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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 5, Number 8 August 2006 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Cookbook Shelf Art Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Metaphysical Shelf Self-Help Shelf Biography Shelf
Business Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf Fiction Shelf
Poetry Shelf Literary Shelf Architecture Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Psychology Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Education Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Does God Ever Speak Through Cats?
David Evans
The Jonah Press
P. O. Box 5473, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
0929422031 $12.95 95 pages, (818) 986-1809

"Does God Ever Speak Through Cats?" by writer, mediator and conflict consultant David Evans is a gentle, inspirational book about the author's heart-warming relationship with a beloved cat, Mehitabel. Surprised by the attachment he develops with her, author Evans discovers a channel to the goodness of God through his bond with a cat. Full of comic interludes, joyous cat behavior profiles, and humourous leaps of faith, "Does God Ever Speak Through Cats?" presents the idea that perhaps human faith development parallels the ability to trust and love a cat. Not just any cat will present this challenge, perhaps it must be a special cat, a treasured cat. Are cats our spiritual guides? Do we benefit from feeling their furry, purring essences? As David Evans concludes at every juncture, "Trust in the Lord."

Observations Of Uneducated Mind
Alexander Tressor
Tressor Group
PO Box 237082, New York, NY 10023
0977696502 $20.00 www.tressorgroup.com

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Alexander Tressor immigrated with his family in 1976 to New York City where he began studying at the Balanchine School of American Ballet. Having appeared in numerous Broadway productions, Alexander now choreographs shows, plays, ballets, and television commercials while also teaching ballet and jazz throughout the U.S., Europe and Russia. In Observations Of Uneducated Mind Tressor provides the reader with a witty and perceptive survey of contemporary American culture and values offering an especially poignant and humorous perspective on the follies and foibles, rantings and ravings of politicians, journalists, and other seminal sources of misinformation, misunderstanding, and mis-communication. Funny, irreverent, intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking, Observations Of Uneducated Mind is a terrific read from beginning to end.

Over A Barrel
Tom Mast
Greenleaf Book Group LLC
4425 Mopac South, Suite 600, Longhorn Blvd., 3rd Floor, Austin, TX 78735
5714 Painted Valley Drive, Austin, TX 78759 (author)
PR by the Book (publicity) Marika Flatt, marika@prybythebook.com
0976444003 $19.95 www.overabarrelbook.com

Over A Barrel: A Simple Guide To The Oil Shortage by petroleum industry expert Tom Mast is a no-nonsense, bare- facts tell-all book written for the everyman. Why are gasoline prices so high, what are the detrimental effects of an increasing oil shortage, and what must America do about it? Over A Barrel presents chilling statistics - such as that our transportation industries are 97% dependent on oil-based fuels, and in sixty years, 80% of current oil resources will have disappeared. American need for oil makes the nation increasingly beholden to hostile oil-producing governments, and puts future generations at risk for increasing impoverishment in the wake of a rising trade deficit, among other woes. Over A Barrel emphasizes the need to get proactive, not reactive - the time to start investing in alternative energy sources is now, for a cleaner and more independent future. Above all, it is time for the federal government as surely as for innovative entrepreneurs to invest time, energy, and money into alternative fuels. Highly recommended.

Easy Immigration: A Guide for Success
Nejib Adem
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
1425923372 $16.49 109 pages 1-800-839-8640 www.authorhouse.com

"Easy Immigration: A Guide for Success" is a succinct, practical manual to aid immigrants who seek to obtain American citizenship. Chapter headings are formatted as common questions, such as 'What Must I Know to Become a Citizen?'; 'I Have Been Granted Refugee Status, How Do I apply for a Green Card?', "Which Immigration Forms Will Require Photographs?'. Answers are brief and practical. Many of the procedures, rules and forms for immigrants to follow are confusing and unclear. As far as possible, "Easy Immigration" helps to dispel confusion. Specific instructions are given as to how to fill out and send all immigration and naturalization forms correctly. The answers to commonly asked citizenship questions are listed, and many resources for assistance and service centers in the US are detailed. Specific requirements for citizenship are also listed, including the information regarding changes in the U. S. policy and procedures regarding immigration (p. 3). Finally, there are several lists of helpful agencies and low cost legal resources organized by area or state. In all, "Easy Immigration: A Guide for Success" is a must have document for immigrants who seek citizenship in the United States. It is written in excellent and accessible English in this first edition.

Green For Life
Victoria Boutenko
Raw Family Publishing
PO Box 172, Ashland, OR 97520
0970481969 $14.95 186 pages (541) 488-8865 www.RawFamily.com

"Green For Life" is a revolutionary but simple idea whose time is come. Raw foods enthusiast author Victoria Boutenko has compared a standard American diet with the diet of wild chimpanzees and discovered, guess what, an outstanding difference is the percentage of greens and blossoms that are eaten by wild chimps. Her conclusion is that even raw foods consumers need to include substantially more greens in their diet. Her suggested series of 23 green smoothie recipes (containing ingredients such as kale, avocado, parsley, garlic, or strawberries, bananas, romaine and water), are easy to make and tasty to drink. The many benefits of greens consumption are clearly outlined, and by blending the greens, all the nutrients can be absorbed more easily. "Green for Life" is filled with testimonials and is a finalist in the Health/Medicine/Nutrition category of the 2006 Independent Book Publisher Awards. It is a clear inspiration and great resource to readers who desire to lead healthier lives, and a welcome addition to personal reference collections for the health-conscious consumer.

Forensic Handwriting Examination: A Definitive Guide
Reed Hayes
Reedwrite Press
P. O. Box 235213, Honolulu, Hawaii 96823
0977841502 $49.95 237 pages (808) 528-1112 www.reedwrite.clm

In "Forensic Handwriting Examination: A Definitive Guide", Hawaii-based handwriting expert Reed Hayes has created a definitive instruction manual illustrating the basic practices of handwriting examination -- the kind employed to certified authorship of hand written documents and to separate the authentic from the forgery. In clear, concise chapters, he covers the basis of handwriting examination, handwriting features, complex writing features, line quality, handwriting variables, comparison standards, signature evaluation, and more. Illustrated by case histories and reproductions of handwriting samples for comparison, "Forensic Handwriting Examination" is both a "how-to" manual and a practical guide for professional handwriting examiners, complete with specific instructions regarding measurement of writing. It deals with disguised and anonymous handwriting, privileged client communications, trial testimony and preparation, and offering written opinions that are scientifically based. Careful and complete, "Forensic Handwriting Examination" belongs on the reference shelf of every professional document examiner.

The Humble Beginning of an Immortal
Norm Than
Lulu Enterprises
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560, USA
35 Petworth Crescent, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1S 3M5 (author)
1411675614 $22.36 1-432-352-8622 www.lulu.com/normthan

"The Humble Beginning of an Immortal" is Qi Gong master Norm Than's 160-page instructional guide to the successful practice of Qi Gong. "The Humble Beginning of an Immortal" methodically explains basic principles and Taoist practices that have guided him in his life. Chief among these is the practice of the "Three Treasures" to obtain immortality. "The Humble Beginning of an Immortal" is more than just another spiritualist practitioner's guidebook; it takes the necessary further step to explain the underlying reason for each practice and exercise. Filled with black and white photos and illustrations, the"reader friendly" text illumines a mysterious set of disciplines that can be accessed on a daily basis by patient, aware practice. Many philosophical writings help to clarify the underlying tenets of Qi Gong, but it is not ever "heavy" reading, rather the tone is patient and hopeful, yet stern. The reader is led to realize that each person is responsible for his/her choices and practices, and his/her body and spiritual well-being will reflect those choices. In a sense, there are no short cuts and there is no fooling the Universe -- or the Qi Gong Master. Succinct and yet expanded in the essential parts, "The Humble Beginning of an Immortal" contains many specific suggestions that can be used and utilized by anyone interested to improve their life. No doubt the text would be well supplemented by a class or an actual set of lessons, but it does well as an introduction to the practice of Qi Gong.

The Rule Of Mars
Cristina Biaggi, editor
Knowledge, Ideas & Trends, Inc.
1131-0 Tolland Turnpike, #175, Machester, CT 06042
Common Sense Consulting (publicity)
47 Griswold Street, Glastonbury, CT 06033
1879198312 $40.00 460 pages 1-860-646-0745 www.booktrends.com

Patriarchy is the social system in which males are dominant over females by virtue of gender. In "The Rule Of Mars: Readings On The Origins, History And Impact Of Patriarchy", artist, teacher, political activist and environmentalist Cristina Biaggi has contributed to and assembled a collection of thirty-one writings by experts and scholars on the subject of patriarch. The contributors explore how patriarchy came to be the dominant social system in human societies, how patriarchy has been maintained and reinforced, and the impact of patriarchy on contemporary life. enhanced with a glossary, bibliographies, black/white illustrations, and an index, "The Rule Of Mars" begins with an overview of the origins of patriarchy, the ramifications and implications of patriarchy, philosophical perspectives with respect to patriarchy, feminism and matriarch in conflict with patriarchy, and the future of patriarchy with democratic notions of women's equality with men as to civil, legal, and political issues. A seminal contribution to the sociological inquiry into patriarchy, "The Rule Of Mars" is a welcome and valued addition to academic library reference Sociology collections and Feminist Studies supplemental reading lists.

Lost-Wax Casting
Fred Sias
Woodsmere Press
PO Box 726, Pendleton, SC 29670
0967960002 $22.95 www.woodsmerepress.com

For centuries, "lost-wax casting" was one the ways in which jewelry was made in many diverse cultures around the world. It is a process that is still very much in use by both professional and amateur jewelry makers. In "Lost-Wax Casting: Old, New, And Inexpensive Methods", Fred Sias has provided a superbly organized and "user friendly" instruction manual for contemporary artisans on the fundamental methods of this ancient craft. Aspiring jewelry makers are provided with step-by-step instructions through the casting process with complete explanations for every stage including the science and logic behind that particular step. Enhanced with more than 70 drawings, photographs and tables illustrating the techniques described, several appendices providing supporting technical data, and a complete index, "Lost-Wax Casting" provides an historical overview of the craft, and addresses such issues as setting up a casting shop, creating a casting model, cleanup and finishing, metals and alloys for casting, solutions for commonly encountered casting problems, working with different materials, and even a section devoted to homemade equipment including vacuum pumps, steam dewaxers, burnout ovens, centrifuges, and steam casters. Whether an aspiring amateur looking for a rewarding hobby, or a seasoned artisan wanting to expand into the processes of lost-wax casting to create works of art and artistry, "Lost-Wax Casting" will prove an enduringly invaluable textbook and a highly recommended reference.

