honorary fellow of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. His thoroughly impressive study, "The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden" is published in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and deftly traces the origins of garden history and the Elizabethan garden, as well as telling the story of the Bard's own garden in Stratford-upon-Avon. Beautifully presented, the informed and informative text is accompanied by quotations from Shakespeare's works and 126 lush illustrations of his gardens, past and present, plucked from a multitude of sources including embroidered Elizabethan clothing and Victorian gardening books, as well as various gardens around the world. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden" is a visual delight and a consistently compelling read with Strong's detailed account having been inspired by Shakespeare's works and supplemented by Francis Bacon's 1625 essay "Of Gardens" which provides Elizabethan-era advice to garden enthusiasts on such topics as topiary, seasonal gardens, scents, aviaries, and more. Simply stated, "The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, community, college, and university library Gardening History collections and supplemental study reading lists.

The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse
Lindsey Schiller with Marc Plinke
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
www.newsociety.com
9780865718241 $29.95 pbk / $16.19 Kindle amazon.com

Illustrated with occasional black-and-white diagrams as well as a handful of color photographs, The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse: How to Design and Build a Net-Zero Energy Greenhouse is a guide to crafting greenhouses that use energy from the sun to create a naturally heated growing temperature even in the middle of a cold winter. Chapters cover insulation, ventilation, a variety of eco-friendly heating and cooling methods, aquaponics and hydroponics, and much more. "High humidity is often the biggest surprise for first-time greenhouse growers/builders. They don't plant for it, and often use materials and components not made for humid environments, which in turn quickly degrade or break." The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse is a "must-have" for anyone planning to build their own greenhouse, highly recommended.

Grow for Flavor
James Wong
Firefly Books Ltd.
50 Staples Avenue, Unit 1, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada L4B 0A7
9781770856691 $29.95 www.fireflybooks.com

Kew-trained botanist and expert gardener James Wong presents Grow for Flavor, a gardening guide to dramatically improving the quality of homegrown food. Full-color photography embellishes this wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for raising and preparing crops ranging from tomatoes to corn, summer squash, plums, winter radish, even edible weeds such as dandelions. Of particular note is the "variety guide" that describes the variations of each showcased harvest (such as "field corn", "sweet corn", "sugar-enhanced" hybrids, and "supersweet" hybrids for corn). Grow for Flavor is a "must-have" for serious gardeners, highly recommended!

Miniature Moss Gardens
Megumi Oshima & Hideshi Kimura
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805314357, $19.95, HC, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Friendly enough for total beginners and full of ideas and tips that experienced gardeners will love to read about, "Miniature Moss Gardens: Create Your Own Japanese Container Gardens" is the collaborative work of Bonsai, Kokedama, Terrariums, and Dish Garden experts Megumi Oshima Hideshi Kimura. "Miniature Moss Gardens" covers: Finding and collecting moss; Cultivation and maintenance; Choosing soils and other components; Designing your garden for visual effect; Choosing the best plants for your mini garden; How to make a perfect Kokedama or moss ball; Enhancing your moss garden with rocks and other elements; How to make a gorgeous terrarium; and so much more! Of special note is a section on finding moss on city streets, parks and mountains that opens our eyes to the beauty that's all around use every day! Comprehensive, beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, organization and presentation, "Miniature Moss Gardens" will prove to be an outstanding and permanently popular addition to personal, professional, and community library Gardening instructional reference collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Ancient Heritage Cookies
Luane Kohnke
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
www.pelicanpub.com
9781455621316, $21.95, www.pelicanpub.com

Ancient Heritage Cookies: Gluten-Free, Whole-Grain, and Nut-Flour Treats features thirteen gluten-free recipes for classic cookies that uses ancient and whole-grain flours as alternatives to gluten, and is highly recommended for cookie fans who thought their favorites were now verboten. No light productions, these include dense and flavor-rich cookies such as Chocolate-Vanilla Malt Cookies, Coconut Oatmeal Lace cookies, Peanut Butter Sandwiches made with oat flour, and more. The result uses a wide range of flour alternatives in cookies designed to be both new productions and appealing replacements to those on gluten-free diets. Color photos abound in a coverage that is wonderfully diverse.

Caribbean Vegan, second edition
Taymer Mason
The Experiment, LLC
220 East 23rd Street, Suite 301, New York, NY 10010
9781615193608, $24.95, www.theexperimentpublishing.com

Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion appears in an expanded second edition that returns to print a classic that first appeared in 2010. In the years between its initial publication date and today, vegan cuisine has taken off and there are numerous cookbooks on the market. It's a pleasure to note that Caribbean Vegan still stands out from the many, many vegan cookbooks currently on the market. The reprint offers full color photos, adds seventy-five recipes, and continues to rely on the expertise of native Barbadian Taymer Mason, who introduces newcomers to either Caribbean cuisine or vegan cooking to a series of methods for making the most of tropical ingredients. From a French Caribbean version of Creole Ratatouille which includes chaoyote, cucumbers, and hot peppers to a pineapple and cherry-topped Classic Barbadian Sweet Potato Pie or a pepper Pigeon Pea Rice dish, the color photos and easy recipes require little in the way of culinary expertise and pack in flavor and interesting variations on Caribbean themes.

Savor
Amber Locke
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784722340, $16.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Don't through away those perfectly good veggies currently languishing in your refrigerator. Us the recipes comprising Amber Locke's "Savor" cookbook to transform them into colorful and spectacularly tasty soups. From a refreshing gazpacho on a late afternoon in August to a chunky, wholesome stew on a cold winter's night, soup is not just incredibly versatile but is also an easy way to make the most of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Featuring more than 100 recipes, plus extra toppings and twists to pimp your soup, and enhanced with beautiful images throughout, "Savor" will prove to be a thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' source for palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, nutritious and delicious fare ranging from Creamy Chickpea Soup; Broccoli & Lemon Soup; Hidden Vegetable Soup; and Coconut Cauliflower Soup; to Black-Eyed Bean Chile Soup; Root Soup; Blue Spirulina Soup; Strawberry Soup; and Chocolate Puddle Soup. Each individual recipe begins with a succinct comment on the dish by Amber, serving size estimate, preparation and serving instructions, and a nutritional tip. A true culinary treasury, "Savor" is very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

The Plant Pure Kitchen
Kim Campbell
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781944648343, $19.95, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and showcased by Kim Campbell, "The Plant Pure Kitchen" is a culinary compendium comprised of 130 beautifully illustrated recipes vegetarian recipes that are as palate pleasing and appetite satisfying as they are 'kitchen cook friendly' to prepare and serve. These delicious and nutritious dishes range from Ginger Yeast Bread; Sweet Chili Broccoli Salad; Vegetable Chick Pea Stew; and Potato Veggie Enchiladas; to Stuffed Acorn Squash; Chopped Sweet and Sour Brussels Sprouts; Cranberry-Date Relish; Mom's Refrigerated Chocolate Pie; and Pudding Pops. Delightful to browse and inspiring to plan menus with, "The Plant Pure Kitchen" is unreservedly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Diabetic Living Healthy Makeovers for Diabetes
Diabetic Living Editors
Better Homes & Gardens
c/o Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
www.hmhco.com
9780544800649, $19.99, PB, 252pp, www.amazon.com

Diabetic Living is the number one lifestyle magazine for people living with diabetes, written and reviewed by experts in diabetes management, as well as people living with diabetes. In "Diabetic Living Healthy Makeovers for Diabetes: Simple Ways to Transform Your Cooking" the editorial staff of Diabetic Living has compiled and profusely illustrated compendium of cooking instructions and recipes specifically for those who are having to deal with diabetes within themselves or a loved one. The key purpose is to enable even the most novice of kitchen cooks to make favorite dishes even healthier through boosting the fiber intake, reducing carbs by half, and lowering the sodium content of the meals they prepare. Of special note is the sections devoted to Remake Your Pantry; Cook Fresh; Restaurant Remakes At Home; and Dessert Transformations. Enhanced with the inclusion of asix page Recipe Index, and a one page metric conversion chart for product differences, volume & weight, "Diabetic Living Healthy Makeovers for Diabetes" will prove to be an enduringly popular and much referred to culinary resource for preparing palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, diabetes compatible dishes suitable for every and all dining occasions from simple family meals to elegant celebration occasions. Special note: visit www.DiabeticLivingOnline.com for more helpful tips and delicious recipes from the folks at Diabetic Living magazine.

Farm to Table Asian Secrets
Patricia Tanumihardja
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804847230, $15.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Patricia Tanumihardja writes about food, travel and lifestyle through a multicultural lens and especially enjoys covering topics that converge on food, history and culture. In the beautifully illustrated pages of "Farm to Table Asian Secrets: Vegan & Vegetarian Full-Flavored Recipes for Every Season" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to compile a culinary wealth of recipes for dishes that are as palate pleasing as they are appetite satisfying. Nutritious and delicious the offerings range from Golden Fresh Corn Fritters; Eggplant with Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce; Chinese Mushroom Buns; and Mixed Vegetable Yellow Curry; to Korean-Style Buffalo Broccoli; Kung Pao Potatoes; Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Chili Sauce; and Swiss Chard Brown Rice Sushi Hand Rolls. Of special note is Patricia's recipes for Gourmet Indonesian peanut Sauce! Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Farm to Table Asian Secrets" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections!

1,001 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes, second edition
Edited by Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam, MS, RD
Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
9781572842076 $20.99 www.agatepublishing.com

A slow-cooker is a countertop electrical appliance used to simmer foods at a lower temperature than other methods such as baking or frying. Because they can be left to cook unattended, they are ideal for cooks who are short on spare time. 1,001 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes, second edition is packed cover to cover with user-friendly recipes designed especially for slow-cookers, such as "Creamy Broccoli-Potato Soup", "Steak and Sweet Potato Stew", "Mexi-Beans 'N Greens Stew", "Pumpkin Ginger Cake Rounds with Warm Rum Sauce", and much more. All recipes include nutritional facts for calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein, carbohydrates, and diabetic exchanges. 1,001 Best Slow-Cooker Recipes is a treasury for busy cooks who enjoy hot meals, highly recommended!

The Malaysian Kitchen
Christina Arokiasamy
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
www.hmhco.com
9780544809994, $35.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Christina Arokiasamy was raised in Kuala Lumpur and was Malaysia's first official Food Ambassador to the U.S. Formerly a chef at various Four Seasons resorts, she now teaches cooking classes in the Pacific Northwest. In "The Malaysian Kitchen" she draws upon her many years of experience and expertise to present some 150 authentic recipes that showcase Malaysian cuisine but which are thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' for even the most novice of America homemakers. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, the recipes are organized and presented in sections devoted to: Sambals, Aromatic Pastries, and Dressings; Soups; Salads; Vegetables; Seafood, Rice and Noodles. Of special note is the inclusion of a nine page Spice Chart. A pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "The Malaysian Kitchen" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library Ethnic Cookbook collections!


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knitting for the Outdoors
Gillian Whalley-Torckler
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811716635, $24.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Nothing beats knitted wool sweaters, hats, gloves, and scarves for keeping a person warm when going on outdoor adventures. Wool garments are perfect for hiking, biking, climbing, fishing and any other activity in the outdoors. The 30 Merino Handknitted garments comprising "Knitting for the Outdoors" are as hard-working as they are fashionable. The patterns range from soft, warm, light, and breathable hats, to gloves, scarves, and vests for women and men, girls and boys. Profusely illustrated with step-by-step instructions for each project, "Knitting for the Outdoors" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it ideal for the novice and a wonderful resource for the experienced. "Knitting for the Outdoors" is Gillian Whalley-Torckler's second knitting book and very highly recommended for both personal and community library instructional reference collections.

Every Which Way Crochet Borders
Edie Eckman
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612127408 $18.95 www.storey.com

Spiral-bound for ease of use, Every Which Way Crochet Borders: 139 Patterns for Customized Edgings lives up to its title and then some. An introductory section is filled with tips, tricks, and techniques for aspiring crocheters, although the majority of Every Which Way Crochet Borders is devoted to the patterns themselves, embellished with both color photography and black-and- white diagrams. A table of attributes, a visual "border directory" displaying all possible creations on a few pages for ease of browsing, a glossary, and an index round out this excellent needlecraft resource, highly recommended especially for intermediate to advanced crocheters.

Small and Scrappy
Kathleen Tracy
Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
9781604688252, $24.99, PB, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Kathleen Tracy has been playing with fabric since childhood. She designs patterns inspired by antique doll quilts for her quilt-kit company, Country Lane Quilts. In "Small and Scrappy: Pint-Size Patchwork Quilts Using Reproduction Fabrics" she draws upon her experience and expertise to train even the most novice of needlecrafters how to decorate with charming small quilts with historic details. Based on traditional patterns, these delightful little patchwork treasures are perfect additions to scatter throughout the home. With the patterns and instructions found in the pages of anyone can stitch classic blocks using favorite reproduction fabrics and create sentimental, handmade treasures that will appreciate every day. Unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization presentation,"Small and Scrappy" is very highly recommended for personal and community library quilting instruction collections.

Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Pat Sloan's Teach Me to Machine Quilt (9781604688313, $26.99) comes from a popular quilting teacher whose best-selling titles have taught many how to quilt. This third book in her "Teach Me" series offers a step-by-step survey of walking-foot and free-motion quilting techniques, and relies on no prior knowledge, making it a perfect guide for novices to both quilting techniques and machine operations. Chapters teach new things by featuring small projects, and present full-page patterns, tips for planning the project and handling the quilt, and an overview of what and how to quilt. The result is a perfect pick for novices who want to get up to speed by creating a professional-looking piece. The editors of Martingale's The Big Book of Knit Stitches (9781604688603, $22.99) packs in over three hundred fifty stitches and takes the form of good-sized close-up color photos each stitch to accompany step-by-step instructions on how to create them, row by row. Knitters receive keys to producing cables, lace, ribs, mosaics, different textures, and more and will find this handbook packed with clear instructions. These are highly recommended 'must have' references for any needleworker's collection.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Book of Texas Birds
Gary Clark
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
9781623494315, $39.95, www.tamupress.com

Book of Texas Birds comes from a lifetime of studying and watching birds, and chronicles over four hundred species of Texas birds. Where other books provide regional details, few can claim that the author has personally seen almost all of them, and few can combine the scientific and natural history details of them with a wider discussion of each bird's history and habits, all provided in a chatty voice accessible to non-scientists and lay birders. Lovely photos by Kathy Adams Clark compliment entries packed with bird information, making this a winning field guide for newcomers and advanced Texas birders alike.

Beware of the Dog
Pat Miller
Dogwise Publishing
403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee WA 98801
www.dogwisepublishing.com
9781617811937, $19.95, PB, 196pp, www.amazon.com

Pat Miller is the author of several best selling books on dogs and writes a column for the Whole Dog Journal. In "Beware of the Dog" she draws upon her years of professional experience and expertise to provide dog owners with a road map to evaluating, managing and modifying aggressive behavior in their pet canines. "Beware of the Dog" offers a wide-ranging look at all types of aggression and the way these troublesome behaviors develop. It explains the latest protocols for evaluating and dealing with the problems of aggressive dogs from classical conditioning to operant conditioning, and prescribes management strategies that really work. Written in an easy-to-understand style that meets the needs of trainers as well as the motivated dog owner, "Beware of the Dog" will prove to be an indispensable and invaluable instruction manual that is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. While very highly recommended for community library Pets/Wild Animal collections in general, and Dog Training supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Beware of the Dog" is also available in a Kindle format ($7.96).

The Wrong Dog
David Elliott Cohen
Yellow Pear Press
http://www.yellowpearpress.com
9780997066418, $22.95, HC, 264pp, www.amazon.com

"The Wrong Dog" by David Elliot Cohen is the heartwarming, often hilarious, true story of Simba II, a mischievous white Labrador puppy who was brought home by accident. As Simba grows into an enormous ninety-pound dog with a huge personality, he cements the bond between two families and enriches their lives in countless ways. When the family moves from San Francisco to New York, Cohen is charged with bringing Simba to the family's new home, so he and his best friend, Erick, load the old hound into the back of a station wagon and set out on a 3,300-mile once-in-a-lifetime road trip across America. With stops at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace; the Las Vegas Strip; Meteor Crater; the Painted Desert; Cadillac Ranch; Winslow, Arizona; Gallup, New Mexico; Graceland, and other all-American landmarks, "The Wrong Dog" is an engaging and poignant story that chronicles an epic journey, the unconditional love between one dog and his family, as well as the vast and benevolent role dogs play in American family life. Exceptionally well written, consistently engaging, highly entertaining, "The Wrong Dog" is especially recommended for those with their own canine companion. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Pets/Wildlife collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wrong Dog" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.59).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Loving, Supporting, and Caring for the Cancer Patient
Stan Goldberg
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781442266155, $35.00, HC, 212pp, www.amazon.com

At sometime most Americans will have someone in their lives touched by cancer. When that someone will say to them, "I have cancer," and when these three words are said, they must struggle with a response. Every year fourteen million people worldwide learn they are living with or may die from this insidious illness. The uncertainty of cancer causes anxiety in those diagnosed and feelings of inadequacy in loved ones and friends who want to help. In "Loving, Supporting, and Caring for the Cancer Patient: A Guide to Communication, Compassion, and Courage" author Stan Goldberg reveals ways of going beyond the response "I'm so sorry", and offers practical behaviors that will ease a loved one or friend's journey. These responses can range from being specific immediately after a diagnosis, to honoring their loved one or friend at the moment of passing. Based on Stan Goldberg's own cancer journey, thirty years of counseling and coaching people living with cancer and their loved ones, and as a bedside volunteer in four hospices over eight years, "Loving, Supporting, and Caring for the Cancer Patient" is comprised of poignant and illustrative accounts of clients and patients, personal reflections, and age-old stories filled with infinite wisdom. Exceptionally well written, organized, presented, and 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization presentation, "Loving, Supporting, and Caring for the Cancer Patient" should be a part of every community library Health/Medicine collection. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Loving, Supporting, and Caring for the Cancer Patient" is also available in a Kindle format ($19.24). Simply stated, if you or someone you know is having to deal with a cancer diagnosis -- then read this book..

When an Adult You Love Has ADHD
Russell A. Barkley
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
www.apa.org/books
9781433823084, $19.95, PB, 408pp, www.amazon.com

In "When an Adult You Love Has ADHD: Professional Advice for Parents, Partners, and Siblings", Dr. Russell Barkley (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina) explains the science behind ADHD and how you can tell if your spouse, partner, friend, adult child, or sibling may have it. Professor Barkley shows how to guide your loved one toward the right treatment, and what to do if he or she doesn't want treatment. Adults with ADHD can be successful, achieve their goals, and live out big dreams -- and anyone with a basic understanding of this condition can be of practical and effective help by setting boundaries to manage one's own emotional and financial stress as well. Here presented are practical steps for helping a loved one accept and manage their disorder, and pursue paths in life where ADHD might not pose such a big problem. Exceptionally informed and informative, impressively and accessibly well written, "When an Adult You Love Has ADHD" is unreservedly recommended as a critically important addition to community and academic library collections. For the personal lists of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject it should be noted that "When an Adult You Love Has ADHD" is also available in a Kindle format ($19.95).

Designed to Move
Joan Vernikos
Quill Driver Books
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
www.quilldriverbooks.com
9781610352710, $12.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Joan Vernikos is a pioneering medical research scientist who has conducted seminal studies in space medicine, inactivity physiology, stress and healthy aging. In "Designed to Move" she reveals her years of experience and expertise as the former director of NASA's Life Sciences Division, drawing upon decades of scientific research on astronauts to show readers how to use gravity-based movement to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting and maintain lifelong good health, thereby providing desk-bound men and women an easy-to-follow movement plan to fight the debilitating and life-shortening effects of what she terms a pandemic 'sitting disease'. Deftly written for everyone who spends most of their lives sitting in chairs, "Designed to Move" provides readers with practical instruction on how they can develop simple new lifestyle habits at the office and reverse the symptoms of sitting disease and even aging itself, and experience a life of bountiful health. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Designed to Move" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.99).

25 Women Who Survived Cancer
Mark Evan Chimsky, editor
Sellers Publishing
161 John Roberts Road, South Portland, ME 04106
www.sellerspublishing.com
9781416245841, $16.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Mark Evan Chimsky, "25 Women Who Survived Cancer: Notable Women Share Inspiring Stories of Hope" is a true and inspiring collection of personal stories about how to cope with, and prevail over, cancer. In 25 essays, notable women such as Robin Roberts, Joan Lunden, Fran Drescher, Liz Lange, Barbara Delinsky, Shonda Schilling, Barbara Padilla, Sylvia McNair, and Marissa Jaret Winokur write with moving candor about how they faced cancer without letting it define their lives or conquer their spirit. They recall how they reacted to receiving their diagnosis, how they moved beyond fear to become engaged in their healing process, and how they dealt with body image and sexuality while undergoing treatment. Their reflections on what their cancer has taught them and how their lives have been changed by it are as poignant as they are powerful. This collection includes the experiences of women who have survived breast cancer, ovarian cancer, Hodgkin Lymphoma, uterine cancer, and malignant melanoma. "25 Women Who Survived Cancer" is an encouraging, uplifting, and inspiring book of hope for anyone who has been diagnosed with, or is being treated for, cancer, as well as cancer survivors and those who are providing support for cancer patients. It is interesting to note that all royalties from the sale of "25 Women Who Survived Cancer" will be donated to cancer research and prevention. Simply stated, every community and academic library in the country should have a copy of "25 Women Who Survived Cancer" on their shelves, and every woman diagnosed with cancer should give a careful reading to the personal stories comprising "25 Women Who Survived Cancer".


The Gaming Shelf

Defending at Bridge
Bill Treble
Master Point Press
331 Douglas Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5M 1H2
www.masterpointpress.com
9781771400367, $16.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Bill Treble is a former bronze medallist in the Canadian Team Championships. Bill and his wife are both accredited bridge instructors that have taught the game for well over a dozen years. Over that time they have also hosted play-and-learn sessions and novice games that are an ideal environment for people to gain more experience after taking bridge lessons. Bill is a two-time Canadian Open Pairs champion and author of the acclaimed book Getting into the Bidding (Master Point Press, 9781897106853, $19.95, PB, 224pp). In "Getting Into the Bidding: A Bridge Toolkit" he draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to present the basics of defense at bridge in the form of eight short, clearly explained lessons, enhanced with lots of practical examples. "Defending at Bridge" covers opening leads, signaling, second- and third-hand play, and discards. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Defending at Bridge" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections.


The Political Science Shelf

The Secret State
Colonel John Hughes-Wilson
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781681773025, $29.95, www.pegasusbooks.com

The Secret State: A History of Intelligence and Espionage is a study of espionage that comes from a colonel who provides a sweeping history from the classical origins of intelligence work to modern times in the digital age, providing an in-depth survey of traditional intelligence, the evolution of information-gathering processes from the Cold War to the cyber environment, and how political forces around the world fostered new forms of reconnaissance photography, intelligence gathering, interpretation, and information processing. The Secret State is a powerful history that asks many hard questions in a wide-ranging survey packed with political, historical, and social analysis. It's a recommended pick not just for political studies readers; but for any interested in the intelligence community and its background.

Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible?
Mary-Alice Waters
Pathfinder Press
PO Box 162767, Atlanta, GA 30321-2767
www.pathfinderpress.com
9781604880908, $10.00, PB, 87pp, www.amazon.com

The answer given by Mary-Alice Waters to the question of whether or not a socialist revolution can occur within the United States of America" is Yes, it's possible but not inevitable. That future depends on the American people. The most recent evidence of this possibility is the popularity of the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign for the presidency. "Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible?: A Necessary Debate Among Working People" is a contribution to the growing discussion among working people everywhere who are looking for a way forward in the face of sharpening capitalist crisis and spreading wars. Fighting for a society only working people can create, it is our own capacities we will discover, not the rulers false image of us an image that reflects their own guilt and fear. Illustrated with photos and featuring a four page index, "Is Socialist Revolution in the US Possible?" is very highly recommended for both academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Saga of Hodge
Jerry Labriola
http://jerrytalks.com
Strong Books
PO Box 1194, Middlebury, CT 06762
9781928782902, $24.95, HC, 312pp, www.jerrylabriola.com

A strange and possibly supernatural entity that calls himself Hodge is targeting people on Earth for thousands of years, claiming their souls and then, later one, returning them under his complete control to Earth as different people. They constitute his Army of Drones. But when this creature experiences the meaning of love he undergoes a transformation as shocking as those he had ordered for millennia. Who or what is responsible for triggering this change? All this is intertwined with Dr. Mark Kralin, his friends and associates in a novel that is a blending of fantasy and mystery. A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Saga of Hodge" reveals author Jerry Labriola to have a genuine flair for deftly crafted interesting characters and then skillfully embedding them into a consistently compelling story replete with unexpected twists and surprising turns. "The Saga of Hodge" is one of those all too rare novels that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Certain to be an enduringly popular an unique addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, "The Saga of Hodge" is highly recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated fantasy fiction fans.

