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The Bookwatch

Volume 10, Number 8 August 2015 Home | BW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Beer/Wine Shelf American History Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Computer Shelf Parenting Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fiction Shelf Political Science Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Education Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Botany Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Fashion Shelf
Travel Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Biography Shelf
Art Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

100 Skills You'll Need for the End of the World (As We Know It)
Ana Maria Spagna
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612124568, $14.95, www.storey.com

100 Skills You'll Need for the End of the World (As We Know It) is a survivor's guide to all kinds of situations, whether they be shipwrecks, economic ruin, or anything else, and covers everything from foraging techniques to hiding, harnessing horses or mules, grafting plants, home brewing and hoarding, and more. Each skill is treated to a fine color drawing by Brian Cronin and a quick treatment that entertains and instructs. Leisure readers and survivalists alike will find it easy, inviting, and filled with a wider range of concerns than most survivalist books (what competitor would include 'daydreaming' in the mix, for example?).

Desk Notes From Frank to Make Humans Smile
Frank, LLC
Quarto Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
9781631061257, $12.99, www.qbookshop.com

Desk Notes From Frank to Make Humans Smile provides a stationary set pairing fun images and snarky quotes by the From Frank dog posse, from bulldog Frank, the group's leader, to grump Lab Walter, chubby English bulldog Big Louie, and tabby cat Izzy, known for being sexy and sassy. These fun quotes pack some 250 sheets of advice in a production that toes the line between stationary set and advice book.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Accidental Indexer
Nan Badgett
Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750
9781573875141, $39.50, www.infotoday.com

The Accidental Indexer offers an authoritative guide to the indexing profession, reviewing the field, its specialties, and how to begin and run a freelance indexing business. Would-be indexers as well as professionals who want strategies for handling deadlines, keeping a work-life balance, and creating new work for indexing will find this filled with information specific to the indexing industry. Checklists, forms, and training and professional development complete the information in a reference recommended for librarians, professionals and would-be career seekers in indexing.

59 Reasons to Write
Kate Messner
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
9781625310033, $23.00, www.stenhouse.com

59 Reasons to Write: Mini-Lessons, Prompts, and Inspiration for Teachers shows teachers and librarians who teach writing how to become a writer, and covers the basics of a process that encourages teachers to become part of the writing community, thereby teaching by example. The book grew out of an online summer writing camp, Teachers Write, and provides a series of daily lessons, inspirations, admonitions and assignments designed to get teachers in the writing mode. The result is a powerful survey highly recommended for any teacher who wants motivation to move forward in their own work.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Cheese Lover's Cookbook
Emily Chambers & Whitney Lindlsey
Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
9781462115907, $16.99, www.cedarfort.com

From Greek Feta Salad and Au Gratin Potatoes to a Ham and Cheese Breakfast strata, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook comes packed with dishes that are loaded with flavor and different kinds of cheeses, and provide everything from breakfast fare and main course dishes to desserts. It's a collection that holds bright full-page color photos on each facing page and which features recipes that are easy to put together. The result is a collection packed with flavorful ideas that are surprisingly simple to put together, yet loaded with flavor.

Wild Gourmet
Boulud, Chiarello, Leysath, Shaw, et.al.
Boone and Crockett Club
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
9780940864931, $34.95, www.booneandcrockettclub.com

Wild Gourmet: Naturally Healthy Game, Fish and Fowl Recipes for Everyday Chefs teaches new ways of preparing wild game: easy recipes that produce guaranteed results along with tips for processing venison to achieve maximum flavor. All that's required is access to fresh game. Wild Gourmet gathers top chef's recipes and covers a range of wild meats and flavors. It provides step-by-step recipes for fish, wild boar and deer, quail, and more, and it doesn't assume cooks are familiar with cooking with wild game or using wild meats in dishes. Hunters, sportsmen, and home cooks will find this an accessible introduction packed with fresh flavors and new preparation ideas perfect for making the most of fresh-caught wild game.