Dead Cat's Traveling Circus of Wonders and Miracle Medicine Show
Gerard Houarner & GAK, editors
Bedlam Press
PO Box 540298, Orlando, FL 32854-0298
1889186481 $45.00 338 pages 407-443-6494 www.necropublications.com

"Dead Cat's Traveling Circus of Wonders and Miracle Medicine Show" is another hilarious collection of Dead Cat philosophical writings. Lavishly illustrated by GAK, Alan M. Clark, Erik Wilson, and Chad Savage with black and white sketches aplenty and a full color cover, "Dead Cat Traveling Circus of Wonders and Miracle Medicine Show" includes writings by Brian Hodge, Tim Lebbon, Gary Braunbeck, Jeffrey Thomas, Trey Barker, Garrett Peck, Michelle Scalise, P.D. Cacek, Mark McLaughlin, Wrath James White, Michael Huyck, Robert Steven Rhine, Jack M. Haringa, Aaron Worley, Linda Addison, and of course Gerard Houarner. If you have ever caved and bought or read a Dead Cat collection, now is the time to weaken. In fact, it's a matter of life or death, right? To quote Houarner, or Dead Cat, "Remember, Dead Cat came back from the dead for you! It's not wise to ignore the dead!" My favorite all time bit is from Houarner's little collection of special Dead Cat horror thumbnail sketches, this time on Kali, Mother of All, complete with horrific illustration: "Here old time favorite. Maybe recognize from Harryhausen movie. Kali. Mother of All. All consuming. Goddess of the making and the breaking. Also just visiting. Much misunderstood. See necklace of heads, skirt of limbs, sword in hands, think unfriendly. Not unfriendly. Realistic. Show death, pain, destruction in world. All part of life. Can't change, can't deny. No negotiation. No illusion. No bullshit. Deal with it. Accept. Kali show way. Don't worry about system. Do your thing. Live. Now. But before you go, Dead Cat pass hat for tip. Still got to make a living over here in Circus and Medicine Show (p. 305)." If you like macabre humor and need a fresh start, Dead Cat can help. For a fee, of course.


The Cookbook Shelf

Stewing In Texas
Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret
Penfield Books
215 Brown Street, Iowa City, IA 52245-5801
1572161132 $18.95 www.penfieldbooks.com

Compiled, organized and presented by Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret, Stewing In Texas: Recipes Sizzling In Texas History, A Cookbook War, And More is not just another regional recipe collection. Rather, along with showcasing recipes for more than 80 outstanding dishes ranging from Perfect Guacamole, King Ranch Chicken, and Texas Shrimp gumbo, to Texas Caviar, Classic Margarita, and Pioneer Jailhouse Chili, Stewing In Texas also present the story of how Penfield Press was sued by Cookbook Resources LLC and Judy Barbour (author of "Cowboy Chow") in 2001 for copyright violation. At issue were hundreds of thousands of dollar if the court judgment were to go against Bourret and Penfield Books. Fortunately their was Carol Blakely, a native Texan cook and culinary historian from Dallas whose outrage concerning the lawsuit led her to research hundreds of cookbooks which proved to be of substantial benefit to not only Penfield Books, but any church, school, or civic organization that publishes and sells compilation cookbooks. "Stewing In Texas" is both a great read and a great collection of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes for any and all dining occasions!


The Art Shelf

The Authentic Eye
David Wheatcroft
David Wheatcroft Antiques, LLC
26 West Main Street, Westborough, MA 01581
No ISBN $50.00 1-508-366-1723 www.davidwheatcroft.com

"The Authentic Eye: Revisiting Folk Art Masterworks" is a privately published compendium of 68 works of art which taken collectively provide a retrospective of some of the most significant artifacts and artworks that antiquities dealer David Wheatcroft has been privileged to represent over the past 25 years. This 96-page, full color, coffee- table sized paperback showcases full page reproductions with their individual captions being collected together in the back of the book rather than take up room on the illustrated pages themselves. From Ammi Phillips' 1840 oil painting 'Portrait of James Mairs Salisbury'; to the 'Sailor Whirligig (carved on polychromed pine, New England, early 19th century); to Mattie Mast Kaufman's 'Amish Crazy Quilt' c. 1910-1920, The Authentic Eye is a veritable showcase of home-grown American folk art and artistry that is a simple pleasure to browse through from beginning to end. Indeed, The Authentic Eye is a perfect template that could (and should) be used as a model for other collectors and antique dealers for similar celebrations of early American folk art.

Beatles Art
Linda Webb & Jeffrey Webb, editors
Boxigami Books
PO Box 340, Dunlap, IL 61525
0975417622 $29.95 www.boxigami.com

Linda and Jeffrey Webb have compiled and organized art created by a variety of professional artists from around the world whose work has their common subject the British music group called The Beatles. Offering unique interpretations on John Lennon, Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and the popular music they made which swept the world, the artwork comprising Beatles Art: Fantastic New Artwork Of The Fab Four ranges from traditional paintings and sculptures to digital work and caricatures. Accompanying text notes reveal the artists observations and commentaries of the contributors on how The Beatles impacted their art, their lives as artists, and the world around them. Enhanced with 150 full-page color and 10 black/white illustrations (including four "foldout" pages), Beatles Art is a unique tribute to the Beatles enduring popularity and influence -- and a "must" for every dedicate Beatles fan! Incidentally, Boxigami Books has pledged to donate $1.00 per book sold to Adopt-A-Minefield -- a favorite charity of Paul McCartney and Heather Mills-McCartney


The Social Issues Shelf

Public Schools, Public Menace
Joel Turtel
Liberty Books
700 Victory Boulevard, #14F, Staten Island, NY 10301
Spotlight Publicity www.spotlightpublicty.com
2169 Pond Circle, Lincoln, NE 68512
0964569329 $17.95 www.mykidsdervebetter.com

The American public school system was once the chief mechanism for assimilating children into the mainstream culture and preparing them for lives as adults with respect to employment, patriotism, and civic responsibilities. That mechanism is now broken and seemingly beyond repair. "Public Schools, Public Menace" reveals how contemporary public schools deceive parents with respect to the quality of the education and personal safety being afforded their children; how the public school system's approach to literacy is actually impairing children's ability to read; why millions of school children are routinely subjected to mind-altering medications; how public schools are indoctrinating children with anti-parent, anti-American, and anti-Judeo/Christian values; and offers parents twenty-two specific danger signals alerting them as to when they should remove their children from a public school and seek an alternative for their educational needs. Author Joel Turtel parents quality, low-cost education alternatives that are immediately available to most parents which range from accredited Internet schools, to inexpensive teaching books, to "user friendly" computer software, to traditional home-schooling, plus tutoring, teaching materials, and college-admission sites. Even parents with low to middle-incomes can provide their children with viable alternatives to the public school. "Public School, Public Menace" should be required reading for anyone concerned with the present state of public education and is a critically important reference and guide for parents alarmed at what their children are being subjected to in their local community schools.

America's Tunnel Vision
Michael Townes Watson
Horatio Press
95 Horatio Street, #203, New York, NY 10014
0977620352 $19.95 465 pages www.AmericasTunnelVision.com

One of the principle causes of death and injury in the United States today is the widespread reality of doctors who are too rushed to give proper attention to their patients. The haste is created by the pressure upon physicians by insurance companies control care decision, inadequate information about new drugs, a rigid healthcare framework, the insurance and pharmaceutical company financed corruption of the justice system from the congress to the courthouse. America's Tunnel Vision: How Insurance Companies' Propaganda Is Corrupting Medicine And Law by Michael Townes Watson (a former Adjunct Professor of Medical Malpractice law, a practitioner in Law and Medicine for more than thirty years, and the author of four law books and numerous articles on legal/medical issues) is a clarion call to make right what has gone wrong in the medical and judicial systems. In an era when hospital error kills more people than any form of cancer (except lung cancer), when you are five times ore likely to be injured in a hospital than when driving your car, when insurance companies think your life is worth less if you are hurt by a doctor than if you are hurt by a drunk driver, and when insurance companies have taken over the practice of medicine and are now in the active process of taking over the justice system, it's only men and women like Michael Watson and books like America's Tunnel Vision that can hope to awaken the general public to what is going on and to motivate them to corrective action. Simply stated, America's Tunnel Vision is "must" reading for all health care and medical reform activists, and needs to be placed in the Social Issues reference collections of every community and academic library in the country.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Warning
John Ossipinsky LMT, CST-D, LLCC
Vision Publishing
17910 W. Maui Lane, Surprise, AZ 85388
978-0977491728 $21.95 www.acid-imbalance.com

Diplomate certified CranioSacral Therapist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist John Ossipinsky presents "Warning: An Undetected Acid-Alkaline Imbalance Is Slowly Killing You And Severely Hurting Your Children!" gives lay readers valuable information to improve their health and their quality of life by keeping their lymph and circulation systems healthy. Chapters cover the warning signs of too much ingested toxicity in one's lifestyle, how to "green-up your diet" and exercise properly, self-help techniques to reduce stress, improve breathing and facilitate hydration, and the value of manual detoxification and CranioSacral Therapy. The benefits of CranioSacral Therapy can help with problems ranging from obesity and migraines to depression, anxiety and chronic fatigue; "Warning" is a valuable and very highly recommended supplement to personal health self-help reading lists and community library consumer reference collections.

The Potbelly Syndrome
Russell Farris and Per Marin, M.D.
Basic Health Publications
28812 Top of the World Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Diane Glynn Publicity
81 Maple Avenue South, Westport, CT 06880
(949) 715-7327 www.amazon.com
159120058X $17.95 246 pages

"The Potbelly Syndrome: How Common Germs Cause Obesity, Diabetes, and Heart Disease" presents a new conclusion regarding a metabolic disorder that affects at least one third of adults in industrialized countries. Co-authors Russell Farris (a retired artificial-intelligence researcher who, after sustaining a heart attack in 1998, began studying hart disease and related illnesses) and scientist, physician, and clinical teacher Per Marin have discovered that PBS (potbelly syndrome) is not caused by poor eating and exercise habits, instead it is caused by chronic infections, which lead to a pattern of slight, long-term excess of cortisol, a stress hormone. The effects of the excess cortisol can lead to blocked arteries, Type 2 diabetes, and raised cholesterol, insulin, and blood sugars. For those who suffer from PBS and are unable to correct their obesity through the usual prescribed methods of diet and exercise, "The Potbelly Syndrome" offers additional insight about the cause and possible approaches to correct the syndrome and lead to improved health. Filled with graphs, illustrations, examples, and practical information, "The Potbelly Syndrome" may lead to a rethinking of one of the most common yet challenging health conditions. A welcome addition to both academic and community library Health & Medicine collections, "The Potbelly Syndrome" is directly accessible to the non-specialist general reader, and has substantial value and appeal to health professionals as well.