The Catcher's Trap
Ricardo Henriquez
www.ricardophenriquez.com
Inkshares
99 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607
www.inkshares.com
9781942645047, $13.99, PB, 150pp, www.amazon.com

Andres never lived up to his potential. While young, handsome and smart, his life-long struggle with anxiety turned him into a recluse, afraid to step out of his comfort zone. That is, until the night he is kidnaped and finds himself seized and transported into an alternate universe and sold into slavery. "The Catcher's Trap" is all the more impressive when considering it is author Ricardo Henriquez debut as a fantasy/horror writer and clearly reveals his genuine mastery of the genre and impressive flair for deftly crafted characters and remarkable storytelling skills. A consistently compelling and unfailingly entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Catcher's Trap" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections. It should be noted that "The Catcher's Trap" is also available in a Kindle format ($4.99).


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Fuku Fuku Kitten Tales 2
Konami Kanata
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993636 $10.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Fuku Fuku Kitten Tales 2 is the second black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) compilation of short and funny comic stories about the a precocious kitten named Fuku Fuku, and the patient, elderly woman who has adopted her. Konami Kanata (author of the "Chi's Sweet Home" series) brings Fuku Fuku's endearing exploits to life, in this heartwarming collection suitable for all ages. Also highly recommended for cat lovers everywhere is Fuku Fuku Kitten Tales 1 (9781942993438) and the Chi's Sweet Home series.

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 3
MAYBE
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.vertical-inc.com
9781942993643 $10.95 amazon.com

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 3 continues the black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) saga set in a fantastic, gothic world suffering the aftermath of a vicious civil war. During the war, heroic soldiers volunteered to be transformed into Incarnates, or "Sacred Beasts" - powerful beings resembling mythological monsters, who battled ferociously on the front lines. But these "Sacred Beasts" were destined to gradually lose their minds and their humanity, and some now threaten or slaughter the mortal humans they once battled to defend! Nancy Schaal Bancroft is the daughter of a dragon Incarnate; her quest to take revenge on Hank, the person who executed her father, took a dramatically different turn once she learned more about Incarnates and why Hank was hunting them. She became separated from Hank a year ago; now, the ruthless leader Cain Madhouse and his band of Incarnates have created a rebel nation called New Patria. Meanwhile, Schaal returns to her childhood home to pay her respects to her father's grave, and stumbles into a morass of intrigue and bloodshed. Schaal also meets Hank's de facto successor - the youthful, duty-driven leader of a new military unit tasked with executing all remaining Incarnates, including Hank himself! Striking artwork is a highlight of this tragic yet captivating saga. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts is a "must-read" for connoisseurs of modern mythological fables and gothic literature, highly recommended.

Ajin Demi-Human 8
Gamon Sakurai
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993476 $12.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Ajin Demi-Human 8 is part of a black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series set in a science fiction world where "ajin", or "demi-humans", appear like ordinary humans at first glance. Demi-humans are immortal, and have the power to summon and control a powerful, shadowy "other" body. Life is hellish for demi-humans whose identity is discovered; national governments prize them as immortal guinea pigs, torturing them in endless experiments, and ordinary people (especially friends and family members!) will sell them to governments for a rich reward. Kei is a cold-blooded demi-human, who retains just enough empathy to desire a peaceful life, while the terrorist demi-human Sato is stirring a blood-drenched revolution. Volume 8 pits Kei against Sato; Kei seeks to trap Sato at any cost, but will Sato take the bait? A suspenseful saga of criminal masterminds and the brutal ramifications of immortality, Ajin Demi-Human 8 is highly recommended.

Immortal Hounds 3
Ryo Yasohachi
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993612 $12.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Immortal Hounds 3 is the third black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) set in a science- fiction world eerily similar to our own... except that almost all humans are capable of immediately resurrecting after death. The exceptions are those infected with RDS, or Resurrection Deficiency Syndrome, and the "Vectors" from another world who knowingly spread RDS - essentially acting as mortal serial killers amid a world of immortals! Volume 3 introduces two new characters: the beautiful, crazed Vector who goes by the name "Snow White", and the ruthless instructor Karigane. Both women loyally serve the mysterious "Mama", who may or may not be the mastermind behind the RDS plague. Can Detective Shin'ichi Kenzaki track down and arrest Snow White before she infects more victims with RDS? Kenzaki's task is further complicated by the fact that one member of his own department, Rin Kazma, is a mole and an "Escape Artist" in Mama's employ! An action-packed saga of intrigue, espionage, and betrayal, Immortal Hounds is recommended for readers age 16+ due to extreme violence (immortals will resurrect from violent deaths, but not quite everyone is immortal!) and some mature situations.

Nichijou My Ordinary Life 6
Keiichi Arawi
Vertical, Inc.
451 Park Avenue South, 7th floor, New York, NY 10016
9781942993650 $10.95 www.vertical-inc.com

Nichijou My Ordinary Life 6 continues the black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series of eclectic story vignettes weaving back and forth between the mundane, the surreal, and grade school life. In volume six, and overly curious teacher seeks to uncover the secrets of a robot student and the child genius who built her; a legion of fey folk soldiers put their lives on the line against a destructive intruder; the Go/Soccer club gets serious; and much more! A view askew comedy suitable for readers of all ages, Nichijou My Ordinary Life is delightful, and volume six is as good a jumping-on point as any due to the free-spirited vignette nature of the series.

Jacob Bladders and the State of the Art
Roman Muradov
Uncivilized Books
PO Box 6534, Minneapolis, MN 55406
www.uncivilizedbooks.com
9781941250105, $16.99, HC, 64pp, www.amazon.com

Jacob Bladders is an illustrator and a braggart. He is also the victim of assault by thugs sent by the mysterious Charlie. "Jacob Bladders and the State of the Art" by Roman Muradove is part satire of commercial art, part noirish detective story, and part puzzle to be solved by the reader or simply left in pieces. Roman Muradov's latest graphic novel is an ink-smeared Blakean vision of 1940s New York where Twitter exists as a network of pneumatic tubes, but artwork is still delivered by hand. A compelling and thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover, "Jacob Bladders and the State of the Art" is recommended for both community and academic library collections -- and a 'must' read for all Roman Muradov fans!


The Audiobook Shelf

A Short History of the World
Christopher Lascelles
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781515961888, $19.99, CD, www.amazon.com

In "A Short History of the World", Christopher Lascelles provides an informative and engaging overview of history beginning with the creation of the universe and the earth down to the present time and the near term issue of climate change. Easy to follow and assuming little prior knowledge of past events on the part of the listener, "A Short History of the World" is not a source for groundbreaking new theories on why things occurred, but rather provides an inherently interesting and broad overview of the generally accepted version of events so that non-historians will feel less ignorant when discussing the past. While "A Short History of the World" explores world history principally covers key people, events, and empires since the dawn of the first civilizations in and around 3500 BC. Epic in scope but refreshingly concise, "A Short History of the World" is expertly narrated in this complete and unabridged audio book by Guy Bethell and very highly recommended for personal, school, and community library audio book collections. 6 CDs, 7.5 Hours.

The Archivist
Martha Cooley, author
Narrated by George Guidall and Suzanne Toren
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781501908989 $TBA www.recordedbooks.com

The Archivist is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a powerful debut novel. Set within an elite American University, the story follows 65-year-old archivist Matthias Lane, and 35-year-old graduate student Roberta Spire. Roberta seeks to access to sealed letters within the university's collection, letters which were written from the renowned British author T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) to his close friend Emily Hale. Roberta believes these letters hold clues to Eliot's religious conversion, the suicide of his wife, and more. As the archivist Matthias weighs Roberta's request, he must consider the striking parallels between Eliot's life and his own. Profound, emotionally moving, and superbly performed by narrators George Guidall and Suzanne Toren, The Archivist is highly recommended for both personal and public library audiobook collections. 8 CDs, 10 hours.

Oh! To Be in England
H.E. Bates, author
Read by Philip Franks
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781781980057 $28.98 amazon.com

First published in 1963, Oh! To Be in England is the fourth novel in author H.E. Bates' classic series beginning with "The Darling Buds of May", and now available in an unabridged audiobook edition superbly performed by theater actor Philip Franks. In Oh! To Be in England, all seven of the Larkin children are christened - a complex task, as the twins Zinnia and Petunia run wild, and the vicar Mr. Candy unexpectedly finds himself the object of Primrose's desire! When Pop buys a fairground on a whim, things only become more hectic, in this wry, witty, and wonderful tribute to the English countryside in summertime. As much a treasure today as it was over fifty years ago, Oh! To Be in England is highly recommended, especially for public library audiobook collections. 4 CDs, 4 hours 8 min 47 sec.

4 3 2 1: A Novel
Paul Auster
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781427282781 $29.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

4 3 2 1: A Novel is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a fascinating novel (read by author Paul Auster) on an MP3 CD, a format which can be played on an MP3-CD enabled player or transferred to portable devices for listening on the go. The story follows the life of Archibald Isaac Ferguson, born in 1947 New Jersey... only Archibald's life traces four separate yet simultaneous paths, in four parallel dimensions. Each Ferguson, though genetically the same, has an entirely different life, loves, friendships, and passions. A masterful interweaving of fate and free will, 4 3 2 1: A Novel is unforgettable and highly recommended. 3 MP3 CDs, 37 hours. It should be noted that 4 3 2 1: A Novel is also available in hardcover edition from publisher Henry Holt (9781627794466, $32.50) and in a Kindle edition ($16.99).

Christy
Linda Lael Miller, author
Rebecca Mitchell, narrator
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
$TBA www.recordedbooks.com

Christy is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a historical romance novel in the "The Women of Primrose Creek" series, set in the rugged Nevada frontier. Christy McQuarry has come from English finishing school to settle in Primrose Creek along with her younger sister, Megan; both are destitute after their mother's death. Christy promises her hand in marriage to a local, well-off lumber baron, and tries to distance herself from the handsome town marshal Zachary Shaw, but the yearnings of her heart pull her in another direction, and Zachary is determined to prove himself worthy of her love! Superbly performed by narrator Rebecca Mitchell, Christy is a treat for connoisseurs of the genre, highly recommended. 4 CDs, 4.25 hours.

Glendalough Fair
James L. Nelson
Tantor Audio
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781515911401, $39.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Spring has come to Ireland, where Thorgrim Night Wolf, new-made Lord of Vik-lo, and the three hundred Viking warriors under his command have suffered through a brutal winter. Despite having accomplished much during the months of cold and rain, the patience of the men has worn thin, and anger and frustration threaten to tear the ships' crews apart. But just as the men are turning on one another, a local Irish lord arrives with a proposal, a plan for Irish and Norse to join together in a raid using Ireland's rivers to float their longships far inland. The plan, however, soon turns into a nightmare of massacre and betrayal, and Thorgrim and his band must fight both the skilled commander of the local forces as well as enemies in their own camp. It's a fight in which victory or defeat will mean the difference between riches or death. Expertly narrated by Shaun Grindell and very highly recommended for personal listening lists and community library audio book collections, "Glendalough Fair" is the forth volume of James L. Nelson's simply outstanding action/adventure 'Norsemen Saga' series. 10 CDs, 12 Hours, Unabridged.

Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachetteaudio.com

Two new audio additions to James Patterson's 'Bookshots Flames' series of original romances are designed to be listened to in a few hours, offering the opportunity for busy romance enthusiasts to enjoy quick listens. Elizabeth Hayley's Dazzling (9781478967712, $10.00) tells of a starving artist and a rich playboy who meet unexpectedly and find their very different lives dovetailing in unexpected ways. Kristin Kalbli's voice brings to life this encounter and its impact on these two very different individuals. Jessica Linden's Bodyguard (9781478967859, $10.00) receives a fine narration by Erin Cottrell, whose clear and solid voice brings to life the story of Abbie, who is good at her job and always reliable until a congressman enters her life and refutes her suspicion that his life may be in danger. Two powerful personalities clash: one determined to keep her charge safe; the other determined to refute any idea of danger. The romance that evolves from their encounter is satisfyingly intriguing. Both are quick listens and good romances.


The Library CD Shelf

Ethereum
Joseph L. Young
www.josephlyoung.com
Privately Published
$14.99 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com

The fourth album of flute master and keyboardist Joseph L. Young, Ethereum is an original creation of instrumental sound, including the melodies from a vast array of ethnic flutes around the world. Delightfully far-reaching and inspirational, Ethereum is a treasure for aficionados of the flute, and connoisseurs of consciousness-expanding music. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Wavelength" (3:48), "Ethereum" (4:11), "Shimmer" (3:26), "Boundless" (3:27), "Illumination" (4:39), "Past Lives" (3:17), "Entangled" (4:45), "Drift" (3:43), "Free" (5:27), "Crystal Sunrise" (3:28), "Flirting with Fireflies" (3:36), and "Sapphire Moon" (4:40).