The Outdoor Table
April McKinney
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.thomasnelson.com
9780718022198, $26.99, www.thomasnelson.com

The Outdoor Table: The Ultimate Cookbook for Your Next Backyard BBQ, Front-Porch Meal, Tailgate, or Picnic packs in nearly two hundred recipes under one cover for foods that travel well and lend to gatherings, and is perfect for summertime enjoyment. The outdoor table provides all the keys to creating portable dishes for picnics, country gatherings, and more, and provides inspiration perfect for any who would enjoy sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit drinks, and more. The emphasis on portability means that prepared dishes won't all apart when transported and will remain fresh, not soggy or tired, when presented for lunch, dinner or snacks.

The Broad Fork
Hugh Acheson
Clarkson Potter Publishers
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9780385345028, $35.00, www.clarksonpotter.com

The Broad Fork: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits provides recipes based on more than fifty farmers' market vegetables - some two hundred in all - and includes many lesser-known vegetables alongside familiar fare. Another plus to this cookbook is that dishes aren't just sides, but include pickles, purees and sauces, and more. An arrangement by season and vegetable type (i.e. 'Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Chard & Other Tasty Winter Greens') makes it easy to locate specific kinds of vegetable dishes, while recipes such as Salsify and Oyster Stew with Toast, Roasted Beet Soup with Hard-Boiled Egg and Celery Cream, and Lobster with Peas and Seared Fingerling Potatoes offer a satisfying range of appealing dishes. The result is a collection strong in under-utilized vegetables, offering new ways to look at old favorites and insights on how to make the most of vegetables that are lesser-known.

The Yilna Vegetarian Cookbook
Fania Lewando
Schocken Books
c/o Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.schocken.com
9780805243277, $30.00, www.schocken.com

The Yilna Vegetarian Cookbook: Garden-Fresh Recipes Rediscovered and Adapted for Today's Kitchen is translated by Eve Jochnowitz from the Yiddish, presenting a collection of four hundred recipes from traditional Jewish dishes to vegetarian versions of holiday dishes. Lewando owned a popular vegetarian restaurant in Lithuania and while she died during World War II, in 1995 a couple attending an antiquarian book fair in England came upon her cookbook where it was donated to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, translated, and here appears for new audiences. Paired with lovely color illustrations throughout, this represents both a vegetarian culinary treasure and a fine addition to Jewish history collections.


The Beer/Wine Shelf

Modern Homebrew Recipes
Gordon Strong
Brewers Publications
P.O. Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306
9781938469145, $19.95, www.brewersassociation.org

Modern Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles and Contemporary Techniques provides fine advice for different kinds of homebrewed craft beers, and comes from a seasoned beer judge and author who surveys brewing styles, mashing and hopping techniques, and basic recipes and how to customize them for the desired effects. Over one hundred recipes accompany discussions of different techniques, brewing options, equipment and software, and more, moving beyond most recipe-oriented collections to consider how different flavors are achieved from different ingredients and approaches to home brewing. The result is a top recommendation for any home brewer.


The American History Shelf

Showdown in the Big Quiet
John P. Bieter, Jr.
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780906729032, $39.95, www.ttupress.org

Showdown in the Big Quiet: Land, Myth, and Government in the American West covers the history and controversy surrounding Owyhee County, Idaho, known as the 'Big Quiet', the largest, least inhabited area in the lower 48 states. Surprisingly its very isolation has led to conflicts - including violent mine wars in the mid-19th century - over its use, pitting American against government and challenging historical interpretations of the West. College-level readers of American environmental history will find this a powerful survey of how settlers and corporations acquired land and pushed out Native Americans, revealing the myths and facts of the Big Quiet in particular and placing it in historical perspective with the rest of the West. The result is an analysis of power struggles and expansion and uses a single remote region to illustrate land battles and more.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Urgent Interventional Therapies
Nicholas Kopshidze, et.al. Editors
Wiley Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780470672020, $235.00, www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Urgent Interventional Therapies focuses on urgent procedures performed in critical cases of cardiovascular disease, and differentiates between urgent interventions and those designed to treat and manage chronic conditions. It narrows the focus to cardiovascular and peripheral artery disease, gathers works by some of the world's foremost cardiovascular experts, and supplements their articles and insights with the work of a team of authors who add expert research and analysis. Any cardio interventionist or radiologist interested in the processes and applications of urgent interventions will find this packed with technical expert advice on all stages of treatment.

