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Library Bookwatch

Volume 11, Number 11 November 2016 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Social Issues Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf
Economic Studies Shelf Cookbook Shelf Fiction Shelf
Business Shelf Education Shelf Music Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Language Studies Shelf Autism Shelf Military Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Sports Shelf Biography Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Art Shelf Library Science Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf
International Studies Shelf American History Shelf Civil War Shelf
Folktale/Fairytale Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Becoming a U.S. Citizen, eighth edition
Ilona M. Bray, J.D.
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413323047 $29.99 pbk / $16.99 Kindle amazon.com

Now in an updated eighth edition covering the latest "Form N-400", Becoming a U.S. Citizen: A Guide to the Law, Exam & Interview is a practical, reader-friendly guide to making the transition from green card holder to naturalized U.S. citizen, thereby earning benefits including the right to vote, the opportunity to apply for certain federal jobs, faster immigration for family members, protection against deportation, and more. Chapters discuss how to discern whether one is eligible for citizenship, the risks and rewards of applying, how to fill out application forms, preparing for the citizenship exam as well as interviews, and much more. It should be noted that the publisher's website nolo.com includes a wealth of resources for prospective American citizens, such as legal updates to Becoming a U.S. Citizen and in-depth profiles of immigration lawyers in one's area. While Becoming a U.S. Citizen cannot substitute for the counsel of a trained attorney, it is a "must-read" and worthy of the highest recommendation, even (especially!) if one retains the services of a lawyer.

The Illustrated Walden
Henry David Thoreau
Tarcher Perigee
c/o Penguin Group, USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3657
9780143129264 $22.00 www.tarcherperigee.com

The Illustrated Walden: Thoreau Bicentennial Edition is a classic text by philosopher, naturalist, and transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862). The original Walden was published in 1854 and detailed two years spent living in a cabin Thoreau built near Walden pond. An illustrated version was issued in 1897 as a two-volume "Holiday Edition". Now, to celebrate the bicentennial of Thoreau's birth, this beautiful version is being reissued with the complete text and all original black-and-white illustrations intact. A convenient index rounds out this timeless American classic. The Illustrated Walden is a treasure from cover to cover, and a choice pick for gift-giving and personal collections as well as public and college library shelves.

The Development of Managerial Culture
Arthur J. Wolak
Palgrave Macmillan
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10001
www.palgrave-usa.com
9781137475619, $120.00, HC, 321pp, www.amazon.com

"The Development of Managerial Culture" by Dr Arthur J. Wolak (President of CMI Chat Media Inc.) deftly examines the differences in underlying values and cultural distinctions in managerial cultures in Australia and Canada. "The Development of Managerial Culture" offers commentary on differences in attitudes to managerial culture and industrial relations through a comparison of national character development to provide context and insight for readers. Dr. Wolak persuasively argues that Canada, lacking the 'Irish factor' in its cultural and socio-political development derived much of its business culture from British colonial traditions. Enhanced with the inclusion of figures, tables, a seventeen page bibliography, and a twelve page index, "The Development of Managerial Culture" is a work of impressive scholarship. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Development of Managerial Culture" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library International Business reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. For students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, it should be noted that "The Development of Managerial Culture" is also now available in a paperback edition (9781349501878, $115.00) and in a Kindle format ($89.00).


The Social Issues Shelf

Workplace Bullying
Judith Geneva Balcerzak
NASW Press
750 First Street, NE, #700, Washington, DC 20002-4241
www.naswpress.org
9780871014900, $49.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Simply stated, "Workplace Bullying: Clinical and Organizational Perspectives" is an instruction manual for how to help anyone stressed out at work; who feels degraded, humiliated, embarrassed, or threatened; who is a victim of workplace bullying. Although the problem of workplace bullying is not new, the incidence, prevalence, and severity have worsened in the United States. In "Workplace Bullying" clinical social worker Judith Geneva Balcerzak draws upon her more than thirty-five years of experience and expertise to provide an understanding of workplace bullying from a theoretical, clinical, organizational, and public policy perspective. While unreservedly recommended for college and university library Social Work Studies collections, "Workplace Bullying" is an especially resource for social workers, clinicians, practitioners, consultants, and policy advocates addressing the concerns of workplace bullying and offers strategies for bullying prevention and intervention, treatment, remediation, and advocacy for those who are or have been bullied in the workplace.

Water is for Fighting Over and Other Myths about Water in the West
John Fleck
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610916790, $30.00, HC, 264pp, www.amazon.com

The allocation of water and water rights has long been a point of contention between competing parties for what is now a dwindling resource in the American southwest due to one of the most extended periods of drought in the region's geological history. But having covered environmental issues in the West for a quarter century, John Fleck brings a particular expertise to the pages of "Water is for Fighting Over and Other Myths about Water in the West". He acknowledges the serious problems posed by a dwindling Colorado River, and has seen people in the Colorado River Basin come together, conserve, and share the water that is available. Western communities, whether farmers and city-dwellers or US environmentalists and Mexican water managers, have a promising record of cooperation, a record often obscured by the crisis narrative. "Water is for Fighting Over" is a fresh take on western water as it brings to light the true history of collaboration and examines the bonds currently being forged to solve the Basin's most dire threats. Rather than perpetuate the myth "Whiskey's for drinkin', water's for fightin' over," Fleck's fundamental message is that readers can embrace a new, more optimistic narrative -- including a future where the Colorado continues to flow. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Environmental Studies collections, it should be noted for academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Water is for Fighting Over" is also available in a Kindle format ($17.54).


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Being Professional
Adam Coplan
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615932498, $24.95, PB, 220pp, www.amazon.com

With respect to the specialized area of screen writing, "Being Professional" by Adam Coplan is a complete course of instruction under one cover. "Being Professional" teaches the ABCs of screenwriting from a practical perspective, rather than a merely theoretical or academic perspective. "Being Professional" highlights the many traps, mistakes, and pitfalls that frequently plague writers of all experience levels and shows them the difference between simply completing a script as an amateur, and taking an idea and executing the best version of it as a professional piece, worthy of industry attention. Of special note are the chapters on editing and presentation, Simply stated, "Being Professional" should be considered a mandatory study manual for anyone and every one who aspires to write a play for film, television, or theatre.

The Writer's Way, ninth edition
Jack Rawlins and Stephen Metzger
Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.cengage.com
9781285438542 $126.95 pbk / $24.99 ebook www.cengagebrain.com

Now in an updated ninth edition, The Writer's Way is a professional textbook designed especially for college writing courses. Formulated around a whole language approach, and the core principles of knowing one's audience and having a good reason to write, The Writer's Way is an intermediate to advanced guide applicable to students refining their skill in all types of writing, from academic research papers to written debates to prose fiction. "A research guide does more than list entries; it's a real instruction manual on doing research in the field. It may summarize or critique the sources it lists, review the biographical materials available, give an overview of what's being done in the field, and even suggest fruitful new lines of inquiry... If you can find a reference guide to your subject, and it isn't out-of-date, begin your research there." The Writer's Way is a superb resource for classroom use or self-study, and a "must-read" for every student seeking a college degree. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Writer's Way is also available in an affordable ebook edition ($24.99).


The Economic Studies Shelf

Trans-Pacific Partnership: An Assessment
Cathleen Crimino-Isaacs and Jeffrey J. Schott, editors
Peterson Institute for International Economics
1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20036
www.piie.com
9780881327137 $23.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement among twelve Pacific Rim countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and notably not including China. It features provisions designed to reduce both non- tariff and tariff barriers to trade, and establish an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. The TPP is currently awaiting ratification to become fully effective. Trans-Pacific Partnership: An Assessment is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors scrutinizing prospective ramifications of the TPP. Individual writings include "Tariff Liberalization", "Liberalization of Services Trade", "Dispute Settlement Mechanism", "Labor Standards in the TPP", "TPP and Digital Trade", "TPP and Exchange Rates", and much more. "Although the TPP does not address all the concerns of labor rights advocates, it represents an important step forward... Implementation of the mandated reforms would deliver significant improvements in Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The monitoring mechanisms attached to Vietnam's plan in particular seem more proactive than past US efforts." Trans-Pacific Partnership: An Assessment offers a timely examination of a pivotal modern political and economic issue, and is highly recommended especially for public and college library Economic Studies shelves.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Chew Approved
Ashley Archer
Kingswell
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
www.hbgusa.com
www.thechew.com
9781484776391, $16.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Chew Tank is a popular segment on The Chew, ABC's hit show hosted by Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon. In Chew Tank, viewers submit their own recipes and compete for a chance to cook with one of the hosts. Compiled and edited by Ashely Archer, "The Chew Approved" is a compendium of the best of these recipes in this fifth companion cookbook to be derived from daytime television show. Just as they do everyday on the hit ABC daytime show, Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon will provide 'kitchen cook friendly' tips and tricks that make cooking for family and friends fun and manageable. The palate pleasing, appetite satisfying featured dishes range from Feat, Spinach, Sweet Potato Frittata; Roasted Honey, Ginger BBQ Wings; Fresh-from-the-Farm Coconut Carrot Stew; and Balsamic Marinated Steak House Salad; to Sausage and Beef Casserole; Ratatouille Tart; Strawberry Red Velvet Love Cakes; and Classic Whoopie Pies. A pleasure to browse and inspiring to plan family menus with, "The Chew Approved" is very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The Chew Approved" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.99).

