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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 28, Number 2 February 2018 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Civil War Shelf Military Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Technology Shelf Architecture Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Aviation Shelf Education Shelf Art Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Autism Shelf Parenting Shelf Gardening Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Biography Shelf Travel Shelf
Political Science Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Judaic Studies Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Fishing Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Crafts Shelf Sports Shelf
Journalism Shelf Mathematics Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Dance Shelf Martial Arts Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Basic Survival: A Beginner's Guide
David Nash
www.tngun.com
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510724679, $12.99, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

David Nash is a verifiable preparedness MacGyver. He is both an academically trained professional emergency manager as well as a personal prepper. Nah is also a homesteader who raises a variety of animals, bees, and plants in a small suburban yard. He runs the popular prepper's blog www.tngun.com. With "Basic Survival: A Beginner's Guide" he draws upon his years of experience and expertise to write an impressively informative, engagingly illustrated survival instruction manual for the non-specialist general readers concerned with the possibilities and probabilities of natural disasters, global conflict, and political unrest. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Basic Survival" dispels myths, introduces concepts, and teaches the basics of how to start preparing for disaster. "Basic Survival" is an effective and comprehensive resource that offers a effective guide to being prepared when any form of emergency occurs -- with or without prior warning. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Basic Survival: A Beginner's Guide" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.86).

Naive Intention
Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
355 Lexington Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017
http://actar.com
9781945150470, $24.95, HC, 188pp, www.amazon.com

Deftly introduced by an informative and thoughtful essay about the vague contradiction between intentionality and chance, necessity and accident, reason and futility, authorship and anonymity, "Naive Intention" presents a large selection of numerous images that inform Pezo von Ellrichshausen's cross production between art, architecture and academia. Each page contains a single picture and a brief caption describing it. Beyond a comprehensive depiction of the individual works, the monograph also underlines transversal notions of inventory, format, scale, regulation and value within the pictorial representation. In the fashion of a personal album, each individual drawing, painting, photograph, model or building, evokes the mental world behind the couple's production. "Naive Intention" is a study that could be read both as a collection of ideas, one after another, or as the same one that persists over time. Erudite, thought-provoking, and an inherently fascinating read, "Naive Intention" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, college, and university library Art & Architecture collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Swept Away
Karen Hobbs
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764354458, $24.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Since Ben Franklin brought broomcorn to America from Egypt in 1790, the humble kitchen broom has been an integral part of our daily lives. Karen Hobbs teaches broom making, gourding, and basketry at conventions and retreats around the US and in the illustrated pages of "Swept Away: The Vanishing Art of Broom Making" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to showcase the rich and colorful history of the American broomcorn industry, as well as revealing how broomcorn is grown, harvested, and dyed, and, following her easy step-by-step instructions with photographs and illustrations, how make your own broom using one of the seven different broom patterns provided, including Kitchen, Hearth, Cobweb, Turkey Wing Whisk, and Angel Whisk brooms. More than 150 masterpieces by America's most talented artistic broom makers appear in the gallery section and feature a surprisingly diverse and colorful array of handles and stalks. An impressive compendium of broom lore and superstitions, aspiring broom makers will discover proper care methods to get the most out of their broom, and quickly learn all the broom terms needed in the glossary. Of special note is the inclusion of a recipe for Broomstick Cake! Unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Swept Away: The Vanishing Art of Broom Making" will prove to be a unique and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, community, and academic library collections.

Think Before You Like
Guy P. Harrison
Prometheus Books
9781633883512, $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Think Before You Like: Social Media's Effect on the Brain and the Tools You Need to Navigate Your Newsfeed shows how better critical thinking can result in better use of social media applications, and makes a powerful case for the dangers that lie in social media's appeal for those who would use it to keep up with daily events. From misinformation to fraud and propaganda, chapters discuss not only dangerous processes but how social media may be used to manipulate both media and readers' perceptions. Scientific studies consider why the subconscious mind loves social media and how that instinctive attraction can pose a danger by circumventing one's critical thinking processes. The result is a 'must' for social issues, computer, and critical thinking readers.

Six Words Fresh Off the Boat
Larry Smith, Editor
Kingswell
c/o Disney
9781368008389, $15.99 www.disney.com

Six Words Fresh Off the Boat: Stories of Immigration, Identity, and Coming to America gathers the experiences of immigrants and include hundreds of personal stories written by people who come to America from vastly different nations and walks of life. Each short experience is accompanied by a six-word summation and each provides a powerful collection of first-person observations about the American dream, making this an easy readers for anyone interested in immigrant choices and experiences.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story
John Dufresne
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393352351, $15.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

The history of fiction has been dominated by the novel and the short story. But now a brave new genre has emerged: very brief fiction. "FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story" by John Dufresne (who is the author of ten previous books, including two fiction writing guides, as well as a professor in the MFA program at Florida International University) identifies the qualities that make for excellent flash fiction, demystifies the writing process, and guides writers by exercise and example through the world of the very short story. Dufresne's characteristic warmth, wit, and humor remind writers of the joy in the creative process, making "FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story" a perfect and ideal guide for any writer interested in trying a new form. A unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story" should be considered a 'must read' by any writer seeking to master the literary art of this relatively new literary art form. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Writing & Literature instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!
Penny Sansevieri
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781548700249, $9.99 PB, $3.95 Kindle, 230pp, www.amazon.com

Amazon is justifiably considered to be the proverbially 800 pound gorilla of online book marketing. With the slow demise of brick & board bookstores and the dominating rise of online book marketing it is essential that authors and publishers know how to maximize the Amazon web site with respect to selling their books. In the pages of "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!: Master Amazon & Sell More Books!" author and professional book marketing expert Penny Sansevieri teaches exactly how to use Amazon to sell books. Simply stated, "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!" is the ultimate and 'real world practical' guide for mastering the Amazon marketing system. Follow her proven strategies and self-published authors and authors published by small or niche publishers will instantly skyrocket their book's exposure and kick their book marketing into overdrive! Penny covers such vital book marketing issues as: Achieving top visibility for a book on Amazon regardless of subject matter of genre; Increase sales through perfectly timed pre-order campaigns; Leverage a secret tool to get hundreds of reader reviews; Use Kindle Unlimited to its greatest advantage; Boost sales by knowing when to give away an e-book (this really works as a marketing for profit strategy); Learn keywords and book descriptions that will draw in tons of buyers; Identify and locate secret categories that drive bigger sales; Make sure a book is ranked #1 in its particular category. "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!" is essential reading in this on-line era of book selling in general, and selling books on the Amazon web site in particular. It is also the primary instructional resource and reference for authors and publishers wanting to understand the inner workings of Amazon and thereby sell more books. Incidentally, buy "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!" on Amazon and you'll also receive as a bonus: Free listings of top fiction bloggers and hundreds of bonus resources! In summation, there is no better written, accessibly organized, or more comprehensive instructional on Amazon, (and containing invaluable tips, tricks and techniques that can be applied to other online book selling web sites) and every writer and every publisher should have their own copy of this 2018 Edition of "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon!" by Penny Sansevieri.


The Social Issues Shelf

Supermax Prison
Larry L. Franklin & J. D. Rakesh
History Publishing Company, LLC
PO Box 700, 15 Heyhoe Woods Road, Palisades, New York 10964-0700
www.historypublishingco.com
9781933909837, $19.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Larry L. Franklin and J. D. Rakesh, "Supermax Prison: Controlling The Most Dangerous Prisoners" is a penetrating look at the violence that swept the American prison system in the 1980's and 1990's and the organizational structure mirroring the Mafia that erupted in them. The inmates had to make a choice between joining a gang that offered protection, friendships, financial rewards, access to drugs and other contraband or serving as a lone inmate in a dangerous, even lethal world. The worst in this violent world were sent to the supermax prison, Tamms, located in Illinois. "Supermax Prison" is the story of Tamms and the men incarcerated there. Impressively informed and informative, "Supermax Prison: Controlling The Most Dangerous Prisoners" is a deftly crafted and extraordinary study that is highly and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Judicial System collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of criminology students, governmental prison policy makers, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Supermax Prison" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Whales: Their Biology and Behavior
Phillip Hammond, et al.
Comstock Publishing Associates
c/o Cornell University Press
512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
9781501716560, $19.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Profusely illustrated throughout, "Whales: Their Biology and Behavior" explores the lives of the world's largest living mammals. Drawing on the latest scientific research, "Whales" describes these incredible animals' evolution from terrestrial to marine mammals, their life cycle, diversity and distribution, and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Whales highlights the many extraordinary aspects of these intelligent and social creatures, including the complex vocalizations they use to communicate over vast distances. The collaborative work of Philip Hammond, Sonja Heinrich, Sascha Hooker, and Peter Tyack, "Whales" also investigate the role of whales in human culture, from whaling to whale watching, and emphasize how scientists monitor the current threats to whales and the methods they use to conserve their future. Spectacular photographs of whales in the wild reveal the private lives of these fascinating and majestic ocean giants, making "Whales" an invaluable, informative, 'reader friendly', and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, school and community library Pets/Wildlife collections in general, and Whales supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The American History Shelf

Reconstruction
Brooks D. Simpson, editor
The Library of America
14 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
www.loa.org
9781598535556, $40.00, HC, 807pp, www.amazon.com

There are few periods in American history more consequential but less understood than the Reconstruction era following the end of the American civil war. This was the name given to the tumultuous twelve years after Appomattox, when the battered nation sought to reconstitute itself and confront the legacy of two centuries of slavery. Compiled and edited by Brooks D. Simpson (who is the Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University), this Library of American edition of "Reconstruction" is an anthology that brings together more than one hundred contemporary letters, diary entries, interviews, petitions, testimonies, and newspaper and magazine articles by well-known figures including Frederick Douglass, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Andrew Johnson, Thaddeus Stevens, Ulysses S. Grant, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mark Twain, Albion Tourgee, as well as by dozens of ordinary men and women, black and white, northern and southern, to tell the story of our nation's first attempt to achieve racial equality. Through their eyes readers experience the fierce contest between President Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republicans resulting in the nation's first presidential impeachment; the adoption of the revolutionary Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments; the first achievements of black political power; and the murderous terrorism of the Klan and other groups that, combined with northern weariness, indifference, and hostility, eventually resulted in the restoration of white supremacy in the South. Throughout, Americans confront the essential questions left unresolved by the defeat of secession: What system of labor would replace slavery, and what would become of the southern plantations? Would the war end in the restoration of a union of sovereign states, or in the creation of a truly national government? What would citizenship mean after emancipation, and what civil rights would the freed people gain? Would suffrage be extended to African American men, and to all women? An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from beginning to end, "Reconstruction" is unreservedly recommended for both school, community, college, and university library 19th Century American History collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Reconstruction" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

An African American and Latinx History of the United States
Paul Ortiz
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807013106 $27.95 hc / $18.99 Kindle amazon.com

Paul Ortiz (associate professor of history, University of Florida) presents An African American and Latinx History of the United States, an in-depth chronicle of the long and difficult quest for civil rights of African Americans and Latinx people. Chapters chronicle labor and solidarity movements among both ethno-racial communities, from the post-Civil War Reconstruction to the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights era, and beyond. Written with scholarly precision, yet thoroughly accessible to lay readers, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a "must-have" for public and college library American History collections. Extensive notes and an index round out this superb resource.

Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849
Christopher Alan Gordon
Missouri Historical Society
c/o University of Chicago Press (dist.)
1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
www.press.uchicago.edu
9781883982935 $19.95

Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849 draws upon the resources of the Missouri Historical Society to present a tumultuous year in the history of St. Louis, as told from newspaper accounts, letters, diaries, city and county records, contemporary publications, and more from the people who lived through it. In 1849, St. Louis was a frontier town struggling with rapid population growth, and suffering from poor infrastructure. A horrific cholera epidemic and the Great Fire of 1849 devastated the city, yet there was also an inspirational capability for optimism, resilience, and the will to rebuild. Meticulously researched and engagingly presented, Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849 is a choice pick for public and college library American History collections.

America 1844
John Bicknell
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613730102 $26.95 hc / $13.19 Kindle amazon.com

America 1844: Religious Fervor, Westward Expansion, and the Presidential Election that Transformed a Nation chronicles a pivotal time in America's history. Henry Clay and James K. Polk both ran for election - and if Henry Clay had won, America might look very different (and smaller) than it does today. Polk's victory ensured the push for westward expansion that extended the union to Texas, California, and Oregon. 1844 was also a time of religious turmoil, and incidents of anti-Mormon and anti-Catholic violence, as well as the "Great Disappointment" when thousands of followers of a preacher named William Miller believed Christ would return to earth in October 1844. Author and journalist John Bicknell brings chaos, controversy, and conflict to life in this expertly researched history written with both the precision of a scholar and the flair of a master storyteller. Highly recommended, especially for public and library American History collections.

Prairie Power
Sarah Eppler Janda
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806157948 $29.95 pbk / $28.45 Kindle amazon.com

Prairie Power: Student Activism, Counterculture, and Backlash in Oklahoma 1962-1972 is a scholarly examination of student activism in Oklahoma, including its links to grassroots socialist radicalism, anti-draft protests, countercultural expression, and more. These "prairie power" free speech advocates are compared and contrasted against student protesters on the East Coast. Also scrutinized are the extreme efforts with which state officials worked to repress "agitators". Notes, a selected bibliography, and an index round out this excellent contribution to Oklahoma and American History shelves, highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.


The World History Shelf

Atlas of Empires
Peter Davidson
Companion House Books
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781620082874, $19.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

"Atlas of Empires: The World's Great Powers from Ancient Times to Today" by historian Peter Davison tells the story of how and why the great empires of history came into being, operated and ultimately declined, and discusses the future of the empire in today's globalized world. Featuring 60 beautiful and detailed maps of the empires' territories at different stages of their existence and organized thematically to reflect the different driving forces behind empires throughout history (such as faith, nomadic culture, nationhood and capitalism), each section discusses the rise and fall of the empires that existed in a region: their government and society, wealth and technology, war and military force, and religious beliefs. From the earliest empires of the Sumerians and the Pharaohs to the modern empires of the USSR and the European Union, "Atlas of Empires" showcases a story that reveals how empires are created and organized, how later empires resolve the problems of governance faced by earlier empires, and how the political and cultural legacies of ancient empires are still felt today. An absolute pleasure to browse, impressively informative, beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, remarkably well written, organized and presented, "Atlas of Empires" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community and academic library World History collections and supplemental studies lists.

No Way Out: The Irish in Wartime France 1939-1945
Isadore Ryan
Mercier Press
https://www.mercierpress.ie
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781781174876, $32.00, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

After the Germans invaded in 1940, at least 2,000 Irish people found themselves trapped in France. Intent on staying alive, most kept their heads down, but some became involved to varying degrees. "No Way Out: The Irish in Wartime France 1939-1945" by Isadore Ryan is an historical collection and collection of their experiences and misadventures in France during the traumatic years of World War II. An inherently fascinating and informative read from beginning to end, it is interesting to note that Isadore Ryan is a financial journalist and editor, resident in Paris for over 20 years. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century European History collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "No Way Out: The Irish in Wartime France 1939-1945" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).


The Civil War Shelf

That Bloody Hill
Lee Elder
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476669588, $35.00, PB, 239pp, www.amazon.com

During the American Civil War, Hilliard's Legion (a part of Archibald Gracie's Brigade of Alabama Confederates) fought in the battle of Chickamauga. "That Bloody Hill: Hilliard's Legion at Chickamauga" by Lee Elder shows conclusively that Gracie's command was never forced from the berm at the top of the Horseshoe Ridge and that some men from Hilliard's Legion penetrated to the top of the Ridge. A reexamination of the battle's conclusion highlights the Legion's role in the final movement. A Medal of Honor citation is corrected and the Legion's post-war contributions are explored. A complete roster is included, with biographical notes on most of the soldiers. Impressively informative, exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "That Bloody Hill" is an invaluable contribution to the growing body of American Civil War literature and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Civil War buffs that "That Bloody Hill" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Inglorious Passages
Brian Steel Wills
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
www.kansaspress.ku.edu
9780700625086 $34.95 hc / $23.15 Kindle amazon.com

Brian Steel Wills (professor of history, Kennesaw State University) presents Inglorious Passage: Noncombat Deaths in the American Civil War, a scholarly study drawing upon letters, diaries, obituaries, and more primary sources to examine a rarely discussed phenomenon of the American Civil War - mortality from noncombat deaths. An estimated up to two-thirds of the soldiers who died in the Civil War perished from disease; others succumbed to accidents, murder, suicide, sunstroke, or drowning. Inglorious Passages also discusses thousands of civilians who lost their lives in factories, in battles near their homes, and other dire circumstances connected to wartime production and supply. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this worthy contribution to public and college library Civil War shelves.


The Military Shelf

Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army
Otto Heidkamper, author
Linden Lyons, translator
Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612005485, $32.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines, Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz (a fortress town) meaning that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army in 1943. Otto Heidkamper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt's 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944, right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans and destroying property. Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside. Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been captured. Deftly translated into English by Linden Lyons, "Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army" by Otto Heidkamper (who was a highly decorated Wehrmacht general who commanded several divisions during World War II, the recipient of the Knight's Cross, and Chief-of-Staff of 3rd Panzer Army during the Vitebsk battles) is an impressively informed and informative account that is a highly valued addition to the growing library of World War II military histories and memoirs. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections and supplemental studies reading lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and military buffs that "Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.89).