Healing Gotham
Bruce F. Berg
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421415994, $34.95, www.press.jhu.edu

Healing Gotham: New York City's Public Health Policies for the Twenty-First Century charts the rise and incidence of five serious public heath threats: childhood lead poisoning, childhood asthma, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and West Nile virus, and considers the various tools used by health officials and policy makers to control public health problems. He analyzes contributing social factors - race and ethnicity - and makes a case for how various social forces affect the managing of illnesses in the public arena. Scholars and students can thus compare public health policies and can understand how these policies are developed and implemented around the country, using New York City's practices as a foundation for analysis and examination.


The Audiobook Shelf

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

David Baldacci's Memory Man (9781478929987, $40.00) is narrated by Ron McLarty with Orlagh Cassidy and provides a fine story of one Amos Decker, whose life moved from a promising career as an athlete to a 'disability' that leads him to never forget anything. This talent lends more to investigation than athletics - and so Amos moves into the field of law as a police detective, only to find his family murdered and destroyed by an elusive killer. He leaves the force - but is called back in when unusual crimes threaten Baltimore - and he must call on all his gifts to get to the bottom of not only present-day events, but his memories of the past. The resulting, gripping narrative comes alive in audio. Nelson DeMille's Radiant Angel (9781478953241, $40.00) is narrated by Scott Brick, whose firm and revealing voice lends well to the story of a political game, terrorism, and a new assignment. Corey realizes the threat in a newly-strong Russia - and when a colonel posing as a diplomat in the Russian Mission vanishes, it's up to him to find him - which immerses him in Russian politics and a possible nuclear threat called 'radiant angel'. The result is a tense thriller that comes to life in audio.


The Computer Shelf

Teach Your Kids to Code
Bryson Payne
No Starch Press
38 Ringold Street, San Francisco, CO 94103-4403
9781593275990, $29.95, www.nostarch.com

Teach Your Kids to Code: A Parent-Friendly Guide to Python Programming provides an introduction to the Python programming language for parents who want to teach kids the basics of Python programming, and offers parents and teachers a user's guide to teaching kids the basics of programming and problem solving using Python. Step-by-step explanations teach kids about analytical thinking and computations while instructions on basic programming concepts lead young programmers to learn how to build their own games. From encoding and decoding messages to calculations in games, this offers a blend of introductory programming and kid-friendly activities for kids ages 9 and older, and is a pick for any who would learn programming basics at an early age.


The Parenting Shelf

W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

"8 Keys to Raising the Quirky Child: How to Help a Kid Who Doesn't Quite Fit In" (9780393709209, $19.95) provides tips and strategies for parents of kids who are different, and who thus experience problems fitting in and making friends. The difference may lie in personality, behaviors, interests and hobbies, or how they play: they're not on the autism spectrum but neither are they part of the norm. This book defines such quirks and provides parents with ideas for understanding their children, development norms, and how to help their kids function in social settings. It's a lovely survey parents will find unique and filled with practical ideas. Michael Mascolo's "8 Keys to Old School Parenting for Modern-Day Families" (9780393709360, $19.95) blends psychology and psychotherapy in a guide designed to help parents understand their role and their influence on a child's emotional development. From strategies to motivate compliance to encouraging problem-solving skills, handling conflict, and communicating better, this book helps parents raise strong children who are emotionally secure and engaged in their environments, and is a pick for parents who want to blend modern perspectives with old-fashioned morality and ethical standards. Both are key discussions that should be in any parenting library.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Dignity and Destiny
John F. Kilner
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802867643, $35.00, www.eerdmans.com

Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God explores that the Bible says about humanity being in God's image, considering all the Biblical references to the image of God and documenting common misunderstandings and how their origins often lie in misinterpretation. It considers the impact of sin on God's image, what factors lay in humanity's renewal in God's image, what passages indicate people can expect a new life in Christ, and more, and it provides thinking Christians with philosophical as well as spiritual points of reflection. The result is a powerful survey that will attract theologians and Christian readers interested in philosophical and spiritual reflection.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Blood of the Cosmos
Kevin J. Anderson
Tor
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9780765333001, $27.99, www.tor-forge.com