Persepolis: Vegetarian Recipes from Persia and Beyond
Sally Butcher
Interlink Publishing
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
www.interlinkbooks.com
9781566560184, $35.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Vegetarian cuisine continues to gain popularity as a culinary life-style. In "Persepolis: Vegetarian Recipes from Persia and Beyond", Sally Butcher (who is the owner of Persepolis, a Persian food store and cafe in London, England) draws upon her years of experience and expertise to create a beautifully illustrated compendium of recipes that will please any palate, satisfy any appetite, and present dishes appropriate for any and all vegetarian dining opportunities from basic family meals to elegant celebration dining. Each recipes is enhanced with the inclusion of a succinct introductory commentary followed by serving numbers, a list of ingredients, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' step-by-step instructions. With superbly presented recipes for dishes ranging from Fried Bread with Hulbeh and Eggs; Potato Kufteh; Mush Pea, Yogurt, and Harrissa Soup; Eggplant with Lintels; and Grilled Minty peaches with Chard and Spiced Cashews; to French Fry Stew; Zucchini and Ginger Jam; Turkish Milk and Almond Pudding; and Chili-Fried Peaches with Barberries, "Persepolis: Vegetarian Recipes from Persia and Beyond" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, family, and community library Vegetarian Cookbook collections.

What Good Cooks Know
America's Test Kitchen
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
www.americastestkitchen.com
9781940352664, $29.95, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled by the editorial staff of America's Test Kitchen, "What Good Cooks Know: 20 Years of Test Kitchen Expertise in One Essential Handbook" is a deftly written, profusely illustrated, exceptionally organized, impressively comprehensive, and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' instruction manual comprised of kitchen techniques, tips, tricks, recipes, and reviews for the home cook. Of immense and valuable use for beginners and experienced kitchen cooks alike, "What Good Cooks Know" showcases dozens of equipment recommendations, hundreds of ingredient entries, mini lessons on basic cooking skills and useful kitchen science, plus illustrated step-by-step instructions for 50 of essential recipes. Of special note is the section on 'Outfitting Your Kitchen'. While very highly recommended for school homemaker curriculums and community library collections, it should be noted for personal and family instructional reference lists that "What Good Cooks Know" is also available in a Kindle format ($28.99).

Cookies, Cakes & Pies
Taste of Home Books
c/o RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC
1610 N. 2nd St., Suite 102, Milwaukee, WI 53212
tasteofhome.com
9781617655319 $17.99 pbk / $12.99 Kindle amazon.com

Illustrated with sumptuous, full-color photography on every page, Cookies, Cakes & Pies: Sweet Surprises for Today's Family Baker lives up to its title with 370 delicious dessert recipes. From "Coffeehouse Caramel-Dark Chocolate-Latte Cookie" to "Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake", "Citrus Cream Tartlets" and much more, Cookies, Cakes & Pies is a treasure trove of unforgettable delights sure to be the hit of any party, holiday celebration, or family meal! Highly recommended.


The Fiction Shelf

Haylow
Gray Stewart
Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu
9781604891737, $30.00, HC, 282pp, www.amazon.com

Travis Hemperly is a white southerner who has never been the minority in any room he has ever entered. He has also just joined the history faculty at a historically black college in Atlanta. Off campus, he rekindles a relationship with an old flame, and life looks bright -- until he begins to suspect that a family member witnessed a lynching as a child. Complicating matters, his father is now a talk show host for WCTR -- a Confederate Talk Radio whose listeners debate whether slavery was wrong. In order to remain in his new position, Travis will have to come to terms with some history outside of his area of specialization -- that of his family and that of the South. A deftly written and emotionally complex novel, "Haylow" is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Haylow" is also available in a paperback edition (9781604891744, $17.95).

The Annual Big Arsenic Fishing Contest!
John Nichols
University of New Mexico Press
MSC05 3185
1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9780826357205, $24.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

On the surface "The Annual Big Arsenic Fishing Contest!" by John Nichols is a deftly crafted novel that spins a fisherman's tall tale about a ribald angling contest between three middle-aged friends who love (and perhaps hate) each other: a preppy trilingual Machiavelli, an intellectual ghetto pool shark, and a brawny Texan who defies his own macho stereotype. All professional writers, the men have met every autumn for eighteen years at the Big Arsenic Springs on the Rio Grande to fly-cast for trout and argue about life, literature, marriage, and eco-Armageddon. Their escapades reveal a spirited paean to a beautiful river gorge, and also a poignant cautionary fable about male friendship and cutthroat competition. As aging cripples them all, tragedy mars the tournament. "The Annual Big Arsenic Fishing Contest!" is an insightful and bittersweet love story by a masterful storyteller who is able to consistently engage his readers with three unforgettable characters against a New Mexico background. While unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Annual Big Arsenic Fishing Contest!" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Trail To Elsewhere
Walter L Bryant
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444828238, $20.99, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Seven-year-old Brad and his younger sister Julie are orphaned. They are separated and adopted by different families miles apart in the west. As they grow up, each must face their own challenges: Brad's new brother Saul is hostile and brutal, while Julie, treated as a drudge, sees her only means of escape in marrying a man she does not love. Then Saul falls into criminality with the Coyote Gang. An altercation between the brothers lands Brad in jail - and Saul's path is about to cross with Julie's. Author Walter L. Bryant is master of the western genre and his newest action/adventure novel, "Trail To Elsewhere" is a gun-blazing, cliff-hanging, unexpected plot twisting, consistently riveting read from first page to last. This Linford Western Library large print edition is enthusiastically and unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of western novel buffs and would prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

Bill Doolin: American Outlaw
Bill Brooks
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432832261, $25.99, HC, 244pp, www.amazon.com

Bill Doolin is the leader of the last of the great outlaw bands called the Olklahombres. Doolin has outfoxed the law while trying to walk the line between being a good man and bad. He was a family man and a bank and train and stagecoach robber. By the end of his reign, almost every one of his gang had been gunned down, and now the law was out to finish him as well. But it would not be easy, not even for the likes of the famed U.S. Marshals led by Heck Thomas. Another riveting tale from an acknowledged master of the western genre, "Bill Doolin: American Outlaw" by Bill Brooks is a fictional account based on factual evidence about the last of the badmen and unreservedly recommended for community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of western action/adventure fans.

Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone
Sequoia Nagamatsu
Black Lawrence Press
http://www.blacklawrence.com
9781625579447, $16.95, PB, 175pp, www.amazon.com

"Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone" is a truly exceptional collection of twelve fabulist and genre-bending stories by Sequoia Nagamatus and inspired by Japanese folklore, historical events, and pop culture. In "Rokurokubi", a man who has the demonic ability to stretch his neck to incredible lengths tries to save a marriage built on secrets. The recently dead find their footing in "The Inn of the Dead's Orientation for Being a Japanese Ghost". In "Girl Zero", a couple navigates the complexities of reviving their deceased daughter via the help of a shapeshifter. And, in the title story, a woman instigates a months-long dancing frenzy in a Tokyo where people don't die but are simply reborn without their memories. Every story in the collection turns to the fantastic, the mysticism of the past, and the absurdities of the future to illuminate the spaces we occupy when we are at our most vulnerable. Original and consistently compelling, "Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone" is a unique and impressively entertaining anthology that is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well community and academic library Literary Fiction collections.

Cobalt Blue
Sachin Kundalkar
The New Press
126 Wall Street, Floor 31, New York, NY 10005-4007
www.thenewpress.com
9781620971758, $25.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Brother and sister Tanay and Anuja both fall in love with the same man, an artist lodging in their family home in Pune, in western India. He seems like the perfect tenant, ready with the rent and happy to listen to their mother's musings on the imminent collapse of Indian culture. But he's also a man of mystery. He has no last name. He has no family, no friends, no history, and no plans for the future. When he runs away with Anuja, he overturns the family's lives. Ably translated into English for an American readership by from Marathi by acclaimed novelist and critic Jerry Pinto, "Sachin Kundalkar's "Cobalt Blue" is an elegantly wrought and exquisitely spare exploration of the disruption of a traditional family by a free-spirited stranger, and in the process examines a generation in transition. Intimate, moving, sensual, and wry in its portrait of young love, "Cobalt Blue" is a frank and lyrical exploration of gay life in India, of a people living in emotional isolation, attempting to find long-term intimacy in relationships that until recently were barely conceivable to them. Very highly recommended, especially for community library General Fiction collections, "Cobalt Blue" by Sachin Kundalkar is a deftly crafted novel about a rapturous love and a fierce heartbreak told with tenderness and unsparing clarity.

Tokio Whip
Arturo Silva
Stone Bridge Press
1393 Solano Avenue, Suite C, Albany CA 94706
www.stonebridge.com
9781611720334, $29.95, PB, 370pp, www.amazon.com

Roberta, Lang and their friends experience the great Japanese city of Tokyo in all its manifestations to their inquiring, observing, and wandering minds as they banter over the details of a party, a film, Songs Common to Dreams, Tokyo's history, the Names of Love. "Tokio Whip" is a distinctly stylistic Yamanote station-by-station tour-de-force discovering the City of Language, the City as Language, and the city that was resurrected from the ash and rubble of World War II. A consistently compelling and deftly crafted novel by an exceptionally gifted novelist, Arturo Silva's "Tokio Whip" is strongly recommended for both community and academic library Literary Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "Tokio Whip" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Wisdom's Way: Tales, Treasures, Truths
Steven A. Barben
Llumina Press
www.llumina.com
9781605944296, $13.95, PB, 250pp, www.amazon.com

"Wisdom's Way: Tales, Treasures, Truths" by Steven A. Barben is a collection of over 50 original tales, parables, fables and other stories. "Wisdom's Way" is a compendium of original stories that presents multiple viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives foundational for understanding ourselves, other people, and our societies, which should lead to meaningful self-evaluation, self-improvement and ultimately better, wiser decision making. The reader will want to sit down, relax and enjoy a simple story and then ponder and consider what they've just read. There are no given answers or interpretations allowing the reader make their own judgments, come to their own conclusions and take with them whatever treasures and truths they may happen to find. From beginning to end, "Wisdom's Way" is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is compelling and entertaining. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wisdom's Way" is also available in a Kindle format ($2.99).