Paradise Painting
Uwe Gronau
uwegronau.com
Privately Published
$12.97 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com

German keyboardist and composer Uwe Gronau presents Paradise Painting, an original new age soundscape that shines with beauty and passion. A dynamic range of musical styles influence these vibrant instrumental pieces. Paradise Painting is captivating, energetic, and highly recommended! The tracks are "Paradise Painting" (4:05), "Prophecy" (3:57), "Sounds Like a Smell" (4:02), "A Passion Play (revisited)" (4:31), "Carpe Diem" (4:59), "Sister" (4:47), "Diving Into The Deep" (3:30), "New Day" (3:16), "Teguise" (4:07), "Two Worlds" (5:06), "She's So..." (4:07), "Invisible Man" (2:47), and "End Of A Concert" (3:30).

The Light Within: Ambient Music Mixes
Greg Maroney
www.gregmaroney.com
Privately Published
$10.85 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

The Light Within: Ambient Music Mixes is a beautiful music CD of calming piano music, although some songs feature the piano more prominently than others. Composer and performer Greg Maroney explores the digital keyboard as well as the piano, and synths of strings and ethereal vocals enrich the warm, mellifluous soundscape. The Light Within is perfect for calming the mind, and highly recommended for ambient music connoisseurs. The tracks are "Reverie" (6:59), "Time Without End" (7:06), "Waking Dream" (10:05), "Walking With the Moon" (7:31), "Be at Peace" (5:13), "Walking Toward the Light" (7:38), "Harvest the Night" (7:33), "Letting Go" (5:06), "The Endless River" (7:59), and "Capture the Wind" (7:49).

Color Tones
John Stein
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Color Tones is a music album by jazz guitarist John Stein and his gifted band: drummer Ze Eduardo Nazario, bassist John Lockwood, Fernando Brandao on flutes, and Phil Grenadier on trumpets and mutes. Together, they have crafted a marvelously innovative album that explores the range of jazz from classic to funk to a touch of swing. Color Tones is adventurous, passionate, and enthusiastically recommended to jazz connoisseurs! The tracks are "The Commons" (4:52), "Angel Eyes" (6:14), "New Shoes" (4:29), "Five Weeks" (6:03), "Jo Ann" (4:43), "Neck Road" (3:39), "Labor of Love" (5:34), "Ebb and Flow" (5:48), "Four Corners" (4:40), "Salt Marsh Dawn" (4:41), and "Wall Stones" (5:43).

The Moonlights
Rachel Loshak and Dean Jones
Privatley Published
$12.99 www.themoonlightsmusic.com

The Moonlights is a family-friendly music album for listeners of all ages, featuring original, eclectic, and charming songs. The gentle lyrics support soul-stirring music from a diverse variety of instruments, including guitars, marimba, English horn, records, organ pipes, strings, mbira, trombone, French horn and bass. The Moonlights is an emotionally uplifting audio experience, highly recommended! The tracks are "That Light", "Colour of Leaves", "Woodpecker", "Symphony for Dogs", "Mother and Father", "Seasons", "Early Bird", "City of Trees", "Starward", "Peaseblossom", "Dream Chasers", "Bake A Cake", "Ah, The Moon", and "Apples and Pears".

This Day Too: Music From Irish America
With Terence Winch, Michael Winch, and Jesse Winch
Celtic Thunder Music
c/o Free Dirt Records (dist.)
www.freedirt.net
$14.99 terencewinch.com

This Day Too: Music from Irish America is an album of both traditional and original songs from Irish-American performers, featuring Terence Winch (an acclaimed poet whose work has been featured on Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac" radio program), Michael Winch, Jesse Winch, and others from the traditional music community. The songs range in flavor from exuberant comedy to polka, jigs, reels, and heartfelt tributes. This Day Too is a treasure for connoisseurs of Irish music, highly recommended! Thet racks are "Johnny O'Leary's / Kilcummin Lasses / The Ballyvaughan Polka" (4:19), "Lannister's Ball (Game of Thrones Song)" (3:11), "Lally's Alley / Cat's Tail & Gravy" (5:07), "Nelly, My Love, and Me" (3:45), "Earl's Chair / The Green Groves of Erin / Sailor on the Rock" (4:49), "Childhood Ground" (5:07), "Tommy Mulhair's / Finish It Up / Boys of the Town" (4:49), "Cahercrea / The Ring Finger" (3:09), "Welcome Home" (3:14), "The Wonder Hornpipe / Austin Tierney's / The Thunder Reel" (5:07), "Sinning " (2:13), "The Blooming Meadows / The Monaghan Jig" (3:38), "This Day Too" (4:17), "In Memory of Michael Coleman / Hughie's Cap / Forget Me Not" (5:19), and "The Homes of Donegal" (4:14).

Waiting for Eldridge
David Messier
http://davidmessier.com
Privately Published
$9.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

The debut solo album of multi-instrumental rock-Americana music artist David Messier, Waiting for Eldridge is titled in homage to the person who inspired Messier to perform after a hiatus of several years. Original songs feature Messier's gritty, candid voice as well as mariba and bari saxophone to enrich the acoustic and electric guitar. The result is a striking, standout soundscape, sure to be a choice pick for fans of the genre! The tracks are "Don't Say Nothin'", "Keeping Up With Fashion", "Change", "Shoot to Kill", "Last Letter", "Franklin's Key", "Down", "Whispering", "Everything Breaks My Heart", and "Christmas in Washington".

K'e Hasin - Kinship and Hope
Radmilla Cody
Canyon Records Productions
1761 West University Drive, Suite 145, Tempe, AZ 85281-3220
$14.98 www.canyonrecords.com

K'e Hasin (which translates to "Kinship and Hope") is a music album of 12 original songs by Grammy nominee Radmilla Cody. All songs are composed in the style of traditional Navajo music and performed in the Navajo language. Navajo and English lyrics for each song are present in the liner notes. The songs celebrate the foundational concepts of kinship and community, and of the connections between all living things. As the liner notes say, "K'e encompasses love, hope, compassion, strength, and is inclusive all people regardless of race, gender orientation, class, and belief." Bold, beautiful and uplifting, K'e Hasin is highly recommended especially for collections of Native American music. The tracks are "A Woman's Journey", "The New Born, New Arrival", "Kinship Honor", "The Four Essential Elements", "PT Cruiser", "My Child, My Baby", "Leadership Song", "Blue Bird Song", "Don't Be A Litter Bug", "Grandchild", "Red Ochre Cheek Clan", "Walking Through Life", and "Mother's Words". 50 min. 31 sec.


The Library DVD Shelf

A Light Beneath Their Feet
Starring Madison Davenport and Taryn Manning
Monterey Media Inc.
125 Auburn Court #220, Westlake Village CA 91362
$26.95 www.montereymedia.com

A Light Beneath Their Feet is a powerful, emotionally moving movie about the struggles of a loving yet dysfunctional family. As a young mother with bipolar disorder steels herself for fast- approaching day when her daughter leaves for college, the daughter is torn between going to a local school where she can stay close to her unstable parent, or pursuing her dreams at a more prestigious yet faraway college. Complex human relationships and hard choices with no easy answers define this unforgettable story, highly recommended. A Light Beneath Their Feet is rated R due to some scenes of teenage sexuality and drug use. 90 min.

A Beautiful Now
A film by Daniela Amavia
Monterey Media Inc.
125 Auburn Court #220, Westlake Village CA 91362
$26.95 www.montereymedia.com

Available in both digital and DVD formats, A Beautiful Now is a striking, dramatic film about the reunion of five friends, in an effort to save a Romy (played by Abigail Spencer), a woman who was once a close member of their group. Romy has barricaded herself in the bathroom, and struggles to keep her mind from fracturing by reviewing the pieces and shards of her life. The essential question of A Beautiful Now is, "If your life flashed before your eyes - would you like what you see?" Thought-provoking and intense, A Beautiful Now is highly recommended. A Beautiful Now is rated R due to language, sexual material, and a brief, violent image. 99 min.

The Level
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

The Level is a tense British drama about a woman with loyalties on both sides of the law. Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin (played by Karla Crome) is a cop with a secret - she cares deeply about drug trafficker Frank Le Saux (played by Philip Glenister), who is like a father to her. But then disaster strikes, leaving Frank dead and Nancy with a bullet wound. Now Nancy must work with her cryptic new partner, DS Gunner Martin (played by Noel Clarke) to track down Frank's killer, while concealing her own involvement and her injury! A suspenseful and fascinating web of intrigue, The Level is a "must-see" for connoisseurs of the genre, highly recommended for mature audiences (due to the presence of violence, strong language, and sexual situations). Bonus materials include a 54 min. behind-the scenes featurette. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs, 288 min. plus bonus, widescreen.

The Code Season 2
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

The Code Season 2 presents six new episodes of the award-winning Australian political thriller. Hacker Jesse Banks (played by Ashley Zuckerman) and his journalist brother (played by Dan Spielman) still feel aftershocks from their efforts to expose corrupt officials. Both are at risk for extradition to the US on serious criminal charges - but Australian government needs their skills to shut down an online seller of illegal weapons and drugs. Their explorations of the dark world of illicit online commerce could have potentially deadly repercussions, in this edge-of-seat suspenseful drama. Bonus material includes 28 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes. The Code Season 2 is highly recommended for older teen and adult viewers due to coarse language, violence, and sexual situations. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs, 350 min., SDH subtitles, widescreen.

Mountain
A film by Yaelle Kayam
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
$19.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Mountain is a powerful movie about a married Orthodox Jewish woman with four children, who lives on the edge of a Jerusalem cemetery on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. Her husband has lost interest in her and their children, ignoring her wishes and working long hours. During walks in the cemetery to clear her head, she stumbles across a group of people that regularly engages in sex and drugs on sacred ground. She tries to balance her fascination with this illicit other world and her devout everyday life... for as long as she can. Mountain is thoughtful, provocative, troubling, and highly recommended. 81 min.


The Poetry Shelf

Love Poems
Edited by Max Morris
Summersdale Publishers
www.summersdale.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group (dist.)
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.ipgbook.com
9781849538046 $9.95 hc / $8.99 Kindle amazon.com

Love Poems is a pocket-sized treasure trove of selected love poems from classic authors throughout history. A delight to browse, or an inspiration for crafting poetry of one's own, Love Poems is highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Love Poems is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.99). "Come here, my love, the crown of my home- / Walking so tall, so slender, like a cypress, / With your black hair falling to your feet, / With brows like a tightened bow; / Wish a mouth too small for two almonds / And cheeks red like the apples of autumn- / My woman, my lady, my love. -Turkish Tribal Chieftain."

Love Bites
Barbara Garro
Cambridge Books
c/o Write Words, Inc.
www.BarbaraGarro.com
9781618363909, $19.95, PB, 182pp, www.amazon.com

When her mother died at an early age, Barbara Garro (now in her eighth decade) became powerfully propelled into poetry. Poem after poem, flows through her as she shares the spirit of a lifetime in innermost love thoughts, fears and dreams. Her debut collection of some of her best work, "Love Bites" showcases this lifelong author's genuine flair for deftly crafted verse. Barbara thinks of her poetry as her heart exploding with feelings that she dresses in words, dancing them into poems. Since her mom's death opened the floodgates, after "Remembering Mother" was published in The Maple Shade Progress, the poems kept coming, 998 and counting. Each holds her heart inside the lines. Barbara's hope is that her heart connects with yours as she shares her soft and hard feelings of love in "Love Bites". While highly recommended community and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of poetry enthusiasts that "Love Bites" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.50). Monkey Bread Love: Again, like monkey bread / I'm feeling torn apart. / Again, my time with a man / has taken me piece by piece. / Again, I am left all eaten up.

Run the Red Lights
Ed Skoog
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.coppercanyonpress.org
9781556595035, $16.00, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com

"Run the red lights" were the last words the musician Alex Chilton spoke to his wife on the way to the hospital. In Ed Skoog's new compendium of free verse, the poems are running all the lights, the way that talking casually runs and flows over itself and intertwines with what others are saying. These plainspoken poems rediscover the relationship between talking and thinking, as they weave among enthusiastic jags about sex and love, theater, music, New Orleans, numbness, ghosts, wolves, history, violence, rescue, art, marriage, mothers, fathers, and children. Showcasing Ed Skoog's genuine flair using the English language as the elements of a verbal art form that fully engages the reader's mind and imagination, "Run the Red Lights" is exceptional and highly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated poetry enthusiasts it should be noted that "Run the Red Lights" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).


The Civil War Shelf

Where Liberty Dwells, There Is My Country
Suzanne Meredith
Heritage Books
5810 Ruatan St., Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740
www.heritagebooks.com
9780788457289 $28.00 amazon.com

Where Liberty Dwells, There Is My Country collects letters written by American citizens on both sides of the Civil War, from 1861 through 1865. Here are testimonies of farmers desperate for workers, villages trying to meet draft quotas, and the anguish of people who do not know whether their loved ones are dead or alive on the battlefield. Vintage black-and-white photographs and relevant news articles interspersed with written testimonies round out this vivid primary source, highly recommended for historians, researchers, and both public and college library Civil War shelves. "Decoration Day was originated after the American Civil War when the Grand Army of the Republic set the date aside as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead. The last Monday May is now known as Memorial Day and is a federal holiday. In the early part of the 1900's postcards such as the one above were sent to friends and relatives to honor the day of remembrance."