Blood of the Cosmos: The Saga of Shadows Book Two is a top pick for fans of the space opera genre and offers the second book of the trilogy, in which humans and Ildirans, having escaped annihilation at the hands of the Shana Rei, are facing deadly black clouds that absorb all life. Alien refugees may threaten all - but as the clouds attack worlds, an alliance among competing forces may produce the only kind of weapon to drive them back. Familiarity with the prior book in the series is a prerequisite to the successful appreciation of this follow-up to the epic: an engrossing and enchanting story of survival, alliances, and uncertain survival that is as engrossing as Wheel of Time and other detailed universes.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Purl Up and Die
Maggie Sefton
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425258446, $25.95, www.penguin.com

Purl Up and Die provides another lovely blend of recipes and knitting patterns as it tells of Kelly Flynn's summer in Colorado, which is supposed to be steeped in romantic celebrations and knitting classes, but which turns into murder when a young woman accuses her friend's son of assaulting her - and when she is then found dead, making the son the top suspect. The police think it's an open-and-shut case but Kelly's work proves otherwise in a fun knitting mystery that will appeal to any who love knitting, recipes, and intrigue.


The Fiction Shelf

A God in Ruins
Kate Atkinson
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316176538, $28.00, www.littlebrown.com

A God in Ruins provides a companion to Atkinson's best-selling Life After Life, in a fashion: but don't expect the same focus on reincarnated life that drove its predecessor; for this sequel is about war and recovery and is a sequel primarily in its focus on one of the characters, Teddy, who is Ursula's little brother. It stands well alone as it tells of the world through Teddy's eyes as he moves from a military fighter to becoming a father, husband, and grandfather and moves through his changing world. Readers who enjoyed the life changes and perspectives of Life After Life will find A God in Ruins doesn't employ the same device but does succeed in fleshing out the perspective and story of Teddy quite nicely, making it a winning novel for those who would experience life's changes through one character's perspective and evolving world.


The Political Science Shelf

Clinton Cash
Peter Schweizer
Harper
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062369284, $27.99, www.harpercollins.com

Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich tells of how the Clintons left the White House owing millions in legal debt - and how they have earned over, $130 million since. Most assume this largess comes from book deals and speaking engagements - but many will be surprised to discover that many of these gigs paid up to, $750,000. Why, and who paid these fees? Schweizer reveals the special interests at work in these events, discussing various scenarios of enormous contributions made to the Clintons by those who stood to benefit from them. As an eye-opening story of politics gone awry, it will provide food for thought not just into the Clintons, but into the process of political gifting and a reward system with dubious ethical connections.

Constitutional Calculus
Jeff Suzuki
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421415956, $34.95, www.press.jhu.edu

Constitutional Calculus: The Math of Justice and the Myth of Common Sense considers what would happen if we replaced the electoral college with a direct popular vote, and analyzes the social and political impact of such a move. Mathematician Jeff Suzuki maintains that the popular ideal of letting common sense prevail actually is not a good foundation for change, arguing that common sense based traditions developed in quite a different world might not apply today. His book considers how math reveals flaws, provides answers, and offers more concrete insights, promoting the idea that math offers a superior decision-making foundation than common sense could provide. The result is a powerful survey that is a 'must' for any political science reader.


The Social Issues Shelf

The Silencing
Kirsten Powers
Regnery Publishing
300 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
9781621573708, $27.99, www.regnery.com

The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech details the left's tactics of shutting down debates on modern issues - despite the thought that it's the right who tends to do the same - and comes from a lifelong liberal, not a right-wing Republican - so it holds much food for thought. Powers identifies the "illiberal left" and its mission of silencing dissent, exploring how opinions are delegitimized and how rhetoric substitutes for real debate in the political arena. If this book had come from a right-wing Republican, it might be less intriguing: the fact that lifelong self-proclaimed liberal Powers makes a case for problems in liberal thinking makes this especially intriguing and accessible for any who would examine the liberal mindset and its problems.