Victory at Midway
James M. D'Angelo
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476670713, $35.00, PB, 206pp, www.amazon.com

Retired physician James M. D'Angelo founded the International Midway Memorial Foundation in 1992 for the purpose of preserving the memory of the Battle of Midway. He has written articles on Midway in Wings of Gold, a publication of the Association of Naval Aviation, the newsletter of the Naval Order of the United States and is also editor of the quarterly newsletter of the International Midway Memorial Foundation. He lives in Bradenton, Florida. In "Victory at Midway: The Battle That Changed the Course of World War II" he draws upon his expertise to inform a new generation of readers of a pivotal battle in America's ultimate defeat of the Japanese when some five months after Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Japanese Navy had won a string of victories in a campaign to consolidate control of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Then in June of 1942, Japan suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Midway and was never again able to take the offensive in the Pacific. Bringing fresh perspective to the battle and its consequences, "Victory at Midway" identifies Japan's operational plan as a major factor in its Navy's demise and describes the profound effects Midway had on the course of the war in Europe. An impressively informative, exceptionally well written account, "Victory at Midway" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library World War II history collections in general, and the Battle of Midway supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Victory at Midway" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

American Amphibious Warfare
Gary J. Ohls
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781682470886, $39.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

"American Amphibious Warfare: The Roots of Tradition to 1865" by Gary J. Ohls (who recently retired as Professor of Joint Maritime Operations in the Naval War College Program at the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California and has served a thirty-six year career in the United States Marine Corps) offers an informed and informative analysis of the early amphibious landing operations from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. Through a case study approach, the operational and strategic significance of each action is analyzed and its impact on the development of the United States is assessed. By focusing on seven major campaigns, Gary J. Ohls provides readers with a richer appreciation of the origins of American amphibious warfare. An impressively detailed and exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented study, "American Amphibious Warfare" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Military History collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated military history buffs that "American Amphibious Warfare" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.23).

Vietnam's American War
Pierre Asselin
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781107104792, $99.99, HC, 306pp, www.amazon.com

Communist forces in the Vietnam War lost most battles and suffered disproportionally higher casualties than the United States and its allies throughout the conflict. The ground war in South Vietnam and the air war in the North were certainly important in shaping the fates of the victors and losers, but they alone fail to explain why Hanoi bested Washington in the end. To make sense of the Vietnam War, students of the conflict must look beyond the war itself. In his new study, "Vietnam's American War: A History", Pierre Asselin (Dwight E. Stanford Chair in the History of US Foreign Relations at San Diego State University, specializing in East/Southeast Asia and the larger Cold War context) deftly explains the formative experiences and world view of the men who devised communist strategies and tactics during the conflict, and analyzes their rationale and impact. Drawing on two decades of research in Vietnam's own archives, Professor Asselin (who speaks Vietnamese, and regularly travels to Vietnam for research), includes classified policy statements and reports. Professor Asselin expertly and straightforwardly relates the Vietnamese communist experience - and the reasons the war turned out the way it did. Offering a unique and impressively informed and informative perspective, "Vietnam's American War: A History" is an extraordinary study of exceptional scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Vietnam War collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Vietnam's American War: A History" is also available in a paperback edition (9781107510500, $27.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.00).


The Cookbook Shelf

The Self-Care Cookbook
Drank Ardito
Surrey Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572842298, $24.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Dr. Frank Ardito has been a professor of health and wellness sciences for more than 20 years. In "The Self-Care Cookbook: A Holistic Approach to Cooking, Eating, and Living Well" he draws upon his experience and expertise to explore the intersection of cooking, eating, health, and wellness by offering 130 recipes specifically designed to help improve every aspect of life. "The Self-Care Cookbook is divided into 10 chapters, each of which focuses on one dimension of personal wellness: physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental, intellectual, nutritional, protectoral, social, occupational, and financial. Each chapter includes 13 recipes ranging from starters to mains to desserts that will support well-being through carefully selected ingredients and cooking methods. For example, the intellectual wellness chapter includes foods that improve cognition and kitchen techniques that challenge the brain. "The Self-Care Cookbook" encourages you to prepare these recipes by yourself, for yourself, as a way to create a true sense of wholeness and satisfaction. A balanced life includes both celebratory and health-supportive foods, and "The Self-Care Cookbook" will help you decide which you most want or need at any given moment. With recipes ranging from Classic Holiday Turkey; Stewed White Beans with Tomatoes and Sage; Second-Day Fajitas; and Steamed Artichokes; to Lemon-Blueberry Pavlova with Dark Chocolate; Farro Salad with Pear, Blueberries, and Feta; Ginger Sweet Potatoes; and Multi-Shaped Pasta Salad with peas and Feta, "The Self-Care Cookbook: A Holistic Approach to Cooking, Eating, and Living Well" is highly recommended for family and community cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The Self-Care Cookbook: A Holistic Approach to Cooking, Eating, and Living Well" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.72).

Bake: The Essential Companion
Alison Thompson
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804849654, $12.99, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Alison Thompson has been passionate about cooking since she was a child, writing her first cookbook when she was just 11 years old. Having worked with some of the finest pastry chefs in the world, she now has 15 years of experience under her belt as a professional chef and pastry chef and is the founder and head pastry chef of Alison Louise Designer Cakes, a wedding and special occasion cake business. In "Bake: The Essential Companion" she draws upon her experience and expertise to share culinary creations that continue to delight her clientele and her family. There's a recipe here for every occasion and every part of your meal from dinner to side dishes and, of course, dessert! With more than 200 mouth-watering recipes including her all-time favorite bread recipes, cakes and cookies, Alison also presents dozens of unique pastry recipes that are usually only found in a specialty pastry shop. She even includes a section on gluten-free baking with over 20 gluten-free recipes. Basically a complete cooking class under one cover, "Bake: The Essential Companion" will prove to be a palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, beautifully illustrated, 'kitchen cook friendly', and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer
Kathy Hester
Page Street Publishing
27 Congress Street, Suite 105, Salem, MA 01970
www.pagestreetpublishing.com
9781624145087, $21.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Vegan and cookbook author Kathy Hester is also the blogger behind HealthySlowCooking.com. In "Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide plant-based dishes with all the decadence of fried food but without the added calories. Using little to no oil, the beautifully illustrated recipes comprising "Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer" result in wholesome and delicious meals with less mess, but the perfect texture, every time. The seventy-five recipes showcased in "Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer" range from Black Bean Avocado Chimichangas; Cheesy Hot Sauce Collard Chips; Cajun French Fry Po'Boy with Vegan Mushroom Gravy; and Banana Spring Rolls; to Weeknight Calzones; Easy Air Fry Seitan Riblets; Plain Old Tots; and Southern Fried Okra. Of special note are the techniques that yield crispy tofu to rival any restaurant! A 'must' for the personal cook book collections of vegetarians and vegans, the "Vegan Cooking in Your Air Fryer" cookbook is unreservedly recommended -- and will prove to be an immediate and immensely popular addition to community library cookbook collections.

Instant One-Pot Meals
Laura Arnold
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682681602, $21.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Laura Arnold is a New York City - based food stylist and recipe developer. She currently works for The Chew, an ABC channel daytime food talk show. In the pages of "Instant One-Pot Meals: Southern Recipes for the Modern 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker" she draws upon her experience and expertise to compile a collection of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes that can be prepared quickly in the modern "instant" pressure cookers -- or cooked slow in one, since these 7-in-1 appliances can also be used as a slow-cooker. The modern pressure cooker can also serve as a saute pan, a rice cooker, a steamer, a warmer, and even a yogurt maker. "Instant One-Pot Meals" will enable even the most novice of kitchen cooks to prepare and serve delicious Southern cooking by tailoring each recipe to one or more of these functions (many mains have both fast and slow options built in). The recipes comprising "Instant One-Pot Meals" range from Vanilla Yogurt with Honey and Peaches; Chicken and Sausage Gumbo; Spicy Turkey Sloppy Joes; and Pimento Cheese Dip; to Corn Bread Dressing; Peach Pepper Jelly; Brown Sugar BBQ Ribs; and Cinnamon Roll Pull-Apart Bread. Offering breakfast dishes, side dishes, sauces, stocks, and desserts, "Instant One-Pot Meals is beautifully illustrated with 75 color photographs and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Instant One-Pot Meals" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.85).

Super Blend Me!
Jason Vale
Crown House Publishing
81 Brook Hills Circle, White Plains, NY 10605
www.crownhousepublishing.com
9780954766498, $20.95, PB, 226pp, www.amazon.com

Jason Vale is an accomplished expert in the art and practice of juicing. In "Super Blend Me!" he draws upon his impressive expertise and personal experience to prepare a comprehensive and definitive culinary guide specifically for people who want to get super lean, super healthy and super fast -- but don t want to clean a juicer! 'Super Blend Me!' is a compendium of rich, plant-based high-protein recipes designed with physical exercise in mind. All of the ingredients for the various showcased recipes can be conveniently found in any major supermarket and are all recognizable. Readers can choose from either a 7-, 10-, 14- or full 21-day Super Blend Me! diet. Also included is a handy working journal as part of the book, so progress can be logged as a means of keeping on track. Nicely illustrated throughout, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, the recipes themselves range from Pea 'n' Pom Avo Super Blend; Cherry Vanilla Indulgence; and Mighty Minty Mango Super Blend; to Chewy Cherry Almond Balls; Super Spirulina Smoothie; and Kiwi, Kale, Cucumber Cooler. A unique, one-of-a-kind, culinary treasures, "Super Blend Me!" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.

A Couple Cooks - Pretty Simple Cooking
Sona Overhiser & Alex overhiser
Lifelong Books / Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738219691, $27.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

A love story at its finest, Alex and Sonja Overhiser first fell for each other--and then the kitchen. In a matter of months, the writer-photographer duo went from eating fast and frozen food to regularly cooking vegetarian meals from scratch. In the process, they found they had more energy, slept better, and were happier. Together, the two unraveled a "pretty simple" approach to home cooking that kicks the diet in favor of long-term lifestyle changes. They draw upon their experience and expertise in "A Couple Cooks--Pretty Simple Cooking" to showcase nourishing recipes with a Mediterranean flair, and presented with vibrant photography. The 100 functional and creative recipes are vegetarian, with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. At the heart of "A Couple Cooks - Pretty Simple Cooking" are the couple's top ten lessons for a healthy approach to food in the long-term, like gathering with friends and family, bouncing back from failure, and just having fun. Illustrated with a custom watercolor for each lesson, it's a beautiful coffee table book that's food for thought, at the same time providing real food recipes for eating around the table. With recipes ranging from Strawberry Lime Chia Jam; Peach Salsa Fresca; Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino; and Big Mexican Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing; to Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup; Vegetarian Lentil Gyros; Pizza Margherita with Pecorino & Egg; and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Skillet Cookie, "A Couple Cooks - Pretty Simple Cooking " will prove to be fun to plan menus with, as well as an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library Vegetarian Cookbook collections. It should be noted that "A Couple Cooks - Pretty Simple Cooking" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).

Cupcake Handbook
Sue McMahon, author
IMM Lifestyle Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781504800921, $12.99, www.FoxChapelPublishing.com

The "Cupcake Handbook" is a practical cupcake specialty cookbook with over 80 festive cupcake recipes for every occasion. Bound with hard back covers in sturdy metal spiral, and filled with attractive color photographs showing utensils, ingredients, techniques, and finished products, "Cupcake Handbook" includes chapters on basic recipes, classic combinations, children's favorites, grown-up favorites, celebration cupcakes, and special diets. Some taste-tempting special cupcake recipes include: Rum-Raisin, Very Cherry, Flower Power, Blondies, Brownies, Banana and Roffee, Coffee and Walnut, Black Forest, Carrot and Raisin, Raspberry and White Chocolate, Cracklecakes, Pina Colada, Irish Coffee, Pistachio, Saffron and Raisins, Sticky Orange and Cardamom, Lime and Chile, and many more. Cupcakes designed for special celebrations include Starry Snowy Night, Chocolate Love, Merry Cupcakes, Spider Cakes and more. Cupcakes for special diets, such as gluten free treats, include Chocolate Surprise, Date and Banana, Chocolate and Prune, Honey and Bran, Date and Apple, Ginger Polenta, Halloween Webs, plus more. Baking instructions are presented in steps which are numbered, in clear, descriptive narrative. Color highlighted sidebars give information on quantity of cupcakes, ingredients and amounts needed, and different special topping ingredients. Measurements are given in standard measurements first, followed by metric equivalents. All the recipes are followed by a page of suggested substitutions, plus a page of acknowledgments, including companies with online ordering access. "Cupcake Handbook" is a current craze cookbook which takes advantage of modern tastes and delights of daily sweet celebrations.

The Potatopia Cookbook
Allen Dikker
Surrey Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572842205, $20.00, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

"The Potatopia Cookbook" showcases a beautifully illustrated collection of more than 75 creative potato recipes from Allen Dikker, who is the CEO and founder of Potatopia, the New York based, fast-casual, all-potato restaurant. While "The Potatopia Cookbook" includes some traditional potato dishes like gnocchi and shepherd's pie, but most of the thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes are innovative creations that re-imagine the world's most popular vegetable. For example, making lasagna with paper-thin potato slices instead of noodles, or prepare truffles with mashed potatoes. "The Potatopia Cookbook also includes detailed descriptions of potato varieties, potato history, and potato preparation and storage tips. Potatoes are naturally gluten-free and (when prepared simply) very nutritious. Along with being fat-, sodium-, and cholesterol-free, potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. "The Potatopia Cookbook" highlights these benefits in the cookbook by focusing on recipes that skip the fat in favor of keeping it healthy. The result is a hearty, wholesome celebration of all things potato. With recipes ranging from Truffled Eggplant-Stuffed Potato Skins; French Onion Soup with Crispy Potato Gaiettes; Garlicky Potato, Cheddar, and Bacon Pie; to Sake Short Rib Potato Stew; Creamy Twice-Baked Potatoes; Black and White Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips; and Sweet Potato Cobbler. Of special note is the section devoted to Basic Potato Recipes. While very highly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Potatopia Cookbook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Raw and Radiant
Summer Sanders
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510724747, $22.99, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Comprised of 130 kitchen cook friendly recipes and holistic tips for living a healthy life, "Raw and Radiant" is a beautifully and profusely illustrated cookbook compiled and presented by certified raw food chef, personal trainer, plant-based nutritionist Summer Sanders (who is also the curator at Strong + Radiant, and founder of Local Juicery). In addition to practical information on soaking, sprouting, making flour, natural skin and body care, entertaining, cleansing, and more, the quick and easy recipes range from Sesame Seed Milk; Watercress and Fresh Fig Salad; Rustic Flat Bread Pizza; and Hearty Raw Tacos; to Lemon Lavender Tart; Chaga Chai Latte; Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, and Watermelon Limeade. Exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Raw and Radiant" is unreservedly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Raw and Radiant" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Technology Shelf

Engineering Optical Networks
Sudhir Warier
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630814472, $159.00, HC, 407pp, www.amazon.com

A human capability management and leadership coach, author, speaker, poet, consultant, and freelance trainer, Sudhir Warier draws upon his more than 35 years of experience and expertise in the telecom and IT industries to provide a complete course of instruction in the field of optical networks in "Engineering Optical Networks" provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of transport and data networks. This resource examines backbone network architectures and functions. The evolution, key components, and techniques of telecommunication networks are presented, including voice and data transmission, fiber optic communication and optical link design. "Engineering Optical Networks" deftly explores the photonic network architecture and includes chapters on transport networks, synchronous optical networks, optical transport networks, and dense wavelength division multiplexing. Impressively informative and exceptionally well organized and presented, "Engineering Optical Networks" will prove to be an ideal curriculum textbook and is especially recommended as an addition to corporate, professional, and academic library Engineering & Optical Network Technology collections.

Frequency Measurement Technology
Ignacio Llamas-Garro, Marcos Tavares De Melo, Jung-mu Kim
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630811716, $129.00, HC, 222pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Ignacio Llamas-Garro (Senior Researcher at the Cntre Tecnologic de Telecommunications de Cataluny, Barcelona, Spain), Marcos Tavares De Melo (Associate Professor, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil), and Jung-mu Kim (Professor, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea), "Frequency Measurement Technology" is a unique first-of-its-kind instructional reference and resource that provides practical coverage of the design and implementation of frequency measurement receivers, which aid in identifying unknown signals. The technologies used in frequency measurement interferometry-based on-delay lines and filters are fully explored and provide practitioners with concrete examples of microwave photonics implementations. The designs and concepts that cover conventional photonic instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) circuits are explained. "Frequency Measurement Technology" also provides details on new designs for microwave photonic circuits and reconfigurable frequency measurement (RFM) circuits using diodes and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). An ideal curriculum textbook on the subject, "Frequency Measurement Technology" is an exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, corporate, college, and university library Advanced Technology instructional reference collections.