With A True God Bless: Civil War Letters
Suzanne Meredith
Heritage Books
5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740
www.heritagebooks.com
9780788444715, $18.50, PB, 130pp, www.amazon.com

History is personal, but never more so than in the pages of "With A True God Bless: Civil War Letters" which is comprised of letters written by participants in the American Civil War to and from their loved ones at home. The heartfelt words from forgotten patriots, both men and women speak of love, homesickness, primal fear and incredible pain. Intimate thoughts are expressed by people who lived and died during the American Civil War, an era of national division. In each letter a common factor is evident -- faith. Belief in preserving a united America, and belief in a higher power are conveyed in simple powerful words. These elusive memories offer readers a different view of history-communications from yesterday that evoke a need to create a better tomorrow. Each individual letter is part of a valuable archive of information recounting a difficult period of American history. Compiled by Suzanne Meredith "With A True God Bless: Civil War Letters" is enhanced with the inclusion of excerpts from official reports and relevant news accounts, facsimile reprints of vintage photographs and original documents, a glossary, maps and a time line. "With A True God Bless: Civil War Letters" is unreservedly recommended reading for Civil War history buffs and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library 19th Century American History collections in general, and American Civil War supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Travel Shelf

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781786571151, $14.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

This 12th edition is created by the men and women of Lonely Planet Publications and showcases some of the very best places drawn from around the world in which to vacation and enjoy. This is a profusely and beautifully illustrated compendium of destinations that offer new things for travelers to see or do, including those which are typically overlooked and underrated. "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017" showcases 10 countries, 10 regions and 10 cities that travelers should earnestly consider visiting in the year ahead. Each destination is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences and 'wow' factor. "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017" includes along with the world's best-value destinations, the most exciting family adventures to enjoy and the most incredible places to stay. Readers will discover just what makes these destinations fantastic places to see right now and what the unique experiences they offer. The suggested itineraries and practical information are specifically designed to help plan a truly dream trip happen whether on your own or with a group. While very highly recommended for community library Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.03).

365 Things to Do in Ithaca New York
Laurel Guy
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764352577 $24.99 amazon.com

Beautifully illustrated with full-color photography on every page, 365 Things to Do in Ithaca New York: Complete Insider's Guide to All Things Ithaca is a superb traveler's or vacationer's guide. Suggested activities range from recommended museums, to the Seneca Lake wine trail for aficionados of fine wine, to learning from small classes at Finger Lakes Cooking School and much more. A "must-read" for anyone planning a visit to Ithaca, New York!


The Architecture Shelf

Making it Modern
Aaron Betsky
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
355 Lexington Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017
http://actar.com
9781940291154, $34.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Aaron Betsky is a critic, curator, educator, lecturer, and writer on architecture and design, who since August 2006 has been the director of the Cincinnati Art Museum. In "Making it Modern: The History of Modernism in Architecture of Design" she draws upon her many years of experience and expertise to provide an impressively informed and informative study. At its root, modernism is that fundamental. It is a question of having something to represent that is of the moment. In the most radical interpretation, modernism always comes too late. The modern is that which is always new, which is to say, always changing and already old by the time it has appeared. Modernism is always a retrospective act, one of documenting or trying to catch what has already appeared - an attempt to fix life as it is being lived. Modernity is just the very fact that we as human beings are continually remaking the world around us through our actions, and are doing so consciously. Modernism is a monument to or memory of that act, which in its own making tries to remake the world it is pretending to represent. An illustrated and exceptionally thoughtful and insightful study that is particularly well organized and presented, "Making it Modern" is very highly recommended for professional and academic History of Architecture collections in general, and Contemporary Architectural supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

A Whole-System Approach to High-Performance Green Buildings
David Strong & Victoria Burrows
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781608079599, $139.00, HC, 292pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of David Strong (who is currently a Director of David Strong Consulting and a visiting professor at the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development) and Victoria Burrows (who is currently the head of sustainability for a major international contractor. Her work as a consultant in sustainable development and green building rating systems has spanned across several continents, industries, and perspectives of the development process), "A Whole-System Approach to High-Performance Green Buildings" is authoritative new resource that provides architects and architectural students with a comprehensive review of the current approaches to the design and construction of sustainable buildings. "A Whole-System Approach to High-Performance Green Buildings" is hand-on guide that features global case studies with practical examples of both successful and unsuccessful designs. Of special note are the commentaries on energy efficiency, design, and computer modeling. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "A Whole-System Approach to High-Performance Green Buildings" is unreservedly recommended, especially for college and university Architectural Studies collections and supplemental architectural curriculum lists.

Caza: 2011-2015
Carlos Arnaiz, author
Kristin Kearns, editor
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
355 Lexington Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017
http://actar.com
9780692249994, $39.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Carlos Arnaiz is an architect, educator and writer. He is the founder and principal of CAZA, the co-founder of SURBA and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design at Pratt Institute where he teaches a class on the history of ideas about the city, a studio on multi-family housing and a seminar on beauty in contemporary architecture. His newest publication, "CAZA: 2011-15", is the inaugural monograph of the Brooklyn-based design studio CAZA, and celebrates the first five years of the firm, and includes photographs, drawings, building descriptions, essays, and conversations that relate to CAZA's global architecture and design practice. It is particular notable that "Caza: 2011-2015" opens with a photo essay by world-renowned photographer Iwan Baan, who documented CAZA's first internationally acclaimed project, the 100 Walls Church, in Cebu City, Philippines. An impressively informed and informative read, "Caza: 2011-2015" is an important and very highly recommended addition to professional and academic library Contemporary Architecture collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Sports Shelf

Yoga for Athletes
Ryanne Cunningham
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.HumanKinetics.com
9781492522614, $21.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Today's top athletes from every sport know the benefits of yoga. It's why so many have made it an essential component in their training and conditioning programs. Now with "Yoga for Athletes" by Ryanne Cunningham (who has worked with some of the top names in sports) anyone can as well. She's helped keep some of the toughest NFL players on the field, and top endurance athletes run longer and stronger. Her step-by-step instruction, expert advice, and pose variations focus on active muscles and movements across a range of sports including: football, soccer, running, swimming, cycling, tennis, golf, baseball, softball, basketball, and more. "Yoga for Athletes" is unreservedly recommended for amateurs aspiring to improve their athletic performance, to professionals seeking to win their competitions and games. An unreservedly commended addition to community, sports club, and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Yoga for Athletes" is also available in a Kindle format ($13.17).


The Money/Finance Shelf

Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide, 13th edition
Stephen Fishman, J.D.
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413323313 $39.99 pbk /$23.99 Kindle amazon.com

Now in a 13th edition updated and revised to cover tax rules for Airbnb-type rentals, Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide lives up to its title with practical information and invaluable advice. Chapters walk the reader through how to deduct operating expenses, the basics of depreciation, the home office deduction, hiring help, casualty and theft losses, necessary record- keeping systems, and much more. An index and access to publisher Nolo's website filled with useful legal forms, profiles of landlord-tenant and tax lawyers in one's area, and more round out this absolute "must-have" for all real estate owners.


The Automotive Shelf

The Trucks of the Trans Pennine Run
Roy Dodsworth
Old Pond Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781910456507, $32.95, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Every year on the first Sunday in August, hundreds of spectators gather to see one of the greatest displays of historic commercial vehicles. First organized in 1969, the Trans Pennine Run attracts an annual entry of around 200 vehicles from all over the UK. The event starts at Birch Services on the M62 at Manchester and runs for 64 miles via Rochdale, Halifax and Bradford, taking in some of the finest Yorkshire scenery along the way. At the famous Harrogate Stray, vehicles are displayed to the public. Avid photographer, Roy Dodsworth has been following the event since the late 1990s and has a collection of over 3,000 images taken there. "The Trucks of the Trans Pennine Run: A Photographic History" showcases 262 of Roy's favorite truck photos, each one of which includes a bit of history about each of the vehicles -- many of which have been restored to their original livery. "The Trucks of the Trans Pennine Run" is a must-have for any driver who has ever participated in the run. Current and former truckers and anyone else with an interest in automotive and transport history will all enjoy being reminded of these beautiful old vehicles. Exceptional, informative, and a pure pleasure to simply browse through, "The Trucks of the Trans Pennine Run" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and academic library Automotive History collections and supplemental studies lists.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Miracle of Mindfulness
Thich Nhat Hanh
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
9780807064900, $20.00, www.beacon.org

The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation provides a basic, classic guide to the practice and comes from a Zen Master who pairs anecdotes with exercises designed to encourage an understanding and experience of mindfulness. This is crafted into a gift edition which features his calligraphy, photos from his world travels, and a revised afterword, along with considerations of why people should meditate, problems with meditating, and how to interpret and apply its results. Anyone interested in basic meditation will find this a compelling survey.

Voices in the Stones
Kent Nerburn
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781608683901, $16.00, www.newworldlibrary.com

Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way presents a collection of Kent Nerburn's spiritual experiences and reflections and comes from a writer who has lived and worked among Native American people. While his discussion is also recommended for Native American holdings, it's reviewed here because new age thinkers will find his stories hold many spiritual insights and reflections key to both Native American life and how everyone can lead a more humane, aware existence. The reflections offer cultural and spiritual insights for a wide audience and are highly recommended reflections on the Native way of seeing the world.

Cannabis and Spirituality
Stephen Gray, Editor
Park Street Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620555835, $16.95, www.parkstpress.com

Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally describes how cannabis is used for spirituality, and comes from the editor and seventeen other participants in the modern cannabis movement who consider the spiritual qualities of using cannabis. From dosage and strains to methods of intake and how to experience and process the spiritual revelations that result from cannabis usage, Cannabis and Spirituality provides a powerful survey relating the herb to arrange of spiritual practices and experiences and is a 'must' for any new age spirituality collection.

The Little Book of Dream Symbols
Jacqueline Towers
Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781571747587 $14.95 pbk / $14.20 Kindle amazon.com

The Little Book of Dream Symbols is an easy-to-use reference guide to things that often appear in dreams. Arranged with entries in alphabetical order like a dictionary, The Little Book of Dream Symbols is an excellent guide for anyone seeking to learn more about dream interpretation, or better understand their own dreams. Highly recommended! "Moth: If you attempt to catch a moth in your dream, you are being warned of hidden jealousy around you. If you catch the moth and destroy it, you will triumph over your enemies. Moth holes in clothing signify disappointment and sadness."


The Photography Shelf

The Noise of Ice: Antarctica
Enzo Barracco
Merrell Publishers
8755 Lookout Mountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.merrellpublishers.com
9781858946566, $50.00, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

When the photographer Enzo Barracco decided to mount a photographic expedition to Antarctica, inspired by the example of Sir Ernest Shackleton, he had much more than simple cold to contend with. As the world's last empty continent, the snowy lands of the South Pole are a challenge for the most seasoned explorer, with their merciless winds, treacherous seas and vast sheets of ice. Even to arrive on the continent itself involves a perilous journey by sea from southern Argentina through the notoriously rough Drake Passage. "The Noise of Ice: Antarctica" photographically explores what drove Barracco to embark on his journey, and tells the story of the expedition in words and astonishing photographs, all of them captured during the trip and many obtained in hazardous conditions. In his gripping text, Barracco explains how even his journey to Antarctica itself was undertaken with the essential help of an ice pilot, to spot and avoid icebergs that ship's radar can miss. He tells of how the waves on that first journey threw him to the deck and brought home how hostile such an environment is, and of his constant battle to protect his photographic equipment and all-important memory cards from the extreme cold. Most importantly, he explains that in capturing these beautiful landscapes, his intention is to remind us all of the precarious position in which this part of the world finds itself. Informative and visually impressive from cover to cover, as well as having special interest for students of photography and for armchair travelers with an interest in the Antarctic, "The Noise of Ice: Antarctica" is very highly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library collections.


The American History Shelf

Madam President
William Hazelgrove
Regnery History
c/o Regnery Publishing, Inc.
300 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
9781621574750, $26.99, www.regnery.com

Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson tells of the unofficial role First Lady Edith Wilson assumed after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1919. Her handling of daily affairs of her times was important to note because Edith had little formal education, had only been married four years to Wilson, and dedicated herself to managing all of his affairs. This biography documents her duties, achievements, and the understated role she took in helping lead the country, and is especially recommended for political history and women's history collections.


The World History Shelf

The Wisdom of the Middle Ages
Michael K. Kellogg
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633882133, $26.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

The Wisdom of the Middle Ages surveys important Middle Ages documents and works and gathers medieval philosophy and insights from a range of works, from stories and memoirs to letters and epic tales. While one might expect this collection to appeal to scholarly audiences, what is less expected is a tone and approach that assumes no prior historical background in the Middle Ages and which seeks to provide lay readers with a lively discussion that moves from literary analysis to historical and philosophical insights. The result is a survey that will interest both history audiences and college-level students of Middle Ages culture and experiences.