The Education Shelf

The Great Disconnect in Early Childhood Education
Michael Gramling
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781605543994, $24.95, www.redleafpress.org

The Great Disconnect in Early Childhood Education presents a new approach for early childhood educators who may know much about how children learn, but less about how that connects to classroom choices. With a system that advocates rote learning, young children are less encouraged to use play and exploration as learning devices: this book identifies the problems, provides a history of how this educational focus came to be, and, most importantly, uses real-life examines to show how to improve communication with young children. Highly recommended.

Teaching Arguments
Jennifer Fletcher
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
9781571109996, $26.00, www.stenhouse.com

Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response provides teachers with classroom activities, writing prompts, and student samples to help students learn how to write, read and think rhetorically, and is a recommendation for teachers looking to help students analyze texts to form persuasive arguments and debates. It outlines the basics of the rhetorical approach to argument which can apply from high school into college and, in many cases, to life's challenges. The process involves evaluation, assessment, understanding audience and speech dynamics, and written word alike, and is a powerful survey for any teacher seeking to help students hone their analytical abilities.

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

Margery B. Ginsberg's Excited to Learn: Motivation and Culturally Responsive Teaching (9781452259536, $32.95) helps teachers to identify and form teaching methods around natural curiosity, creating a learning environment that takes curriculum and tailors it to a research-validated model to foster inspiration, motivation, and insight. Templates, protocols, and directions provide keys to handling culturally diverse classrooms and introduces the concept of a motivational framework to teachers who may not have had this background. The specific strategies can easily apply to different subjects and approaches. The result is a solid guide for any teacher looking to instill excitement into the learning process. Lee Jenkins' Optimize Your School: It's All About the Strategy (9781483382890, $34.95) is for school leaders looking for concrete methods of analyzing whether or not a school is heading in the right direction, and comes from a school advisor who has worked with different districts in the process of transforming school culture. Each chapter reviews strategies, offers insights on the evaluative and leadership process, and shows how to apply basic principles of continuous strategic improvement to the achievement of a healthier school culture. Russell J. Quaglia, et.al.'s Student Voice: Turn Up the Volume K-8 Activity Book (9781483382784, $25.00) provides activities for inspiring and involving students at this grade level and offers teachers ideas designed to help students achieve on a different level than the usual classroom approaches have traditionally offered. By organizing content around activities that support self-expression, create values, reinforce dreams and encourage student engagement, as well as keeping with the intentions of Common Core, 21st Century Skills, Student Voice: Turn Up the Volume K-8 Activity Book provides a rich and varied resource teachers will appreciate. Chris McGaughy and Andrea Venezia's Supporting the Dream: High School-College Partnerships for College and Career Readiness (9781483316819, $28.95) discusses how to build strong working relationships for high school graduates who want to succeed, and teaches the basics of creating cross-system partnerships among schools and local communities to help educators support their forthcoming high school grads. From connecting policies and practices so that these cross-partnership efforts work smoothly together to building plans to assure success whether it be in the workplace or in college, this manual offers educators an opportunity to use a systematic framework to guide students through this critical phase in their lives. Dionne V. McLaughlin's Insights: How Expert Principals Make Difficult Decisions (9781483351193, $22.00) shows principals how to tackle hard decisions by providing case studies of actual situations faced in the real world. From checklists and frameworks for handling difficult situations to keeping professional values in mind when crafting solutions, this survey comes from a former elementary and secondary school administrator and blends research-based strategies with an analysis for school principals that doesn't just tackle unique situations, but provides a solid problem-solving formula for success.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Afterlife Healing Circle
Candace L. Talmadge and Jana L. Simons
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
220 West Parkway, Unit 12, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
9781601633736, $14.99, www.newpagebooks.com

The Afterlife Healing Circle: How Anyone Can Contact the Other Side describes a practice that will enable not just reconnections with the other side, but newfound guidance for afterlife awareness. It discusses various methods for contacting the dearly departed and understanding those who have either passed on or are being reborn, and it discusses how to contact these spirits. One of the most interesting contentions here is a belief that "...if more of us were in conscious and frequent communication with our guides, there would be a lot fewer instances of hauntings, diabolic home invasions, and even possession, all of which are far more common than the media or religious authorities care to admit." This, and its focus on how ordinary people can make contact and enjoy healing as a result, makes for a unique and involving survey.