Life Is Precious
Pam Howell with Greg Blair
Chapel Hill Press
c/o Strategies Literary Public Relations
PO Box 178122, San Diego, CA 92177
1597150169 $14.95 www.STRATEGIESPR.com

Life Is Precious: Lessons in Healthy Living, Surviving Cancer and Recovering from Grief collects the experience of cancer survivors to answer crucial questions asked by anyone struggling with the illness in themselves or a loved one: "How can I live a healthier lifestyle?", "What do I do when the chemotherapy/radiation therapy/treatment is over?", "How can I reduce my stress?" and much more. Poignant and filled with true-life anecdotes as well as practical suggestions for improving health and well-being, Life Is Precious is an affirmation of resilience and overcoming the hardships true-life experience. An inspirational, uplifting book.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

"Extra" Work for Brain Surgeons
Angela Bertolino and Carla Lewis
Hollywood OS
400 South Beverly Drive, Suite 307, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
1893899241 $27.50 www.HollywoodOS.com

Now in an updated and expanded twenty-fourth edition, "Extra" Work for Brain Surgeons is a one-of-a-kind reference - an annual directory compiled especially for individuals working as background actors in the entertainment industry. Assembled with direct input from casting directors so that aspiring extras have the most current information about the correct procedures to secure work, "Extra" Work for Brain Surgeons is jam-packed with over 500 pages of information about Extras casting companies, calling services, guidelines on everything from how to write a resume to the requirements for children seeking work as extras, maps, a "must-know" glossary for anyone working in the business, and much more. Indexed for quick and easy reference, "Extra" Work for Brain Surgeons is an absolute must-have for anyone pursuing work as an extra or getting an acting career off the ground, and highly recommended.

The Truth About Being An Extra
Jo Kelly
August2Productions
19315 Champion Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Wordpix (publicity)
PO Box 218, Buena Park, CA 90621-0218
0977187802 $18.95 1-714-960-8025 info@jkellyextras.com

In "The Truth About Being An Extra", Jo Kelly (founder of Background Actor Seminars) draws upon her years of professional experience as a veteran background actor and her personal insights as a former celebrity wife to reveal "inside secrets" to becoming a successful "background actor", that is, one of those folks you see in movie and television scenes of crowds, passers-by, restaurant diners, etc. Readers will also learn of scams and pitfalls that can happen to naive actors accepting walk-on, background roles in movies, television and commercials when they register with casting agencies. A compendium of solid film industry information, invaluable advice for newcomers, illustrative anecdotal stories of her own experiences, practical tips for securing background acting jobs, locating legitimate casting agencies, as well as becoming both comfortable and professional on the set, "The Truth To Being An Extra" should be found in every college Theatre Department's reference collection and considered "must reading" for anyone aspiring to a background acting gig.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Ghosts of the World
Susan Smitten
Ghost House Books
c/o Lone Pine Publishing
1808 B Street NW, Suite 140, Auburn, Washington 98001
1894877659 $11.95 www.ghostbooks.net

Ghost story expert Susan Smitten has compiled "Ghosts of the World: True Tales of Ghostly Hauntings", an anthology compiled from eyewitness interviews and folklore from places ranging from Ireland and Russia to South Africa and Australia. Here are tales of the spirits of happy drunks, grateful guardians, cruel murderers, wandering road phantoms, opera singers whose craving for the spotlight persists beyond the grave, and much more. "Ghosts of the World" is a captivating read, and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good ghost story or ten.

The Hidden Records: The Star of the Gods
Wayne Herschel, co-written by Birgitt Lederer
Privately Published
c/o Spotlight Publicity
2169 Pond Circle, Lincoln NE 68510
0620308869 $36.00 300 pages (402) 328-2396 www.spotlightpublicity.com

"The Hidden Records: The Star of the Gods" is a new and iconoclastic analysis of coded information presented in ancient or prehistoric structures such as the pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge, and the ancient edifices of both the Americas. Wayne Herschel presents in vast and colorful detail his painstaking conclusions after many years of study of these diverse 'star-maps' of antiquity. Many color photographs and illustrations help to document his many findings, some of which are shattering to established or conventional science. Readers will want to follow this material closely as further evidence unfolds and is analyzed. The idea of ancient astronauts is perhaps not new; but the evidence is startling and convincingly presented. Profusely illustrated in color throughout, The Hidden Records is a welcome and recommended addition to personal and academic Metaphysical Studies collections, as well as supplemental reading lists in the fields of astronomy, mythology, and ancient history.

Soul Journey From Lincoln To Lindbergh
Richard Salva
Crystar Press
PO Box 640965, San Jose, CA 95164-0965
0977238105 $16.95 www.CrystarPress.com

It is the premise of Soul Journey From Lincoln To Lindbergh by Richard Salva (an author, minister, and for more than thirty years a dedicated student of yoga who studied under Paramhansa Yogananda) that Abraham Lincoln was, in a former life, a Himalayan yogi of advanced spiritual attainment, and that after his assassination at the hands of John Wilkes Booth, was reincarnated as Charles Lindbergh. Soul Journey From Lincoln To Lindbergh presents hundreds of similarities in the personalities, character, and life circumstances between Lincoln and Lindbergh, presenting an articulate, documented, persuasively iconoclastic argument that offers a unique and compelling reassessment of their lives, accomplishments, and coincidences. Soul Journey From Lincoln To Lindbergh will be of very special interest to Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and students of reincarnation in particular.

The Healing Power of Your Aura
Barbara Y. Martin, with Dimitri Moraitis
Spiritual Arts Institute
P.O. Box 4315, Sunland, CA 91041
Cate Cummings Publicity & Promotion Group
7601 East 93rd Street, Kansas City, MO 64138
0970211848 $18.95 257 pages www.SpiritualArts.org

"The Healing Power of Your Aura: How to Use Spiritual Energy for Physical Health and Well-Being" is a masterful resource and tool to explain the art of self healing through auric visualization with specific meditation exercises. Theory and practice are outlined simply but completely, with over 16 pages of colored illustrations to aid the reader in visualizations and meditation. Perhaps one of the most significant factors evident in "The Healing Power of Your Aura" is the need for each individual's assumption of self responsibility for physical, emotional and astral health. The how to sets of meditations are specifically categorized by the area or disease of concern. Highly recommended as an addition to personal or community library Self-Help and Metaphysical Studies collections, "The Healing Power of Your Aura" is a most viable and valuable tool to assist all who seek to take full responsibility for their own lives and well-being.

Astrology & Difficult Relationships
Beverly Flynn
TLH Publishing Company
1845 Cambria Avenue, Landers, CA 92285
www.thelightedhouse.org
0975858327 $14.95 174 pages

Recommended for both personal and professional Metaphysical Studies reference collections, "Astrology & Difficult Relationships: Why Are You In My Life?" is astrologist Beverly Flynn's informed and informative effort to explain the learning experience of our most difficult relationship(s) as seen through astrological perspectives. In the ten chapters comprising "Astrology & Difficult Relationships" Beverly explains the basics of astrology, categorizing difficult relationships, obstacles to relating, speculations on whether the relationship will improve, empathy, when to take action, how to analyze difficult relationships, and finally, the assertion that "There is no such thing as a difficult relationship!" The final chapter contains five approaches or ideas to help a person in difficulty. Central to these is the notion that "we can choose how we will react", also the assertion that "we are not alone". Several astrological chart approaches to analyzing the relationship or interaction are given, and there are a series of ten illustrative examples given with two alternate scenarios each. Beverly Flynn is an experienced spiritual astrologist and her interpretation of the 'Law of Karma' as it presents in relationships is the core value of "Astrology & Difficult Relationships".

Wondrous Wisdom
Michael R. Kellogg
Upper Light Publishing
123 @. 10th St, Suite 202, Mount Vernon, IL 62864
Event Management Services (publicity)
1127 Grove Street, Clearwter, FL 33755
0973826819 $19.95 197 pages (727) 443-7115 ext. 207 www.upperlightpub.com

"Wondrous Wisdom: Everyone's Guide to the Study of Authentic Kabbalah" by Michael R. Kellogg (teacher and lecturer at Bnei Baruch -- the Kabbalah Research and Education Institute) is an enlightening attempt to clarify the meaning of the Judaic system of mystic wisdom known as the Kabbalah. "Wondrous Wisdom" explains that Kabbalah as a system of study, a method to learn and research the spiritual, it is a process of discovery, as opposed to a particular religion or a specific philosophy. Kellogg states "Through this process, one discovers and reaches many different degrees and states of inner capability and wisdom. It enables a person and humanity as a whole to stop making mistakes. " Further Kellogg states: "Contrary to all religions and philosophies, Kabbalah states clearly and unequivocally that spiritual ascent means increased pleasure...Thus, we see that the correction is a process involving the effect of the Upper Light on us. It is not a process of restriction by coercion. That is precisely the difference between Kabbalah and religion. Kabbalah activates the power of the Creator - it is not an oppressing force from the outside. Therefore, when we receive more and more strength from Above, it opens up the channels for greater desires, which can then be corrected and used appropriately (p. 72)." Further chapters detail the Study Method of Kabbalah, Eight Beginning Lessons in Kabbalah, and the Language of Kabbalah. "Wondrous Wisdom" is an invaluable tool to further study underlying potentially profound spiritual development. As such, it is a most needed and welcome contribution to personal and academic library Metaphysical Studies in general, and Kabbalah reading lists in particular.