The Architecture Shelf

Built
Roma Agrawal
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781635570229, $28.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Roma Agrawal is a thirty-three-year-old structural engineer whose professional resume including the building of bridges, skyscrapers, and sculptures. In "Built: The Hidden Stories Behind our Structures ", she deftly explains how construction has evolved from the mud huts of our ancestors to skyscrapers of steel that reach into the sky. "Built" reveals how humans have tunneled through solid mountains; how we've walked across the widest of rivers, and tamed nature's precious water resources. "Built" also showcases the visionaries who created the groundbreaking materials used to build the Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower; and explains how careful engineering can minimize tragedies like the collapse of the Quebec Bridge. Interweaving science, history, illustrations, and personal stories, "Built" offers a simply fascinating and impressively informative history of architecture, a subject that makes up the foundation of our everyday lives. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Architecture History collections and supplemental studies curriculums, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Built" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Essential Cordwood Building
Rob Roy
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
www.newsociety.com
9780865718524, $39.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Cordwood building (using log-ends set in insulated mortar) is a versatile, economical, low-impact, and beautiful building method. Its durability and performance has been proven in beautiful, centuries-old buildings in North America and Europe. Yet until now, there has been no trusted, practical guide to cordwood construction using the material in a wide variety of construction projects. Distilling decades of experience and best practices, "Essential Cordwood Building" by Rob Roy (Director of Earthwood Building School in West Chazy, New York) is the first fully illustrated, step-by-step guide to cordwood building. Ideal for the DIYer and professional designer and builder alike, it covers: Wood species selection, log-end length, and seasoning; Cement, lime putty, and cob mortar options; Wall cavity insulation options; Budgeting and estimating; Highly illustrated, step-by-step building techniques; Window and door frame installation, pointing and chinking, finishing, and plastering; Special designs and decorative features; Code references, compliance, building science, and best practices; Troubleshooting and maintenance. Profusely illustrated, exceptionally informative, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Essential Cordwood Building" is an extraordinary and unique instructional guide and manual that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Architecture collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of architecture students, architects, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Essential Cordwood Building" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.04).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step
Kate Scarlata & Dede Wilson
Life Long Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738219349, $23.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Comprised of easy, delicious, everyday recipes for the many sufferers of IBS and other digestive disorders, "The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step: A Personalized Plan to Relieve the Symptoms of IBS and Other Digestive Disorders" was specifically compiled by the team of Kate Scarlata (who is a digestive health specialized registered dietitian with over 25 years working in the nutrition field and a research collaborator with the FODMAP pioneers at Monash University in Australia) and Dede Wilson (who has been a recipe developer for 30 years, the author of 14 cookbooks, and hosted two of her own nationally syndicated public television series sponsored by KitchenAid.) for those who suffer from IBS or have a chronically sensitive stomach. Many everyday foods contain FODMAPs -- a group of carbohydrates that can wreak havoc on your digestive system. "The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step" is an accessible, three-step low-FODMAP diet that is backed up by the most up-to-date, sound medical advice. "The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step" will allow for: Identifying FODMAPs and what foods contain them; Customizing your own gut-friendly plan to alleviate painful symptoms; Using an elimination diet to help determine your food triggers; Stocking your low-FODMAP pantry, with food lists and more; Providing easy, delicious recipes for every meal, with specific food reintegration tips. Beautifully illustrated throughout and offering thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that are as palate pleasing as they are appetite satisfying, "The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step" is very highly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for the personal cookbook collections of IBS sufferers that "The Low-FODMAP Diet Step by Step" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

Janeway's Immunobiology, ninth edition
Kenneth Murphy & Casey Weaver
Garland Science
c/o Taylor & Francis Group
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10018
www.garlandscience.com
9780815344452, $285.00, HC, 924pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and expanded ninth edition "Janeway's Immunobiology" continues to be the premier textbook for students studying immunology at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels. As an introductory text, students will appreciate the clear writing and informative illustrations, while advanced students and working immunologists will value its comprehensive scope and depth. This new edition of "Janeway's Immunobiology" presents immunology from a consistent point of view throughout -- that of the host's interaction with an environment full of microbes and pathogens. Now thoroughly revised ninth edition brings the content up-to-date with significant developments in the field, especially on the topic of innate immunity, and improving the presentation of topics across chapters for better continuity. While unreservedly recommended for college and university library Health/Medicine collections in general, and as an Immunobiology curriculum textbook in particular, it should be noted for that this new edition of "Janeway's Immunobiology" is also available in a Loose Leaf edition (9780815345503, $95.00); in a paperback edition (9780815345053, $200.00); and in a digital book format (Kindle, $80.74 Buy; $36.03 Rent).

The Connections Activity Program for People with Dementia
Ellen Bikoff-Phipps & Barbara A. Braddock
Health Professions Press
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.healthpropress.com
9781938870392, $34.99, PB, 152pp, www.amazon.com

Developed for both professional and family caregivers by Ellen Bikoff-Phipps (Vice President of Programs & Services for the Alzheimer's Association, Central & Western Virginia Chapter, and part-time adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Gerontology, and who specializes in creative therapeutic design for persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias) Barbara A. Braddock (Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and who has a special interest in healthcare and therapeutic service delivery systems for persons experiencing a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders), "The Connections Activity Program for People with Dementia: A Planning and Intervention Guide" is a strength-based intervention that includes tools and step-by-step instructions for matching a person's level of cognitive function and current abilities with activities tailored to past interests. It helps reduce caregiver stress by explaining how to break down and structure activities so a person can engage in them as independently as possible. The Connections Activity Program shows how, with proper support, people with dementia care enjoy meaningful engagement and improved emotional well-being. It is an impressively organized and presented instructional guide and manual on using the Connections tools to: Gather information about a person's past and present interests and hobbies; Understand a person's current level of cognitive function; Identify remaining strengths and abilities; Individualize activities to promote maximum involvement; Use verbal and visual cues to support the person's ability to self-initiate and engage; Adapt activities to each level of cognitive function. "The Connections Activity Program for People with Dementia" is an indispensable resource that includes detailed case examples illustrating how the Connections approach works as well as sample intervention guides that walk through how to implement specific activities and adapt them for people with early-, middle-, and late-stage dementia. "The Connections Activity Program for People with Dementia" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Health/Medicine instructional reference collections in general, and Alzheimers and Dementia Caregiving supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Am I My Body's Keeper?
Michael Kaufman
Urim Publications
c/o Lambda Publishers
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242669, $26.95, HC, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Dr. Michael Kaufman is a distinguished scholar and author and studied at Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath, Telshe Yeshiva, Brooklyn College, and the University of Louisville. In "Am I My Body's Keeper?: Torah, Science, Diet and Fitness -- for Life" he has written an instructional guide specifically for those readers who find it almost impossible to stay 100% healthy and fit with a modern lifestyle that includes long hours of sitting in an office chair, balancing a family, and accomplishing everything else on a daily to-do list. To deal with this conundrum, Dr. Kaufman shows how to extend our lives by living healthy and fit. "Am I My Body's Keeper" provides a simple guide to changing our lifestyles, from the sedentary one characterizing most of society to an active one emphasizing physical activity and healthy eating. The simple lifestyle changes advocated in the pages of "Am I My Body's Keeper?" will give readers vim and vigor, health and fitness during those additional years of life they will be gaining. Based upon the timeless teachings of the Jewish sages as well as scientific research, "Am I My Body's Keeper" is a 'real world practical' guide for good, healthy living for both men and women of any age. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, content, organization and presentation, "Am I My Body's Keeper?" is a life-changing, life-enhancing instructional guide and manual that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Health & Medicine collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

The Healthy Living Handbook
Laura Harris Smith, C.N.C., B.S.O.M.
Chosen
c/o Baker Publishing Group
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9780800797881, $14.99 www.chosenbooks.com

The Healthy Living Handbook: Simple, Everyday Habits for Your Body, Mind and Spirit incorporates a spiritual perspective to the subject of wellness routines and comes from a nutritional counselor who provides easy ways to live well and better, both physically and spiritually. From natural remedies and practices to addressing stress and cultivating laughter, this survey offers a range of insights and ideas highly recommended for readers looking to address the extent of physical, mental and religious options for better living.


The Aviation Shelf

Testbeds, Motherships and Parasites
Frederick A. Johnsen
Specialty Press
99 Spring Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10012
www.specialtypress.com
9781580072410, $32.95, PB, 204pp, www.amazon.com

"Testbeds, Motherships and Parasites: Astonishing Aircraft From the Golden Age of Flight Test" is the definitive work on the converted bombers and transports that served as the critically important launch vehicles to the headline-grabbing X-Planes. Covered are scores of aircraft of all types converted for use as "flying laboratories" to test engines, wings, cockpits, and aerodynamic devices all in the name of aviation progress. Also included are the "parasite" aircraft carried aloft to be launched and recovered by their motherships. The availability of already-flying airframes that could be modified easily for specific airborne test work saved years of engineering time, not to mention the lives of countless test pilots who did not have to face airborne risks of the unknown. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Testbeds, Motherships and Parasites" is a unique and to-be-treasured addition to personal, community, and academic library Aviation History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Education Shelf

Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully, second edition
David H. Allsopp, LouAnn H. Lovin, and Sarah van Ingen
Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.brookespublishing.com
9781598575583, $39.95, PB, 400pp, www.amazon.com

Math skills are fundamentally important life skills. Unlocking math concepts for struggling learners is the goal of this newly updated and expanded second edition of "Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully". Filled with invaluable tips, tools, and research-based strategies for Grades K - 12, this comprehensive resource fully prepares classroom teachers to demystify math for a wide range of learners, including students with learning disabilities, ADHD, and mild cognitive disabilities. Thoroughly updated and aligned with current state standards, this second edition of "Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully" includes the latest research, an enhanced instructional framework, expanded coverage of hot topics like RTI and assessment, and more. And with the practical materials ranging from activities to printable planning forms teachers will have concrete ways to help students make sense of math, improve their proficiency, and generalize their knowledge in multiple contexts. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully" is an ideal curriculum textbook and is unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Doing Time, Writing Lives
Patrick W. Berry
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive, SIUC Mail Code 6806, Carbondale, IL 62901
www.siupress.com
9780809336371, $40.00, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Doing Time, Writing Lives: Refiguring Literacy and Higher Education in Prison" by Patrick W. Berry (Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University) offers a much-needed analysis of the teaching of college writing in U.S. prisons, a racialized space that (despite housing more than 2 million people) remains nearly invisible to the general public. Through the examination of a college-in-prison program that promotes the belief that higher education in prison can reduce recidivism and improve life prospects for the incarcerated and their families, Professor Berry exposes not only incarcerated students' hopes and dreams for their futures but also their anxieties about whether education will help them. Combining case studies and interviews with the author's own personal experience of teaching writing in prison, "Doing Time, Writing Lives" chronicles the attempts of incarcerated students to write themselves back into a society that has erased their lived histories. It challenges polarizing rhetoric often used to describe what literacy can and cannot deliver, suggesting more nuanced and ethical ways of understanding literacy and possibility in an age of mass incarceration. A seminal work of original, informed and informative scholarship, "Doing Time, Writing Lives" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Penology collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Doing Time, Writing Lives" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.00).

Colleges That Pay You Back: 2018 Edition
Robert Franek, et al.
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.PrincetonReview.com
9781524757830, $22.99, PB, 480pp, www.amazon.com

College is a major financial investment, and one that too many students enter into blindly. With the publication of "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2018 Edition", The Princeton Review erases that uncertainty with an informative and reliable guide to colleges and universities where students get the best return on their tuition investment. These schools offer generous financial aid, excellent academics, and valuable career-building experiences for a successful post-college outcome! "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2018 Edition" features: Top-value picks chosen based on 40+ data points, including academics, cost of attendance, financial aid, and post-grad salary figures; Profiles of 200 schools that offer fantastic value, with insight into their career services offerings; 7 Unique Ranking Lists; The top 25 schools with the Best Alumni Network, Best Career Placement, Top Financial Aid, and more; The highest-paying majors and great schools that offer them; Starting and mid-career salary information for graduates of each school; Percentages of alumni who report having meaningful jobs and who majored in science/technology/engineering/math (STEM) fields. A unique and reliable reference, "Colleges That Pay You Back: 2018 Edition" is unreservedly recommended for family, community, school district, and academic library Educational Reference collections.

The Magic of Play
The Care Courses School
PO Box 10526, McLean, VA 22102-8526
MOP-13N9, $50.00, PB, 84pp, www.CareCourses.com

"The Magic of Play" explores the role of play in children's learning and development as well as ways to create and manage a play-based early childhood program. "The Magic of Play" will enable the reader to: identify key components of a "learning-through-play" early childhood environment that supports imaginative, creative play for all children, including those with disabilities; describe strategies to motivate children effectively; identify strategies to encourage children's resourcefulness and creativity; identify strategies to encourage and support event-based, block, and playground play; describe the role of active and rough and tumble play; explain the importance of play in an adult's life; identify key components of a meaningful play environment for children of different cultures; describe strategies for managing common play challenges. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Magic of Play" is especially recommended reading for classroom teachers, and is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Teacher Education instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Practicing Presence
Lisa J. Lucas
Stenhouse
9781625711917, $32.00 www.stenhouse.com

Practicing Presence: Simple Self-Care Strategies for Teachers will reach educators working with grades pre-K to 12, and uses the author's own experience to provide exercises, checklists, ideas, and accounts of how teachers can create a more engaged, supportive classroom environment for themselves and others. Each chapters includes self-care strategies teachers can use to help ground them during the process, and each includes a process that emphasis mindful response rather than reacting to typical classroom situations. The result is a powerful survey highly recommended for teachers facing burnout and adversity who want to change.


The Art Shelf

Postmodern Design Complete
Judith Gura
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500519141, $95.00, HC, 480pp, www.amazon.com

Originating as a rebellious movement in philosophy and literature, Postmodernism proclaimed the death of modernism and promoted a new, nonlinear way of approaching architecture and design, spearheaded by Michael Graves, Robert Venturi, Ettore Sottsass, and Alessandro Mendini. It became a style in itself and the defining look of the 1980s. Enhanced with more than 1,000 illustrations in both color and black & white, "Postmodern Design Complete" by Judith Gura (who is a design historian and author currently serving on the faculty of the New York School of Interior Design and who has taught at Pratt Institute and FIT) is the comprehensive reference to this period of vibrant design, as it profiles key creators including Graves, Mendini, Sottsass, Venturi, Charles Jencks, and Denise Scott Brown and covers the fields of architecture, furniture, graphic design, textiles, and product and industrial design. A section on Living with Postmodernism presents fifteen seminal homes and their furnishings; and a final section titled Postmodernism Continues is a comprehensive overview of contemporary makers. Highly informed and accessible texts bring together classics and little-seen rarities, unusual objets d'art, and mass-produced items. This definitively informed and informative volume also includes a foreword by Charles Jencks and an afterword by Denise Scott Brown, a four page listing of the contributors and their credentials, a three page listing of References, a three page Further Reading bibliography, and a four page Index. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Postmodern Design Complete" is an extraordinary work of definitive scholarship that is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Art & Design instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Reptiles & Amphibians in Contemporary Art
E. Ashley Rooney
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764354441, $24.99, HC, 112pp, www.amazon.com

There are more than 17,000 species of reptiles and amphibians. They are a fascinating and beautiful wildlife that generally ignored by most people. Compiled with insightful captioning and commentary by E. Ashley Rooney, "Reptiles & Amphibians in Contemporary Art" is a colorfully illustrated book showcasing the work of 20 artists who have taken those cold-blooded animals as inspiration and transformed them into pieces of art that change the way we perceive our world. The unusual shapes, glittering colors, and perfectly adapted bodies of chameleons, turtles, snakes, frogs, and even dinosaurs offer us new ways to see and be inspired, in media ranging from fiber to glass and from paper to gold. An intriguing collection of superbly reproduced images, "Reptiles & Amphibians in Contemporary Art" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library art book collections.