Way of the Bushman As Told By the Tribal Elders
Bradford Keeney, PhD and Hillary Keeney, PhD
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781591432050, $18.00, www.bearandcompanybooks.com

Way of the Bushman As Told By the Tribal Elders: Spiritual Teachings and Practices of the Kalahari Jul'hoansi is told in the Bushman's own words and provides a series of insightful teachings on how they receive direct transmissions of God's words through the universal life force. Such is an inspired feeling of love that lends to heightened awareness, mystical experiences, and newfound perceptions of the world that awaken spiritual wisdom, and may be inherent in legends as well as teachings and experiences. This focus on the Bushmen of the Kahahari gathers the core teachings of the tribal elders and uses their own words to reveal these processes, making for a coverage that is precise and purposeful in its discussions.

Manual of Psychomagic
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620551073, $19.95, www.innertraditions.com

Manual of Psychomagic: The Practice of Shamanic Psychotherapy blends spirituality, new age concerns and psychology as it considers the unconscious mind, rational thought, and how to reach into the unconscious using dreams, poetry, and symbolism to overcome repressed memories and emotions. Psychomagic spells here come from the filmmaker and creator of psychomagic, who provides some 200 solutions for a range of psychological and physical problems from stuttering to eczema and more. Solutions use emotional connections to inject symbolism that enables one to pay the psychological debts that have become barriers to real understanding. Readers should ideally be grounded in psychology and new age spiritual thinking to appreciate his unique approach.


The Botany Shelf

Famous Trees of Texas
Gretchen Riley and Peter D. Smith
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
9781623492380, $35.00, www.tamupress.com

The centennial edition of Famous Trees of Texas traces the history and horticulture of some of the state's famous trees, appears in a centennial edition, and celebrates all kinds of tree and state history in the process of appearing in the hundredth anniversary of the Texas Forest Service. Over a hundred trees are featured and provide a range of stories and insights into trees in general, Texas history and culture, and tree history and relationships particular to Texas. The result is a lively read that will interest two audiences: those with an appreciation for Texas history and those interested in Texas forestry and trees.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

life.love.beauty
Keegan Allen
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9781250065704, $29.99, www.stmartins.com

life.love.beauty comes from an actor, photographer, and musician who is known from the hit show 'Pretty Little Liars', who here uses camera and written word to explore his personal experiences with Hollywood and its inhabitants. It uses his photography, prose and poetry to capture his life growing up just off the Sunset Strip, becoming a young actor, looking for love and fame in Hollywood, and landing a major role in a hit television series, but provides just as powerful a documentary of his course through life. The result is a blend of memoir and Hollywood insider's expose and will delight any who are followers of the sights, sounds, and magic that is Hollywood.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

House Guests
Richard Jones
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781472906236, $28.00, www.bloomsbury.com

House Guests: A Natural History of Animals in the Home covers a number of domestic animals, pets and pets and focuses on how animals live in the home environment. It includes bats in the attic, cellar denizens, moths, mosquitoes, and various beetles and louses and it includes pest control efforts, a history of homes and invaders, and more. While the tone is lively, the book is loaded with natural history and facts, making it a fine acquisition for science, nature, and general-interest collections alike.


The Fashion Shelf

Fifty Fashion Designers That Changed the World
The Design Museum & Lauren Cochrane
Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781840916812, $20.00, www.octopusbooksusa.com

Fifty Fashion Designers That Changed the World provides a new title in the Design Museum Fifty series published in conjunction with London's Design Museum, and follows on the success of other 'Fifty' arts titles covering significant people and events in international design. This book traces the works of a number of pioneers, examining their influences, creations, and their lasting impact on fashion as a whole. Full-page color photos of models and designers accompany a facing page that places their works and approach in historical perspective, making for a visually inviting introduction perfect for newcomers to design and those who want a solid historical survey.