Battle Royal
Hugh Bicheno
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781681773063 $27.95 hc / $14.99 Kindle amazon.com

Thoroughly accessible to historians and lay readers alike, Battle Royal: The Wars of the Roses: 1440-1462 is the first of a two-volume, in-depth history of the Wars of the Roses, a violent series of dynastic wars fought between the houses of Lancaster and York in 1400's England. This turbulent, brutal struggle for power made a lasting mark on history, and is at once both fascinating and horrifying to learn about. Maps, a handful of color plates, and an index round out this superb reference and resource, highly recommended for public and college library collections as well as for personal reading lists and self-study.

A Voyage to New Holland and Round the World
Captain James Colnett RN, author
G. A. Mawer, editor
Rosenberg Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781925078893, $22.50, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

No mariner knew the wide Pacific better than James Colnett, RN. He had sailed with Cook; he had filibustered in the north-west Pacific fur trade (nearly starting a war with Spain in the process); he had made a whaling reconnaissance to the Galapagos Islands. On his last voyage, the journal of which is published here as "A Voyage to New Holland and Round the World" for the first time, he took convicts to Sydney Cove in 1802-03 on HMS Glatton and returned with shipbuilding timber. Although the journal is an important record of a short-lived experiment using warships as convict transports, its wider interest lies in Colnett's observations on New South Wales as he found it in 1803. Sensitive to criticism but with unconventionally liberal views about the administration of justice, he is probably unique in his inability to discern any redeeming feature in Sydney, not even its harbor. In fact he believed New Zealand a better prospect for a colony in the region. However, his description of New South Wales as mutinous was prophetic, but that did not translate into support for Governor King in his struggle to control the officers of the New South Wales Corps. To the contrary, Colnett was instrumental in having Governor King recalled. Ironically, King was replaced by a man who already had a bad record with mutineers: the infamous Captain Bligh of the Bounty would become Governor Bligh of the Rum Rebellion. Edited with commentary by independent historian Granville Allen Mawer, "A Voyage to New Holland and Round the World" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating account that is very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Maritime History & Australian History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

The Prehistory of the Crusades
Burnam W. Reynolds
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781441155603, $108.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

There is a vigorous scholarly debate on the exact beginnings of the Crusades, as well as a growing conviction that some practices of crusading may have been in existence, at least in part, long before they were identified as such. "The Prehistory of the Crusades: Missionary War and the Baltic Crusades" by Burnam W. Reynold ( Professor of History at Asbury University, Wilmore, Kentucky) explores how the Crusades came to be seen as the use of aggressive warfare to Christianize pagan lands and peoples. Professor Reynolds focuses on the Baltic, or Northern, Crusades, an aspect of the Crusades that has been little documented, thus bringing a new perspective to their historical and ideological origins. The Baltic Crusades were distinctive because they were not directed at the Holy Land, and they were not against Muslim opponents, but rather against pagan peoples. From the Emperor Charlemagne's wars against the Saxons in the 8th and 9th centuries to the Baltic Crusades of the 12th century,"The Prehistory of the Crusades" deftly explores the sanctification of war in creating the ideal of crusade. In so doing, it shows how crusading ultimately developed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Exceptionally well researched, organized and presented, "The Prehistory of the Crusades" is a thoroughly 'reader friendly' study that provides a valuable insight into the topic for students of medieval history and the Crusades. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library World History collections, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Prehistory of the Crusades" is also available in a paperback edition (9781441143891, $29.95), and in a Kindle format ($23.79).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Arthur and Sherlock
Michael Sims
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781632860392 $27.00 hc / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Arthur and Sherlock: Conan Doyle and the Creation of Holmes examines how physician and world-famous British author Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) came to create Sherlock Holmes, one of the most memorable figures in literary history, and practically define the detective story genre. Author Michael Sims examines Doyle's youth in Edinburgh, where he lived amid poverty and violence, as well as his university studies and medical practice. Drawing connections between the adventures in Doyle's professional life and the life of Doyle's cherished character, Arthur and Sherlock will prove fascinating to Sherlock Holmes connoisseurs, and is a "must" for public and college library Literary Studies collections. Highly recommended.

Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture
David Lemmo
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476666952, $29.95, PB, 236pp, www.amazon.com

David Lemmo is a veteran of three decades in the antiquarian books business. Some of his specialties included Edgar Rice Burroughs, pop culture, and comic books. In 2011, he helped create the North Coast Mangani, a chapter of the Burroughs Bibliophiles. In "Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture" he draws upon his years of experience and expertise to provide an extraordinarily informed and informative literary analysis of Edgar Rice Burrough's arguably most important singular contribution to 20th Century American popular culture. From his first appearance in 1912, Tarzan became a multimedia franchise whose cultural influence extended well beyond mere entertainment. The original 20th century superhero, the Lord of the Apes was the inspiration behind such early archetypes as The Shadow and Doc Savage, themselves the basis for heroes like Batman and Superman. Long before Comic-Cons and Trekkies, the first Tarzan fan club was formed in America in 1916, pioneering the fandom movement that pervades modern pop culture. "Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture" deftly examines Tarzan in his various media representations (hunter, warrior, secret agent, fighter of communists and Nazis) and in his numerous story arcs, including crossover adventures featuring historical characters like Arthur Conan Doyle and Nikola Tesla. A 'must' for the legions of Burroughs fans, "Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture" is highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library 20th Century American Literature & Popular Culture collections. It should be noted that "Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture" is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

The Poetry of Everyday Life
Steve Zeitlin
Cornell University Press
512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
9781501702358, $26.00, HC, 280pp, www.amazon.com

"The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness" by Steve Zeitlin (American folk culture expert and the founding director of the nonprofit cultural center City Lore) is essential a book of encounters. Part memoir, part essay, and partly a guide to maximizing your capacity for fulfillment and expression, "The Poetry of Everyday Life" taps into the artistic side of what we often take for granted: the stories we tell, the people we love, the metaphors used by scientists, even our sex lives. A folklorist, writer, and cultural activist, Steve Zeitlin explores how poems serve us in daily life and how they are used in times of personal and national crisis. In the first book to bring together the perspectives of folklore and creative writing, Zeitlin explores meaning and experience, covering topics ranging from poetry in the life cycle to the contemporary uses of ancient myths. An absolutely engaging, informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from cover to cover, "The Poetry of Everyday Life" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community, college, and university library Literary Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Poetry of Everyday Life" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.04).


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, second edition
Danny Rubin
https://dannyhrubin.com
News To Live By LLC
9780996349925, $16.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Whether its for personal correspondence, professional communications, or business transmissions, the use of Email is ubiquitous and fundamental to how our modern world operates today. Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, Danny Rubin's "Wait, How Do I Write This Email?" is an ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly resource for anyone needing to use emails to build relationships, grow into careers, engaging in networking, embark on a job search, and more. "Wait, How Do I Write This Email?" includes smart LinkedIn templates, memorable handwritten notes, the outline for a powerful one-page resume, and a fresh cover letter strategy with a focus on storytelling. "Wait, How Do I Write This Email?" provides more than 100 email/document templates for networking and the job search. With each template, author and email expert Danny Rubin saves time and takes the stress out of professional email writing. Of special note for this new edition is the inclusion of four sets of classroom activities & teacher notes that correspond with select templates including networking, job search, LinkedIn and writing skills, as well as updates to instructions for sending private LinkedIn messages. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wait, How Do I Write This Email?" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Cracking the Code to a Successful Interview
Evan Pellett
Blackstone Publishing
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.blackstonepublishing.com
9781441700537, $14.95, PB, 111pp, www.amazon.com

"Cracking the Code to a Successful Interview: 15 Insider Secrets from a Top-Level Recruiter" by interviewing and hiring expert Evan Pellett is a groundbreaking, scientific, proactive, cutting-edge, hands-on, proven approach to conducting job interviews for any position an employee is seeking to fill. Offering an eight-step interview method will give non-specialist general readers a proactive way to take control of and effectively respond to the interview. Readers will learn the secret, never-before-published ''questions behind the questions'.' These are the questions that every manager unconsciously needs answered in order to hire an applicant. While very highly recommended for community and academic library Jobs/Careers instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "Cracking the Code to a Successful Interview" is also available in a Kindle format ($6.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781504760898, $19.95, CD).

Starting Your Career in Academic Psychology
Robert J. Sternberg
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
www.apa.org/books
9781433826382, $29.95, PB, 265pp, www.amazon.com

In "Starting Your Career in Academic Psychology", Robert J. Sternberg (Professor of Human Development at Cornell University) draws upon his years of experience and expertise to provide a systematic guide for jump-starting a career in academic psychology at all stages, from applying and interviewing for academic positions, to settling in at a new job, to maximizing success during the pre-tenure years. Individual chapters cover all key skills in which new faculty must become proficient including: teaching, conducting and funding faculty-level research, serving the department and field, and "softer" activities such as networking and navigating university politics. Given the demands and competition in the field, "Starting Your Career in Academic Psychology" is comprehensive, thorough, and unreservedly recommended instructional guide that will prove to be an essential roadmap for new faculty.


The International Studies Shelf

Navigating Change for International NGOs
James Crowley & Morgana Ryan
Kumarian Press
c/o Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 30th Street, Suite 314, Boulder, CO 80301
www.rienner.com
9781626375598, $26.50, PB, 223pp, www.amazon.com

Both James Crowley and Morgana Ryan have extensive experience working with some of the world's largest NGOs in the areas of international development and humanitarian aid. In "Navigating Change for International NGOs: A Practical Handbook" they effectively collaborate to show how the managers, the staff, the board members and CEOs of international NGOs can best navigate the strategic changes that are needed so that their organizations can work effectively in today's complex environment. Having focused on the need for those changes in their previous book, "Building a Better International NGO" (9781565495821, $65.00 HC; 9781565495838, $24.95 PB), Crowley and Ryan now provide a practical, hands-on guide to achieving them. "Navigating Change for International NGOs" cuts through both jargon and platitudes to provide proven tools for leading strategic change tools that will help INGOs to improve their performance and increase their relevance as they grapple with new realities. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Navigating Change for International NGOs" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.


The Human Sexuality Shelf

Virgin Envy
Jonathan A. Allan, Cristina Santos, Adniana Spahr, eds.
University of Regina Press
University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, S4S 0A2
www.uofrpress.ca
9780889774230, $24.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Collaborative compiled and co-edited by the team of Jonathan Allan (holder of the Canada Research Chair in Queer Theory and Assistant Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and English and Creative Writing at Brandon University, Brandon, Manitoba); Cristina Santos (Associate Professor at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario) and Adriana Spahr (Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta) the contributors to "Virgin Envy: The Cultural (In)Significance of the Hymen" cover everything from medieval romance, to Bollywood films, to Twilight and True Blood, to destabilize the many assumptions about sexual purity. In particular, the hymen is called into question. How is virginity determined for those without a hymen? How do we account for the ways in which the "geography of the hymen" has changed over the course of history? And what about male and queer virginity? Issues of commodification, postcoloniality, and religious diversity are also addressed. A solid body of impressively presented scholarly studies, "Virgin Envy" is unreservedly recommended for community, university, and college Gender Studies collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Virgin Envy" is also available in a an ebook format (9780889774254, $TBA).


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Making it Big in Shorts, third edition
Kim Adelman
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781615932566, $16.95, www.mwp.com

Making it Big in Shorts: The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short Films has been updated with new content to cover Kickstarter, Instagram, and new technological changes affecting the film industry and its funding, and is a 'must' for any performing arts collection looking for an updated third edition that accurately reflects the impact and promise of the digital revolution on film short productions. From organizing a studio to editing and sound, Making it Big in Shorts is packed with detail that makes it a 'must' for any filmmaker's library, discussing dialogue and paperwork, mockumentries, and all the facets that make film shorts the highest potentially creative type of film production on the market.