The Business Shelf

The Etiquette Edge
Beverly Langford
Amacom Books
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
9780814437629, $16.00, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

"The Etiquette Edge: Modern Manners for Business Success" by Beverly Langford (President of LMA Communication, a training, coaching, and consulting firm that specializes in strategic communication and interpersonal effectiveness, and who teaches in the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University) gives the reader a crash course on modern business manners. New advice explains how to navigate sticky situations at work, including digital interactions that are easy to misinterpret -- and hard to mend. "The Etiquette Edge covers: interviewing etiquette and dress codes; working in close quarters; communicating upward; the essentials of making a great impression and building relationships; being smart about how and when to use a smartphone; handling difficult conversations with tact and finesse; checking texts and emails for content and tone; creating a polished image on social media; conducting meetings whether in person, online, or over lunch with poise and confidence; and so much more! In our era of self-perceived entitlement, saying thank-you and giving praise are increasingly rare -- but these simple acts are far from empty gestures. They're refreshing reflections of respect. Inconsiderate people and poor conduct may permeate the workplace, but success comes to those who play by a better set of rules. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Etiquette Edge" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Business Management reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for members of the business community and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Etiquette Edge" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

The Farmer's Office
Julia Shanks
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
www.newsociety.com
9780865718166, $24.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Specifically written for the benefit of men and women embarking on farming as an entrepreneurial enterprise, author Julia Shanks draws upon her personal experience and expertise to distill years of teaching and business consulting with farmers into the pages of The Farmer's Office: Tools, Tips and Templates to Successfully Manage a Growing Farm Business", making it a truly comprehensive, practical, and fully accessible guide. "The Farmer's Office" covers all aspects of launching, running and growing a successful farm business through effective bookkeeping and business management, providing tools to make managerial decisions, apply for a loan or other financing, and offering general business and strategy advice for growing a business. While absolutely and firmly recommended for community and agricultural school instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Farmer's Office" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.74).


The Education Shelf

Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities
Margo Vreeburg Izzo & LeDerick Horne
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.brookespublishing.com
9781598577358, $26.95, PB, 181pp, www.amazon.com

"Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities: A Path to Pride and Success" has inspiring and informative answers to how classroom teachers can empower students with invisible disabilities to manage their challenges, accept and advocate for themselves, and reach their goals and dreams? . Told with the authentic voices of adults with hidden disabilities, this exceptionally well organized and presented instructional study will help teachers guide their students on the Path to Disability Pride and support their success in the classroom and community. Personal stories blend with powerful strategies as the Margo Vreeburg Izzo (Program Director for Transition Services at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center) and LeDerick Horne (who was labeled as neurologically impaired in third grade and defies any and all labels, is a dynamic spoken-word poet, and a tireless advocate for children with disabilities) share reflections on their experience with disability and offer up practical teaching tips and interventions based on the latest research. An essential resource for educators, families, and self-advocates, "Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities" covers classroom teachers promoting disability pride within students, schools, and communities; teaches critical life skills, including social-emotional, executive function, reading, and coping skills; reduces the stigma of hidden disabilities; develops mentoring programs that connect students with advice and encouragement; assists college students as they navigate the challenges of campus life and classes; preparing young adults to launch fulfilling careers and responsible, self-determined adult lives; helping students develop authentic and meaningful relationships with others; support students with a range of hidden disabilities, including ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, and emotional and behavioral disturbance. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Empowering Students with Hidden Disabilities" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Teacher Education instructional reference collections in general, and classroom teacher supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Balancing the Equation
Matthew R. Larson & Timothy D. Kanold
Solution Tree
555 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404
www.solution-tree.com

9781936763689, $24.95, PB, 136pp, www.amazon.com

Co-published with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, "Balancing the Equation: A Guide to School Mathematics for Educators and Parents" by academicians Matthew Larson and Timothy Kanold focuses on classroom teachers involved in K-12 mathematics education and are seeking to help children achieve success. "Balancing the Equation" addresses popular misconceptions and misguided discourses about mathematics education and draw on peer-reviewed research about instruction that can significantly improve students' conceptual understanding. Also presented are: Reasons why expectations for mathematics teaching and learning must be raised; The history of the progression, changes, and disputes in K-12 mathematics education; Insights about mathematics education in an era of mathematics reform; the definition of mathematical literacy and what elements are part of effective mathematics instruction. Of special note are the steps that must be taken to support the teaching and learning of mathematics, so all students can be college and career ready. Simply stated, "Balancing the Equation" is a critically important and highly recommended addition to professional and academic library Teacher Education instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Art Projects for Middle School
Susan Manes
Crystal Productions
PO Box 2121, 401 Hickory Street, Fort Collins, CO 80522
www.crystalproductions.com
CP7243, $24.95, Spiral Binding, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and written by Susan Manes, "Art Projects for Middle School" is comprised more than 50 art projects and rubrics including drawing, painting, sculpting, and multimedia art projects that introduce important concepts like the elements of art, art styles like Abstract Expressionism and Pointillism, and skills such as perspective, proportion and shading. Rubrics help students understand how projects are evaluated. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Art Projects for Middle School" is especially recommended as supplemental school curriculum textbook and would be an invaluable addition to college and university library Teacher Education reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

You're the Principal! Now What?
Jen Schwanke
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416622215, $34.95, PB, 345pp, www.amazon.com

A principal's job is astonishingly complex, and its competing demands can be overwhelming, especially in the first few years. In "You're the Principal! Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders", Jen Schwanke (a language arts educator and is currently a principal for the Dublin City School District in Dublin, Ohio. and a graduate instructor in educational leadership) draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide a mentor's guidance to steer new principals through the period of adjustment and set the foundation for a long and rewarding career. "You're the Principal! Now What?" covers: Establishing productive professional relationships; Building and maintaining a positive school culture; Resolving conflict among staff and parents; Supporting students' social-emotional needs; Conducting staff evaluations and delivering feedback; Keeping up with district, state, and federal mandates; Managing the facility and the budget. Standalone chapters provide easy access to the solutions you need for the situations you face. Along with real-life scenarios and critical tips for success, readers will find helpful models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it. "You're the Principal! Now What?" is a source for ideas any time an educational administrator encounters a problem and think, "Now what?" It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the wonderful and rewarding work of being a principal. While an essential and core addition to college and university library Educational Administration collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted that "You're the Principal! Now What?" is also available in a Kindle format ($33.20).

Trust and Verify
Dean Fink, editor
UCL IOE Press
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781782771470, $41.95, PB, 258pp, www.amazon.com

"Trust and Verify: The Real Keys to School Improvement" by Dean Fink (who is an independent consultant with experience in more than thirty countries; a former teacher, principal, and superintendent; and the author or coauthor of five books on leadership and educational change) looks at trust and distrust in educational settings and argues that nations with higher degrees of trust in their professional educators achieve superior results for all students. Not blind trust, however, which if unchecked by some kind of verification system can prove as unproductive for individuals and organizations as intrusive, coercive and time-consuming verification strategies. Both sides of this equation are important, hence the title "Trust and Verify". These behaviors are the real keys to school improvement. "Trust and Verify" is an accessible and compelling study that provides a unique, research-based look at trust and distrust and their impact on school improvement in seven different nations: Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, and the United States. While unreservedly recommended for college and university library Teacher & Administrative Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Trust and Verify" is also available in a Kindle format ($33.56).


The Music Shelf

Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac
Sean Egan, editor
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613732342, $28.99, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com

The music group Fleetwood Mac was a triumph from the beginning with their first album being the UK's best-selling album of 1968. After some low points (such as when founder Peter Green left the group), some fans felt that the band continuing was sacrilege. But then Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group and their 1977 album, Rumours, became one of history's immortals, a true classic that remained on the charts for years and in the public's affection forever. In the press, the ethereal Californian Stevie Nicks, the tormented rocker Lindsey Buckingham, the dignified English rose Christine McVie, the blunt-speaking John McVie, and the loquacious Mick Fleetwood have all regularly been astoundingly candid. Compiled and edited by Sean Egan, "Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters" is collection of interviews from across the entirety of Fleetwood Mac's career and features articles from such celebrated publications as Crawdaddy, New Musical Express, Circus, Creem, Mojo, Goldmine, Classic Rock, Blender, and Elle, as well as interviews that have never previously appeared in print. "Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac" is the only place fans can learn the Fleetwood Mac story from the band members' own mouths. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Popular Music History collections in general, and Fleetwood Mac supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for academia and the legions of Fleetwood Mac fans that "Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac" is also available in a paperback edition (9781785582929, $14.25) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Bears
Ted Rechlin
Rextooth Studios
rextooth.com
9781591521860 $19.95 amazon.com

Suitable for readers of all ages, Bears is a striking, full-color graphic novel about the natural life of bears in the wild - or during the dangerous occasions when bears cross paths with humans. Three short stories feature a grizzly bear mother with cubs, a young black bear on the run in a suburb, and a polar bear surviving among the arctic ice. "Bear spray. These hikers have come prepared. It won't hurt [the mama grizzly] permanently, but it stings her nose and eyes. When bears attack people, it's bad for everyone... The best thing about bear spray: everybody lives." As educational as it is entertaining, Bears is highly recommended for both school and public library graphic novel collections, and the personal graphic novel shelves of bear fans everywhere!