The Self-Help Shelf

The Happiness Solution
Alan Gettis, Ph.D., M.S.
Trafford Publishing
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8T 4P4
1412010462 $18.95 1-888-232-4444 www.trafford.com

"The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy and Meaning in an Upside Down World" is a self-help guide by clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gettis is a self-help guide that blends cognitive behavioral therapy and Zen wisdom. Structured in the format of very short vignettes, each with a lesson, "The Happiness Solution" encourages the reader to take control of his or her emotions for an improved quality of life. From giving oneself permission to be happy now, rather than wait for self- imposed conditions to trigger happiness ("I'll be happy when I'm married," or "I'll be happy when I get promoted"), to the importance of learning to lighten up and enjoy the gift of humor, "The Happiness Solution" offers valuable insight in the amusing form of parables. One insightful story tells of two shoe salesmen sent to a Pacific island; one writes his boss saying "Coming home tomorrow. No one here has shoes." and the other writes "I'll be here for a long time. No one here has shoes!" Helpful, amusing, and steeped in insight, "The Happiness Solution" is highly enjoyable simply to browse through even for readers who are already content with their lives.

The Courage Code
Megan Raphael & Jennifer Byron
Utopia Press
126 1/2 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684
0966106059 $15.905 www.utopiapress.com

Courage has usually been reserved for a male connotation in our social discourse. Co-authored by Megan Raphael and Jennifer Byron, The Courage Code challenges traditional and archaic definitions, and encourages women to get in touch with their own courage, and their own practical desires. The Courage Code reveals how women are culturally trained to serve in a submissive role of pleasing others, and the pitfalls that can occur when the desire to please overwhelms personal identity and needs. A challenging self-help book filled with inspirational true anecdotes, The Courage Code is brimming with motivation drawn directly from the lives of ordinary women who stood up for themselves.

Soul Medicine
Norman Shealy & Dawson Church
Elite Books
10 Hop Ranch Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
0971088888 $24.95 1-800-330-9798 www.elitebooks.biz

Co-authored by Norman Shealy (a neurosurgeon and founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association) and Dawson Church (author and/or editor of more than tho books in the last twenty years), Soul Medicine: Awakening The Inner Blueprint Of Abundant Health And Energy provides the non-specialist general reader with an invaluable introduction to the concepts of energy healing.

Your Personal Life
Greg Tefft & Bill Quateman
Angel Mind
5776-D Lindero Canyon Drive, Suite 123, Westlake Village, CA 91362
Maryglenn McCombs, Book Publicity
2817 West End Avenue, Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 37203
0972986626 $24.95 www.angelmind.com

Your Personal Life: Measuring What Your Specific Body Needs To Live Lean, Long, Strong & Better by clinical bionutritionist, wellness practitioner, author, speaker, and bodybuilder Greg Tefft (with the assistance of author, songwriter, parenting expert, and president of the Angel Mind media company) is an articulate guide to personalized nutrition based upon over sixty years of medical nutrition research. Chapters explore why most touted diet systems are ineffective for long-term weight loss (for one thing, far too many diets come in a false one-size-fits-all concept), techniques for making positive and beneficial changes in lifestyle and eating habits, how to apply nutrition therapy and toxin elimination therapy, how to determine one's own nutritional prognosis and take control of one's health, and much more. Written for lay readers, Your Personal Life translates advanced health professional wisdom and technical concepts into solid, easy-to-follow guidelines for improving quality of life. Highly recommended.

Quit Smoking And Become The Best Me I Can Be
Cathy Coburn
Hudson Books
19 Spear Road, Suite 202, Ramsey, NJ 07446
097677898X $14.95 www.amazon.com

Cathy Coburn is a former smoker who quit the tobacco habit after 30 years of nicotine addiction. In Quit Smoking And Become The Best Me I Can Be, Cathy shows others how they too can free themselves of the self-poisoning and ultimately lethal habit. Quit Smoking And Become The Best Me I Can Be offers a three-week program that any reader can follow, filled with tips and tricks for staying smoke-free, from deep breathing and relaxation exercises to learning how to give oneself little rewards to offset cigarettes to the benefits of vigorous exercise and more. Quit Smoking And Become The Best Me I Can Be rejects nicotene therapy, which is simply continuing one's addiction with a different type of drug delivery system, and concentrates on giving the reader personal tools to break free from addiction forever - one craving at a time. Highly recommended.

Power Living
Art Kleimer & Anna Kleimer
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
Author Marketing Experts (publicity)
PO Box 421156, San Diego, CA 92142
0595329535 $16.95 www.iuniverse.com

Ably co-authored by the husband wife team of Art and Anna Kleimer, Power Living: Living Your Life, Liberty And Happiness is a consumable self-help guide to taking control of one's own life and freedom. Chapters cover the importance of motivation ("If you want to sit under a shade tree in old age, start planting now"), and offer a number tools to organize and pursue one's dream, including creative writing, injecting passion into everyday life, and learning how to relate to different types of personalities. Above all, Power Living is about declaring one's independence and living the life one chooses to build for oneself, balanced in career, self, family, and spirituality. An optimistic and positive-thinking focused guide to self-improvement.

What I Want Next
Cathy Bonner
Sag Harbor Press
PO Box 50381, Austin, TX 78763
0977660206 $10.00 www.sagharborpress.org

What I Want Next: 30 Minutes To Reveal Your Future is the first in a self-help series of books, tapes, and training materials focusing on a process to take control of one's future and shape it according to one's strongest personal values and aspirations. Chapters discuss how we make the choices that we do, how to implement changes based on practical reality, how to "get unstuck" and tap into personal motivation, and much more. A consumable book, What I Want Next offers exercises, step-by-step charts, and places to write one's thoughts while internalizing a process to achieve both short-term and long-term plans and goals. Combined with only thirty minutes and a pencil, What I Want Next can give anyone positive tips, tricks, and techniques for making progress in life.

Exceptional Life
Kurt W. DuNard
Crane Press
PO Box 680367, Franklin, TN 37068 USA
0976583887 $19.95 240 pages (800) 745-6273 info@CranePress.com

"Exceptional Life: Living the Life You Were Meant to Live" is an informative study and perhaps a celebration of the "Purpose Driven Life", explained in an earlier publication by Kurt W. DuNard and so titled. As a manual, or tool to enlightenment, "Exceptional Life" contains specific techniques and suggestions to help the reader achieve purpose, meaning, and balance in life. Exercises and journal writing are among the effective approaches suggested. Author DuNard (a leading expert at helping people find their life purpose for more than thirty years) writes both inspirationally and practically. One of the most interesting chapters is "Legacy - a Different Kind of Immortality". In it DuNard suggests that everyone could make a life plan to create a legacy, related to his/her raison d'etre and purpose in life. DuNard further suggests reading "The Man Who Planted Trees," by Jean Gono to gain a fuller understanding of the "true feeling of legacy." DuNard also speaks of the "Namaste Attitude", or frame of mind, which enables one to give blessings to others. A very strongly recommended addition to personal and business self-help, self-improvement reading lists, "Exceptional Life" ranges from finding your purpose in life, or raison d'etre, to planning your ultimate legacy, spiritual, mental and physical.


The Biography Shelf

Why I'm Glad I Had Breast Cancer
Leonore H. Dvorkin
Wildside Press
2957 South Quay Way, Denver, CO 80227-3541 (author)
0809510960 $12.95 www.dvorkin.com www.wildsidepress.com

Why I'm Glad I Had Breast Cancer is the autobiography of Leonore H. Dvorkin, a breast cancer survivor who had a left-side mastectomy at age 52. After her operation, Leonore came to realize the benefits of her struggle against the disease; she had learned how to be happier, calmer, more focused, and more appreciative. Chapters tell of her meditations upon such things as self-pity vs. the need to put one's life experience in perspective; breasts, beauty, sex, and femininity; the challenges of going forward into the future; learning to accept and appreciate the advance of age; and much more. A reflective and ultimately optimistic memoir.

The Miraculous Life of Father Houle
Lawrence Wieczorek
Iceni Books
610 East Delano Street, Suite 104, Tucson, Arizona 85705
1587365065 $17.95 www.icenibooks.com

The Miraculous Life of Father Houle is the biography of Father John A. Houle, S.J. of the Jesuit order, a Catholic priest who devoted his life to spreading God's love. Embarking upon missionary work in China, Father Houle was thrown into prison by Mao Tse-Tung's communist lackeys and nearly perished; yet miraculously, he survived, holding strongly on to his faith and devoting himself to the Lord's work. A second miracle helped him survive a 1990 bout with pulmonary fibrosis that brought him to the brink of death. The third miracle to transform his remarkable and dedicated life would occur during a visit from his superior, and lead him to the Vatican in Rome. The Miraculous Life of Father Houle is as much of a spiritual as it is a narrative book, and especially recommended for Christian readers for its inspiration to faith.

1111 Days in My Life Plus Four
Ephraim F. Sten, author; Moshe Dor, translator
Dryad Press
PO Box 11233, Takoma Park, Maryland 20913
1928755089 $15.95

Flawlessly translated from the original Hebrew, 1111 Days in My Life Plus Four is the true-life memoir of a boy who lived in hiding for nearly three years in Nazi-occupied Zloczow, a small Polish village now in the Ukraine. Hidden with his family and a number of other Jews by a Catholic family, he survived and moved to Israel in 1957. 1111 Days in My Life Plus Four reveals his inner life and the permanent impression his past years of hiding left upon him. A dark revelation of the difficulties of coping with the painful past, 1111 Days in My Life Plus Four is vivid and recommended for Holocaust studies collections.

Brunel
Annabel Gillings
Life & Times/Haus Publishing
International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
1904950442 $15.95 1-800-758-3756 www.internationalpubmarket.com

Brunel by Annabel Gillings (a BBC television producer of Science and History programs) is the biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59) whose life and work as an entrepreneurial Victorian engineer in England is nothing short of impressive. He helped his father design and construct the Thames Tunnel, the first in the world to be constructed underwater; he labored on the construction of the Great Western Railway and its Terminus, Paddington Station; and he created three great ships, each of which was the largest in the world when it launched. These and many other achievements earned him fame and prestige long after the stroke that felled him; now, two hundred years after his birth, he remains held in high esteem across Britain. Black-and-white illustrations, including artistic depictions of Brunel's creations, pepper this concise yet absorbing story of one man's colorful life, dreams, and constructive achievements.