How To Audition On Camera
Sharon Bialy
Tilbury House, Publishers
12 Starr Street, Thomaston, ME 04861
www.tilburyhouse.com
9780884485254, $14.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Sharon Bialy is an award-winning casting director for television, film, and theater. Her television credits include The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Halt and Catch Fire, Breaking Bad, Gotham, The Last Tycoon, Flaked, Vice Principals, Phil Spector, The Unit, Jericho, Mind of the Married Man, and Picket Fences. Her film credits include Secret in Their Eyes, Black or White, Drugstore Cowboy, Point Break, Rudy, Mr. Holland's Opus, Reign O'er Me, and Red Belt. She draws upon her years of experience and expertise in "How To Audition On Camera: A Hollywood Insider's Guide for Actors" to provide answers to the twenty-five questions actors ask most frequently about how to nail an audition. What is the casting director looking for? If you mess up, can you start over? What is the most common mistake experienced actors make? Should you audition off book or can you look at the page? Should you dress in character? How much can you improvise? Actors (both novice and professional) are often misled by myths and outdated prescriptions. "How To Audition On Camera" is practical guide that replaces such misinformation with concise and accurate advice from someone who is in the room helping to make the decision on who gets the job. Bialy gets readers started immediately on the road to screen acting success. Informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "How To Audition On Camera" is very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Theatre/Cinema/TV collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "How To Audition On Camera" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Art Shelf

How to Paint Water in Watercolour
Joe Dowden
Search Press USA
c/o Publishers Group West
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.searchpressusa.com
9781782214199, $24.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

A renowned expert at painting water, Joe Dowden uses the natural translucence of watercolor to capture its beauty. Teaching readers to paint what they see, he shares his simple but painstaking techniques so that they can achieve the same extraordinary, realistic and dramatic results. Novice artists will learn the essential tips to making water look wet, and from there they can paint flat, still water, puddles, rippled water, a sparkling sea, shallow water and a deep, calm river. Beginning artists will learn the essentials of watercolor painting from Joe's tuition, and even seasoned painters will have plenty to learn from his expertise at painting water, which is vital to so many landscapes. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "How to Paint Water in Watercolour" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal instructional textbook for art class curriculums, the personal reading lists of aspiring artists, as well as community and academic library Art Instruction collections and supplemental studies lists.

Renaissance and Reformation
The Staatliche Museen Zu Berlin
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791355399, $49.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

"Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Durer and Cranach" is an opulent coffee-table format volume that presents a colorful introduction to Renaissance art and history featuring more than a hundred outstanding paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and treasures of the Age of the Reformation. This visually impressive publication is comprised of masterpieces by Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger, Hans Holbein the Elder and Hans Holbein the Younger, Matthias Grunewald, and Tilman Riemenschneider, among others. By placing these works in their historical context, this beautifully illustrated volume uses art as a prism through which to consider the religious, social and political upheavals of the time. "Renaissance and Reformation" includes insightful texts that discuss pivotal subjects such as traditional imagery and devotion, Reformation and polemics, court life and culture, humanism and reality, as well as portraiture and representation. Biographies of the artists, an extensive bibliography and a glossary of central terms concerning the German Reformation make "Renaissance and Reformation" a comprehensive and highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library European Art History collections in general, and German Art History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Birds
Hunt Slonem
Glitterati Incorporated
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite #603, New York, NY 10036
www.glitteratiincorporated.com
9781943876358, $95.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Hunt Slonem is an internationally recognized American painter, sculptor, and printmaker. His work has been exhibited in more than 350 galleries and museums worldwide, and is represented in the permanent collections of over 100 museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Influenced by the exotic, lush landscapes of his childhood and youth in Hawaii and Nicaragua, Slonem painted richly colored, impressionistic visions that are celebrated worldwide -- and particularly sought-after are his paintings of birds. Now for the first time, Slonem's bird paintings are collected into a single volume, published in a lavish hardcover, coffee-table format edition. The paintings comprising "Birds" pays homage to these remarkable creatures through hundreds of engaging artistic works. Dramatic and vivid, Slonem's avian subjects seem unconfined to a flat surface, as the paintings brim with texture and movement. At the same time, the painter's unique "cross-hatching" technique unmistakably evokes the bars of a birdcage. The compelling nature of these paintings lies in the tension between the birds' ability to soar and their often captive state. Remarkably impressive and a visual joy to page through, "Birds" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Art History collections -- and would make an enduringly appreciated acquisition for any public library Memorial Fund.

New Expressions in Origami Art
Meher McArthur
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804846776, $29.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. Compiled by freelance Asian art curator, author and educator Meher McArthur, "New Expressions in Origami Art" showcases origami masterworks from twenty five leading paper artists who are pushing the boundaries of origami vigorously in new directions in terms of style, scale, materials, subject and scope. Stunning photos and informative essays demonstrate why origami is now an international art movement made possible largely through the efforts and artistic genius of a few contemporary masters. It was the trail blazing efforts of Japanese artist Akira Yoshizawa that elevated paper folding into an art form by showing how subtle shapes and figures could be created from a single sheet of paper though a variety of non-traditional folding techniques. Artists in other parts of the world (including the United States, France, England, China and Scandinavia) took Yoshizawa's cue and pushed these techniques further and further. The result has been the emergence of many new and surprising sculptural forms created through techniques such as wet folding, curved creasing, tessellating and the application of alternative materials besides paper. Informed and informative, "New Expressions in Origami Art" is an inherently fascinating and consistently compelling study that will prove to be of immense interest to fans of origami and will prove to be truly favored addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Art History collections.


The Education Shelf

Take Five! for Language Arts
Kaye Hagler
Capstone Press
151 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato, MN 56001
www.capstonepub.com
9781937412036, $23.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Comprised of 180 classroom student exercises, "Take Five! for Language Arts" by Kaye Hagler (an educational consultant who mentors teachers throughout the Southeast) is specifically designed to help teachers transform those first chaotic five minutes of class into authentic learning experience. With "Take Five! for Language Arts" as a curriculum resource, students will exercise their mental muscles and sharpen language arts skills as they tackle Common Core Standard-based lessons and fun-filled activities. Whether students are inventing secret codes, concocting potions, rewriting history, making conjunction paper chains, or thinking like newspaper editors, these diverse and creative prompts will have them looking forward to the part of the day when they are asked to Take Five for critical thinking. Each ready-to-use "Take Five! for Language Arts" prompts includes corresponding Common Core standards, supply lists, language arts links, teacher tips, assessment options, rubrics, and digital connections that add more than 100 extension lessons. Students in grades 3-9 will enjoy beginning each day of the school year with a burst of critical thinking and fun with this comprehensive resource. Exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Take Five! for Language Arts" is very highly recommended, especially for college and university library Teacher Education collections and studies lists, as well as elementary school classroom supplemental curriculum resource collections.

Beyond Answers
Mike Flynn
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781571109026, $36.00, www.stenhouse.com

Beyond Answers: Exploring Mathematical Practices with Young Children provides teachers with applications for the Standards for Mathematical Practice, offering a review of how to implement them in K-2 classrooms. Each chapter combines examples from the author's own teaching and vignettes from other K-2 teachers with information on how to help children understand how math problems apply to life. Stories from these classrooms offer examples of dialogues, discussions, different teacher approaches, and how young students synthesize math and absorb teachings. Early education teachers will find it specific and revealing.

Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
www.redleafpress.org

Ann Pelo's The Language of Art: Inquiry-Based Studio Practices in Early Childhood Settings (9781605544571, $39.95) appears in its updated second edition to provide a set of Reggio-based principles and practices for teachers in the arts. Pair a powerful theoretical framework with a curriculum approach that uses the studio arts environment to explore texture, color, shapes, and different perspectives and you have an early education title that shows how studios can be created to encourage young artists to absorb some art basics. The third edition of Steffen Saifer, EdD's Practical Solutions to Practically Every Problem: The Survival Guide for Early Childhood Professionals (9781605545127, $34.95) provides a new edition of a classic reference that offers solutions to everyday challenges early childhood professionals encounter, pairing the latest insights in brain development, learning, and cultural insights with discussions of problems ranging from lack of access to resources to solving problems related to coping with death or handling anger and tattling. The result is a wide-ranging handbook addressing many common issues and how to solve them.

Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com

W. James Popham's The ABCs of Educational Testing: Demystifying the Tools That Shape Our Schools (9781506351513, $23.00) provides educators with a basic primer on understanding the terminology and approaches of educational teaching, and covers the purpose of tests, types of testing, problems associated with giving tests and assessing their results, and understanding what uses the tests have in teacher approaches to classroom and learner management. From using test results for high-stakes decisions to what the formative assessment process looks like in action and application, The ABCs of Educational Testing is a 'must' for any educator. John SanGiovanni's Mine the Gap for Mathematical Understanding: Common Holes and Misconceptions and What to Do About Them (9781506337685, $34.95) addresses mathematical issues for grades K-2 and outlines 160 tasks aligned to standards for this grade level's mathematics. Tasks are downloadable, can be modified by instructors, and include discussions of basic applications and teaching models, all couched in the framework of bigger ideas and applications. Jon Saphier's High Expectations Teaching: How We Persuade Students to Believe and Act on "Smart is Something You Can Get" (9781506356792, $29.95) maintains that ability isn't something inherent or genetic: its something that can be taught and nurtured if teachers help students think for themselves. Intelligence is the same way: it can be grown and enhanced. This tool kit for classroom retraining offers real-world examples, teacher scripts, and routines to help students absorb high expectations strategies. The result is a handbook that reviews basic skills linked to growing intelligence, showing teachers in diverse classrooms how their approaches can help. Diane Sweeney and Leanna S. Harris's Student-Centered Coaching: The Moves (9781506325262, $30.00) offers evidence-based coaching methods and models that advocate helping teachers collaborate in a coaching environment to help design instruction for students. This collection of coaching moves to build daily interactions provides field-tested tools and practices and pairs these with original video clips for maximum impact. All are excellent educator handbooks, based on a synthesis of real-world applications and the latest studies and strategies.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

A Theory of Tort Liability
Allan Beever
Hart Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781509903184, $94.00, HC, 270pp, www.amazon.com

"A Theory of Tort Liability" by Allan Beever (Professor of Law at Auckland University of Technology) provides a comprehensive theory of the rights upon which tort law is based and the liability that flows from violating those rights. Inspired by the account of private law contained in Immanuel Kant's The Metaphysics of Morals, "A Theory of Tort Liability" shows that Kant's theory elucidates a conception of interpersonal wrongdoing that illuminates the operation of tort law. "A Theory of Tort Liability" then utilizes this conception, applying it to the various areas of tort law, in order to develop an understanding of the particular areas in question and, just as importantly, their relationship to each other. Professor Beever argues furthermore that there are three general kinds of liability found in the law of tort: liability for putting another or another's property to one's purposes directly, liability for doing something to a third party that puts another or another's property to one's purposes, and liability for pursuing purposes in a way that improperly interferes with the ability of another to pursue her legitimate purposes. It terms these forms: liability for direct control, liability for indirect control and liability for injury respectively. The result is a coherent, philosophical understanding of the structure of tort liability as an entire system. In developing its position, "A Theory of Tort Liability" considers the laws of Australia, Canada, England and Wales, New Zealand and the United States. An impressive contribution to the growing library of tort law, "A Theory of Tort Liability" is unreservedly recommended for academic library Judicial Studies collections in general, and supplemental studies reading lists in the specific areas of Contract Law, Commercial Law, Tort Law, Legal Philosophy, Comparative Law, and Restitution Law.


The Agriculture Shelf

Genetically Engineered Crops
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309437387 $89.00 amazon.com

Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects is an exhaustive, scholarly reference and resource that builds upon previous related publications from 1987 to 2010 to assemble a retrospective examination on the positive and negative effects of genetically engineered agricultural crops. Chapters examine questions and evidence about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, and more repercussions from the rise of such crops and food. Genetically Engineered Crops also offers recommendations to improve safety assessments, clarify regulations, and otherwise improve societal adaptation to genetic engineering technology. Appendices and a glossary round out this absolute "must" for agriculture professionals and university library reference shelves, highly recommended.

Animal Welfare in Extensive Production Systems
Juan J. Villabla
5m Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781910455548, $85.00, HC, 214pp, www.amazon.com

There has been a lot written about animal welfare in intensive farming systems, but very little about animals reared in extensive agricultural systems. Yet these animals make up a significant proportion of the world's farm animal population, covering a significant portion of the globe. Animals kept in extensive conditions face their own unique set of challenges that are vital for anyone with an interest in farm animal welfare to understand. Compiled and edited by Juan J. Villabla "Animal Welfare in Extensive Production Systems" is comprised of nine major articles by experts who present those challenges in a practical way, backed up with thoroughly referenced research. The topics covered include: heat stress, water quality and availability, nutrition, predation, poisonous plants, transport, human-animal interactions, and neonatal mortality. "Animal Welfare in Extensive Production Systems" is an ideal curriculum textbook for animal welfare academics, students and researchers. It can also be beneficial to students in animal science, veterinary science and agriculture, and to farm industry producers and personnel. Enhanced with the inclusion of a listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a three page index, "Animal Welfare in Extensive Production Systems" is an unreservedly recommended addition to college and university library Agricultural & Veterinary Medicine collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Philosophy Shelf

Freedom from the Free Will
Dimitris Vardoulakis
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438462394, $80.00, HC, 190pp, www.amazon.com

Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 - 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories who is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. Many of Kafka's narratives place their heroes in situations of confinement. Gregor Samsa is locked in his room in the Metamorphosis, and the land surveyor in The Castle is stuck in the village unable either to leave or to gain access to the castle. In "Freedom from the Free Will: On Kafka's Laughter", Dimitris Vardoulakis (Associate Professor of Philosophy at Western Sydney University, Australia) argues that Kafka constructs these plots of confinement in order to laugh at his heroes futile attempts to express their will. In this way, Kafka emerges as a critic of the free will and as a proponent of a different kind of freedom: one focused within the confines of one's experience and mediated by one's circumstances. Professor Vardoulakis contends that his sense of humor is the key to understanding Kafka as a political thinker. Laughter, in this account, is the tool used to deconstruct power. By placing Kafka in dialogue with philosophy and political theory, Professor Vardoulakis shows that Kafka can give us invaluable insights into how to be free and how to laugh. While very highly recommended for academic library Philosophy collections in general, and Franz Kafka supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Freedom from the Free Will" is also available in a Kindle format ($64.00).