Elvis
Philippe Chanoinat, author
Fabrice Le Henaff, illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681120768, $19.99, HC, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Ably written by French author Philippe Chanoinat and superbly illustrated by French artist and illustrator Fabrice le Henaff, "Elvis" is the graphic novel biography of a young man by the name of Elvis Aaron Presley who stepped into Sun Studios in 1954 to record his first single "That's All Right". Little did Elvis Presley know that he would soon revolutionize music and culture worldwide. This graphic novel biography starts with the story of "The King's" humble beginnings in Mississippi, detailing, every step of the way, his meteoric rise to the stratosphere of stardom. It includes his service in the military, his extensive record as a Hollywood film star, his complicated family life, finally ending on the last days of the Hound Dog. While guaranteed to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections and a 'must' for the legions of Elvis Presley fans, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Elvis" is also available in a Kindle format ($8.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

Selected Poetry by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll, author
Read by Roger May
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781843799740 $14.98 amazon.com

Stage and BBC radio play actor Roger May lends his vocal talent to Selected Poetry by Lewis Carroll, an audiobook of poems by the author of the timeless classics "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass". Selected Poetry by Lewis Carroll includes not only Carroll's most famous poems, such as "Jabberwocky" and "The Hunting of the Snark", but also lesser-known treasures including "Brother and Sister" and "My Fairy". Selected Poetry by Lewis Carroll is suitable for listeners all ages, and highly recommended for gift-giving as well as for personal and public library audiobook collections. 1 CD, 78 min. 31 sec.

Tong Wars
Scott D. Seligman, author
David Shih, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781515906582, $37.99, CD, www.amazon.colm

In Chinese culture, the word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America, a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity. From the late 1800s to the 1930s there were intermittent 'wars' between different tong groups -- especially in New York City. Nothing the municipal and state authorities had tried to end this lethal conflict between tong members had worked. Not threats or negotiations, not shutting down the betting parlors or opium dens, not throwing Chinese offenders into prison. Not even executing them. The New York DA was running out of ideas, and more people were dying every day as the weapons of choice evolved from hatchets to automatic weapons and even bombs. "Tong Wars" by historian Scott Seligman is an impressively researched and written history of the conflict and significant individuals associated with it from its origins to it's ultimate conclusion. Expertly narrated by David Shih, "Tong Wars" is a consistently compelling and informative account. This complete and unabridged audio book edition is very highly recommended, especially for community library collections in general, and academic library American History collections in particular. (9 CDs, 11 hours).

The Originalist
John Strand, author
Starring Edward Gero, Kerry Warren, Harlan Work, et. al.
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
www.latw.org
9781682660492 $29.95 amazon.com

L.A. Theatre Works is well-known for their audiobooks of captivating, full-cast performances of both modern and classic plays. The Originalist is an audiobook rendition of a play analyzing the judicial views of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. As an "originalist," Scalia believed in a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution as the foundation of the law. But the Constitution is a short document, and there are limits to how much it can describe; is it even possible to apply laws written 200 years ago to the problems of today without interpretation or guesswork? Edward Gero, Kerry Warren, and Harlan Work play the roles of Justice Anton Scalia, Cat, and Brad in this three-man play, recorded before a live audience at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. A thoughtful political statement as well as a riveting drama, The Originalist is highly recommended especially for public library audiobook collections. 2 CDs, 2 hours 14 min.

The Empty House and Other Stories
Algernon Blackwood
Read by Hugh Ross
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781843799948 $41.98 amazon.com

Superbly performed by professional theater and film actor Hugh Ross, The Empty House and Other Stories is an unabridged audiobook of four classic yet terrifying tales. The novellas are about an abandoned house with nightmarish, re-enacted past; a fearsome trip down the Danube river; a half-beast monster that preys on a hunting party; and psychological deterioration at the core of the human mind. Chilling to the core, The Empty House and Other Stories is highly recommended for connoisseurs of classic horror and public library audiobook collections. The stories are "The Empty House", "The Willows", "The Listener", and "The Wendigo". 6 CDs, 6 hours 38 min. 49 sec.


The Library CD Shelf

Immortelle
Deuter
DeuterMusic.com
New Earth Records
NewEarthRecords.com
c/o Sounds True
413 South Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027
www.soundstrue.com
$13.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Award-winning New Age musician Deuter presents Immortelle, an album of songs inspired by the mysteries of nature and named after medicinal plants that have aided humanity for countless generations. Deuter has a long history of creating music ideal for accompanying healthful and spiritual practices such as yoga, meditation, dreaming, and massage; Immortelle continues his tradition of music as a soul-searching journey. Deuter has mastered vast repertoire of musical instruments from all over the world; the songs in Immortelle include flutes, keyboards, cello, piano, guitar, and some vocalizations. Immortelle is a treasure for New Age connoisseurs, highly recommended! The tracks are "Monarda" (5:30), "Sonnenbraut" (10:15), "Traubensilberkerze" (10:12), "Lily of the Valley" (7:22), "Vervain" (7:05), "Binsuga" (5:25), "Immortelle" (6:52), and "Cumaru" (6:55). 60 min.

What Lies Beyond
R. Carlos Nakai Quartet
Canyon Records Productions
1761 West University Drive, Suite 145, Tempe, AZ 85281-3220
www.canyonrecords.com
$14.98 CD / $9.99 iTunes

What Lies Beyond is an extraordinary fusion album blending R Carlos Nakai's Native American flue melodies with the creative stylings of saxophonist-keyboardist AmoChip Dabney, the pulsating rhythms of ethno-world drummer Will Clipman and bassist Johnny Walker. The quartet offers a fresh take on global jazz with elements of funk and rock, in this keenly vivacious album. What Lies Beyond is especially recommended for connoisseurs of creative jazz and soaring flute play. Highly recommended! The tracks are "What Lies Beyond" (7:42), "Kathmandu This" (8:07), 'lo Valley (7:10), "On Sunlit Wings" (5:06), "Imazighenation" (8:37), "Fiddy Fo'" (5:53), "Unidentified Identity" (5:32), "Cafe du Monde" (5:07), "Sonoran Spring" (6:25), "Gnu Queue" (4:52), and the iTunes exclusive track "Rancho Improvioso" (3:07).

Walking to You
Rachel Currea
www.rachelcurrea.com
Rachel Currea Music, Inc.
$13.97 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com

Walking to You is a piano solo album of original songs performed with uplifting passion. Inspirational and enlightening, Walking to You is a choice pick to listen to while engaging in creative endeavors, or simply enjoying a nature walk. The tracks are "Walking to You" (3:03), "Song Without Words" (3:41), "Sarah's Dance" (1:55), "Abundance of the Heart" (3:20), "Evening Joys" (3:49), "Forever" (2:38), "Reconciliations" (4:08), "Hear Me Now" (4:04), "It'll Be OK" (2:35), "Once Upon a Time" (3:32), "The Crossing" (1:33), "Waltz in E Minor" (2:14), "Night Butterflies" (2:00), "Celestial Dreams" (4:16), "Starlight Lullaby" (3:41), and "Hymn to the Holy Spirit (piano solo version)" (6:08).

Dancing on the Wind
Shoshana Michel
www.shoshanamusic.com
Privately Published
$14.97 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com

Dancing on the Wind is a New Age solo piano album by Shoshana Michel, who has years of both classical and ragtime music training. Her original music, composed on both piano and keyboard, flows with boundless grace and beauty. Dancing on the Wind is a joy to experience, highly recommended. The tracks are "When Leaves Dance" (4:46), "Heather, Roses and Moonlight" (3:29), "Dancing on the Wind" (3:44), "Love Everlasting" (4:38), "Finding the Light Within" (6:14), "A Night of Lights" (4:21), "Gently Flows the River Tranquil" (4:18), "Wandering" (5:00), "Wishing for You" (5:49), "Dream's Journey" (5:15), and "Quiet Valley" (5:27). 53 min., 5 sec.

It's All in the Family
Sylvia Hutton
Produced by John Mock & Sylvia Hutton
www.SylviaMusic.com
Privately Published
$13.97 CD / $9.99 download cdbaby.com itunes.com

Grammy-nominated singer Sylvia Hutton's first music album release in 14 years, It's All in the Family is a showcase of Sylvia's extraordinary talent. She co-wrote the majority of its twelve original songs, which connect with her own roots and her lifelong journey. Sylvia's mellifluous voice is pure inspiration to experience! The tracks are "Every Time A Train Goes By", "Somebody's Daughter", "Leave The Past in the Past", "A Right Turn", "All in the Family", "Grandpa Kirby Runnin' the Hounds", "Immigrant Shoes", "Cumberland Rose", "Hope's Too Hard", "I Didn't Know What I Was Missing", "Here Lately", and "Do Not Cry For Me".

Putumayo World Music
www.putumayo.com
www.amazon.com

Two new Putumayo World Music CDs, each featuring songs by a diverse variety performers, are festive, vibrant additions to international music collections. "African Rumba" ($12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3) is a joyous explosion of Afro-Latin dance music. The tracks are "Aminata" (4:56), "Jammo" (3:30), "Mame" (5:10), "Paysan" (4:10), "Boul Topato" (5:36), "Lolita" (2:26), "Tata Masamba" (4:42), "Lonlon Vanvan" (3:29), "Micorrason" (3:13), and "Sin Murri Gossi" (4:11). "Latin Christmas" ($12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3) is a holiday album that celebrates the season with rhythmic Latin and Brazilian songs. The tracks are "Joy to the World" (2:39), "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (2:57), "Blanca Navidad" (3:13), "Jingle Bells" (4:00), "La Peregrinacion" (3:08", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (3:36), "Noche de Paz" (3:03), "Christmas Rhumba" (3:51), "El Anyo Viejo" (3:01), "Ven Ven" (2:03), and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (4:45). Both are joyous, eclectic "best of the best" medleys ideal for parties or public library music collections.