Ralph Fasanella: Images of Optimism
Marc Fasanella & Leslie Umberger
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
19018 NE Portal Way, Portland, OR 97230
www.pomegranate.com
9780764979507, $35.00, HC, 128pp, www.amazon.com

A self-taught painter, Ralph Fasanella (September 2, 1914 - December 16, 1997) was an activist whose megaphone was his paintbrush. His images, filled with symbolism, chronicle life in early twentieth-century New York, the American labor movement, the complex bonds of family, and the political injustices and social inequities of his time. "Ralph Fasanella: Images of Optimism" showcases nearly seventy of Fasanella's vibrant images of social conscience. An informative essay by Leslie Umberger articulates Fasanella's life of action and the deep-seated drive behind his work, and Marc Fasanella (the son of Marc Fasanella and a professor of art, architecture, and design for thirty years) offers personal perspectives on this unique artist of the people. Of special note is a chronology provided by Paul S. D'Ambrosio. "Ralph Fasanella: Images of Optimism" is a fascinating and informative perspective showcasing the work of a significant American artist and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library 20th Century American Art History collections in general, and Ralph Fasanellar supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Pixar: A Pop-Up Celebration
Matthew Reinhart
Disney Editions
9781484799413, $65.00 www.disneybooks.com

Pixar: A Pop-Up Celebration comes from a paper engineer who provides a pop-up tribute to Pixar, an animation company with over thirty years of award-winning creations to its name. All nineteen of Pixar's feature films and an equal number of shorts are represented in a series of pop-up art productions which are nicely crafted in book form for fans of Pixar and pop-up art alike. The approach the techniques represented make this an art piece in itself; and while the rigors of library lending likely won't make it an appropriate library pick, anyone with an interest in Pixar's productions or the art of pop-up creation in general will find this celebration an eye-opening and captivating collection worthy of careful viewing and long-term preservation as a keepsake edition.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Breaking the Ten: Volume 2
Sean Michael Wilson, author
Michiru Morikawa, illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681121178, $12.99 PB; $7.99 Kindle, 112pp, www.amazon.com

In this sequel to "Breaking the Ten, Vol. 1" (9781681120218, $12.99 PB; $7.99 Kindle), David now becomes increasingly more desperate, and his extreme behavior is causing fights with everyone who cares for him: with the devilish Mr. Black, the saintly Mr. White, and even with his loving parents. But his quest goes on, driving him to break the rest of the ten commandments in order to draw out the elusive divinity to face a grief stricken man. Until, finally, he is faced with the most serious commandment all: "Thou shalt not kill." Will he do it? Or will God stop him? Another riveting read by acclaimed comic book author Sean Michael Wilson and distinctively drawn by artist/illustrator Michiru Morikawa in the manga tradition, this second volume in the "Breaking the Ten" series is unreservedly recommended for community library graphic novel collections and the personal reading lists of graphic novel and manga fiction fans.

Star Trek: Waypoint
Dayton Ward, et al.
IDW Publishing
2765 Truxton Road, San Diego, CA 92106
www.idwpublishing.com
9781684050178, $19.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

"Star Trek: Waypoint" is a graphic novel anthology short stories run the entire gamut of Star Trek's history. These original Start Trek short stories are set during the Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and more. Favorite Star Trek characters are featured along with new one. Originally published as a six issue mini-series, this graphic novel compilation of "Star Trek: Waypoint" is an absolute 'must read' for the legions of dedicated Start Trek fans. While this IDW Publishing graphic novel edition of "Star Trek: Waypoint" is highly and unreservedly recommended for personal and community library collections, it should noted for the personal reading lists of Star Trek fans that "Star Trek: Waypoint" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Helena Crash: Fueled by Coffee
Fabian Rangel Jr., author
Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
IDW Publishing
2765 Truxton Road, San Diego, CA 92106
www.idwpublishing.com
9781684050109, $15.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

An original science fiction action/adventure novel set in a dystopian future where coffee has been outlawed, aliens have settled in amongst us, and two gangs are fighting it out for supremacy, Helen Crash is making her living as a finder and courier of illegal black market contraband. A riveting read by author Fabian Rangel Jr., and featuring the distinctive art style of illustrator Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, "Helena Crash: Fueled by Coffee" is a original, dynamic, impressively entertaining read from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended as a popular addition to community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for the personal graphic novel reading lists of graphic novel enthusiasts that "Helena Crash: Fueled by Coffee" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Tales from the Crypt #1: The Stalking Dead
William Gaines, author
Miran Kim, illustrator
Super Genius
c/o Papercutz
160 Broadway, Suite 700E, New York, NY 10038
www.papercutz.com
9781629914619, $14.99, HC, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Zombies on Wall Street! A vampire elected president! What can possibly be more frightening than real life? These three all-new tales comprising "Tales from the Crypt #1: The Stalking Dead" are done in the grand tradition of the original EC classic horror comics series. The Crypt-Keeper is back, along with the Old Witch and the Vault-Keeper, to scare the belfry-bats out of you! In the true 'Tales from the Crypt' tradition, readers will witness the most loathsome people doing the most vile, evil, and gruesome things to their victims, only to eventually have the tables turned on them in shock endings that's will actually surprise and mortify the reader. It's old-school poetic justice with the darkest of twists and some truly horrible puns! Author William Gaines effectively collaborates with illustrator Miran Kim to produce an inherently fascinating and consistently entertaining graphic novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf! It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tales from the Crypt #1: The Stalking Dead" is also available in a paperback edition (9781629914602, $9.99).

At the Edge of the Great Void
Pierre Christin, author
Jean-Claude Mezieres, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183345, $11.95, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

Jean-Claude Mezieres and Pierre Christin created Valerian in 1967 after working in the USA together, one as a cowboy, the other a teacher. While Valerian is Mezieres' only comic series, he has worked as an illustrator in many other areas, including designs and sets for The Fifth Element, and he was awarded the Grand Prix du festival d'Angouleme in 1984. Christin also works in collaboration with other artists such as Tardi and Bilal and writes novels and film scripts. Continuing the science fiction adventures of Valerian and Laureline, "At the Edge of the Great Void" is the latest title in their outstanding graphic novel series. This time the intrepid duo who are seeking the lost planet of Earth find themselves somewhere at the edge of known space and wanting to launch into the Great Void as the next step in their search. The Great Void is that inscrutable, shapeless, ever-changing place where the expanding universe springs forth, where new planets and new life forms are created. It's also, according to the gods of Hypsis, the place where Galaxity's Earth was sent and is being kept prisoner. Valerian and Laureline begin a discreet investigation, but it doesn't take long before they start finding obstacles in their path, placed by the rulers of Rubanis - and their mysterious master. A solidly entertaining read from cover to cover, "At the Edge of the Great Void" is very highly recommended for all dedicated SF action/adventure fans. It should be noted that "At the Edge of the Great Void" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.19).

The Dead Man
Leo, author
Rodolphe, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183611, $11.95, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

The latest graphic novel in the simply outstanding 'Trent' series by author Leo and artist Rodolphe, "The Dead Man" continues the adventures of Canadian Mountain Police sergeant Philip Trent. This time, in pursuit of a killer, Trent comes across a young woman in dire straits in the Canadian wilderness. She is searching for her step-brother. It seems that the young man might be the killer Trent is searching for. Another thoroughly entertaining story with unexpected twists and turns, "The Dead Man" is highly recommended for personal and community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted that "The Dead Man" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Iznogoud's Nightmares
Rene Goscinny, author
Tabary, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183604, $13.95, PB, 56pp, www.amazon.com

We've all played that game. 'Well, if I were in charge...' We've all imagined what we'd do if we were president of this or minister of that. For the evil Iznogoud, though, it's not just a game. As Grand Vizier, he can pretty much decide that he will be anything he wants to -- except the Caliph, of course. But, since it's Iznogoud, every single one of his decisions is inevitably going to go astray and bring disaster. For example, when imagining if he were the Minister of Divorce and decides to allow women the right to divorce their husbands his own harem walks out on him! Another superbly entertaining graphic novel from the team of Goscinny and Tabary, "Iznogoud's Nightmares" is unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated Iznogoud fans, as well as community library graphic novel collections.

Fire Punch 1
Tatsuki Fujimoto
Viz Signature
c/o Viz Media
1355 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco CA 94103
www.vizsignature.com
9781421597171 $12.99 pbk / $8.09 Kindle amazon.com

Fire Punch 1 is the debut volume of a dystopian black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) series, superbly translated into English and presented with its art "unflipped" (in the original right-to-left style) by the Viz Signature imprint of Viz Media. The story follows orphaned siblings Agni and Luni, adrift in a bleak world cursed by the merciless Ice Witch. Agni and Luna are "blessed" humans with powerful special abilities, but some humans who are "blessed" place little value on the lives of others. When another of the "blessed" attacks Agni and slaughters the siblings' village, Agni struggles to survive and vows revenge. In this grim world, the "blessed" can bring hope or destruction to the suffering masses! Fire Punch is highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of dystopian fiction. It should be noted that Fire Punch is intended expressly for mature readers, and carries a parental advisory due to explicit content - there are scenes of extreme violence as well as sexual situations.


The Audiobook Shelf

Al Capone's Beer Wars
John J. Binder, author
David Colacci, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781541466821, $29.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Although much has been written about Al Capone and his bootleg empire during Prohibition, there has not previously available complete and detailed history of organized crime in Chicago during Prohibition. "Al Capone's Beer Wars: A Complete History of Organized Crime in Chicago during Prohibition" is an exhaustively researched history that covers the entire period from 1920 to 1933. Author John J. Binder is a recognized authority on the history of organized crime in Chicago, and in "Al Capone's Beer Wars" informatively discusses in impressive detail all the important bootlegging gangs in the city and the suburbs -- and also examines the other major rackets including prostitution, gambling, labor and business racketeering, and narcotics. A major focus is how the Capone gang-one of twelve major bootlegging mobs in Chicago at the start of Prohibition-gained a virtual monopoly over organized crime in northern Illinois and beyond. Binder also describes the fight by federal and local authorities, as well as citizens' groups, against organized crime. In the process, he refutes numerous myths and misconceptions related to the Capone gang, other criminal groups, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and gangland killings. What emerges is a big picture of how Chicago's underworld evolved during this period. This broad perspective goes well beyond Capone and specific acts of violence and brings to light what was happening elsewhere in Chicagoland and after Capone went to jail. Aptly narrated by David Colacci, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Al Capone's Beer Wars" (9 CDs, 11 Hours) is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library collections.

The Tug of War
David Rambo, playwright
Directed by Brian Kite
Performed by Seamus Dever, David Selby, Rich Sommer, Josh Stamberg, et. al.
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682660478 $29.95 www.latw.org

The Tug of War is an audiobook rendition of the full-cast performance of a play based on the Cuban Missile Crisis, a turning point in American history. In 1962, the judgment of newly inaugurated president Jon F. Kennedy was all the only thing that could prevent the outbreak of World War III, as the Soviet Union sought to transport nuclear missiles to Cuba. Dramatic, captivating, and superbly performed by talented actors, The Tug of War is highly recommended for both personal and public library audiobook collections. Supplemental content includes a panel discussion with playwright David Rambo, Richard Anderson (Professor of Political Science at UCLA), Geoff Cowan (a university professor at USC), and Bob Stern (past president of the LA-based Center for Government Studies). 3 CDs, 2 hours 41 min.

Crazy Like a Fox
Rita Mae Brown, author and narrator
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
$TBA www.recordedbooks.com

Crazy Like a Fox is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a novel in the adventurous "Sister Jane" series, featuring the intrepid Jane Arnold and her four-legged friends. Murder is afoot, and mystery, as the long-presumed-dead owner of an invaluable hunting horn reappears - is he a ghost? An imposter? Or something else? Written with wit, flair, and style, Crazy Like a Fox is sure to prove an irresistible pick for personal and public library audiobook collections. 8 CDs, 8.5 hours.

Year One
Nora Roberts, author
Performed by Julia Whelan
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781531834449 $44.99

The unabridged audiobook rendition of the first novel in the post-apocalyptic "Chronicles of the One" series, Year One is set in a world radically transformed by an unfathomable change - one that decimated half the world's population, destroyed the electrical grid, toppled national governments, and brought the power of magick. Yet magick can be a force for protection or a blight of unimaginable corruption. A handful of survivors band together and seek to escape the ravaged New York City, heading west in search of an unknown frontier. Superbly performed by Julia Whelan, Year One is thought-provoking, engrossing, and highly recommended. 10 discs, 12 hours 24 min.

A Game With No Rules
Michael Atamanov, author
Neil Hellegers, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
https://tantor.com/a-game-with-no-rules-michael-atamanov.html
9781515908104, $42.99, CD, www.tantor.com

The Empire is splitting at the seams. The Great Houses refuse to obey the Throne World and have begun to conduct increasingly independent politics. Sensing the weakness of the central government, even the most loyal star systems of the Imperial Core are refusing to take orders from above. Is this just a string of coincidences, or a coordinated campaign? Can a disjointed humanity rally around a strong leader to deflect an alien invasion? Who of the many figures in intergalactic politics can rise to this challenge? And is there a basis to the creeping rumors that some influential aristocrats have joined forces with the enemy and allied with the aliens? The fourth and final book in Michael Atamanov's science fiction action/adventure series 'Perimeter Defense' series, "A Game With No Rules" is superbly narrated by Neil Hellegers in a flawlessly produced, complete and unabridged audio book from Tantor Media. Providing a complete 'theatre of the mind' experience, "A Game With No Rules" is unreservedly recommended listening for the legions of Michael Atamanov fans in general, and community library audio book collections in particular. Of special note is the Epilogue which casts an incredible and unpredicted twist to the entire story.

Rogue Angel: Death Looms
Alex Archer
Graphic Audio
7520 Standish Place, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20855
9781628515633, $19.99, MP3 CD, www.graphicaudio.net

While looking for ghosts among Mardi Gras revelers in New Orleans, Annja Creed is asked to help recover sacred objects stolen from a church. Instead, her efforts lead her into a vast conspiracy and blackmail scheme that stretches thousands of years into the past. Joined by Garin Braden, who has his own score to settle, Annja follows the path of seven ancient coins into the lair of Spider, one of history's deadliest assassins. Will Annja and Garin find Spider's legendary treasure, or fall into her web, never to see the light of day again? Superbly produced with a full cast that is deftly augmented with cinematic music and digital sound effects, it should be "Rogue Angel: Death Looms" is an original story written specifically for GraphicAudio by Alex Archer and is available in no other format. Especially and unreservedly recommended for the personal listening of dedicated action/adventure fans, and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library audio book collections. (5 CDs, 5 Hours).

The Simple Truth
David Baldacci
Read by Jonathan Marosz
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
9781478994633 $20.00 www.HachetteAudio.com

Now available for the first time as an unabridged audiobook on CD, The Simple Truth is a gripping legal thriller about a mysterious sequence of murders targeting everyone involved with convicted criminal Rufus Harms and his appeal - including the brother of protagonist John Fiske, a cop turned attorney. What do these killings have to do with the crime Harms committed twenty-five years ago? The one person who may truly know the answer is a prison escapee, desperately running for his life! Suspenseful to the very end, The Simple Truth is a choice pick for mystery and crime drama connoisseurs, highly recommended. 11 CDs, 13 hours.

Hachette Audio
www.hachetteaudio.com

These fine new titles are highly recommended for discriminating audio listeners looking for good quality and involving listens. Kim Fields and Todd Gold's Blessed Life (9781478923381, $30.00) is narrated by Fields herself and follows a life in which she grew up on screen, moving from an actress to being a director. She starred in The Facts of Life as an eight-year-old and her entire life has been on the screen as she made friends of famous personalities and honed her career. Prior fans of her work will relish her story. Joyce Smith and Ginger Rolbaba's The Impossible: The Miraculous Story of a Mother's Faith and Her Child's Resurrection (9781478922605, $30.00) is narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, who brings to life the poignant story of a teen who fell into an icy lake and was lifeless for an hour. The author didn't give up and evoked God's mercy to save him. What proceeded was a series of miracles that testifies to resilience, a mother's love, and faith. Neil Patrick Harris' The Magic Misfits (9781478976783, $25.00) is narrated by the author and provides the first book in a new series revolving around a runaway street magician who uncovers real magic and faces down danger in the process. Where does illusion and reality mingle? This powerful story of six magic Misfits will real all ages with an inviting story of predators, illusionists, and a threatened small town. Donna Brazile's Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House (9781478999591, $35.00) is read by the author and documents a series of snafus as it provides the first insider story of the Russian hacking of the DNC and how various responses to this and other issues resulted in Trump's election. Brazile is a Democratic strategist more than lightly familiar with dirty deals and strange relationships intrinsic to the political process in Washington; but what she discovered over the DNC events was unlike anything else she'd ever experienced - and here makes for a powerful expose.


The Library CD Shelf

Seashells In My Pocket
Pam Asberry
www.pamasberry.com
Optimistic Flamingo Music
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Seashells In My Pocket is a beautiful, solo piano album combining contemporary, new age, and classical sounds into a harmonious fusion. The songs enrich the imagination and set one's mind and spirit gently adrift. This original treasure is highly recommended, especially for solo piano connoisseurs. The tracks are "Cozumel Blue Waters", "Wishing Stones", "Island Cathedral", "Sleepy Tide", "Moonlight Over Moorea", "Dunn's River Falls", "Palm Trees Sway", "Mysterious Caverns", "Cadillac Mountain Sunset", "The Mermaid's Tears", "Monterey Morning", "Ocean Stars", and "Sailing Home". 54 min.

Distant Song
Fred Farell
Whaling City Sound
whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos of America (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$15.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

An original album showcasing the vocal talent of Fred Farell, the saxophone and wooden recorder of Dave Liebman, and the acoustic piano of Richie Beirach, Distant Song is a hybrid of jazz, spiritual, and creative experimentation. Sweeping and soul-touching, Distant Song lingers gently in the mind and memory. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of original and inspirational music. The tracks are "Broken Wing", "Lonnie's Song", "Forgotten Fantasies" (instrumental), "Leaving", "Tomorrow's Expectations", "Sunday Song", "Mitsuku", "Zal (instrumental)", "Places", and "Distant Song". 59 min. 44 sec.