Dying to Live: A Spiritual Case Story of A Secular Counsellor
David Midgley
Free Association Books
c/o International Specialized Book Services (ISBS)
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213-3786, USA
1853439835 $29.95 208 pages (503)-287-3093 www.isbs.com

"Dying to Live: A Spiritual Case Story of A Secular Counsellor" is a spiritual life history of David Midgley, an unusual psychotherapist trained in both Transactional Analysis and also classic Jungian approaches to therapy. Midgley deftly weaves a varied tapestry of many of his significant life experiences both as a therapist and counselor, and also as a humble individual. His interests in occult areas as well as his commitment to Methodist lay ministry are explored. Many black and white photos of mentors or other significant people in his life are included that add to the text. Although "Dying To Live" is a relatively slim book, it contains an amazing amount of precise, clinical detail and anecdotal memory. In true nonjudgmental tradition, the style is to present the information and leave the conclusion(s) to the reader, though the author's reactions and responses are also described, sometimes clinically. The author's considerable contributions to British/European practice of TA therapy and teaching, lecturing and preaching are sparely presented. As "Dying to Live" concludes its final chapter, "The Anteroom," Midgley explains that he is in the process of experiencing motor neuron disease, a deterioration of the nerve fibers that help convey signals from the spinal cord and brain to the rest of the body. The disease's progression is generally outlined, and Midgley's acceptance of his status is tentatively explored. He remains as active and independent as it is possible for him to be. The writing of "Dying To Live" is a part of his determination to fulfill his life goals and contracts with himself. Perhaps Midgley's greatest gift is his ability to touch the reader. A sense of humility, pride, and mingled determination and grace suffuse the work. "Dying To Live" is about accepting imperfections and making the most of them. Above all, it is about choosing to live all the natural span of days allotted, with dignity, grace, and joy.

Romancing Spain
Lamar Herrin
Unbridled Books
2000 Wadsworth Boulevard, #195, Lakewood, CO 80214
1932961224 $23.95 1-888-732-3822 www.unbridledbooks.com

Lamar Herrin (Professor of Creative Writing and Contemporary Literature, Cornell University) presents Romancing Spain, a memoir and love story about his relationship with the Spanish woman whom he married 30 years ago. Obstructed by a church and bureaucracy, Lamar nevertheless pursued her, earning her love and trust even as he adjusted to the complexities of an Iberian nation steeped in centuries of tradition. Enthusiastically recommended reading, Romancing Spain is a simply beautiful and inspiring true-life story of love, romance, perseverance and eventual triumph which is brilliantly presented with emotion and empathy.


The Business Shelf

On Track To Quality
Dr. James K. Todd
Lighthouse Point Press
100 First Avenue, Suite 525, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
0963796623 $19.95 www.lighthousepointpress.com

Dr. James K. Todd (Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine), On Track To Quality is a unique, business-themed book written to answer the question, "What is quality?" Quality is not so easily defined or described; On Track To Quality tackles the conundrum through a parable dialogue between a mix of train passengers caught in a snowstorm. Their revelations, one by one, will aid the reader in discovering and identifying aspects of quality in both personal and business life.

The Salesman's Magician
K. Karl Leavitt
iUniverse, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
Karen Villanueva Author Services
PO Box 25061, Albuquerque, NM 87125
0595359302 $12.95 www.iuniverse.com

In "The Salesman's Magician: A Business Parable For Today's Sales And Marketing Professional ", Karl Leavitt draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as a marketing and sales director for a billion-dollar high tech firm to show others how they can earn new customers and significantly expand their market share (reqardless of the product and/or services they represent) through a unique sales philosophy that is simple, ethical, effective, flexible, and adapted to the vagaries and competitions of the marketplace today. A quick and easy read, The Salesman's Magician lays out sixteen succinct chapters of advice, explanation and commentary that would prove especially useful for the marketing novice, and also has a great deal to offer even the more experienced sales director. Enhanced with two appendices ("Status Reporting" and "Relationship Management"), The Salesman's Magician would prove a welcome addition to personal, professional, and business school reference collections, as well as the supplemental reading list for students in the field of Economic Studies.

Tactical Entrepreneur, second edition
Brian Hazelgren
Sortis Publishing
PO Box 1831, Higley, AZ 85236
0977202518 $24.95 www.sortispublishing.com

Award-winning author Brian J. Hazelgren is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah who has developed more than forty business workshops for small business owners and senior level managers, as well as the author of more than 120 business places. An internationally recognized business planning expert, Professor Hazelgren draws upon his impressive expertise in Tactical Entrepreneur: The Entrepreneur's Game Plan to show aspiring entrepreneurs how to survive and prosper in the cutthroat world of business ownership. Now in an updated second edition, Tactical Entrepreneur discusses the necessary qualities for owning a business (not everyone is willing and able to sacrifice the sheer amount of time and effort required to get a business off the ground!), targeting one's ideal market, the pros and cons of different business structures, how to expand successfully, guidelines for recruiting and hiring, and much more. A wealth of self-testing worksheets and quick-reference resources round out this common-sense get-started game plan to proprietorship.

The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling
George W. Dudley with Dr. John F. Tanner, Jr.
Behavioral Sciences Research Press, Inc.
12803 Demetra Drive, Dallas, TX 75234
0935907084 $26.95 www.bsrpinc.com

Internationally noted behavioral scientist George Dudley and Associate Dean of Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business present The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling: Restoring Pride & Purpose to the Sales Profession, a discussion of the latest trend in "soft-selling", and how modern salespeople are often told they must present themselves as "advisors" or "consultants" while remaining accountable for closed sales same as always. Chapters discuss the lexicon of soft-selling; the many types of selling styles; sales training across cultures; how to sell with "radical honesty"; and much more. Written in terms easily accessible to novice and veteran salespeople alike, The Hard Truth About Soft-Selling is a must for any salesperson striving to stay on the cutting edge of their career path.


The Human Sexuality Shelf

Romance on the Road
Jeannette Belliveau
Beau Monde Press
P. O. Box 6149, Baltimore, MD 21231-6149
096523441X, $34.95, 410 pages, www.beaumonde.net

"Romance on the Road: Traveling Women Who Love Foreign Men" is a personal study of sexual experimental behavior by western women while traveling. A sort of a sexual odyssey with charts, maps, footnotes, and handy geographical timelines that encapsulate women's sexual behavior historically. It is a combination feminist sociology report and love diary. Actual sexual adventures and adventuresses are interviewed extensively. Many theories about women's and men's sexual behavior and preferences are presented and explored, sometimes catalogued by region or area. Author, journalist and world traveler Jeannette Belliveau recounts: "Wild, shocking, yet tender and hopeful love journeys by women tell a story of a worldwide Attention Defection Disorder, a revolution in mating behavior, and a poignant search for traditional romance (from Travel)." Areas and countries in which sexual encounters are analyzed include Italy, Spain, Greece, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Brazil, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Far East. In addition to accounts of sexual encounters, the author includes history, reasons, sexual ethics, etiquette, and thoughts for the future. "Romance on the Road" is far from a clinical, cold book, despite its objectivity. Indeed, Jeannette Belliveau met and fell in love with her husband, Lamont Harvey, on her own sexual odyssey. In a way, "Romance on the Road" is the author's personal tribute to brave sexual adventuresses and to the traveler's possibility for romance and fulfillment.


The Fiction Shelf

Apache Lance, Franciscan Cross
Florence Byham Weinberg
Twilight Times Books
PO Box 3340, Kingsport, TN 37664
http://twilighttimesbooks.com (888) 511-5125
1933353449 $18.50 286 pages

"Apache Lance, Franciscan Cross" is a riveting novel of historical fiction about a Franciscan Friar, Fray Marcos, and an Apache woman warrior, Ahuila. Set in the area of the San Antonio River in 1731, this tale of both the clash and attraction of two cultures is sure to transport its readers. Author Florence Weinberg is writing in her element, which includes a vast and studied background history of the American Southwest, particularly the San Antonio area. She has also taught and traveled in Canada, Germany, France and Spain, in addition to teaching French and Spanish at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N. Y., and Trinity University in San Antonio. The complexity of the underlying cultures, both Native American, (multi tribal including Apache, Comanches, and others), and European (including French and Spanish influences), is fully explored in this well- researched historical novel. Characters are more than believable, there is a fascinating love story, and action is packed with portent. If you like historical novels, you will love "Apache Lance, Franciscan Cross." But even more, if you appreciate a fine historical novel built on absolutely faultless research, "Apache Lance, Franciscan Cross" will draw you in as surely as a hummingbird is drawn to its blossom. This is a fine example of the genre, one of the best of its kind. In addition, the reading of this book will help to preserve Las Misiones, a group of four colonial era Spanish mission churches in San Antonio built during the 18th century. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of the book go to Las Misiones Capital Campaign, led by Old Spanish Missions, Inc. to restore the churches of Mission San Jose, Mission Concepcion, Mission Espada, and Mission San Juan. A form for voluntary donations is found at the end of the book, or those who are interested may contact Las Misiones Capital Campaign, P.O. Box 28410, San Antonio, TX 78228.

The Storks of La Caridad
Florence B. Weinberg
Paladin Timeless Books
c/o Twilight Times Books
PO Box 3340, Kingsport, TN 37664
193335321X $18.50 229 pages (423) 323-0813 www.twilighttimesbooks.com/

"The Storks of La Caridad" is Professor Emerita Florence Weinberg's third historical mystery featuring Father Ygnacio Pfefferkorn, a detective priest character based on an actual historical Jesuit missionary who was forcibly removed from his Sonora Desert mission around 1767 to be imprisoned for 6 years near Cadiz, Spain before being sent to La Caridad and the Norbertines for two years. Weinberg's painstaking research and rich historical detail of an obscure but bloody epoch in church and secular Spanish American history provide a flawless framework for this intriguing tale of bloody survival and a martyr's forgiveness. All notes ring true in the world of Father Ygnacio, but how do they lead to the solution of two murders and the supposed theft of an ancient charter to the monastery in time to preserve Ygnacio's threatened mortal existence? The storks of L Caridad are the natural historians and observers of the intrigues of the abbey. Can Father Ygnacio possibly follow their example and find his way through the maze of danger, before his limited venue as endangered holy sleuth literally expires? "The Storks of La Caridad" is beautifully written, as well as meticulously researched. It will grip its readers, shock them, and confound them. Along the way, much valuable and accurate history will be painlessly assimilated. Perhaps this is the art of historical mystery writing at its best. "The Storks of La Caridad" is a must -read!