Whaling City Sound
1310 Tucker Road, No. Dartmouth, MA 02747
www.whalingcitysound.com

Whaling City Sound presents two original music CDs sure to appeal to jazz connoisseurs and collectors. "Chance Meeting" ($14.99) is the brainchild of quartet drummer Adam Nussbau, bassist Dave Zinno, guitarist Jay Azzolina, and saxophonist Dino Govoni, whose happenstance first encounter led to creative collaboration. The tracks are "Problem Child" (6:06), "N.T.I." (4:35), "Lament for Michael Brecker" (5:10), "1 of 3" (4:36), "My Maia" (7:19), "Asha" (7:38), "Jimmy's Blues" (6:59), "14" (7:00), "Meatsauce" (3:58), and "Insight, Enlight" (2:55). "Night Music" ($14.99) features songs by Serbian-born guitarist-composer Rale Micic, along with Danny Grissett on piano, Corcoran Holt on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. "Night Music" was inspired by Hungarian classical composer Bela Bartok, and has an innate intensity that reflects the challenge of adapting to life's unexpected changes. The tracks are "Hotel Insomnia" (7:35), "Jano" (5:55), "Melody in a Mist" (1:24), "Late Call" (4:58), "Blue" (4:41), "Nocturne" (1:38), "Night Music" (7:18), "Night Music" (7:18), "Nocturne (reprise)" (1:35), "Afterparty" (4:19), "Sunrise" (9:19), and "Color of the Sun" (5:39).


The Library DVD Shelf

Argentina
A film by Carlos Saura
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, New York, NY 10036
$24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Three-time Academy Award nominee Carlos Saura presents Argentina, an extraordinary documentary of Argentina's rich heritage of folklore, music, and dance, spanning centuries-old traditions up to the modern day. Mellifluous performances and stunning choreography distinguish this "must-see" for connoisseurs. Argentina is especially recommended for public and college library DVD collections, and makes an excellent gift for anyone who adores the performing arts! 85 min., color, Spanish language with English subtitles.

Agatha Raisin Series One
Based on the novels by M.C. Beaton
Starring Ashley Jensen
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 www.acornonline.com

Based on the popular novels by M.C. Beaton, Agatha Raisin Series One follows Agatha Raisin (played by Ashley Jensen), a retired PR executive whose retreat to a small village unexpectedly entangles her in criminal dealings. When she enters the local quiche-baking competition, her entry unexpectedly kills the judge, leaving her the prime suspect for first-degree murder! Can Agatha uncover the true killer in time to save her reputation, and herself from prison? With the help of her former assistant Roy, Detective Constable Bill Wong, and her cleaner Gemma, Agatha just might discover her own, innate talent for sleuthing! A witty blend of dry humor and murder mystery intrigue, Agatha Raisin Series One is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette (18 min.) and a photo gallery. 9 episodes on 3 DVDs, 462 min., widescreen, SDH subtitles.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Call of the Cats
Andrew Bloomfield
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608683987 $15.95 pbk / $9.96 Kindle amazon.com

Call of the Cats is the true-life story of author and aspiring screenwriter Andrew Bloomfield, who discovered that a large colony of feral cats lived on the property of his newly acquired home in Southern California. As feral cats, they had essentially reverted to wild behavior, unaccustomed to human touch, and ill-suited as pets. They also suffered a high death toll from harsh conditions and predators. After witnessing the aftermath of a midnight attack that decimated another litter of kittens, Bloomfield decided he would not abandon the cats to suffer the cruelties of nature. Bloomfield began to name, feed, house, rescue, neuter, and even nurse cats as needed, attempting to improve colony's quality of life one cat at a time. The hard work and compassion he put into caring for the cats ultimately rewarded him with a far greater sense of meaning and purpose than he had ever found in pursuit of Hollywood fame and fortune. Call of the Cats is heart-touching, profound, and highly recommended.

Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician, third edition
Bonnie Ballard & Ryan Cheek
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781118914281, $74.99, HC, 536pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly updated and expanded third edition (and which is now illustrated in color for first time), "Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician" by the team of Bonnie Ballard (who holds Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and in 1997 developed a veterinary technology program at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where she acts as the program director) and Ryan Cheek (a veterinary technologist and a full time instructor at Gwinnett Technical College) is a comprehensive yet clear methodical introduction to exotic animal practice for technicians in the classroom and clinic setting alike. With an emphasis on the exotic species most likely to present to a veterinary practice, "Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician" covers avian, reptiles, amphibians, fish, small mammals, and wildlife. Featuring anatomy, restraint, common diseases to radiology, surgical assisting, and parasitology, of special note is a new chapter on fish medicine. Of special note is the companion website offering review questions and images from the text in PowerPoint. Comprehensive, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician" is an ideal textbook for college and university library Veterinary Reference Collections in general, and Exotic Small Animal Veterinary Services supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for veterinary students that "Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician" is also available in a Kindle format ($44.99).


The Archaeology Shelf

Solomon's Temple And Palace
Yosef Garfinkel & Madeleine Mumcuoglu
Biblical Archaeology Society Press
4710 - 41st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016-1700
www.biblicalarchaeology.org
9789657027301, $50.00, HC, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Solomon's Temple (also known as the First Temple) and the royal palace known from the Hebrew Bible have been a riddle for millennia and of intense interest on the part of biblical archaeologists. Biblical descriptions of these structures have proven difficult to interpret. Yet authors Yosef Garfinkel (Yigael Yadin Chair of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Director of the excavations at Lachish) and Madeleine Mumcuoglu (who participated in the Qeiyafa and Lachish excavations) believe they have unlocked the meaning of these enigmatic Biblical passages, thanks to the discovery of a small stone Temple model at Khirbet Qeiyafa. The present their findings in the profusely illustrated pages of "Solomon's Temple and Palace: New Archaeological Discoveries", providing a new understanding of the Biblical descriptions of the two ancient structures. Impressively well written, organized and presented for both academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, "Solomon's Temple And Palace" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Biblical Archaeology collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Language Studies Shelf

Pliny the Younger: Selected Letters
Jo-Ann Shelton
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
www.bolchazy.com
9780865168404, $29.00, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

Pliny the Younger (61 - c.113), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him. Both Pliny the Elder and Younger were witnesses to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, in which the former died. Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man. He rose through a series of Imperial civil and military offices, the cursus honorum. He was a friend of the historian Tacitus' and employed the biographer Suetonius on his staff. Pliny also came into contact with other well-known men of the period, including the philosophers Artemidorus and Euphrates the Stoic, during his time in Syria. Pliny the Younger wrote hundreds of letters, many of which still survive, that are of great historical value for the time period. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian Tacitus. Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under Trajan (reigned 98 - 117), and his letters to Trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the relationship between the imperial office and provincial governors. Compiled and edited by Jo-Ann Shelton (Professor Emerita of Classics, University of California - Santa Barbara), "Pliny the Younger: Selected Letters" begins with an introduction to Pliny's life and letters, then presents the unadapted Latin texts of thirty letters with same (and facing) page commentaries. Enhanced with the inclusion of genealogical charts, three maps, nine b/w illustrations, a glossary of proper names, and appendix of instructions, an index, and a Latin to English glossary, "Pliny the Younger: Selected Letters" is especially recommended for personal, professional, college, and university library Latin Studies collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Autism Shelf

High-Functioning Autism and Difficult Moments
Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D. and Ruth Aspy, Ph.D.
Autism Asperger Publishing Company
11209 Strang Line Road, Lenexa, KS 66215
9781942197249 $21.95 www.aapcpublishing.net

High-Functioning Autism and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Reducing Meltdowns lives up to its title as a step-by-step guide to understand, prevent, and alleviate instances of meltdowns caused by unbearable frustration or sensory overload. "Sometimes (unless the person is a 'runner') an effective preventative strategy is to walk with the individual with HF-ASD. It is important here for the support person to resist talking because during the Rumbling Stage, the individual on the spectrum is beginning to feel overwhelmed. Any additional input simply adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed and will likely move him to the Rage Stage. In addition, even if the individual is able to process what is being said, anything the support person says is usually the 'wrong' thing." The plain-spoken text is thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds. An absolute "must-read" for those who have HF-ASD and for educators, therapists, or other professionals who work with people who have HF-ASD, High-Functioning Autism and Difficult Moments is highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections.

The Loving Push
Temple Grandin & Debra Moore
Future Horizons, Inc.
721 West Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76013
www.fhautism.com
9781941765203, $19.95, PB, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Collaboratively written by Temple Grandin (Professor of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University) and psychologist Debra Moore, "The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults" provides an essential roadmap for parents wanting prepare children on the autism spectrum to become successful adults in today's world. "The Loving Push" spells out the steps any parent can take to restore their child's hope and motivation -- and what they must avoid. Included in "The Loving Push", eight life stories are told by people on the autism spectrum. Of special note are the chapters on subjects such as how to get kids off their computers, how to build on their strengths and get back to caring about their lives, and how to find a path to a successful, meaningful life. Informed, informative, practical, insightful, exceptionally well organized and presented, "The Loving Push" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Parenting Skills Development collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone who cares about a child or teen on the autism spectrum needs, that "The Loving Push" is also available in a Kindle format ($10.99).