Soundscapes
Deborah Offenhauser
Privately Published
$TBA www.debspianoweb.com

Soundscapes is a music album featuring the compositions and piano talent of Deborah Offenhauser, enriched with contributions from associates including the guitar, drums and percussion, oboe, flute, cello and violin. The result is a rich, reflective audio tapestry, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of instrumental new age music. The tracks are "Decidedly Joyful", "Free Radical", "Nothing Can Touch You Now", "Irrational Exuberance", "Tanz", "Special Palace", "Through a Glass Darkly", "Rosemont Theme", "Air", "The Gloaming", "it is Written (Kirjutatud On)", "Tanninim (Sea Creatures)", and "The Wonderful Unfoldment". 65 min. 50 sec.

Silent Whispers
Kaveh Karandish
kavehpiano.com
Privatley Published
$15.99 CD / $14.99 download cdbaby.com

Silent Whispers is an instrumental album featuring the piano music of Iranian-American immigrant Kaveh Karandish, enriched with the collaboration of additional world-class musicians. Brimming with passion and Karandish's genius talent for blending elements from different musical traditions and cultures, Silent Whsipers is glorious, life-affirming, and profoundly inspirational. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of quality original instrumental music. The tracks are "Silent Whispers", "Southern Sunrise", "Passion Dance", "My Dream", "Kaveh & Sherif", "Moments", "Sunset Sparrows", "Zaagros Zephyr", "Delicate Dreams", "Shiraz Nights", "Traveler", "Desert Dance", "Jaan e Jaanaan", and "Golden Dreams (Variation)".

They Were Here
Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais
www.byronmetcalf.com
www.jennifergrais.com
Dr. Bam's Music
$15.99 CD / $9.03 MP3 amazon.com

They Were Here is a music album of sweeping beauty, crafted in celebration of the bond between humans and horses. Polyrhythmic drumming, didgeridoo, and orchestral synth-scapes accented with beautiful vocal pieces craft an album of exceptional beauty. They Were Here embraces the shamanic expression of the animal as spirit guide, and stirs the soul with its call to imagination and reflection. Highly recommended. The tracks are "They Were Here", "Opening to Freedom", "Soul of Mestengo", "Near and Far Away", "Womb of the Serpent", "Run", and "Song for Solo". 61 min. 48 sec.

Ay Que Boogaloo!
Spanglish Fly
www.spanglishfly.com
Chaco World Music
$15.00 www.chacoworldmusic.com

Ay Que Boogaloo! is the latest album by Latin boogaloo group Spanglish Fly, who relish in transforming their chosen genre with elements of bolero, New Orleans funk, swing jazz, Arabic chant, and more. Lively, energetic, and embracing pluralism, Ay Que Boogaloo is a joy to experience and highly recommended for multicultural and world music collections. The tracks are "Bugalu Pa Mi Abuela", "New York Rules", "You Know I'm No Good/Chica Mala Mambo", "Ojala-Inshallah", "La Clave 'E Mi Bugalu", "Boogaloo Shoes", "Mister Dizzy Izzy", "Chain of Fools", "Coco Helado", and "How Do You Know/Como Sabes".


The Library DVD Shelf

East West 101, series 1
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

Set in Sydney, Australia, East West 101, series 1 is an unusual detective drama in that its protagonist is also devout Muslim, who strives to earn respect in a post 9/11 world. Detective Zane Malik (played by Don Hany) often clashes with his conservative superior, Senior Detective Roy Crowley (played by William McInnes), but when personal tragedy spills into their professional lives, the two need one another's aid to pursue justice. Insightful and sharply written, East West 101 is a "must-see" for connoisseurs of quality detective stories that dare to break the mold. A behind-the-scenes featurette rounds out this excellent drama, recommended for mature viewers, due to the presence of coarse language, violence, and sexual situations. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs, 324 min., widescreen.

The Commander: The Complete Collection
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 www.acornonline.com

The Commander: The Complete Collection gathers all episodes of the British television series about a talented and strong-willed woman who has earned her place as New Scotland Yard's highest-ranking female officer after 20 years of service with London's Metropolitan Police. Her commitment to justice has also swayed the attention of her superiors - not always in a good way - and threatens to put her life in danger! Gripping and intensely character-driven, The Commander: The Complete Collection is highly recommended, and a "must" for connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include an interview with star Amanda Burton, a character retrospective with creator Lynda La Plante, and a supporting cast featurette. It should be noted that The Commander is intended for mature audiences, due to the presence of coarse language, sexual situations, nudity, graphic images, and violence. 17 episodes on 7 DVDs, SDH subtitles, widescreen.


The Fiction Shelf

The Brahmadells
Joanes Nielsen, author
Kerri A. Pierce, translator
Open Letter Books
c/o University of Rochester
Lattimore Hall 411, Box 270082, Rochester, NY 14627
www.openletterbooks.org
9781940953663, $16.95, PB, 380pp, www.amazon.com

Joanes Nielsen is the author of four novels, a collection of stories, three volumes of essays, and eight poetry collections. He's been nominated on five occasions for the Nordic Council's Literature Prize. One of the first Faroese books to be translated into English, "The Brahmadells" is his epic novel chronicling the lives of a particular family against the larger history of the Faroe Islands, from the time of Danish rule, through its national awakening, to its independence. Filled with colorful characters and various family intrigues, the novel incorporates a number of genres and styles as it shifts from individual stories to larger world issues. There are historical documents, including nineteenth-century medical journals, documents detailing the lives of real historical figures, digressions about religion, a measles outbreak, and many other travails, large and small. A simply fascinating and consistently entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Brahmadells" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Brahmadells" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.95).

Mouths Don't Speak: A Novel
Katia D. Ulysse
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781617755927, $15.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

No one was prepared for the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, taking over a quarter-million lives, and leaving millions of others homeless. Three thousand miles away, Jacqueline Florestant mourns the presumed death of her parents, while her husband, a former US Marine and combat veteran, cares for their three-year-old daughter as he fights his own battles with acute PTSD. Horrified and guilt-ridden, Jacqueline returns to Haiti in search of the proverbial "closure." Unfortunately, the Haiti she left as a child twenty-five years earlier has disappeared. Her quest turns into a tornado of deception, desperation, and more death. So Jacqueline holds tightly to her daughter -- the only one who must not die. A deftly scripted and compelling read from first page to last, "Mouths Don't Speak: A Novel" by Katia D. Ulysse is one of those rare and inherently riveting novels that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mouths Don't Speak" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Marshal and the Moonshiner
C. M. Wendelboe
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432837280, $25.95, HC, 251pp, www.amazon.com

Conmen and gangsters preyed upon people's weaknesses for a quick buck in an era that saw few bucks to spare, making criminals of everyday folks in the rural Great Depression. In a place as wild as the West ever was, in the heyday of the badmen and the lawmen, the law is in short supply. U.S. Marshal Nelson Lane chases a fleeing murder suspect from the frontier of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming all the way to the big city of El Reno in Oklahoma -- out of his element in both places and nearly everywhere in between. His only help is an Indian rookie deputy sheriff, and she is as wild as any other young woman in that time with access to booze and men: Not much help to a widower alcoholic struggling in recovery. While she might get Nelson killed unintentionally, a shady sheriff dealing in illicit booze, his henchman warning to him to leave, and run of the mill moonshiners just taking care of business are running him down and trying to kill him from all sides. When his persistence pays off and he finally catches up with the murderer, Nelson must find it in himself to look beyond the law and deliver the ultimate justice. A riveting read from cover to cover, "The Marshal and the Moonshiner" reveals author C. M. Wendelboe's impressive talent for enhancing his narrative driven novel with clever and unexpected twists and turns. Highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Marshal and the Moonshiner" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

The Lubecker
M. J. Joseph
The Peppertree Press
http://peppertreepublishing.com
9781614935247, $34.95, HC, 470pp, www.amazon.com

In his original novel, "The Lubecker", author M. J. Joseph deftly explores the dynamics of personal identity and self-knowledge in a thematically braided journey of characters toward a dramatic and unexpected finale. Joseph achieves this by plunging the reader into a world of parallel and lively narratives drawn into the roiling milieu of European history leading to the onset of World War I. "The Lubecker" also recalls many of Western Literature's most engaging philosophical and religious challenges and its most memorable and moving human struggles. Skillfully crafted, inherently engaging, "The Lubecker" showcases author M. J. Jospeh's genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling that is as extraordinarily entertaining as it is thought-provoking. While very highly recommended, especially for community and academic library Historical Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists that "The Lubecker" is also available in a paperback edition (9781614935438, $26.95).

Phoebe's Light
Suzanne Woods Fisher
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerbooks.com
9780800734855, $29.99, HC, 354pp, www.amazon.com

"Phoebe's Light" by Suzanne Woods Fisher" is the story of Phoebe Starbuck, a young Quaker woman who has everything she wants until a secret in her great grandmother's journal threatens her future as a Nantucket captain's wife. An original, engaging, and impressively entertaining novel from beginning to end, "Phoebe's Light" showcases the storytelling talents of author Suzanne Woods Fisher and her total master of the historical fiction genre. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Phoebe's Light" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800721626, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Millard Salter's Last Day
Jacob M. Appel
Gallery Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781507204085, $16.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

In an effort to delay the frailty and isolation that comes with old age, psychiatrist Millard Salter decides to kill himself by the end of the day -- but first he has to tie up some loose ends. These include a tete-a-tete with his youngest son, Lysander, who at forty-three has yet to hold down a paying job; an unscheduled rendezvous with his first wife, Carol, whom he hasn't seen in twenty-seven years; and a brief visit to the grave of his second wife, Isabelle. Complicating this plan though is Delilah, the widow with whom he has fallen in love in the past few months. As Millard begins to wrap up his life, he confronts a lifetime of challenges during a single day -- and discovers that his family has a big surprise for him as well. A skillfully written and inherently engaging read from cover to cover, "Millard Salter's Last Day" is an original and extraordinary novel that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Millard Salter's Last Day" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538504246, $34.95, CD).

Angel Falls
Derek Catron
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432837600, $25.00, HC, 328pp, www.amazon.com

In his newest novel, "Angel Falls", journalist Derek Catron deftly weaves a thrilling tale of three unforgettable characters: Josey Angel, a Union cavalryman struggling to set aside a violent past; Annabelle Rutledge, a Southern war widow who found love in the West but little peace; and a Sioux determined to earn his warrior name -- Crazy Horse. After Annabelle is seized in a bloody Indian attack, Josey goes on a soul-searing rampage to rescue her. While Crazy Horse plots to kill the white men on his people's land, he's tormented by an unrequited love that tears at his sense of honor. The roiling conflicts climax on the bloodiest day of Red Cloud's War, when Josey and Annabelle must come together to escape tragedy. A simply riveting novel from cover to cover, "Angel Falls" will prove to be a popular and sought after addition to community library Western Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Angel Falls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Title 13
Michael A. Ferro
Harvard Square Editions
2152 Beachwood Terrace, Hollywood, CA 90068
www.harvardsquareeditions.org
9781941861462, $22.95, PB, 398pp, www.amazon.com

Heald Brown might be responsible for the loss of highly classified Title 13 government documents -- and may have hopelessly lost himself as well. Since leaving his home in Detroit for Chicago during the recession, Heald teeters anxiously between despondency and bombastic sarcasm, striving to understand a country gone mad while clinging to his quixotic roots. Trying to deny the frightening course of his alcoholism, Heald struggles with his mounting paranoia, and his relationships with his concerned family and dying grandmother, all while juggling a budding office romance at the US government's Chicago Regional Census Center. Heald's reality soon digresses into farcical absurdity, fevered isolation, and arcane psychological revelation, hilarious though redoubtable in nature. Meanwhile the Title13 secrets remain at large, haunting each character and tangling the interwoven threads of Heald's life. An original, narrative driven, deftly crafted read from beginning to end, "Title 13" by Michael A. Ferro reveals the author's remarkable flair for engaging dialogue and memorable characters, making "Title 13" unreservedly recommended for both personal reading lists and community library Contemporary General Fiction collections.

The Witchfinder's Sister
Beth Underdown
Charnwood Large Print / Thorpe
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444835052, $35.50, HC, 408pp, www.amazon.com

The year is 1645, and with a heavy heart, Alice Hopkins returns to the small town in Essex, England where she grew up. Widowed, with child, and without prospects, she is forced to find refuge at the house of her younger brother, Matthew. In the five years she has been gone, the boy she knew has become a man of influence and wealth -- but more has changed than merely his fortunes. Alice fears that even as the cruel burns of a childhood accident still mark his face, something terrible has scarred Matthew's soul. There is a new darkness in the town with frightened whispers are stirring in the streets, and Alice's blood runs cold with dread when she discovers that Matthew is a ruthless hunter of suspected witches. Torn between devotion to her brother and horror at what he's become, Alice is desperate to intervene -- and deathly afraid of the consequences. But as Matthew's reign of terror spreads, Alice must choose between her safety and her soul. Alone and surrounded by suspicious eyes, Alice seeks out the fuel firing her brother's brutal mission -- and is drawn into the Hopkins family's past. There she finds secrets nested within secrets: and at their heart, the poisonous truth. Only by putting her own life and liberty in peril can she defeat this darkest of evils -- before more innocent women are forced to the gallows. Now in a large print edition that is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Historical Fiction collections, "The Witchfinder's Sister" is a superbly crafted and entertaining read that is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Beth Underdown's debut as a novelist.

The Magic Of Ramblings
Kate Field
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750544337, $35.50, HC, 396pp, www.amazon.com

When Cassie accepts a job as companion to an old lady in a remote Lancashire village, she hopes for a quiet life where she can forget herself, her past and most especially men. The last thing she wants is to be drawn into saving a community that seems determined to take her to its heart and to resuscitate hers... Frances lives a reclusive life at Ramblings, a Victorian Gothic mansion. But her nephew Barney (whose medical career ended in scandal) is now staying too. He's suspicious of Cassie, especially when she starts to steal his rich aunt's affection and maybe his own too! A consistently engaging and entertaining read from first page to last, this large print edition of Kate Field's "The Magic Of Ramblings" is especially recommended for community library General Fiction collections and personal reading lists.

Fools and Mortals
Bernard Cornwell
HarperCollins
9780062250872, $27.99 www.harpercollins.com

Set in Elizabethan London, Fools and Mortals departs from Bernard Cornwell's usual military histories to consider the world of Elizabethan theater, based on his own pursuits in theater productions in Massachusetts. His dual knowledge of the stage and history lends well to a story that follows young Richard Shakespeare, a struggling actor, as theater blossoms and sibling rivalry results in an especially dangerous game holding consequences not just for feuding brothers, but for the theater world itself. Readers of historical fiction will find it engrossing.

1636: The Vatican Sanction
Eric Flint & Charles E. Gannon
Baen
97814814782776, $25.00 www.baen.com

1636: The Vatican Sanction continues the alternate history story detailed in Flint's prior books which revolves around a group of modern-day West Virginians flung back in time during the Ring of Fire cataclysm. Here the group becomes involved in Pope Urban's renegade papacy and a peace initiative at risk by a group of assassins. Professional killers headed by a Spanish mastermind may be no match for these futuristic travelers - or they may prove their final downfall. Readers of alternative history and especially those who have enjoyed Flint's prior adventures in this theme will relish yet another alternative approach to events.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Haunting of Torre Abbey
Carole Bugge
Titan Books
https://titanbooks.com
9781785655821, $12.95, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Sherlock Holmes receives a request for aid from Lord Cary, whose family home, Torre Abbey, is seemingly haunted. While skeptical, Holmes believes that the Carys are in danger, a belief that proves horrifyingly accurate when a household member dies mysteriously. As strange sightings and threatening apparitions become almost commonplace, Holmes and Watson must uncover the secrets of the abbey if they are to have any hope of protecting the living and avenging the dead. An absolutely 'must read' for the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans, "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Haunting of Torre Abbey" is a deftly crafted novel by Carole Bugge who has fully honored the legendary detective originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While an unquestionably popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Haunting of Torre Abbey" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Escape Through the Andes
Thomas M. Daniel
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel & Daniel Publishers
PO Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
www.danielpublishing.com
9781564746023, $14.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Pursued by Bolivian security agents, Gonzalo Mamani, a Bolivian physician and spy for the CIA, and Paul Morgan, an authority on tuberculosis, and Gonzalo's North American mentor, colleague, and friend, must elude pursuers to reach safety in the Peruvian coastal town of Salaverry within ten days. Leaving La Paz, Bolivia, they race around Lake Titicaca and across the inter-mountain Andean plateau to Huatahata, Copacabana, Tiawanacu, Puno, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and points in between. In their flight, they repeatedly, narrowly escape capture. An impressively crafted and unfailingly entertaining novel from beginning to end, "Escape Through the Andes" by Thomas M. Daniel is an original and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Suspense Thriller Fiction collection. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Escape Through the Andes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.20).