Just Thelma
Roger Storkamp
Star Publish
2769 Sungold Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89134 (author)
193299324X $18.75 (702) 228-1477 www.rogstor.com http://starpublish.com

"Just Thelma" is author Roger Storkamp's tribute to his rural Minnesota roots. Set near the fictional town of Bovine, Minnesota, (which is based on the author's home town of Pierz, Minnesota), "Just Thelma" presents poignant portraits of three-dimensional characters. Central to the book is Thelma, though she is not particularly glorified by family members, Thelma provides much of the stability and consistency that enable her farm family to continue despite tragedy and death. Roger Storkamp writes true Minnesota dialect -- or perhaps his characters simply speak it of themselves. "Just Thelma" is a stark, beautiful, vivid landscape, peopled with humans who inhabit the field-vast spaces with the work of their backs, brains, and hands. Highly recommended and entertaining reading, "Just Thelma" is properly respectful and to be treasured in memory.

Northline
Michael Barley
Imago Press
3710 East Edison, Tucson, AZ 85716-2912
0972530363 $19.95 452 pages 1-520-327-0540

Written and illustrated by Michael Barley, "Northline" a dystopian novel of intrigue, mystery, espionage, politics and romance in the year 2056. Timothy Loag is a railroad mechanic turned itinerant preacher, a man with a grudge against his former employer -- the Northline Railroad and its toxic fumes that caused the deaths of timothy's father and brother. Guided by Indian spirits from his dreams, Timothy aims to destroy the megalithic railroad corporation and its control over life in North America. The satellite controlled, 30-mile-long supertrains of the Northline railroads haul refuse and toxic waste to dump into the arctic regions of the tundra (in what was originally Canada but had become new states and regional districts merged with the USA). The railroad right-of-way has become a toxin-saturated strip of land that people cannot work or live near unless poverty leaves them no alternative. Highly recommended, thoughtful and entertaining, "Northline" is a superbly crafted and original novel of the near future, one of that class of fiction that provides "what if" scenarios if current trends with respect to pollution and "Corporate America" are allowed to run unchecked. Readers who appreciated Michael Barley's storytelling skills and originality will also enjoy his science fiction novel Jackal Bird (Tesseract Books, 1995) and his novella, "Woman in the Wood" (Seven Days in December, Imago Press, 2002).

Me & Mrs. Jones
K. M. Thompson
RJ Publications
842 S. 18th Street, Suite 3, Newark, NJ 07108
097692773X $14.95 (617) 678-4817

"Me & Mrs. Jones" is a fresh voice in urban romance. Filled with attention-grabbing dialogue, descriptions, and characters, it traces the baffling search of Faith Jones, a young mother whose life has been risked through her jailed husband, for love and romance. Her care for her teenage son, Corey, is at odds with her attraction to her son's best friend, Darius. Her struggle to right herself in all ways after surviving a violent, drug-laced beginning is paralleled by her son's struggle to get through college and Darius' struggle to qualify for college by passing his MCAS. "Me and Mrs. Jones" alternates viewpoints mostly between Darius and Faith, but instead of being confusing, this technique ends up enhancing the pace of the already action- packed narrative. It is a video-reminiscent technique, and very full of "punch." The erotic imagery and the drug use descriptions are gritty and solid. "Me and Mrs. Jones" has subject matter that may not appeal to all readers, but once begun, readers will be unable to put it down. It is a novel about the struggle for stability in an urban setting, with genuine flashes of heroism. I look forward to more novels by K. M. Thompson.

Born In The Ashes
Karen K. Rogers
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick MD 21705
600C Richardson Run, Williamsburg, VA 23188 (author)
1424119278 $16.95 www.PublishAmerica.com

Emilia and Fiona were two cousins who met for breakfast on the morning of September 11, 2001. After breakfast, Fiona meets her husband in his office at the World Trade Center. Both are killed when terrorists crash hijacked aircraft into the World Trade Center's twin towers. Emilia (who is trapped in an unhappy marriage to a low-level mafioso) seizes upon this tragedy to change her life. She hops a bus to a small town in Maine and assumes Fiona's identity. There she is employed as a housekeeper for the Shane family and becomes involved with Ethan, a federal prosecutor in New York. But Emilia's new life and love are threatened when her Mafia husband finally tacks her down. Born In The Ashes is a terrific and highly recommended read from cover to cover.

Southern Fried Women
Pamela King Cable
Spotlight Publishing Inc.
PO Box 621, Madison, NC 27025
0976846934 $14.95 www.spotlightpublishing.com

Southern Fried Women: A Collection Of Short Stories showcases the storytelling talents of Pamela King Cable. A history of bigotry in a local diner is the subject in "Pigment of my Imagination"; A woman lives in the land of doublewide trailers and works an interstate flea market in "Vernell Paskins, Mobile Home Queen"; a pregnant woman is lost, alone, broken down on a deserted road, and in labor in "Cry"; a stranger arrives in town after a women's prayer group hears angels sing during a violent coal mine strike in "Coal Dust On My Feet"; a woman struggles with the decision to keep her unborn baby in "Punkin Head"; a dead woman reveals that death is not the end of existence in "The Homestead"; a single mother discovers why her young son despises their one-Sunday-a-month guest in "Old Time Religion", two Pentecostal young ladies shed their cotton dusters for bathing suits, makeup, and a good time at Carolina Beach in "Beach Babies"; grief shows up some thirty years after a woman forgets her best friend in "No Time for Laura". Set in various locations and time periods in the American south, these are compelling and entertaining stories of forgiveness, death, love, discover, racial conflict, faith, tragedy, innocence, destiny, guilt, and overcoming obstacles. Pamela King Cable is one of those infrequent writers who can bring reality to fictional characters so strong that you'd swear you had encountered them in your own life's history. Southern Fried Women will leave the reader looking forward to more from this accomplished, imaginative, skilled, and entertaining author!

Stumbling Stone
Suzanne Thomas
Arbor Books
19 Spear Road, Suite 202, Ramsey, NJ 07446
105 Shawnee Cove, Savannah, TN 3872 (author)
0977187055 $15.95 www.arborbooks.com

When psychologist Jackie Hitchcock returns to her sleep small southern hometown alongside the Tennessee River to investigate the death of both of her parents, she finds herself quickly involved in the underworld of drug gangs and their powerful allies and accomplices. It's the drug methamphetamine that has swept through the community creating addicts and a drug culture the produce poverty, mental illness, physical health problems, deaths by overdose, and all the corruption of organized crime. Although a work of highly recommended thriller fiction, Stumbling Stone clearly and accurately lays out the growing problems associated with meth addiction, meth labs, associated criminal enterprise, and the difficult struggle of decent citizens and law enforcement to keep their communities free from this 21st century scourge.

Washaka the Bear Dreamer
Jamie Lee
Many Kites Press
3907 Minnekahta Drive, Rapid City, SD 57702
0972900241 $12.95 226 pages 1-800-486-8940 www.manykites.com

"Washaka the Bear Dreamer: A Lakota Story Based On Leon Hale's Dreamr" is an engrossing new Lakota story based on a recurring series of dreams experienced by Leon Hale. He enlisted the help of Oglala Lakota College teacher Jamie Lee to commit the story of his dreams to novel form. The effort is so successful the reader cannot put the book down. The effort of communicating and sharing the story also helped Leon Hale to recover from life-threatening health crises. This is a beautiful story of of cross cultural friendship and the necessity of the races learning to get along. It contains a heartfelt record of a collision of cultural values and the failure engendered even between dominant culture members by a loss of respect and esteem for one another. In the book, Little Chief rescues a white boy from torture and beating by his father because of a dream he had of finding a wounded white bear. Little Chief is surrounded by Lakota family who carefully teach him the sacred way to honor his dream with his life. He follows his dream even though it finally costs him his life at the hands of the Others, leaving behind his new wife and little daughter. "Washaka the Bear Dreamer" is a visionary work whose heart is the lesson of compassion. There is not a single flaw or false start in this book. It makes me very proud to be a part of the audience who will appreciate "Washaka the Bear Dreamer" by Jamie Lee.

The Salvation of La Purisima
T. M. Spooner
Floricanto Press
650 Castro Street, Suite 120-331, Mountain View, CA 94041-2055
0915745550 $27.95

The debut novel of T.M. Spooner, The Salvation of La Purisima is a contemporary tragedy about a rural Mexican village wracked by fear, speculation, and superstition, in the wake of the drowning of one of its own at the Mexican-American border. Through personal crisis as well as professional compassion, an outsider becomes involved in the village's suffering, and the economic and social forces driving migrants north. Told in from the first-person point of view of the outsider, The Salvation of La Purisima is a profound and heartrending look of a disenfranchised and poverty-ridden society that, driven by the necessity of its own survival, culturally pressures its members to make a perilous migration and earn money whether they want to go or not. Highly recommended.

The Gathering
William Creed
House of Stuart Publishing
64155 Van Dyke Avenue, Washington, MI 48065
9722891146 $16.95 www.houseofstuart.com

The sequel to "Comes The End", William Creed's "The Gathering" is the second volume in a series of Christian adventure novels specially written to inspire and entertain aficionados of tautly written Christian fiction. Devout believers Andy Moore and his companion Stephanie must put their faith to the test, as biblical miracles reappear in the End Times and God's grace and power manifests upon the earth to do battle against Evil. A dramatic and exciting saga.

To Rise Above
SD Hatfield
Outskirts Press
10940 South Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO 80134
http://outskirtspress.com/toriseabove
1598004794 $13.95 220 pages (888)-672-6657

"To Rise Above" by SD Hatfield is a fast paced action adventure novel that uses current idioms and culture to reinterpret ancient ideals of knighthood and chivalry. Protagonist Marc Johnson must confront and accept the cost of a past association which was sourced in a hunger for ideals but ultimately flowers into evil. All motives and actions are weighed and retribution is exacted -- sometimes unfairly. This is a deftly scripted novel of growth through facing our own worst fears and nightmares. Ultimately Marc's choices boil down to taking responsibility for his mistakes, and dealing courageously with the consequences, meanwhile risking his current life and love. Marc's goal becomes to rise above the past and build a new future secure from the hazards of poisoned ideals. "To Rise Above" is a well-written, convincing, exciting novel that draws upon inspiration arising from the author's life experiences.