The Military Shelf

Vietnam's High Ground
J. P. Harris
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
www.kansaspress.ku.edu
9780700622832, $45.00, HC, 552pp, www.amazon.com

"Vietnam's High Ground: Armed Struggle for the Central Highlands, 1954-1965" by J. P. Harris (a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst) is the story of the struggle for survival in the region known as the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The rugged mountains, high plateaus, and dense jungles of the Central Highlands seemed as forbidding to most Vietnamese as it did to most Americans. During 1954 to 1965, the great majority of its inhabitants were not ethnic Vietnamese. Ngo Dinh Diem's regime initially supported an American counterinsurgency alliance with the Highlanders only to turn dramatically against it. As the war progressed, however, the Central Highlands became increasingly important. It was the area through which most branches of the Ho Chi Minh Trail passed. With its rugged, jungle-clad terrain, it also seemed to the North Vietnamese the best place to destroy the elite of South Vietnam's armed forces and to fight initial battles with the Americans. For many North Vietnamese, however, the Central Highlands became a living hell of starvation and disease. Even before the arrival of the American 1st Cavalry Division, the Communists were generally unable to win the decisive victories they sought in this region. Harris's ground breaking study culminates with an account of the campaign in Pleiku province in October to November -- a campaign that led to dramatic clashes between the Americans and the North Vietnamese in the Ia Drang valley. Harris's analysis overturns many of the accepted accounts about NVA, US, and ARVN performances. Impressively detailed and documented, "Vietnam's High Ground" is extraordinary, comprehensive, and exceptionally well written. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library 20th Century Military History collections in general, and Vietnam War supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Vietnam's High Ground" is also available in a Kindle format ($27.99).


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Career Paths in Psychology, third edition
Robert J. Sternberg, editor
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
www.apa.org/books
9781433823107, $29.95, PB, 584pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Robert J. Sternberg, and wow in a fully updated and expanded third edition, "Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You" continues to be the ideal textbook for students seeking to find an exciting career in psychology. Its comprehensive coverage spans more psychology related careers than ever, with the vast majority of chapters new to this edition. Amidst all the choices, "Career Paths in Psychology" will help future psychologists find their optimal career path as it describe 30 different graduate-level careers (i.e., careers for those holding a PhD, EdD, or PsyD) in three distinct areas of endeavor: academia, clinical and counseling psychology, and specialized settings such as for-profit businesses, non-profits, the military, and schools. Each individual chapter deftly explores a different career, and describes typical daily activities, the approximate range of compensation, advantages and disadvantages of the career, opportunities for employment and advancement, and how to plan one's educational experiences to prepare for this specialty. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Career Paths in Psychology" is a vitally important addition to community, college, and university library Jobs/Careers reference collections.

200 Skills Every Fashion Designer Must Have
Aisling McKeefry
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
www.barronseduc.com
9781438008967 $24.99 amazon.com

200 Skills Every Fashion Designer Must Have lives up to its title as a thorough reference and resource for aspiring fashion designers everywhere. Filled with detailed illustrations and full-color photography throughout, 200 Skills Every Fashion Designer Must Have discusses the artistic, creative, and marketing talents that successful designers need to succeed, as well as commonly used artistic concepts such as the different types of repeat print designs. 200 Skills Every Fashion Designer Must Have is a "must" for anyone seeking to break into the business, highly recommended.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Evil Genius
Michael Bigelow Dixon, editor
Smith & Kraus Publishers
177 Lyme Road, Lyme NH 03755-6610
www.smithandkraus.com
9781575259048, $17.95, PB, 263pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by director, dramaturge, playwright and author Michael Bigelow Dixon, "Evil Genius: Monsters on Stage" offers a ground-breaking collection of essays, monologues and one-act plays that feature monstrous characters who haunt and harass the human species. These are monsters for thinking audiences -- monsters that speak their bold and insidious minds. Essays include a history of monsters in dramatic literature as well as a how-to guide to theatrical creature-making. Theater director/designer Julie Taymor introduces the volume with analysis of monsters who've appeared in her own productions. This unique anthology features new dramatic writing from Naomi Iizuka, Jon Jory, Atar Hadari, Richard Dresser, Constance Congdon, Janet Allard, Elizabeth Wong, Mark Stein and 23 more playwrights and poets whose nightmarish works are ready for production, auditions and classroom use. "Evil Genius: Monsters on Stage" is a unique and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, school drama department, community theatre, community library, and academic library Theatre/Cinema/TV reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Infections of Leisure, fifth edition
David Schlossberg, editor
ASM Books
c/o ASM International
9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002
www.asminternational.org
9781555819224, $77.60, PB, 411pp, www.amazon.com

The leisure activities engaged in by Americans, ranging from the mundane to the exotic, expose us all to a growing list of pathogenic microbes, some new and many increasingly resistant to current therapies. Common pets, livestock, traveling, and cuisine all have the potential to cause illnesses that may be difficult to diagnose and treat. Engagingly written by a team of infectious disease specialists and edited by David Schlossberg (Professor of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine), and now in a fully updated and expanded fifth edition, "Infections of Leisure" features nineteen informed and informative articles which are focused on the infection risks associated with particular types of activities, including camping, playing sports, interacting with animals, receiving body modifications, and mountain climbing. This new edition includes vibrant, full-color images, recommended readings chosen by expert authors, and practical tips in each chapter. Useful for health care professionals, microbiologists, and infectious diseases specialists, the information in comprising "Infections of Leisure" will support confident identification of leisure-associated infections and enable informed choices, as well as provide an understanding of the risks posed to human health by hobbies, exotic foods and travel. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Infections of Leisure" is highly recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject and would be a critically important addition to community, college, and academic library Health & Medicine collections.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Stargate
Pauline Gedge
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613735084, $17.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

In the earliest years of the history of the universe, the Worldmaker has turned against his creations with unaccountable malice. One by one the ruling sun lords of each solar system have fallen, succumbing to the lure of forbidden knowledge. The terrible punishment for their crime is isolation where the Gates connecting their worlds to the rest of the cosmos are sealed off. Their innocence lost, their civilizations hopelessly corrupted, the immortal sun people are condemned to languish with their subjects in an eternity of solitude. With courageous and often desperate measures the remaining sun lords are now preparing themselves and their subjects for a battle unlike any they have ever imagined. The final struggle has begun. Unfolding with epic power, "Stargate" is conceived by author Pauline Gedge with a richness, subtlety, and depth that set it apart from most science fiction novels. First published in 1982 but long out of print, this 'Rediscovered Classics' edition of "Stargate" from the Chicago Review Press will prove to be a welcome introduction to a whole new generation of appreciative readers of a truly gifted master of the science fiction genre. While unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of scifi fans is that "Stargate" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Sports Shelf

Power Games
Jules Boykoff
Verso
20 Jay Street, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201-8346
www.versobooks.com
9781784780722, $19.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

The Olympics have a checkered, sometimes scandalous, political history. In the pages of "Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics", Jules Boykoff, a former US Olympic team member, takes readers from the event's nineteenth-century origins, through the Games' flirtation with Fascism, and into the contemporary era of corporate control. Along the way he recounts vibrant alt-Olympic movements, such as the Workers' Games and Women's Games of the 1920s and 1930s as well as athlete-activists and political movements that stood up to challenge the Olympic machine. Impressively well researched, written, organized and presented, this exceptionally informed and informative account is a consistently engaging read from beginning to end and very highly recommended for community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Power Games" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

I'd Know That Voice Anywhere
Frank Deford
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
154 West 14th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10011
9780802125248 $25.00 www.groveatlantic.com

I'd Know That Voice Anywhere: My Favorite NPR Commentaries is a sparkling sampler of commentaries from celebrated sports journalist Frank Deford, a senior contributing writer at "Sports Illustrated", now well-known for his weekly contributions to National Public Radio's "Morning Edition". This prime selection of Deford's most insightful NPR pieces offers a kaleidoscope of sports highs and lows, as Deford tackles topics ranging from student-athlete cheating, to why gay athletes "play straight" (they're more concerned about negative reactions from the audience than from their colleagues), to questioning a modern economy dominated by golfers, and much more. I'd Know That Voice Anywhere is an eclectic joy to read, highly recommended.


The Biography Shelf

William The Conqueror
Peter Rex
Amberley
c/o Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781445660172, $17.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

"William the Conqueror: The Bastard of Normandy" by the late Peter Rex (who was Head of History at Prince Thorpe College for twenty years and who was an acknowledged expert on Eleventh-Century English and Norman history) is an accomplished biography of the Norman king who conquered England in 1066, changing the course of the country forever. Of Franco-Scandinavian descent through his father, Duke Robert 'the Magnificent', William the Conqueror's life is set against his true background, the turbulent Norman Duchy which, even after the Conquest of England, remained his primary concern. William is revealed as the brutal and violent product of his time, much given to outbursts of rage, capable of great cruelty, autocratic, avaricious and prone to a sort of grisly humor, yet, with all that he could also be a loyal friend and affectionate husband and father. His military reputation rests mainly on his victory at Hastings and he showed little sign of strategic or tactical genius. He was a competent rather than inspired general, benefiting from the mistakes and disunity of his foes. Only at Hastings did he meet and defeat a man who was his peer as a leader of men. He inspired great loyalty in some and even greater hatred in others. His primary attribute was his ruthless will which made him the driving force behind Norman ambition in North Western Europe. His propagandists shamelessly manipulated the facts to justify his conquest of England, a dubious enterprise if ever there was one. An inherently and consistently informed and informative account, "William The Conqueror" is a compelling read from beginning to end and very highly recommended for personal and community library collections.