Murder Unscripted
Clive Rosengren
Coffeetown Press
PO Box 70515, Seattle, WA 98127
www.coffeetownpress.com
9781603816694, $14.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Eddie Collins is a part-time actor whose pursuits take on a new dimension when his ex-wife, Elaine Weddington, turns up dead while filming her latest movie Flames of Desire. The production's insurance company hires Eddie to represent their interests in the Americana Pictures film. Private eye is his main gig now, although he doesn't turn his back on acting jobs when they come his way. Elaine was a star of sorts, though her pictures were B-movies and never up for major awards. Encroaching middle age meant her leading-lady days were numbered, and she worked with a lot of jealous wannabes. Did one of them off her? What about her personal assistant or live-in boyfriend? While searching through Elaine's trailer, Eddie finds a list of initials with corresponding phone numbers. As he gradually ticks off the entries, he begins to form an unwelcome, less idealized version of Elaine. Then an assistant director is killed as she is about to share a damning revelation. The quest to identify one set of initials almost puts him in the hospital. Can Eddie handle the truth? Will it set him free, or kill him? A deftly crafted and inherently fascinating read from cover, "Murder Unscripted" is the first volume in author Clive Rosengren's 'Eddie Collins Mystery' series and reveals his genuine master of the genre. While "Murder Unscripted" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.95) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781470833220, $24.95, CD).

A Deadly Eclair: A French Bistro Mystery
Daryl Wood Gerber
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781683313410, $26.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

It's always been Mimi Rousseau's dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she's been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband's tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she's able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn's first wedding ever. The wedding will be the talk of the town, as famous talk show host Angelica Edmonton, daughter of Bryan's half-brother, Edison, has chosen the inn as her perfect venue. Anxious, Mimi is sure things are going to turn south, especially when Edison gets drunk and rowdy at the out-of-towners' dinner, but by the evening, things begin to look up again. That is until six AM rolls around, and Bryan is found dead at the bistro with an eclair stuffed in his mouth. And the fingers point at Mimi, whose entire loan is forgiven in Bryan's will. Now it's up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again. A truly riveting read from cover to cover (and one that includes recipes!), "A Deadly Eclair" by Daryl Wood Gerb is a riveting read and the kind of deftly crafted and impressively original mystery that will prove to be an exceptionally popular addition to community library collections. For the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs it should be noted that "A Deadly Eclair" is also available in a paperback edition (9781683316046, $15.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), and as a complete an unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, B076X6ZRSD, $14.95, 9 Hours 56 Minutes, Audible Audio).

The Cost of Living
Rachel Ward
Sandstone Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781910985830, $16.00, PB, 326pp, www.amazon.com

When a young woman is attacked walking home from her local supermarket, Bea Jordan, a smart but unfulfilled checkout girl, is determined to investigate. Colleagues and customers become suspects, secrets are uncovered. While fear stalks the town, Bea finds an unlikely ally in Ant, the seemingly dull and clumsy new trainee, but risks losing the people she loves most as death comes close to home. A warm, contemporary, and deftly scripted story with likeable leads, an engaging cast of supporting characters and a dark thread running throughout, "The Cost of Living" is an extraordinarily entertaining mystery by novelist Rachel Ward and very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs.

The Undesired
Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250152220, $16.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Aldis hates her job working in a juvenile detention center in rural Iceland. The boys are difficult, the owners are unpleasant, and there are mysterious noises at night. And then two of the boys go astray. Decades later, single father Odinn is looking into alleged abuse at the center. The more he finds out, though, the more it seems the odd events of the 1970s are linked to the accident that killed his ex-wife. Was her death something more sinister? "The Undesired" is a simply riveting and deftly crafted thriller of a read from cover to cover by Icelandic novelist Yrsa Sigurdardottir. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Undesired" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

What Doesn't Kill You
Aimee Hix
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
www.midnightinkbooks.com
9780738754437, $15.99, PB, 264pp, www.amazon.com

Willa Pennington thought that becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she'd never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again. She thought she could move past the pain of losing her best friend. She thought she'd be safe. But she couldn't have been more wrong. Now, agreeing to do a simple favor has brought her to a dead body, a missing person, and a battle of wits with an old friend who has dangerous secrets. If Willa can keep her focus, she could solve the murder, find the missing girl, and figure out if the person she's trusted with her life is the one trying to end it. A riveting read replete with unexpected twists and turns, "What Doesn't Kill You" showcases author Aimee Hix's complete mastery of the genre and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "What Doesn't Kill You" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.89).

The Innocents
David Putnam
Oceanview Publishing
595 Bay Isles Road, 120-G, Longboat Key, FL 34228
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608092574, $26.95, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Bruno Johnson, a newly minted LA County Sheriff Violent Crimes detective, gets the worst assignment possible - infiltrate a sheriff's narcotics team that may be involved in murder for hire. Gain their trust and be brought into the scheme. If he succeeds, he will have to arrest and testify against his fellow deputies -- if he lives that long. To make matters worse, before Bruno leaves home on the first day of this assignment, he answers the door to find an ex-girlfriend. Without explanation, she hands him a baby girl only weeks old. The child is his. Stunned and terrified, he now faces immediate fatherhood as well as the traitor-like charge to take down his colleagues. Juggling his complex home life, Bruno tackles his assignment to discover that no one is who they seem to be and that his boss, Lieutenant Wicks, might be involved. His mission is further complicated when an attractive female deputy, recently transferred from Public Affairs, is also put on the case. She has no street experience, and Bruno carries the extra burden of watching her back -- a tough assignment made tougher by personal attraction. As Bruno gets deeper and deeper into the corruption, he doesn't know whom to trust, and in the end, confides in the wrong person. Another riveting novel by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven fiction, "The Innocents" by David Putnam will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Innocents" is also available in a paperback edition (9781608092949, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Wench is Wicked / Blonde Verdict / Delilah was Deadly
Carter Brown
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781944520335, $19.95, PB, 296pp, www.amazon.com

Al Wheeler is a homicide lieutenant with the sheriff's department of Pine City, near Los Angeles. Writing under the pseudonym Carter Brown, English-born Australian mystery novelist Alan Geoffrey Yates, (1 August 1923 - 5 May 1985) wrote 52 Wheeler novels from 1954 to 1984 (and nearly 300 novels altogether). Now back into print after 30 years for the benefit of a new generation of appreciative readers, Stark House Press is re-publishing three of the best of the Wheeler short stories from the 1950s: "The Wench is Wicked"; "Blonde Verdict", and "Delilah was Deadly". This trilogy of stories under one cover will serve to introduce dedicated mystery buffs to a true master of the detective fiction format and is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as proving to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

The Last Man in Tehran
Mark Henshaw
Touchstone Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas. New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781501161261, $24.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

New Red Cell Chief Kyra Stryker has barely settled into the job when an attack on an Israeli port throws the Middle East into chaos. The Mossad (Israel's feared intelligence service) responds with a campaign of covert sabotage and assassination, determined to protect the homeland. But evidence quickly turns up suggesting that a group of moles inside Langley are helping Mossad wage its covert war. Convinced that Mossad has heavily penetrated the CIA's leadership, the FBI launches a counterintelligence investigation that threatens to cripple the Agency -- and anyone who questions the official story is suspect. With few officials willing to help for fear of getting accused, Kyra turns to her former mentors (the now-retired Red Cell Chief Jonathan Burke and his wife, former CIA Director Kathryn Cooke) to help uncover who is trying to tear the CIA apart from the inside out. Another deftly crafted and riveting read from Mark Henshaw, "The Last Man in Tehran" is part of the author's outstanding 'Red Cell' series. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Suspense/Thriller collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Man in Tehran" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk
Jennifer Kincheloe
Seventh Street Books
c/o Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633883635, $15.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

"The Woman in the Camphor Trunk" is set in the Los Angeles Chinatown of 1908, and broadly considered to be the most dangerous beat in LA. That's where police matron Anna Blanc and her former sweetheart, Detective Joe Singer, discover the body of a white missionary woman, stuffed in a trunk in the apartment of her Chinese lover. If news about the murder gets out, there will be a violent backlash against the Chinese. Joe and Anna work to solve the crime quietly and keep the death a secret, reluctantly helped by the good-looking Mr. Jones, a prominent local leader. Meanwhile, the kidnaping of two slave girls fuels existing tensions, leaving Chinatown poised on the verge of a bloody tong war. Joe orders Anna to stay away, but Anna is determined to solve the crime before news of the murder is leaked and Chinatown explodes. A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "The Woman in the Camphor Trunk" showcases author Jennifer Kincheloe as a true master of the genre and an impressively skilled novelist. While very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "The Woman in the Camphor Trunk" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Jennifer R Kincheloe, Ltd, B077W3CHC2, $21.83, 10 Hours 52 Minutes, Audible Audio Edition).

Claws for Concern
Miranda James
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425277782, $26.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Charlie Harris is busy enjoying his new grandson when a mysterious man with a connection to Charlie's family starts visiting the library, bringing with him troubling questions about an unsolved murder. Charlie may be a proud new grandfather, but he and Diesel still have work to do at Athena College and the small Mississippi town's public library. He's too busy to deal with true-crime writer Jack Pemberton, who wants Charlie as the subject of his latest book--and who won't take no for an answer. A more appealing proposition for Charlie is spending time helping a kind, elderly man navigate the library's genealogical database. But he's shocked when he learns that the visitor's search is focused on a member of his own family: his late aunt's husband. Charlie befriends the man and considers inviting him to stay in his home, but he's soon given reason to question that notion. Jack is certain that Charlie's new houseguest was involved in a shocking homicide that took place years ago in a small town near Athena. As this cold case heats up, Charlie and Diesel have to uncover a killer who may already be too close to home. "Claws for Concern" is the ninth and latest addition to mystery novelist Miranda James simply outstanding 'A Cat in the Stacks Mystery' series and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Claws for Concern" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781515956501, $24.99, CD).

Killing Pace
Douglas Schofield
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250120557, $25.99, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Questions have plagued Lisa Green for the past two months since she crawled barefoot and bleeding from the wreckage of a catastrophic car accident. Her boyfriend Roland has been nursing her back to health under close watch. Lisa has amnesia. They both know that, but only Lisa knows that she hasn't lost her ability to reason. And reason tells her that she is not Roland's girlfriend. She is his prisoner. Escape is her only option, and Lisa must figure out who she can trust and how to stay alive. It's bad enough that she's been held against her will, but worse, it seems that she wasn't randomly chosen. There's more to her story than kidnapping, and the details appear to cross borders and continents. With organized criminals hard on her heels, Lisa must expose her enemies before they choose their next victim. Another deftly crafted and inherently riveting novel by a skilled master of the mystery genre, "Killing Pace" by Douglas Schofield will prove to be another enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Killing Pace" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Death Below Stairs
Jennifer Ashley
Berkley Publishing
9780399585517, $15.00 www.penguin.com

Historical mystery fans are in for a treat, here: when young cook Kat accepts a job at a Mayfair mansion, she keeps her distance from the eccentric family - until her young Irish assistant is murdered. At that point Kat accepts that her cooking job involves much more, and she embarks on a personal investigation into what happened; only to uncover more about her employers than she'd ever wished to know. She never expected the household treat to evolve to threaten Queen Victoria - but as events move from hearth to political circles, she finds herself in over her head. Historical mystery readers will find Death Below Stairs a compelling story as they follow her pursuit of the truth to its surprising conclusion.


The Genealogy Shelf

A Cooperative Method of Learning Logic and Analysis in Genealogy
William M. Litchman
Heritage Books
5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740
www.heritagebooks.com
9780788457838, $27.00, PB, 130pp, www.amazon.com

A Cooperative Method of Learning Logic and Analysis in Genealogy: The Power of Truth, Evidence, and Analytical Thinking" was specifically written by William M. Litchman for aspiring and novice genealogists who have not have had the advantage of scientific training, the skills of logical and analytical thinking so basic to science and to genealogy. In a lifetime of teaching, Litchman found ways to help others build the skills needed to provide believable proof for conclusions based only on indirect and limited evidence. With "A Cooperative Method of Learning Logic and Analysis in Genealogy", these skills are accessible anyone who has the desire, dedication, and persistence to learn to think rationally, using logic and analysis to work through proofs where evidence is fragmentary and piece-meal. Beginning genealogists and family historians can now follow the learning path outlined in Chapter 1 of "A Cooperative Method of Learning Logic and Analysis in Genealogy" and use real-life examples of how logic and rational thinking leads to solving tricky family-history problems -- as well as utilize the method outlined there to develop abilities and skills for finding solutions in genealogical research. Impressively and accessibly organized and presented, "A Cooperative Method of Learning Logic and Analysis in Genealogy" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Genealogy instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

White Pennsylvania Runaways, 1773-1775
Joseph Lee Boyle
Clearfield Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806358437, $45.00, PB, 532pp, www.amazon.com

While everyone is aware that Africans were imported and held as slaves, it is an obscure fact of American history that European whites were also imported and held in a form of slavery called 'indentured servitude'. Inevitably some of these folk would run away from their masters. that is the subject of "White Pennsylvania Runaways, 1773-1775" by Joseph Lee Boyle. This unique volume is comprised of transcription of the ads offering rewards for the capture and return of runaway servants taken from 24 colonial newspapers from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, and New York. The ads provide information on more than 2,500 persons, giving name, age, sex, height, place of origin, occupation, speech, physical imperfections, clothing, and more. An inherently fascinating browse revealing an often overlooked aspect of American history, "White Pennsylvania Runaways, 1773-1775 " is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library American History and Genealogical Research reference collections.

The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, 4th edition
Val D. Greenwood
Genealogical Publishing Inc.
9780806320663, $49.95 www.genealogical.com

If it's one comprehensive primer on the process of genealogical research which is needed for a collection, then certainly the fourth updated edition of The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy should be high on that list. While some might wonder at the need for an update to a book about research, it should be noted that the process of genealogical research has undergone vast changes thanks to technological advancements, and so the latest developments and opportunities require a complete updated which incorporates new sources, approaches, research opportunities, and family history concepts and definitions. It can be used as both a textbook and as a personal study guide, offering the latest insights into American genealogical approaches in a reference not to be missed by any collection or individual more than lightly involved in the process.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Mimetic Theory and World Religions
Wolfgang Palaver & Richard Schenk, editors
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
http://msupress.org
9781611862621, $29.95, PB, 470pp, www.amazon.com

Those who anticipated the demise of religion and the advent of a peaceful, secularized global village have seen the last two decades confound their predictions. Rene Girard's mimetic theory is a key to understanding the new challenges posed by our world of resurgent violence and pluralistic cultures and traditions. Girard sought to explain how the Judeo-Christian narrative exposes a founding murder at the origin of human civilization and demystifies the bloody sacrifices of archaic religions. Meanwhile, his book "Sacrifice", a reading of conflict and sacrificial resolution in the Vedic Brahmanas, suggests that mimetic theory's insights also resonate with several non-Western religious and spiritual traditions. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Wolfgang Palaver (Professor of Catholic Social Thought at the School of Catholic Theology at the University of Innsbruck) and Richard Schenk (who is a Roman Catholic Priest of the Dominican Order, served as a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley from 1990 to 2011, and as the President of the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt from 2011 to 2014), "Mimetic Theory and World Religions" collects engagements with Girard by scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism and situates them within contemporary theology, philosophy, and religious studies. An impressively body of erudite scholarship, "Mimetic Theory and World Religions" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Sociology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mimetic Theory and World Religions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.95).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Voices, Places: Essays
David Mason
Paul Dry Books
1700 Sansom Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19103-5214
www.pauldrybooks.com
9781589881235, $19.95, PB, 250pp, www.amazon.com

In "Voices, Places: Essays" celebrated poet David Mason deftly explores surprising connections in geography and time, considering writers who traveled, who emigrated or were exiled, and who often shaped the literature of their homelands. He writes of seasoned travelers (Patrick Leigh Fermor, Bruce Chatwin, Joseph Conrad, Herodotus himself), and writers as far flung as Omar Khayyam, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, James Joyce, and Les Murray. In the end, he turns to his own native region, the American West, with Wallace Stegner, Edward Abbey, Robinson Jeffers, Belle Turnbull, and Thomas McGrath. The nineteen essays are about familiarity and estrangement, the pleasure and knowledge readers can gain by engaging with writers' lives, their travels, their trials, and the homes they make for themselves. Thoughtful and thought provoking, engaged and engaging, "Voices, Places: Essays" offers extraordinary and erudite commentaries and observations making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Studies collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Voices, Places: Essays" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Autism Shelf