The Milk of Paradise
Todd Crump
Nightrain Publishing
8200 Shenandoah, Austin, TX 78753
www.themilkofparadise.com (512) 837-4767
0977800806 $18.99 360 pages

"The Milk of Paradise" is a gripping, disturbing novel about an addicted physician's struggle against self destruction. The seduction of morphine, also called "the milk of paradise," is graphically described. The author's background knowledge as a trained physician is evident throughout "The Milk of Paradise." Frequent brief passages describe or illustrate common somatic symptoms and underlying possible diagnoses or causes. These illuminate the development of the novel and do not in any way detract from the flow. It is a kind of reader introduction to something like medical thinking, which permeates the whole narrative. This makes it all the more frightening when the protagonist, Dr. David Madrigol, slides ever deeper into the chilling haze of narcotic addiction. His love for a beautiful social worker at first seems to have potential to help him rescue himself, but ultimately he blames himself for her death and chooses another more deadly mistress yet again. The final redemption is difficult to believe, but it is as good a resolution as any to the terrible existence of the addict. All the thinking and cravings and patterns of response of the body are graphically described, so that the reader experiences a convincing part of the addict's life. It is a terrifying book, yet vital to experience. More writings are anticipated from this talented author.

Millionaire City
Jack J. Miller
Go Figure Press
PO Box 445, Laguna Beach, CA 92652
0977051730 $24.95 www.amazon.com

The millionaire city referred to in Jack Miller's novel is a community hidden in a canyon in Colorado which is the home of millionaires and billionaires; this amazing, technologically advanced city is owned by a secret cartel hidden within the Catholic Church. But when the city's mayor decides to reveal the Church's most closely guarded secrets, his beautiful daughter joins forces with her ex-boyfriend, professor of Economics and ex-CIA analyst Rick Burton, to find him. A trail of kidnappings and assassinations amid webs of love, hate, obsession, revenge, and revelation unfurls in this exciting thriller.


The Poetry Shelf

Less
Ted Washington
Puna Press
PO Box 7790, Ocean Beach, CA 92167
0964436620 $30.00 www.punapress.com

Ted Washington won the SOHO International Art Competition, Best in Show and Most Promising New Artist of the 20th La Quina Arts Festival and is a founding member of the performances art group Pruitt Igoe. With the publication of Less, the general public now has an opportunity to see a multi-gifted, multi-faceted artist work with words as effectively as he has worked with images drawn with the usual tools of the sketch artist and painter. Indeed, abstract, black-and-white portraits of the human face are juxtaposed with lines of poetry throughout Less, providing readers with a kind of counterpoint of images both surreal and lyrical. Striving for Peace/is anti-nature/there must be strife/struggle and war/the price of life/will be paid/in chaos/nothing lives purely at rest

eNursery Rhymes by Mother Mouse
Mark T. Hooker & Jane T. Hooker
Lulu Press
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
704 East Side Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401-5259 (author)
1411678702 $10.98 www.lulu.com www.amazon.com

Modeled on the famous "Mother Goose" nursery rhymes, eNursery Rhymes By Mother Mouse is a delightful collection of brief poems by Mark Hooker, enhanced with cartoons illustrations by his late mother Jane Hooker (1914-2005). The themes of the poems, deriving from the computer and the internet, have that very funny but "oh-so-true" recognition that will entertain and delight the reader. "Computer Games": Computer games hot,/Computer games slow,/Computer Games?/Not when the memory's too low./Some like 'em hot,/Some like 'em slow./We all like 'em not,/When the memory's too low.

Unfinished Communication From The Foot Of The Cross
Aaron C. Anderson
PublishAmerica
PO Box 151, Frederick MD 21705
3247 Redgrove Court, Virginia Beach, VA 23453-3035 (author)
1424131782 $14.95 www.amazon.com

Aaron Anderson's poetry reflects upon the human spirit refusing to be satisfied with what the physical world offers, but reaches out to touch something grander than the beauty discernible by the five senses alone. Unfinished Communication From The Foot Of The Cross is his debut collection and documents an especially gifted ability to put abstractions into thought, and thought into words as he addresses the "glory and terror of what it means to be human". A Confession: i knelt at the altar/to confess "Thy will be done"/ending all my vain days/off killing the life you gave/trading sorrow/for despondent joy/to start the road less traveled/laden with tragedy and deadening silence/watered by oceans of tears/starting the process of emptying me/as You did/kenosis/so You may fill me/not for some reward from You/but because i was made to


The Literary Shelf

Bothering the Coffee Drinkers
Doug Hoekstra
Canopic Publishing
1843 Hidden Hills Rd., Gatlinburg, TN 37738
0972860444 $14.95 176 pages 865-274-9434 www.canopicpublishing.com

"Bothering the Coffee Drinkers: Musical Fiction and Essays" is a delicious collection of story essays by Nashville-based singer and songwriter Doug Hoekstra that could be set to music as songs, or perhaps vice versa. Hoekstra is a talented independent performer and gifted songwriter, so it comes as no surprise that he can also write creative fiction. What makes "Bothering the Coffee Drinkers" so easy to absorb must be the 'blarney' effect. Each detail segue compactly into the next and before you know it, the book has hooked you in a distinctly quirky and entertaining way. Like all great music, it sounds easy to do. As all great musicians know, this is a deceptive effect that is only maintained through constant work and practice. Hoekstra's writes in a style that could safely be called eclectic, but that doesn't do his either his music or his literary genius true justice. He is like a quirky art collector, putting together odd bits and ends, and then making them into something with an effect so much more than the mere sum of their collective oddities. Hoekstra sandwiches his story essays with a biographical beginning and end piece that is also very effective. It grounds the reading with an even more pronounced flavor of the author's presence and outlook. "Bothering the Coffee Drinkers" is very readable, very enjoyable, and very highly recommended to consumers of good music and well crafted literature.


The Architecture Shelf

People & Places
Peter E. Randall Publisher
c/o Blueline Publicity
PO Box 4726, Portsmouth, NH 03802
Biblio Distributions/NBN
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
1931807450 $40.00 www.peopleandplacesbook.com

The collaborative and profusely illustrated work of John R. Myer (Professor Emeritus, Department of Architecture, MIT) and Margaret H. Myer (Assistant Clincial Professor of Psychiatry, Emerita, Tufts University School of Medicine), People & Places: Connections Between The Inner And Outer Landscape provides the reader with an informed and informative survey of the influences between the places they work and live have upon the lives of people. People & Places describes the design process of three different types of places, examines the present state of "place making", precendents from the past, and the rapid cultural changes of the postindustrial electronic age. A work of groundbreaking and seminal scholarship, People & Places is a core addition to academic library collections and especially recommended to the attention of students and professional urban planners, architects, landscape artists, and builders.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Jewel of Scotland
Lynda A. Janzen
Open Book Press
661 Palmateer Dr., Kincardine, ON, Canada N2Z 1R5
0973571667 $27.95 256 pages 1-519-396-6145 www.openbookpress.com

"The Jewel of Scotland" is a thrilling genuine mystery set in both Ontario and Western Scotland. Heroine Cairn MacRae seeks the kidnappers of her daughter who appear to be part of a conspiracy to pirate her clan brooch and family memoirs. Her journey from Kincardine, Ontario to the West coast of Scotland leads her to ever more entanglement with the history of the Clan MacRae. She senses it conceals a secret that threatens her family, and the mystery progresses apace. "The Jewel of Scotland" is replete with beautiful descriptions and fascinating bits of clan history and lore. The character and style of the Western Scots clans permeate this superbly crafted mystery novel throughout. Ultimately, Cairn discovers the motivation and the perpetrator and the race becomes desperate to the end as she bravely faces her tormentor and defies her fate. Strongly recommended to the attention of mystery fans, "The Jewel of Scotland" is an original mystery whose characters will linger in your memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf.


The Psychology Shelf

The ADHD Fraud
Frred A. Baughman Jr., M.D.
Trafford Publishing
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8T 4P4
1412064589 $24.95 www. adhdfraud.com www.trafford.com

The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes "Patients" Of Normal Children by Dr. Fred Baughman Jr. takes on the medical profession in general, and psychiatry in particular, to debunk commonly promoted beliefs about the diagnosis and treatment of children deemed to be hyperactive. Dr. Baughman presents his arguments, anecdotal illustrations, and painstaking research to bolster his case that the present and growing numbers of children diagnosed with ADHD arising from defective science, intellectual dishonesty, and drug company manipulation. The result is, quite literally, the poisoning of our children's brain chemistry. Any parent whose child has been diagnosed with ADHD needs a careful and complete reading of the iconoclastic information revealed within the pages of The ADHD Fraud.

Searching for Connection
Karen Merriam
TruthSayer Press
PO Box 1244, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
0977733432 $22.95 166 pages (805) 541-1360

"Searching for Connection: An Exploration of Trauma, Culture, and Hope" is author Karen Merriam's analysis of the process by which personal trauma is integrated by survivors. Through many examples of both personal accounts and case studies, Merriam arrives at both a common model of traumatic experience integration and the legacies of both individual and collective experiences of trauma. Parallels emerge between individual traumatic losses and larger, environmental traumatic losses in nature. Recovery from trauma, whether individual or collective, involves a growing awareness of the connectedness, or interdependence of everything and everyone. "Searching for Connection" draws on multiple sources for its compelling conclusions. In addition to Merriam's experience as a psychotherapist and a search and rescue worker, she refers to such works as Beck Weathers' 'Left for Dead', Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom', and Nathan Sharansky's 'Fear No Evil', as well as fiction films such as 'The Pawnbroker' and 'The Fisher King'. Like a "dream teacher", Merriam guides the reader through the stages of the process of trauma experience to the very edge of the void, to find the face of compassion, where the pieces come together, and where connection is found. "Searching for Connection" is an inspirational psychologically oriented treatise rather than just another self-help book and especially recommended for both personal reading lists and academic library reference collections.