The Library Science Shelf

The Data Librarian's Handbook
Robin Rice & John Southall
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783300471, $95.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Robin Rice is Data Librarian at EDINA and Data Library, an organization with a national and local remit, based in Information Services at the University of Edinburgh. John Southall is Data Librarian for the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford, based in the Social Science Library and is subject consultant for Economics and Sociology. Together they have collaborative written "The Data Librarian's Handbook", a practical instruction guide and manual on how to collect, curate and crunch data for economic, social and scientific purposes. With contemporary case studies from a range of institutions and disciplines, tips for best practice, study aids and links to key resources, "The Data Librarian's Handbook" is essential reading for all new entrants to the field, library and information students and working professionals. "The Data Librarian's Handbook" covers: the evolution of data libraries and data archives; handling data compared to other forms of information; managing and curating data to ensure effective use and longevity; how to incorporate data literacy into mainstream library instruction and information literacy training; how to develop an effective institutional research data management (RDM) policy and infrastructure; how to support and review a data management plan (DMP) for a project, a key requirement for most research funders; approaches for developing, managing and promoting data repositories; handling and sharing confidential or sensitive data; and supporting open scholarship and open science, ensuring data are discoverable, accessible, intelligible and assessable. "The Data Librarian's Handbook" is very highly recommended for the practicing data librarian, those new in their post with little experience of providing data support. "The Data Librarian's Handbook" will also prove to be an invaluable reference for managers and policymakers, public service librarians, research data management coordinators and data support staff. "The Data Librarian's Handbook" is a unreservedly recommended as a core addition to community, governmental, and academic Library Science collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Teaching Technology in Libraries
Carol Smallwood & Lura Sanborn, editors
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9781476664743, $55.00, 228pp, www.amazon.com

Community, academic, governmental, and corporate libraries are charged with fostering new skills and capabilities, a challenging task in an era of rapid technological change. Developing new ways of teaching and learning within budget and time constraints is the key to keeping up-to-date. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Carol Smallwood Lura Sanborn, "Teaching Technology in Libraries: Creative Ideas for Training Staff, Patrons and Students' is an impressively informed and informative collection of new essays by experienced librarians and library researchers describing an array of technology outreach and instruction programs that range from the theoretical to the practical, and intended for public, academic and school libraries, based on case studies and discussions of methodology. "Teaching Technology in Libraries" includes out of the box lessons, as well as outreach successes and technology instruction programs applicable to patrons and staff at public, academic and school libraries. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Teaching Technology in Libraries" is especially recommended for college and university Library Science collections in general, and supplemental studies curriculums in particular. It should be noted for library students, staff members of community library systems, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject (such as board members of Friends of the Library groups) that "Teaching Technology in Libraries" is also available in a Kindle format ($16.19).

Practical Tips for Developing Your Staff
Tracey Pratchett and Gil Young, with Carol Brooks, Lisa Jeskins and Helen Monagle
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783300181 $95.00 amazon.com

Practical Tips for Developing Your Staff is a methodical guide written by information professionals, for information professionals and librarians. Chapters offer a wide array of activities and tools to help professionals in the field tap the full potential of their staff. "Twitter is a great tool for networking. There are all sorts of librarians on Twitter and if you and your staff follow them, you can join in any conversation that interests you... A librarian on Twitter starts to develop a wider knowledge of their profession as they start to connect with a broarder range of people." An index rounds out this accessible, practical-minded reference and resource. Highly recommended.


The Nautical Shelf

America's Sailors in the Great War
Lisle A. Rose
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th St., Columbia, MO 65211
www.umsystem.edu/upress
9780826221056 $36.95 amazon.com

America's Sailors in the Great War: Seas, Skies, and Submarines is a scholarly analysis of the demands placed on the American Navy during the First World War. At the time, the German innovation of the U-boat radically transformed naval warfare, creating the need for a brand new type of small warship, named the subchaser. The conflict also required the rise of a convoy system, in order to ensure that precious supplies could successfully be transported. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index enhance this welcome contribution to public and college library collections.


The Anthropology Shelf

War Magic
D. S. Farrer, editor
Berghahn Books
20 Jay Street, Suite 512, Brooklyn, NY 11201
9781785333293, $27.95, PB, 180pp, www.berghahnbooks.com

Compiled and edited by Douglas Farrer (Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Guam), "War Magic: Religion, Sorcery, And Performance" is compelling volume comprised of seven erudite scholarly articles by experts in their fields that explore how war magic and warrior religion unleash the power of the gods, demons, ghosts, and the dead. Documenting war magic and warrior religion as they are performed in diverse cultures and across historical time periods, "War Magic" foregrounds embodiment, practice, and performance in anthropological approaches to magic, sorcery, shamanism, and religion. The contributors go beyond what magic 'represents' to consider what magic does. From Chinese exorcists, Javanese spirit siblings, and black magic in Sumatra to Tamil Tiger suicide bombers, Chamorro spiritual re-enchantment, tantric Buddhist war magic, and Yanomami dark shamans, religion and magic are re-evaluated not just from the practitioner's perspective but through the victim's lived experience. These original investigations reveal a nuanced approach to understanding social action, innovation, and the revitalization of tradition in colonial and post-colonial societies undergoing rapid social transformation. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library General Anthropology, Cultural Studies, and Religion collections, as well as the personal reading lists of non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Parenting Shelf

The Magic Words
Cheryl B. Klein
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393292244, $18.95, www.wwnorton.com

The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults is a recommendation for any aspiring writer who wants to create a novel for young readers, and comes from a children's book editor who gives these writers what they need to know to publish a book for kids or teens. In order to produce an effective, popular book for this audience, writers need to know how to make their books appealing standouts from the crowd. From how to write to an age-appropriate group to developing strong stories, this overview of developing plot, characters, and action is a 'must' for any writer who intends on reaching a young audience.

Digital Kids
Martin L. Kutscher, MD
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781783927126, $15.95, www.jkp.com

Digital Kids: How to Balance Screen Time, and Why It Matters comes from a physician who offers approaches the entire family can employ to limit the affects of too much 'screen time' - a term that moves beyond television to include smartphones, computers, and DVDs. The latest research is analyzed in the course of exploring digital addictions and how they impact behavior, education and physical health alike. From what kinds of TV shows produce different results to how attention systems work, this is a key title for any parents and their families.

Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families
Glen Dunlap, et al.
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.brookespublishing.com
9781598579789, $44.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Developed by a team of top behavior experts, "Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families" offers a highly effective intervention model that will successfully help families prevent behavior problems in children ages 2 - 10 by teaching proactive communication and social skills, and reinforcing positive behavior. In this expertly organized instruction guide, parents, teachers, and counselors will discover how to take on the role of PTR-F facilitator to meet each family's unique needs, and get a clear 5-step process for guiding families as they promote their child's positive behavior. With this comprehensive, adaptable model of behavior support, parents, teachers and counselors can strengthen family engagement, set each child on the path to healthy social-emotional development, and improve quality of life for the entire family. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Families" is unreservedly recommended for academic library Behavior Modification, Education, and Early Childhood collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

A Guide Book of the United States Mint
Q. David Bowers
Whitman Publishing
4001 Helton Drive, Florence, Alabama 35630
www.whitman.com
9780794843977, $24.95, www.whitman.com

A Guide Book of the United States Mint: Colonial, State, Private, Territorial, and Federal Coining Facilities is the 23rd volume in the Bowers Series on coin collecting, and provides collectors with an in-depth survey of the history of the Philadelphia Mint and its branches, plus different private and government mints. Over a thousand photos, engravings, diagrams, blueprints and other kinds of images accompany a survey that will appeal to coin collectors and American history readers alike, offering a collection that contrasts old and new minting policies, discusses how gold and other financial news affected minting decisions, and provides a lively history of minting and coin production. No coin collector should be without this in-depth survey.


The Beer/Wine Shelf

Drink Me Now
Hamlyn
Hamlyn, Publisher
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780600633662, $9.99, www.octopusbooksusa.com

Drink Me Now: 150 Cocktails for Any Emergency a wide variety of cocktail recipes for all kinds of occasions, and is directed to relative novices at mixing or drinking cocktails; which makes for a refreshing difference from the myriad of cocktail books on the market which presume prior knowledge of the subject. From how to pick the right glass and assemble ingredients for making cocktails to different techniques and their results, good-quality color photos of finished, embellished cocktails accompany the recipes and make this the reference of choice for anyone new to cocktail drinking and creation.


The Autism Shelf

Kids, Music 'n' Autism
Dorita S. Berger
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781785927164, $17.95, www.jkp.com

Kids, Music 'n' Autism: Bringing out the Music in Your Child takes the fact that many kids with autism hold a natural affinity for music and pairs it with a series of music activities directed to this group. The book is packed with basic tips, from choosing an appropriate instrument and teacher for an autistic child to solving typical problems that arise from an engagement with music, from practicing routines to discipline. Readers may be surprised to learn that particular instruments are recommended for autistic children, and will learn quite a bit about how to create the kind of musical experience that helps autistic kids grow and learn.


The Coloring Book Shelf

Industrial Strength Coloring Book
Robert Pizzo
Quill Driver Books
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
9781610352888, $12.95, www.quilldriverbooks.com

Industrial Strength Coloring Book: gear Up to break the coloring Mold might very well get men involved in the coloring process: it's designed by a commercial illustrator and features images to color that reflect industry, tools, and machinery. While these may look like mandela figures, they are industrial in nature and are designed for intricate coloring detail. The fact that they are printed on high-quality paper on one side only gives colorers a firm surface and an image that doesn't bleed onto the next page, making this the perfect coloring book for anyone who appreciates intricate designs based in the real world.

Visions of the Universe
Alex Bellos and Edmund Harriss
The Experiment, LLC
220 East 23rd Street, Suite 301, New York, NY 10010
9781615193677, $14.95, www.theexperimentpublishing.com

Visions of the Universe: A Coloring Journey Through Math's Great Mysteries provides a creative and unusual math focus to coloring through almost sixty new patterns that range from mathematician's drawings and renditions of geometric and mathematical concepts to the authors' own original structures. These invite artists to color and to learn math as they fill in patterns and learn designs. The inclusion of notes on basic math such as the Einstein integers or the 1837 Collatz conjecture offers a fine survey that will appeal to any math-minded coloring artist.


The Technology Shelf

IoT Technical Challenges and Solutions
Arpan Pal and Balamuralidhar Purushothaman
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781630811112, $119.00, www.artechhouse.com

IoT Technical Challenges and Solutions focuses on the Internet of Things and the problems involved in its adaptation, and gathers the work of professionals who are offered solutions to key questions about IoT systems. Chapters survey security and privacy issues, consider the scalability of networks and computing, and review the business goals and objectives of a successful IoT system, reviewing marketplaces that can serve as new business models and considering the popular platforms that can be used in mobile sensing. The result is a handbook filled with key reviews of the latest challenges to developing an IoT system.

Industrial Automation and Robotics
A.K. Gupta, S.K. Arora, and J.R. Westcott
Mercury Learning
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
9781938549304, $59.95, www.merclearning.com

Industrial Automation and Robotics provides a basic but technical introduction to the field of robotics in industrial applications, and covers the basic mechanical and electrical concepts involved and how they are used in automation. Chapters survey physics laws and basic principles of operation, closely inspect circuitry and fluidics, and add information on the programming and operations of robots. Packed with technical discussions and an attention to an overview that is clear and definitive, Industrial Automation and Robotics is recommended as a basic introduction for any novice entering the field.


The Music Shelf

How to Make it in the New Music Business
Ari Herstand
Liveright
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9781631491504, $29.95, www.wwnorton.com

How to Make it in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician comes from the founder of a popular blog about the music business and should be the item of choice for any new musician seeking a comprehensive guide about the industry. Chapters cover everything from building a fan base and promoting a tour to playing live, handling YouTube and online recording and video taping sources, and getting one's music onto film and television. There are many, many more music opportunities in the world than just recording studios and record contracts: Herstand's attention to detail in exploring them all makes for a powerful and highly recommended survey no aspiring musician should be without.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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