Teaching Essential Discrimination Skills to Children with Autism
Rebecca MacDonald & Susan Langer
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
www.woodbinehouse.com
9781606132579, $24.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Discrimination skills enable us to tell one object from another, understand that different things have different names, and use those names to perform a wide range of cognitive and language skills, including following spoken instructions, communicating, and reading. "Teaching Essential Discrimination Skills to Children with Autism" by Rebecca MacDonald (who is a Licensed Psychologist in Massachusetts and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who serves as the Director of Intensive Instructional Preschool Program for children with autism at the New England Center for Children) and Susan Langer (who is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and serves as the Chief Program Officer at the New England Center for Children) outlines a systematic, evidence-based curriculum to promote children's learning. Based on the thirty years of research, the user-friendly text and illustrative case studies cover: Delivering effective instruction (repeat trials, brisk pacing, child's active participation, reinforcement); Types of discrimination skills (understanding differences, matching like to like, matching words to objects, following spoken-word instructions); Prompting and prompt fading; Prerequisite skills (imitation, readiness to learn); Overcoming barriers to learning (lack of scanning, low motivation); Assessing a child's entry level to the curriculum; Curriculum sequence, specific discrimination skills instruction, and remedial strategies. Parents and educators can use "Teaching Essential Discrimination Skills to Children with Autism" to teach the foundational discrimination skills that help children become more proficient and independent in a variety of ways, such as using picture activity schedules and augmentative and alternative communication systems, mastering more complex academic skills, and applying learning across many situations in their daily lives. "Teaching Essential Discrimination Skills to Children with Autism" is unreservedly recommended for family, school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections in general, and Autism Special Education supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Behavior Support for Students with ASD
Dr. Debra Leach, Ed.D. BCBA
Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.brookespublishing.com
9781681251998, $39.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

When students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in challenging behavior, how can teachers best respond? "Behavior Support for Students with ASD: Practical Help for 10 Common Challenges" by Dr. Debra Leach (Professor of Special Education at Winthrop University and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst) is practical guidebook shows classroom teachers how to effectively address ten of the most common classroom behavior challenges ranging from following directions to handling transitions, with skill, insight, and compassion. Beginning with an in-depth overview of the characteristics that students with ASD may have, plus foundational guidance on using functional behavior assessment (FBA) and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to address challenging behaviors, "Behavior Support for Students with ASD" then for each of the ten behaviors, provides a dedicated chapter on how to: Understand your students. Learn more about the academic, social, cognitive, and physical challenges that may contribute to each behavior; Assess their behavior with an easy-to-use FBA checklist for assessing the function of each specific challenging behavior, along with classroom examples and helpful tips for accurately assessing items on the checklists; Support positive behavior by discovering how to use research-based strategies to help students develop more adaptive behaviors. Vignettes and sample intervention plans show how to translate assessment into effective supports tailored to each student's needs. "Behavior Support for Students with ASD" is an essential instructional guide and manual for all teachers of ASD students in Grades K - 12, making it decidedly and unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections in general, and ASD Special Education supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

"Why Didn't They Just Say That?"
Jennifer M. Schmidt, MEd
AAPC Publishing
9781942197348, $19.95 www.aapcpublishing.net

"Why Didn't They Just Say That?": Teaching Secondary Students with High-Functioning Autism to Decode the Social World Using PEERspective provides a complete curriculum based on evidence-based research and promoted peer-mediated instruction processes for those on the autism spectrum. Teachers of secondary students receive a toolkit of approaches that teach skills not ordinarily covered in school settings; from self-awareness and self-acceptance to managing stress and promoting wellness. These are skills that will be useful throughout one's life, making this approach particularly useful to teachers working with autistic students and regular classroom settings alike.

The Cartoon and Script Curriculum for Teaching Social Behavior and Communication
Vera Bernard-Optiz
AAPC Publishing
9781942197317, $23.93 www.aapcpublishing.net

The Cartoon and Script Curriculum for Teaching Social Behavior and Communication: Using Visual Strategies to Support Behavioral Programming for Individuals with ASD pairs black and white cartoon illustrations by Andra Bernard with a survey of developmental levels and communication challenges designed to help children with ASD make social connections and interact with others. Complicated behaviors are broken down into easy steps, methods helps students apply skills to their everyday experiences, and teachers are given a communication tool for teaching social behavior and relating it to familiar student concerns. The result is a support manual that simplifies complicated behavioral processes and provides a key series of scripts and procedures teachers can use to enhance communication skills in those with ASD.


The Parenting Shelf

The Unspeakable Loss
Nisha Zenoff
Da Capo Life Long Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738219752, $16.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Nisha Zenoff lost her son in a tragic accident when he was just seventeen years old. Now, with decades of experience as a grief counselor and psychotherapist, in the pages of "The Unspeakable Loss: How Do You Live After a Child Dies?" she offers support and guidance drawn from her own journey, as well as from others who have experienced the death of a child. "The Unspeakable Loss" helps those who mourn to face the urgent questions that accompany loss: Will my tears ever stop?; Who am I now without my child?; How can I help my other children cope?; I lost my only child, how do I live?; Will my marriage survive?; Will life ever feel worth living again? No matter where the reader is in their own grieving process, "The Unspeakable Loss" will provide a space to constructively mourn, and helps in understanding how the death of a child affects siblings, other family members and friends -- recognizing that they all grieve differently. And while there is no one prescription for healing, "The Unspeakable Loss" provides tools to practice the important aspects of grieving that are easily forgotten -- self-compassion and self-care. Written with a remarkable blend of compassion, insight, and 'real world' practicality, "The Unspeakable Loss" is highly recommended as essential reading for any parent experiencing the loss of a child under any circumstance. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Parenting instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Unspeakable Loss" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Hachette Audio, B076VRQ115, $24.95, 6 Hours 45 Minutes, Audible Audio Edition).

Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy
Deborah Schein
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
www.redleafpress.org
9781605544847, $29.95, PB, 156pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy: Spiritual Development in Young Children", early childhood educator Deborah Schein offers a series of thoughtful practices for child care providers to nurture a child's spiritual development as an extension of social-emotional learning. "Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy" helps classroom teachers and caregivers to introduce young children to a system that begins with love and leads to a strong sense of self, ignites wonder and learning, and allows for the emergence of empathy that leads to personal wholeness. Teachers, parents, daycare attendants, and Kindergarten assistants can provide support and strengthen children's self-awareness through deep connections, increased social awareness, and pro-social behaviors, such as kindness, caring, empathy, and reverence. Spiritual development moments help children to grow, explore, play, and ask big questions. A unique and extraordinary contribution to the growing library of Early Childhood Education literature, "Inspiring Wonder, Awe, and Empathy" is an especially recommended addition to parental, school district, community, college, and university library collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Gardening Shelf

Miniature Terrariums
Fourwords
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805314777, $17.99, HC, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Terrarium gardening offers unlimited gardening possibilities, even when space is limited. Although terrariums have been around since Victorian times, Japanese garden design has perfected the art form with a modern and minimalist twist. The container gardening trend fits well with the small-space living concept refined in Japan and elsewhere. "Miniature Terrariums: Tiny Glass Container Gardens Using Easy-to-Grow Plants and Inexpensive Glassware!" by Fourwords (The green shop division of Actus Interiors, a Japanese chain of stores dedicated to providing goods that promote healthy, functional and beautiful living spaces) is terrarium gardening book that features step-by-step instructions to guide the reader through each stage of the process including: Choosing and Mixing soils; Finding unusual containers; Caring for plants; Showing off the finished product! All the plants used in this instructional guide and manual are easy to find, easy to grow, extremely low-maintenance, and can last for a long time. Not only does "Miniature Terrariums" show how to choose plants, but how to find unique glass containers to put them in, which can be displayed anywhere, or given as a gift! "Miniature Terrariums" offers a practical way to garden that deftly combines the arts of landscape design, Zen gardening, and home decoration -- but is manageable and accessible enough for anyone to enjoy! "Miniature Terrariums "Miniature Terrariums" is unabashedly and enthusiastically recommended for personal, community, and academic library Gardening instructional reference collections in general, and Terrarium Management supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Worms Eat My Garbage
Mary Appelhof and Joanne Olszewski
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612129471 $14.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99), Worms Eat My Garbage is a classic how-to guide to worm composting (a process anyone can use to recycle food scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer), now completely revised and updated for the 35th anniversary of its publication. Featuring easy- to-follow instructions and space-conscious suggestions that urban dwellers and others with limited-size yards can apply, Worms Eat My Garbage is enthusiastically recommended for gardeners of all skill and experience levels.

Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens
Sara Williams & Bob Bors
Coteau Books
2517 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK, Canada, S4P 0T2
9781550509137, $39.95, HC, 320pp, www.coteaubooks.com

From pincherries to haskaps, tree fruits to vine fruits, and everything in between, renowned horticulturists Bob Bors and Sara Williams delve into the science of growing and maintaining fruit plants for northern gardeners to collaborative create "Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens", a profusely illustrated compendium of instructional information that gives each specific fruit plant its own chapter. "Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens" is a beautifully designed reference guide, complete with charts and color photographs, as it showcases and describes the plants and their history, planting, care, and any problems (such as insects and disease) that are typically associated with growing them. With the help of "Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens", even the most novice of northern climate gardeners will be able to decide which plants would work best in their own gardens, and harvest the fruits of their success. Exceptionally and extraordinarily 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Growing Fruit in Northern Gardens" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Gardening instructional reference collections.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Credit Repair, 13th edition
Attorneys Amy Loftsgordon and Cara O'Neill
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413324280 $24.99 pbk / $22.60 Kindle amazon.com

Now in an updated 13th edition, Credit Repair is a guide to improving bad credit, written by professional bankruptcy and foreclosure attorneys. Crafted to be in-depth yet thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Credit Repair covers how to prioritize debts and create a budget, negotiate with creditors, correct credit report errors and remove old information, avoid identity theft and credit repair scams, and much more. Access to the nolo.com website, where one can download the forms contained in Credit Repair and obtain timely legal updates, complements this "must-have" guide for anyone struggling with credit woes. Highly recommended, both for personal use and for public library collections.

Accounting and Finance for Managers, second edition
Matt Bamber & Simon Parry
Kogan Page
www.koganpage.com
9780749481148, $49.95, HC, 488pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a revised and updated second edition, "Accounting and Finance for Managers: A Decision-Making Approach" by the team of Matt Bamber (Assistant Professor in Accounting at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management) and Simon Parry (a Research Fellow at Newcastle University who has taught professional, MBA and other postgraduate courses for 15 years, as well as being a chartered accountant with over 25 years' experience) is specifically designed for MBA, EMBA, MA and MSc Business and Management students who require a grounding in the key concepts of accounting and finance. Including real financial statements and worked examples from well-known businesses, as well as full exercises and questions at the end of each chapter, this accessible guide provides students with the financial tools and analytical skills for managerial advantage. Taking a uniquely practical approach that focuses on the financial aspects of business decisions, the book covers all the core topics of accounting and finance, including basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, business planning, cash-flow analysis, and investment decisions this second edition of "Accounting and Finance for Managers" contains updated examples and case studies from Burberry, Ryanair and Whitbread, new content on corporate governance and ratio analysis, reflective activities and a new chapter on financing decisions. Bonus online material includes guidance and teaching advice, additional questions and lecture slides for each chapter. Simply stated, "Accounting and Finance for Managers" is an ideal textbook for accounting and finance curriculums, and unreservedly recommended as a core addition to professional, college, and university library Accounting/Finance instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of accounting students, practicing accountants, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Accounting and Finance for Managers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $43.54).

Invest Like You Give a Damn
Marc de Sousa-Shields
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
www.newsociety.com
9780865718487 $18.99 pbk / $12.98 Kindle amazon.com

Invest Like You Give a Damn lives up to its title as a practical-minded, reader-friendly guide to sustainable and responsible investing - that is, investing in companies not only as a foundation for one's retirement, but also as a foundation for a better world according to one's highest ethical and moral principles. Peppered with true-life stories, Invest Like You Give a Damn goes the extra mile to be thoroughly accessible to readers with little or no experience in matters of finance. "Financial advisors are people too, so they will have their planning and investment biases. Getting to know their investment approach and philosophy is key. You need to divine and understand this thoroughly before committing to using their services. Are they a Buy-and-Hold Polly? Or are they a Treasury Bill Conservative?" Invest Like You Give a Damn is "must-read" for anyone and everyone seeking to plan for their financial future, highly recommended.


The Biography Shelf

Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate
Phillip Thomas Tucker
Feral House
1234 West Sims Way Box 1240, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.feralhouse.com
9781627310451, $22.00, PB, 220pp, www.amazon.com

"Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate" by Phillip Thomas Tucker is the story of the most famous female pirate in history and provides a remarkable personal odyssey from a time when women were almost powerless and at the lowest level of the social order on both sides of the Atlantic. This new biographical work fills considerable gaps in Anne Bonny's life beyond her mythology to rescue an actual person for posterity. After turning her back on everything she knew growing up in South Carolina to find a sense of personal freedom, Anne Bonny sailed the Caribbean's pristine waters during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early eighteenth century. Few accurate records exist about these law-breakers, whose lifestyles called for hanging. Fortunately, Anne Bonny was a notable exception to the rule, as she was caught off the Jamaican coast and tried by a court of law, whose records have fortunately survived. Having relapsed into a figure of mythological proportions in American popular culture, "Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate" reveals a woman determined to survive and succeed in 'a man's world'. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate" is unreservedly recommended and will prove to be an especially popular addition to both community and academic library Biography collections and Women's History supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Anne Bonny: The Infamous Female Pirate" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.20).

Renoir: An Intimate Biography
Barbara Ehrlich White
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500239575, $39.95, HC, 432pp, www.amazon.com

Expertly researched and beautifully written by Barbara Ehrlich White (who is an Adjunct Professor Emerita of Art History at Tufts University, Massachusetts as well as arguably the world's leading authority on Auguste Renoir's life and work), "Renoir: An Intimate Biography" fully reveals this most intriguing of Impressionist artists. The narrative is interspersed with more than 1,100 extracts from letters by, to, and about Renoir, 452 of which come from unpublished letters. Renoir became hugely popular despite great obstacles: thirty years of poverty followed by thirty years of progressive paralysis of his fingers. Despite these hardships, much of his work is optimistic, even joyful. Close friends who contributed money, contacts, and companionship enabled him to overcome these challenges to create more than 4,000 paintings. Renoir had intimate relationships with fellow artists (Caillebotte, Cezanne, Monet, and Morisot), with his dealers (Durand-Ruel, Bernheim, and Vollard) and with his models (Lise, Aline, Gabrielle, and Dedee). Barbara Ehrlich White's lifetime of research informs this fascinating biography that challenges common misconceptions surrounding Renoir's reputation. A definitively impressive work of exhaustive and painstaking scholarship, "Renoir: An Intimate Biography" is an extraordinarily well written, organized and presented biography study that will prove to be a critically important addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in his life and career that "Renoir: An Intimate Biography" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.24).

Bitter Harvest
John Hayman
NewSouth, Inc.
105 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
www.newsouthbooks.com
9781603063715 $29.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Bitter Harvest: Richmond Flowers and the Civil Rights Revolution is not only the life story of Alabama Attorney General Richmond Flowers (1918-2007), but also a window into the America's tumultuous civil rights era. Although Flowers began his career as a segregationist, and was elected as Alabama's attorney general in 1962 while promising to "send the Yankees a message", when the national law demanded an end to segregation, Flowers chose to uphold the law. Flowers suffered hardship for this moral and ethical choice, and was ultimately forced to sacrifice his political career. He was even sentenced to prison for charges that he claimed were fabricated against him due to his stance on segregation (Flowers was paroled after 16 months, and eventually pardoned by President Jimmy Carter). His story is part of a wider tale of reactionary hatred and violence during the civil rights era, a time when much of Alabama's leadership utterly failed the state by tacitly encouraging lawlessness and brutality. Bitter Harvest is a welcome addition to public and college library biography shelves, highly recommended.