The Money/Finance Shelf

A Financial Minute
Jenifer Madson
Clear Vision Press
2382 Norfolk Street, Erie, CO 80516
www.afinancialminute.com (303) 664-1947
0977777022 $14.95 180 pages

For the reader who wants to increase wealth and wealth expectancy, professional financial advisor and advice columnist Jenifer Madson has created a solid "how-to" text with a sound basis in fiscal realities. Using both techniques of creative visualization and also practical financial counseling experience, Madson has written "A Financial Minute: From Money Madness to Financial Freedom, One Minute at a Time." In it, she condenses her practical approaches into 10 steps. Interested? Who isn't? Step one: Write a new 'money story.' Step two: Be grateful, but expectant. Step three: Let your faith in yourself overcome your fear. Step four: Direct your financial focus on specific goals. Step five: Learn to say 'no' to those who do not support your goals. Step six: Budget your balance. Step seven: Use professional financial resources to create your financial strategy. Step eight: Build 'success systems' for tracking financial progress. Step nine: Mentor others in what you've learned. Step ten: Make a move with your money every day that you feel great about. Now that you have the basic framework, you only need to buy the book to fully access those excellent minute exercises and approaches that are the secret key to financial success. For anyone who needs their financial capacity re-energized or motivated, "A Financial Minute" is the ideal tool.


The Education Shelf

Teaching Out Of The Box
Stan Cody
Stan Cody Publishing
25851 Treetop Road, Laguna Hills, CA 92653-5417
Wordpix (publicity)
PO Box 218, Buena Park, CA 90621-0218
0977822206 $16.95 www.stancody

Stan Cody has taught school for more than 33 years in Southern California. He draws upon those many years of experience and expertise in "Teaching Out-of-the-Box": A Teacher's Guide To Making History Fun...And More is provide novice classroom teachers with a series of tools (including mnemonics, acronyms, and wild stories) designed to elicit laughter and delight from children while drawing them into learning history and other subjects with zest and enjoyment. A 194-page compendium of accessible, applicable, practical, inventive, ingenious, effective, and wonderfully creative teaching methods to transform any static classroom into a vibrant forum of eagerly engaged young minds, "Teaching Out Of The Box" should be considered "must reading" for beginning classroom teachers -- and has a great deal to offer even the more seasoned classroom instructor -- regardless of what the curriculum subject matter might be!

A Professor's Unforgettables
AnnieLaura M. Jaggers
Aventine Press
1023 - 4th Avenue, #204, San Diego, CA 92101
Epic Books Promotions
594 Serrano Lane, Chula Vista, CA 91910
1593303238 $11.95 148 pages www.aventinepress.com

"A Professor's Unforgettables: 5 out Of 10,000 Students in 25 Years" is an enticing collection of sketches by University of Arkansas Professor AnnieLaura Jagger of her humanities students -- the more memorable ones, of course. With deadpan humour, straight ahead jabs to the reader, and intimate little double -takes, "A Professor's Unforgettables" reads as smooth as corn silk. The humourous illustrations by Joe Gray adjust the right touch. One wonders if he was perhaps another unforgettable student to be sketched later on. The five students selected are not quite the academic angels one might expect of a professor's memoirs. They are in fact far more colorfully human than obviously brilliant. At least one of them qualifies as a celebrity; Barbara, the future wife of Norman Mailer. Perhaps one thing each student has done to become memorable is to challenge her, both as a teacher and as a full human being. She rises to each challenge in unusual and unforgettable ways. From the former military man who resented being taught by a woman to the charming French-Canadian student who relies on Professor Jaggers to save his life and preserve his romantic outlook (the last, alas, doomed to disappointment), these are fully dimensional sketches of students who left an impression on this unusual humanities professor. The writer never takes herself too seriously, though she clearly retains her own set of values and frame of reference. "A Professor's Unforgettables" is a most entertaining read, and one that may restore some prestige to the concept of higher education and the liberal arts.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Archangels Of Dreamland
Steven L. Fawcette
Thr Trophy Group, Inc.
1368 Turnbull Bay Road, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
0977370909 $11.95 1-88-508-5816 thetrophygroup@aol.com

"The Archangels Of Dreamland" by Steven L. Fawcette is a high-tech science fiction thriller about a family who discovers a conspiracy concerning technology from the future that can destroy the world. It wasn't extraterrestrials that gave early humans an advantage, its was time-traveling future men and women who got things going for the human race at the dawn of time. A covert government agency is has acquired that time-travel technology giving them an ability to alter history and they have done so in the past. Now they intend to unleash supernatural forces capable of global sale disasters -- and they will unless they can be stopped. "The Archangels Of Dreamland" documents Steven Fawcette as a gifted storyteller and is confidently recommended to the attention of science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts.

Path Of Power
Chad Corrie
Aspirations Media, Inc.
7755 Lakeview Lane, Spring Lake Park, MN 55432
0977604322 $14.99 www.aspirationsmediainc.com

The second book of the "Divine Gambit" trilogy by Chad Corrie, Path of Power continues the story of a group of mercenaries in a fantastic land. Heroine Cadrissa is held captive by The Master, a dark mage with ruthless plans, yet her captor is being used as a pawn as surely as she is. Complex mysteries and veiled power struggles lie at the core of this exciting fantasy adventure, in which wanderers amid a hostile magical world must battle external threats and internal weaknesses. An adventurous read, highly recommended.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Winning The Rat Race At Work
Peter R. Garber
Multi-Media Publications Inc.
R.R. #4B, Lakefield, Ontario, Canada, K0L 2H0
1895186684 $29.95 www.mmpubs.com/rats

Winning The Rat Race At Work by human resources professional Peter R. Garber is more than just another "how to" career development guide. In addition to career advice, Winning The Rat Race At Work offers tips, tricks, and techniques for productively dealing with workplace stress and problems such as challenging performance standards, increased workloads, role conflicts, and the feeling of being stuck in a maze. Black-and-white diagrams and numerous sample cases illustrate the points and common problems endemic to the career world. A consumable book, Winning The Rat Race At Work is a valuable self-teaching manual with simple exercises and questions to deepen one's understanding of valuable cooperative principles. Highly recommended.

Health Care Job Explosion!
Dennis V. Damp
Bookhaven Press LLC
249 Field Club Circle, McKees Rocks, PA 15136
094364125X $19.95 320 pages (412)-494-6926 Bookhaven@aol.com

The new fourth edition of "Health Care Job Explosion!: High Growth Health Care Careers and Job Locator" is a brand new comprehensive career guide and a job locator for health care jobs. Health career data can be accessed at multiple internet sites, with one created especially for this book (http://healthcarejobs.org). The book is very user-friendly and is conveniently organized into 10 chapters. The first, "the Health Care Explosion," is an overview, while the second, "the Nexus - Making a Connection," is helpful to increase chances of obtaining the desired job. Chapter three, "Job Sources for Everyone," is an invaluable key to many resources, including job advertising services, job fairs, job hotlines, internet sites, associations and directories. It even includes pages on the Internet, Surfing lessons, LIST SERVERS, search engines, and education and career resources. A handy system of symbols connects the reader to the desired resource. Chapters four through ten cover general health care job areas, from health technologists and technicians to dietetics, pharmacy, therapy, nursing, health and social services, health diagnosing occupations and assistants, and home health care jobs. Each of these chapters begins with an interview with a practicing health care worker in the listed field. Job descriptions include significant points, a description of the nature of the work, working conditions, training, qualifications and advancement, job outlook, earnings, and related occupations. This is followed by an exhaustive listing of additional special resources pertaining to that occupation/area, again using the helpful icons established in chapter 3. Finally, Appendices A and B present information about health care corporations and sources for tuition and scholarships for specialized health care job training. "Health Care Job Explosion!" is an updated resource that will serve all who seek to build a career in one of the many areas related to health care in the United States. It would be a valued addition to the shelves of libraries and education institutions.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Doggie Biscuit!
Darrell Bain
Twilight Times Books
PO Box 3340 Kingsport, TN 37664
1931201811 $14.95 http://twilighttimesbooks.com/media-room/

Biscuit is a little dachshund that exemplifies what we all love best about our canine companions. Doggie Biscuit follows this charming canine character throughout his entire life story. Writing with a tongue-in-cheek style humor, author Darrell Bain lays out a remarkable story of love and adventure (Biscuit may be the only dog in the world to have received a traffic ticket!) that will completely engage the reader's full and rapt attention from first page to last. Indeed, it would not be unexpected for readers with canine companions of their own to see in Biscuit some of those special times and qualities that is to be found in their own dog's behavior. Not to be missed is a very special section of Doggie Biscuits that deals with Biscuit's extensive vocabulary and is complete with his ability to communicate through, and respond to, an amazing list of words, phrases and gestures. A pure joy and entertainment, Dogie Biscuit is also a story that is thoughtful and universal in its appeal. Highly recommended reading!


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The Great Golden Garland Of Gampopa's Sublime Considerations On The Supreme Path
B. Simhananda
Orange Palm Publications Inc.
235 Rene-Levesque Boulevard East, Suite 310, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 1N8
0968704875 $69.95 www.PalmPublications.com

A modern and thoroughly "reader friendly" translation of 12th century Buddhist master Gampopa's root text, enhanced with contemplative contemporary commentaries, The Great Golden Garland Of Gampopa's Sublime Considerations On The Supreme Path presents a single brief quotation on each page, along with a notation in the page corner so that the reader can keep track of which line of the original text the quotation is from. Quality hardcover binding and an inset ribbon bookmark contribute to the practicality and durability of this edition, which is mean to be read, reread, and contemplated at length. The timeless wisdom of a Tibetan Buddhism master is superbly preserved and presented in this classic work. "The Dharma Road advises you to dump all avidity, acquisitiveness, and greed. // That is to say, you are to shelve any inordinate desire for the desirable." (Osel Ornamentation Loop 4)


The Political Science Shelf

The 2007 Bush-Cheney Impeachments
Craig R. Leslie
A Layman's Press, Inc.
417 East Port Hueneme Road, #332, Port Hueneme, CA 93041
0970190468 $17.76 www.amazon.com

The 2007 Bush-Cheney Impeachments: Year 2008 10th Grade Civics Exam by Civil Rights Advocate and attorney Craig Leslie draws upon his expertise earned in over fifteen years of practicing case law to lay out the complete case to date for impeaching President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. Using the Bush-Cheney example, readers will acquire an understanding and appreciation for how the impeachment process works, the basis for impeaching a sitting president, and the specific facts for impeaching President Bush. Organized in a Q&A format, The 2007 Bush-Cheney Impeachments is thoroughly "reader friendly" and fully accessible to non-specialist general readers with little or no previous familiarity with the subject of impeachment. Articulate, documented, informed and informative, The 2007 Bush-Cheney Impeachments needs as wide a readership as possible among Democrats, Republicans, political independents, and the general public as possible.


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


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