Algren: A Life
Mary Wisniewski
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613735329, $30.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

The late Nelson Algren (March 28, 1909 - May 9, 1981) was an American writer best known for his 1949 novel about drug addiction "The Man with the Golden Arm" which won the National Book Award and was adapted as a 1955 film of the same name. "Algren: A Life" by investigative journalist Mary Wisniewski is the definitive biography based on interviews with dozens of Algren's inner circle -- including photographer Art Shay and the late Studs Terkel. "Algren: A Life" also examines the author's unpublished writing and correspondence, including hundreds of letters he received from lover Simone de Beauvoir. This is an impressively crafted account that is as entertaining as it is meticulously researched. "Algren: A Life" reveals new details about the writer's life, work, personality, and habits, digging beneath the street-crawling man's man stereotype to show a funny, sensitive, and romantic but self-destructive artist. Readers will learn how, initially celebrated then savaged by literary critics for his continued preoccupation with prostitutes and drug addicts in his fiction, Algren himself was personally haunted by insecurity about his work and practically gave up writing fiction after 1956, and how he finally found a sense of community and acceptance in the artist colony of Sag Harbor before his death in 1981. "Algren: A Life" provides a fresh look at the man whose tough but humorous style and compassionate message enchanted readers and fellow writers and whose boyish charm seduced many women is indispensable to anyone interested in 20th-century American literature. While strongly recommended for community and academic library 20th Century American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Algren: A Life" is also available in a Kindle format ($14.99).

The Message of the City
Patricia E. Palermo
Swallow Books
c/o Ohio University Press
215 Columbus Road, Suite 101, Athens, OH 45701
www.ohioswallow.com
9780804011679, $59.95, HC, 372pp, www.amazon.com

Dawn Powell (November 28, 1896 - November 14, 1965) was a gifted satirist and novelist who moved in the same circles as Dorothy Parker, Ernest Hemingway, renowned editor Maxwell Perkins, and other mid-century New York literary luminaries. "The Message of the City: Dawn Powell's New York Novels, 1925 - 1962" is a critical biography and study of the New York her novels by independent scholar Patricia Palermo who reminds us how Powell earned a place in the national literary establishment and East Coast social scene. Though Powell's prolific output has been out of print for most of the past few decades, a revival is currently under way with the Library of America publishing house touting her as a "rediscovered American comic genius", and releasing new editions of her collected novels. In 2015 she was posthumously inducted into the New York State Writer's Hall of Fame. Informed and informative, exceptionally well researched, and a consistently compelling read from beginning to end, "The Message of the City" fills a major gap in the story of a long-overlooked literary great. Palermo places Powell in cultural and historical context and, drawing on her diaries, reveals the real-life inspirations for some of her most delicious satire, and an unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library American Biography and 20th Century American Literary History collections. It should be noted for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the life and work of Dawn Powell that "The Message of the City" is also available in a paperback edition (9780804011686, $26.95) and in a Kindle format ($13.19).

The View From The Back Of The Bus
Chris Smith
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.unt.edu/untpress
9781574415742, $24.95, HC, 416pp, www.amazon.colm

The late Mel Lewis (1929 - 1990) was born Melvin Sokoloff to Jewish Russian immigrants in Buffalo, New York. He first picked up his father's drumsticks at the age of two and at seventeen he was a full-time professional musician. "The View from the Back of the Band: The Life and Music of Mel Lewis" by Chris Smith is the first biography of this legendary jazz drummer. For over fifty years, Lewis provided the blueprint for how a drummer could subtly support any musical situation. While he made his name with Stan Kenton and Thad Jones, and with his band at the Village Vanguard, it was the hundreds of recordings that he made as a sideman and his ability to mentor young musicians that truly defined his career. Away from the drums, Lewis's passionate and outspoken personality made him one of jazz music's greatest characters. It is often through Lewis's own anecdotes, as well as many from the musicians who knew him best, that "The View From The Back Of The Bus" traces the career of one of the world's greatest drummers. "The View From The Back Of The Bus" is impressively enhanced with the inclusion of previously unpublished interviews, personal memoirs, photos, musical transcriptions, and a selected discography add to this comprehensive and definitive biography. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library American Biography and Contemporary American Music History collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The View From The Back Of The Bus" is now available in a paperback edition (9781574416534, $18.95) and in a Kindle format ($9.99).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Writing in a Speaking World
Peter Orton
ACMRS
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
http://acmrs.org/publications
9780866984935, $68.00, HC, 266pp, www.amazon.com

"Writing in a Speaking World: The Pragmatics of Literacy in Anglo-Saxon Inscriptions and Old English Poetry" by academician Peter Orton is a critical investigation of some manifestations of literate ways of thinking and expression in Anglo-Saxon writings. Two of its main themes are the relationship between runic and roman writing in both epigraphical inscriptions and manuscript poetry, and certain distinctive deictic usages, in particular the use of the first-person pronoun, 'I' or 'me', in reference to non-human subjects (inscribed media or artifacts, particular copies of texts, or the texts themselves). The Old English Riddles, comparable with inscriptions in their use of the first-person pronoun for non-human 'speakers', also sometimes combine runic and roman writing, and shed interesting light on contemporary ideas about literacy and orality. Finally, the Old English 'lyrics' of the Exeter Book illustrate certain difficulties involved in 'reclaiming' the first-person pronoun for human reference, and foreshadow later developments in human subjectivity in writing. A masterpiece of seminal literary scholarship, "Writing in a Speaking World" is enhanced for the benefit of scholarship with the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography. Impressively informed and informative, exceptionally well organized and presented, "Writing in a Speaking World" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library English Literary History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Art Shelf

Picturing Indian Territory
Edited by B. Byron Price
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806155777 $34.95 amazon.com

Picturing Indian Territory: Portraits of the Land That Became Oklahoma, 1819-1907 is an artbook filled cover to cover with striking, full-color reproductions of historic artworks that depicted images of Native Americans living in land designated as "Indian Territory" before the American Civil War. Three, thoughtful essays provide historical context to these artworks, and describe the creation of "Indian Territory" separate from the United States as well as the saga of Oklahoma's eventual statehood. An extraordinary visual record of Native American history, Picturing Indian Territory is unforgettable and highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.

Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium
Lynn Zelevansky, et al.
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791355221, $75.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

The late Helio Oiticica (July 26, 1937 - March 22, 1980) was a Brazilian visual artist who was best known for his participation in the Neo-Concrete Movement, for his innovative use of color, and for what he later termed "environmental art", which included Parangoles and Penetrables. The collaborative work of Lynne Zelevansky, Elizabeth Sussman, James Rondeau, Donna De Salvo, and Anna Katherine Brodbeck, "Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium" is the most comprehensive study to date of Helio's work. Profusely illustrated with 310 flawlessly reproduced illustrations, "Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium" captures the excitement and complexity of Oiticica's paintings, sculptures, and installations. Enhanced with the inclusion of insightful essays covering the entirety of his career, (with special emphasis on his little-known New York period between 1971 and 1978) "Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium" thoroughly exploring Oiticica's most acclaimed works while also examining his involvement with music, literature, and his response to politics and the social environment in Brazil. "Helio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Art History collections in general, and Helio Oiticica supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Abstract Expressionism for Beginners
Richard Klin, author
Lily Prince, illustrator
For Beginners LLC
155 Main Street, Suite 211, Danbury, CT 06810
www.forbeginnersbooks.com
9781939994622 $15.95 amazon.com

Part of the user-friendly "For Beginners" series, Abstract Expressionism for Beginners teaches the reader about the Abstract Expressionism movement that shaped art history in the postwar era. Black-and-white illustrations throughout help illuminate the works of iconic figures in modern art such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler, and much more. "During the 1950s, [the Cedar Tavern] became the iconic watering hole where many of the AbEx painters gathered night after night. The booze, dispensed by ex-Marine bartenders, flowed freely - very freely. Jackson Pollock was often on the premises - besotted, antagonistic, brawling." Abstract Expressionism for Beginners lives up to its title in terms of accessibility, and is a choice pick for public library Art History collections.


The Library Science Shelf

Acquisitions: Core Concepts and Practices
Jesse Holden
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838914601, $85.00, PB, 132pp, www.amazon.com

All library systems, public, academic, corporate or private, must operate on a defined budget thereby necessitating informed acquisition policies and practices. As a discipline, acquisitions encompasses everything from purchasing and budgeting to enabling access to materials; and every format from books, monographs, and serials to e-books, subscription-based electronic resources, and beyond. In this guide, Holden boils it to down to its essentials while providing a strategic framework that introduces and integrates all aspects of acquisitions. Using a holistic, hands-on approach that's as useful for working librarians as for those studying the profession, "Acquisitions: Core Concepts and Practices" by Jesse Holden (Account Services Managers for EBSCO Information Services and former Head of Acquisitions at the University of Southern California) provides an overview of acquisitions as a library profession, with a discussion of basic competencies, notions of ethics, and the organizing principle of assemblage ; lays out a robust conceptual framework that unifies disparate aspects of acquisitions work and synthesizes its practical aspects; thoroughly examines content acquisitions in all formats, with an in-depth look at digital materials; covers such important trends as the rise of e-books, the ramifications of mobile devices as a mode of content access and interaction, demand-driven acquisition, and shifting expectations regarding paid-for content; tracks advancements in technology, including the widespread implementation of discovery services for content searching; underscores the responsive service component of acquisitions as informed by user expectations, community feedback, and usage standards such as COUNTER and SUSHI; addresses budgetary issues such as changes in services offered by vendors and subscription agents, and the emergence of a new normal for budget constraints and expectations resulting from the recession; and looks ahead to what anticipated changes to acquisitions means for the future. Presenting a model that's both comprehensive and flexible, "Acquisitions: Core Concepts and Practices" demonstrates how technical competencies and ethical imperatives can inform the day-to-day workflow of acquisition librarians and is unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, and academic library collections in general, and Library Science & Librarian Training supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Genealogy Shelf