The Travel Shelf

Road Trip USA
Jamie Jensen
Moon Handbooks
c/o Avalon Travel
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781612389028, $29.99, www.roadtripusa.com

Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways covers over 35,000 miles of routes and cross-references the routes to allow for numerous itineraries and possibilities, making for an approach that goes beyond the usual documentation of roads and byroads to create a rich traveler's compendium of road trip ideas. The page color coding, small maps, color photos throughout, and sidebars of information all lend to browsing and quick review, but it's the format that offers unique opportunities to customize, change, or revise routes. It's hard to put together a road trip guide that lends to browsing and at-a-glance information alike, but the style and approach of Road Trip USA accomplishes both and makes it a take-along 'must' for any American road traveler.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Applique: The Basics & Beyond
Janet Pittman
Landauer Publishing
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A, Urbandale, Iowa 50322
9781935726623, $24.95, www.landauerpub.com

Applique: The Basics & Beyond provides a guide to machine and hand techniques alike, and packs in over a hundred forty pages of visuals perfect for beginners and those who are looking to learn new techniques. It builds on basics and uses hundreds of step-by-step photos to explain the various machine and hand techniques, and it details stitching instructions, tells when to use different techniques, and includes projects so that users can test their newfound skills. The result is a collection of patterns, projects, and instructions perfect for those who want to either learn the basics or build on what they have.


The Biography Shelf

The Obelisk and the Englishman
Dorothy U. Seyler
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633880368, $26.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

The Obelisk and the Englishman: The Pioneering Discoveries of Egyptologist William Bankes tells of a pioneer in Egyptian studies who discovered the King List - a call listing Egyptian kings in chronological order - and uncovered an obelisk which he had sent back to England. Despite the fact that he was the first European to make sketches and site plans of Petra and more, his name has largely gone unheralded outside of the field, and this rich book covering his life, influences, and times will appeal to a wide range of audiences, covering his homosexuality, persecution, his travels and love of the arts, and his key contributions to Egyptian research. It's a powerful survey, highly recommended for history and general-interest readers alike.

John Mullan
Keith C. Petersen
Washington State University Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
9780874223217, $32.95, www.wsupress.wsu.edu

John Mullan: The Tumultuous Life of a Western Road Builder discusses the man responsible for a 625-mile link that connected the Missouri and Columbia Rivers: a West Point graduate who completed the Northwest's first engineered highway at age thirty-two. When he died twenty-five years later, he saw automobiles making crossings along his route, which would become a link in America's longest interstate freeway, I-90. Much has been said about this road but the soldier/explorer who built one of the West's most important byways has all but vanished from history - until now. This represents the first in-depth survey of his life and provides a biography that should be in any Northwest history collection. From Mullan's knack for logistics to his participation in bridge-planning and road building, this biography not only considers his life; but in so doing traces how he participated in the development of the Pacific Northwest.

Henry David Thoreau
Tim Flinders, Editor
Orbis Books
Price Building, Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
9781626981102, $22.00, www.orbisbooks.com

Henry David Thoreau: Spiritual and Prophetic Writings is a biography that embraces a healthy dose of spiritual and philosophical reflection as it gathers classic writings in an anthology which gives a narrowed focus on his prophetic works from his journeys, correspondence, and more. From Thoreau's cultivation of privacy so he can tap his spiritual roots and writings more effectively to getting a living and living life well, these works are powerful reflections of Thoreau's evolution and his spiritual sentiments, and are a top pick for any collection seeking a wider-ranging gathering of his more spiritual thoughts.


The Art Shelf

The Art of Forgery
Noah Charney
Phaidon Press
Regent's Wharf, All Saints Street, London, England, N1 9PA
9780714867458, $35.00, www.phaidon.com

The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers details the efforts and history of art forgery from early to modern times, and considers the talent, subterfuge, and efforts that go into forging a piece of art, and the forensic science and investigations of exposing these works. It considers psychological profiles of the forgers who have faked great art pieces and conned the public, it examines their motivations and methods, and it uses 30 case studies, accompanied by many full- and half-page photo illustrations throughout, to explore the history and works of master forgers. The result is a fine survey of fakes, originals, and forgery that even moves into realm of archaeology and beyond: a masterful and lively chronicle that belongs in not only art, but general interest libraries.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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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