American Place Names of Long Ago
Gilbert S. Bahn
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806315577, $35.00, HC, 347pp, www.amazon.com

"American Place Names of Long Ago" by Gilbert S. Bahn is derived from George Cram's "Unrivaled Atlas of the World" and contains an index of over 100,000 place names of "every county, city, town, village, and post-office in the United States [showing] the population of the same according to the Census of 1890." Considering just how many nineteenth-century American place names have changed or disappeared in the intervening years, and that 45 percent of the places listed in this index were too small or obscure to have their population counts listed by the census taker, the importance of such a work to genealogists and historians is self-evident. According to Gilbert Bahn, census enumerators listed all place names on their tabulation sheets, even when the population counts were too small to warrant recording. That's how Cram was able to compile an extremely detailed list of place names -- and an accurate list, at that, because the names were recorded by local enumerators and automatically tied in to their respective counties! For purposes of this reprint edition the original format by Cram has been rearranged into three columns; otherwise there has been no change to the original text. Each entry, in alphabetical order within states, gives the place name, the county in which the place is located, and the population of the place at the time of the census. State capitals and large cities are in caps, county seats are in boldface, post offices are in roman type, and places that are not post offices are rendered in italics. Places that were too small for a population count are indicated by an X. This index is an unexpectedly rich source of information and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Genealogical and American History reference collections.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Natural Heritage of Illinois
John E. Schwegman
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive, SIUC Mail Code 6806, Carbondale, IL 62901
www.siupress.com
9780809334841 $24.50 pbk / $14.46 Kindle amazon.com

Interspersed with color photography throughout, The Natural Heritage of Illinois: Essays on Its Lands, Waters, Flora, and Fauna consists of ninety-four brief yet scholarly and insightful essays about the natural environment and wildlife of Illinois. Individual writings discuss historical accounts of early Illinois; conservation and management of natural features in Illinois; problems with exotic species and diseases on the Illinois environment; and much more. "In spring 1995 at least part of Illinois' Prairie Chicken flock seems to have turned the corner on its precipitous decline. After three years of introduction of Prairie Chickens from Minnesota and Kansas to overcome inbreeding problems, the population curve is creeping up." Author John E. Schwegman, a founder of the Natural Areas Association, has provided an excellent and fascinating collection, highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.


The Human Sexuality Shelf

What You Need To Know About Human Sex
Dr. Graham Clingbine
Troubador Publishing Ltd.
www.troubador.co.uk
9781785893735 $12.99 amazon.com

What You Need To Know About Human Sex is a no-nonsense sex education book for readers of all ages. Dr. Graham Clingbine candidly discusses sexual identity and sexual orientation; issues of society, religion, and ethics; criminal sexual activity, such as sexual assault or human trafficking for forced prostitution; and much more. "There is probably no such thing as sexually 'normal'. Perhaps a range of behaviours and attitudes cover what most people would consider to be normal... A good rule of thumb may be that whatever people do or think, providing there is no harm done to others, then those things are acceptable." What You Need To Know About Human Sex is an excellent, thoroughly accessible, and non-judgmental primer, especially recommended for high school public library collections.


The International Studies Shelf

Viet Nam: Tradition and Change
Huu Ngoc, author
Edited by Lady Borton & Elizabeth F. Collins
Ohio University Research in International Studies
c/o Ohio University Press
215 Columbus Road, Suite 101, Athens, OH 45701
www.ohioswallow.com
9780896803022 $26.95 pbk / $21.99 Kindle amazon.com

Journalist Huu Ngoc, whose credentials include a twenty-year tenure as a columnist for Hanoi's English-language newspaper "Viet Nam News", presents Viet Nam: Tradition and Change, an in-depth discussion of modern Vietnamese culture and traditions, as well as the challenges besetting Viet Nam today. Chapters discuss Viet Nam's history, identity, and way of life; Buddhism in Viet Nam; exemplary heroes and heroines of Vietnamese history; notable works of Vietnamese literature; how Vietnamese women's lives have changed in recent years; the reverberations of globalization; and much more. "Single parenting, although still a new notion in Viet Nam, is gaining acceptance. But unlike in the West, where middle-class career building and the disintegration of the nuclear family are the main causes, the new phenomenon of single parenting in Viet Nam is another consequence of war. Many women spent their best years fighting and thus missed their chance for marriage. Lonely, they desperately wanted to have children." A handful of edifying line drawings and an index round out this excellent cultural survey, thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, and highly recommended especially for public library collections.


The American History Shelf

Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson
William Hazelgrove
Regnery Publishing, Inc.
300 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
9781621574750 $29.99 www.regnery.com

Thoroughly accessible to lay readers and scholars alike, Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson is the true story of the women who was America's first female president, in practical reality if not necessarily elective office. In the fall of 1919, an era of fragile peace after the close of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke that left him bedridden. His wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, worked to handle the everyday responsibilities of the Executive Office, including reading all correspondence addressed to her husband. The extent of her governmental work was kept secret at the time, and has been largely forgotten today, but her legacy helped set the groundwork for women in public office. Extensively researched, and enhanced with notes, a bibliography, and an index, Madam President is a timely "must-read", and highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections.

Water Tossing Boulders
Adrienne Berard
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
9780807033531 $26.95 www.beacon.org

Award-winning journalist Adrienne Berard presents Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight to Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South, the story of the Chinese-American Lum family. In 1924, their children Martha Lum and her older sister Berda Lum were prohibited from attending a whites-only middle school, the family's resistance led up to the first US Supreme Court case to challenge the constitutionality of racially segregated public schools, thirty years before the historic "Brown v. Board of Education" decision. Berard has reconstructed a vivid, true-life American story through meticulous research of historical documents and family correspondence. Water Tossing Boulders is a welcome contribution to American History collections, highly recommended especially for public and college library shelves.


The Civil War Shelf

Women in Civil War Texas
Deborah M. Liles and Angela Boswell, editors
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.unt.edu/untpress
9781574416510 $29.95 hc
9781574416602 $23.96 ebook

Women in Civil War Texas: Diversity and Dissidence in the Trans-Mississippi is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors about the perspectives of Texan women during the American Civil War, often called the "Freedom War" at the time. Writings discuss the experiences of both pro-Confederacy and pro-Union women; black slave women and free black women (notably, the latter were uncommon and unwelcome in Texas); Mexican-Texan women; and more. Women in Civil War Texas draws on and distills information from a wealth of primary sources, including wills, court cases, slave narratives, correspondence, and more. Essay-specific notes, a handful of black-and-white photographs, and an index round out this excellent contribution to American History shelves, highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.

Battle of Wills
David Alan Johnson
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633882454 $28.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Battle of Wills: Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and the Last Year of the Civil War is a close study of how the markedly different temperaments of opposing generals Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and Ulysses S. Grant of the Union shapes the course of the American Civil War. Ultimately, Grant's unrelenting determination claimed the upper hand over Lee's military genius. Battle of wills delves into the personal history of each general - how Grant's father worked to earn a successful living as a tanner and leather goods dealer, while Lee's father was imprisoned for bankruptcy and unpaid debts, which spurred Lee to personally uphold a code of respectability and courtesy - traits that, while seemingly positive at first glance, sometimes failed to translate into decisive orders on the battlefield. Battle of Wills also explores how Grant, Lee, and many other officers destined to oppose one another served as comrades-in-arms during the earlier Mexican war (1846-1848). Notes, a select bibliography, and an index round out this welcome addition to public and college library Civil War shelves.


The Folktale/Fairytale Shelf

Tales from the Arabian Nights
Donna Jo Napoli, author
Christina Balit, illustrator
National Geographic Press
101 West 104th Street, Suite 8, New York, NY 10025
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426325403 $24.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle amazon.com

Featuring stylized, full-color illustrations throughout, Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal is a captivating anthology of fairy tales about royalty, love, and daring adventure. Sidebars inform the reader about how these stories reflect history, culture, and geography; Tales from the Arabian Nights also features a map of the Middle East for geographic context, and suggested reference materials for readers who want to learn more. The selected stories Arabian Nights stories featured in Tales from the Arabian Nights include "Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves", the seven voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, "Aladdin", "Maaruf the Cobbler", and a dozen more. Highly recommended, especially for private browsing and public library collections.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

John the Baptist and the Last Gnostics
Andrew Phillip Smith
Watkins Publishing
Angel Business Club
www.watkinspublishing.com
9781780289137, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Are Gnostics still a part of the Judeo/Christian/Islamic community and can their roots be chased back to John the Baptist? Among the casualties of the western intervention in Iraq and the recent activities of ISIS are the Mandeans of Southern Iraq. These peace-loving people are now fleeing to the west . They are the last Gnostics, the only surviving remnant of the ancient sects who taught the direct knowledge of God, created their own gospels and myths and were persecuted as heretical by the church in the second and third centuries. The Mandeans place weekly river baptisms at the centre of their religious life and the primary exemplar of their religion is none other than John the Baptist. What is the real history of this mysterious and long lived sect? Can the Mandean peoples really be traced back to the first century? And who was John the Baptist? "John the Baptist and the Last Gnostics: The Secret History of the Mandeans" follows the history of the Mandeans from their present plight back through their earliest encounters with the West, their place in Islamic counties, their possible influence on the Templars, back to their origins as a first century baptismal sect connected to John the Baptist and beyond. An impressive work of historical scholarship, "John the Baptist and the Last Gnostics: The Secret History of the Mandeans" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Religion/Spiritual collections in general, and Gnostics Studies supplemental reading lists in particular. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "John the Baptist and the Last Gnostics: The Secret History of the Mandeans" is also available in a Kindle format ($8.99).


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