Soar: A Memoir
Gail Campbell Woolley
Agate Bolden
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
www.agatepublishing.com
9781572842380, $16.00, PB, 312pp, www.amazon.com

When Gail Campbell Woolley was seven, a pediatrician told her mother that Gail suffered from sickle cell anemia, a rare blood disease, and that she would be dead by age 35. While others may have responded to this horrifying news by descending into a fog of self-pity, Gail went in the opposite direction. She decided to live an eventful, exciting life that ultimately included despite a troubled home life and the systemic racism and sexism of the late 20th century academic success, an impressive career, a long and loving marriage, and the ability to leave her unmistakable stamp on every person she met. By the time she finally succumbed to her disease at age 58 in 2015, she had ground that doctor's words into dust. "Soar: A Memoir", written in the last two years of her life, is Woolley's powerfully inspiring story, and its publication checks the last item off her extraordinary bucket list, which also included traveling to every continent except Antarctica. Gail writes that from the time she was a child, she awoke every morning with the sound of the famous 60 Minutes clock ticking in the back of her mind. But those ticking seconds also formed her indomitable spirit in ways that can inspire each of us who still draw breath. Written in an engaging, no-nonsense voice with a directness that reflects her many years in journalism, Woolley's remarkable story not only will move readers to root for this irrepressible, quietly heroic woman but also will push readers to reassess their own approach to life. A deftly written and inherently engaging read from beginning to end, "Soar: A Memoir" is highly and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Soar" A Memoir" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

So Happiness to Meet You
Karin Esterhammer
Prospect Park Books
www.prospectparkbooks.com
9781938849978, $16.00, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

After job losses and the housing crash that were hallmarks of what came to be known as the Great Recession, Karin Esterhammer and her family leave Los Angeles, California, to start over in a most unlikely place: a nine-foot-wide back-alley house in one of Ho Chi Minh City's poorest districts, where neighbors unabashedly stare into windows, generously share their barbecued rat, keep cockroaches for luck, and ultimately help her find joy without Western trappings. An inherently fascinating memoir and a simply compelling read from cover to cover, "So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam" is an exceptionally well written account and one that is unreservedly recommended as a unique addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "So Happiness to Meet You" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Dead Moms Club
Kate Spencer
Seal Press
c/o Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
9781580056878, $16.99, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Comedian, writer, and mother Kate Spencer lost her own mom to cancer when she was 27. In "The Dead Moms Club", Kate walks readers through her experience of stumbling through grief and loss, and helps them to get through it, too. But "The Dead Moms Club" isn't a weepy, sentimental story, but rather a frank, up-front look at what it means to go through gruesome grief and come out on the other side. An empathetic read, "The Dead Moms Club" covers how losing her mother changed nearly everything in her life: both men and women readers who have lost parents or experienced grief of this magnitude will be comforted and consoled. Spencer even concludes each chapter with a cheeky but useful tip for readers -- like the "It's None of Your Business Card" to copy and hand out to nosy strangers asking about your passed loved one. Candidly personal, impressively insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Dead Moms Club" is a truly extraordinary memoir and an especially recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Dead Moms Club" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

There Are No Silver Bullets
Brent Blonigan
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail Drive, Suite 205, Dallas, TX 75248-2871
www.brownbooks.com
9781612549453, $21.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

An emotional memoir, "There Are No Silver Bullets: My Family, My Depression" by Brent Blonigan recounts his lifelong battle with depression. Through self-reflection and personal anecdotes, Brent examines the impact his family, culture, religion, and society have had on his life. He is bold, honest, and forthcoming as he presents his experiences and evaluates their impact on who he is today. "There Are No Silver Bullets: My Family, My Depression" sheds light on one man's depression, along with his experience of the medical system s shortcomings in diagnosing and treating it. Reflective questions at the end of each chapter offer self-examination as a tool readers can use to consider the internal and external influences that may have contributed to their own emotional reality. Brent also provides sympathy and support for those fighting the demons of depression, abuse, and adjustment disorders, along with coping strategies that he has found helpful even lifesaving over the years. An exceptionally well written and impressively candid personal account, "There Are No Silver Bullets: My Family, My Depression" is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and the personal reading lists of anyone having to deal with depression within themselves or a loved one.


The Travel Shelf

Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees
C. L. Hoang
Willow Stream Publishing
www.mulberryfieldsforever.com
9780989975605, $12.95, PB, 133pp, www.amazon.com

Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees: A Travelogue of Vietnam is the true-life testimony of author C.L. Hoang, who returned to observe his ancestral homeland, including his native city of Saigon, after decades of absence. Hoang writes of Vietnam's beautiful natural wonders; the thousand-year capital of Hanoi and the even more ancient imperial Vietnam capital of Hue; and much more. Filled cover to cover with historical and cultural vignettes, personal reminiscence, and over forty photographs, Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees is the next best thing to a personal trip to this vibrant and storied country. Highly recommended, especially for armchair travelers and public library collections.


The Political Science Shelf

Billionaire Democracy
George R. Tyler
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Ste 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781942952923 $16.95 pbk / $16.10 Kindle amazon.com

Why is there so much gridlock and stagnation in the American political system? How can American government truly become "of the people, by the people, and for the people" once more? Author and economist George R. Tyler examines how other wealthy democracies have restrained the overwhelming role of money in politics in Billionaire Democracy: The Hijacking of the American Political System. Practical and serious-minded solutions to America's current, disastrous state of affairs (including an unprecedented explosion of "fake news", or lies disguised as news stories on the internet) are discussed at length. Billionaire Democracy is a "must-read" for every American voter, and worthy of the highest recommendation for public library Political Science collections.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Kill Before Dying
Travis S. Taylor
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781476782072, $25.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

A century and a half after the Martian Separatist Wars, Alexander Moore returns to the stars with the Sienna Madira, a United States Navy supercarrier spacecraft outfitted with advanced FTL and endlessly strange, extremely effective, quantum-based weapons and remote sensing technology. And, of course, he's brought Marines, and lots of them. These are troops superbly trained for space battle, and equipped with advanced powered armor and artificial intelligence backup. Moore's task: hunt down remnant weaponry platforms left by the brilliant, mad artificial intelligence known as Copernicus, the being ultimately responsible for the Solar System-wide civil war. Now Copernicus has formed an alliance with something else out there with a similar goal: wipe humanity from the galaxy forever. "Kill Before Dying" is the fifth volume in author Travis S. Taylor's 'Tau Ceti Agenda' series. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Science Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicates SF fans that "Kill Before Dying" is also available in a mass market paperback edition (9781481483100, $7.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.38).

CrossTown
Loren W. Cooper
Red Hen Press
PO Box 3537, Granada Hills, CA 91394
www.redhen.org
9781939096029, $16.95, PB, 340pp, www.amazon.com

Zethus is a sorcerer and self-described spiritual thug for hire. He makes his living in CrossTown, a place where the many world hypothesis of modern physics manifests itself, where possibilities and probabilities overlap. Caught up in a web of intrigue as he investigates the death of his master, Corvinus, and pursued by agents that want to erase all knowledge of Corvinus's work, Zethus discovers that the key to his master's murder lies in the last project he had pursued before his death. The roots of this project lie deep in the past, at the origin of CrossTown's fractured reality. Once he understands the stakes, Zethus must make the dangerous journey to the cradle of history. The price he must pay to find the answers he seeks will threaten everything he holds dear -- including his own humanity. An impressively original and deftly scripted novel by an author with a genuine flair for imaginative and narrative driven storytelling, "CrossTown" is an expressly and unreservedly recommended as an addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, and a 'must' for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy/mystery fans.


The Christian Studies Shelf

My Soul Waits
Martin Shannon, CJ
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
www.paracletepress.com
9781612619705, $14.99, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

"My Soul Waits: Praying with the Psalms through Advent, Christmas & Epiphany" by Martin Shannon (an Epsicopal priest, liturgist, a member of the Community of Jesus on Cape Cod, Massachusetts) is new devotional that combines the words of the Psalms, meditations from the Church Fathers, and a prayer as a guide for the reader through the various twists and turns on the journey to our Lord's Nativity. These beloved words from Scripture mirror our own thoughts and emotions (hope and expectation, suffering and patience, confession and healing) and are as relevant for the modern spiritual reader as when they were first sung in the Temple. Inspired and inspiring, "My Soul Waits: Praying with the Psalms through Advent, Christmas & Epiphany" is unreservedly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Soul Waits: Praying with the Psalms through Advent, Christmas & Epiphany" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Tuning Your Heart to Worship
L. Lavon Gray
New Hope Publishers
PO Box 830711, Birmingham, AL 35283-0711
www.newhopepublishers.com
9781625915320, $14.99, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

What is worship exactly? in "Tuning Your Heart to Worship", author and worship leader Lavon Gray take the reader on a 100 day theological journey into the heart of worship with one of the most soul-inspiring writers of all time -- King David. To grow in understanding of what true worship looks like in the heart of a believer, each daily devotion traces the theology of worship through a specific Scripture passage and includes L. Lavon Gray's own personal experiences and insights supporting the theological truths surrounding our acts of worship. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, inspired and inspiring, timely and timeless, "Tuning Your Heart to Worship" is a truly extraordinary read. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Tuning Your Heart to Worship" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Walking Through Twilight
Douglas Groothuis
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
www.ivpress.com
9780830845187, $17.00, PB, 177pp, www.amazon.com

Nothing is simple for a person suffering from dementia, and for those they love. When ordinary tasks of communication, such as using a phone, become complex, then difficult, and then impossible, isolation becomes inevitable. Helping becomes excruciating. In "Walking Through Twilight: A Wife's Illness--A Philosopher's Lament", philosopher Douglas Groothuis offers a intensely personal window into his experience of caring for his wife as a rare form of dementia ravages her once-brilliant mind and eliminates her once-stellar verbal acuity. Mixing personal narrative with spiritual insight, he captures moments of lament as well as philosophical and theological reflection. Brief interludes provide poignant pictures of life inside the Groothuis household, and we meet a parade of caregivers, including a very skilled companion dog. Losses for both Doug and Becky come daily, and his questions for God multiply as he navigates the descending darkness. Here is a frank and candid exploration of how one continues to find God in the twilight. A deftly written and impressively informative account, "Walking Through Twilight" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to church, community, and academic library collections in general, and Alzheimer's supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Glory Happening
Kaitlin B. Currice
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
www.paracletepress.com
9781612618968, $16.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

When you have a spiritual experience and tell the story of that experience to someone, something sacred happens inside of you. That experience doesn't have to be an extravagant moment, but it can be beautiful, nonetheless. And as you store up all those stories and share them, you grow your world's boundaries. You build community and remind yourself that every moment of your life counts for something holy, good, and glorious. "Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places" reveals that the search for glory will bring freedom and a fresh perspective to whatever season you happen to find yourself in. "Glory Happening" is a book of stories and prayers that remind you to take a closer look at your everyday circumstances, to find the magical beauty in everyday experiences. It is an invitation to live deeply into every moment with the expectation that something good will find you at the end of the day. And once you experience glory, you have words to speak, a prayer to pray, and a story to tell. And so glory grows from person to person, and community is created around the reality that God is truly in our midst. Exceptional, inspiring, informative, extraordinary, "Glory Happening" is a rewarding read that is highly recommended for all members of the Christian community. While very highly recommended for church and community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Glory Happening" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire
Paul B. Duff
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.eerdmans.com
9780802868787, $30.00, PB, 275pp, www.amazon.com

When Jesus of Nazareth began proclaiming the kingdom of God early in the first century, he likely had no intention of starting a new religion, especially one that included former pagans. Yet a new religion did eventually develop -- one that not only included non-Jews but was soon dominated by them. How did this happen? In the pages of "Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire" by Paul Duff (Professor of Religion at the George Washington University in Washington, DC) the reader is offered an accessible and informed account of Christian origins, beginning with the teaching of Jesus and moving to the end of the first century. Professor Duff's narrative shows how the rural Jewish movement led by Jesus developed into a largely non-Jewish phenomenon permeating urban centers of the Roman Empire. Paying special attention to social, cultural, and religious contexts (as well as to early Christian ideas about idolatry, marriage, family, slavery, and ethnicity) "Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire" will help readers cultivate a deeper understanding of the identity, beliefs, and practices of early Christ-believers. Exceptionally and accessibly well written for both academia and non-specialist general readers, "Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire" is an extraordinary and informative study that is very highly recommended for students of Christian History and is a critically important addition to church, community, and academic library collections.

The Last Christians
Andreas Knapp
Plough Publishing House
151 Bowne Drive, PO Box 398, Walden, NY 12586
www.plough.com
9780874860627, $18.00, PB, 233pp, www.amazon.com

From its very inception, the adherents to the Christian religion have been persecuted both by those outside the Christian community as well as by members of other Christian denominations. Now today the principle sources of the persecution of Christians are by members of the Islamic faith throughout the Middle East. Inside Syria and Iraq, and even along the refugee trail, they are a religious minority persecuted for their Christian faith. Outside the Middle East, they're suspect because of their nationality. A small remnant of Christians is on the run from the Islamic State. If they are wiped out, or scattered to the corners of the earth, the language that Jesus spoke may be lost forever - along with the witness of a church that has modeled Jesus' way of nonviolence and loving one's enemy for two millennia. The kidnapping, enslavement, torture, and murder of Christians by the Islamic State, or ISIS, have been detailed by journalists, as have the jihadists' deliberate efforts to destroy the cultural heritage of a region that is the cradle of Christianity. But some stories run deep, and without a better understanding of the religious and historical roots of the present conflict, history will keep repeating itself century after century. "The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight, and Resilience in the Middle East" is unreservedly recommended reading for all members of today's Christian communities regardless of denominational affiliations. While highly recommended for church, community, and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight, and Resilience in the Middle East" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Your Marriage, God's Mission
Clint Bragg & Penny Bragg
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825444272, $15.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of Clint and Penny Bragg, "Your Marriage, God's Mission" is weekly guide for Christian couples that will help the reader pursue a lifelong spiritual journey. Engaging together by writing a marriage mission statement, through lessons drawn from military strategies, "Your Marriage, God's Mission" challenges the reader to get in step with God's commands, combat fear, and defeat the enemy's attacks in every aspect of a marriage. "Your Marriage, God's Mission" shows how to safeguard a martial relationship from division and to exercise humility. "Your Marriage, God's Mission" features innovative ideas such as assessment tools, guided exercises, and original prayers to deepen a relational intimacy and recognize how God's mission unfolds over time. Informal and practical, with links to videos of couples sharing their hard-won experience, "Your Marriage, God's Mission" is a fresh and insightful look at how any couple can discover God's mission for their marriage by discovering more of Him. Inspired and inspiring, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Your Marriage, God's Mission" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Early Jewish Literature: An Anthology
Brad Embry, Ronald Herms, Archie T. Wright, editors
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.eerdmans.com
9780802866691, $125.00, 2 Volumes, 1504pp, www.amazon.com

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Brad Embry (Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Old Testament Studies at Regent University), Ronald Herms (Dean of the School of Humanities, Religion, and Social Sciences at Fresno Pacific University), and Archie T. Wright (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent University), "Early Jewish Literature: An Anthology" is a two volume study comprised of more than seventy selections drawn from the Jewish literary during the era of Second Temple. Each selection is translated by a leading scholar, and collectively these selections present both complete works and substantial excerpts of longer works that provide readers with a solid introduction to the major writings of the era including the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, the writings of Josephus, the writings of Philo of Alexandria, and the Apocrypha. Enhanced with the inclusion of a list of further readings on each selection, a section of maps, a glossary of biographical names, and a glossary of terms. A landmark work of simply outstanding and exceptionally informative scholarship in both breadth and scope, "Early Jewish Literature: An Anthology" is an essential and core addition to synagogue, community, college, and university library Judaic History & Studies reference collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Complete Book of Sewing Techniques
Wendy Gardiner, author
Sian Irvine, photographer
Coral Mula, illustrator
Companion House Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552
9781620082362 $19.99 www.facebook.com/companionhousebooks

The "Complete Book of Sewing Techniques" teaches step by step instructions for over 30 essential sewing techniques, with copious color photographs and illustrations. The book is divided into three parts: Sewing Essentials, Basic Techniques, and Style Techniques. Simply and clearly written narrative paired with precise matching illustrations and photos, "Complete Book of Sewing Techniques" is a helpful tool for the beginning, intermediate, and even advanced seamstress. Section 1, Sewing Essentials, covers sewing machines, sergers, fabrics, threads and notions, interfacings and stabilizers, paper patterns, and measuring guides. Helpful hints and relevant guides or measurement displays are presented in sidebars tinted pink and/or green. Examples of light weight, medium weight, and heavy weight fabrics are shown along with knit fabrics and specialty fabrics. In the pattern section, there is a helpful measuring guide, plus green sidebar guides to sizing measurements for imperial and metric patterns. There is also a helpful guide to pattern alterations. The Basic Techniques section covers hand stitching, machine stitching, corners and curves, seams, and seam finishes. Frequent helpful hints sidebars highlighted in pink add handy tips and information to the seamstress. The Style Techniques section contains information on hemming, facings and bands, darts, pockets, waistbands, collars, sleeves, cuffs, zippers, buttonholes, fastenings, tucks and pleats, linings and interlinings, gathers and ruffles, fancy edges, elastic and casings, straps and ties, applique, and making curtains and blinds. The "Complete Book of Sewing Techniques" is a veritable encyclopedia of sewing knowledge and techniques which can offer specific guidance to even advanced seamstresses as well as beginners. The photo illustrations are beautifully organized and color coded for clarity and beauty. The "Complete Book of Sewing Techniques" has a place on every seamstress' handy instructional bookshelf.

Sew-It-Yourself Home Accessories: 21 Practical Projects to Make in a Weekend
Cheryl Owen, author
Paul Bricknell, Photography, plus Shutterstock
IMM Lifestyle Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552
9781504800938 $16.99 www.foxchapelpublishing.com

"Sew-It-Yourself Home Accessories" contains instructions and templates for 21 practical projects that are easily made over a weekend. Filled with bright color photo-illustrations, each project is well documented from start to finish, every step along the way. Starting with project title, finished project photo, and list of materials and instructions for cutting out, the narrative continues to step by step instructions for making each home sewing projects. Helpful tips are also highlighted and illustrated. Beginning with illustrated lists of materials, supplies and tools, plus demonstrations of special techniques for many of the projects, projects include a chenille sofa pillow, a coffeepot cozy, an egg coaster, a pear doorstop, quilted oven mitt, stacked pincushion, headphones case, kimono clothespin bag, laptop case, hanging storage tub, tablet sleeve, a toiletry bag, wall organizer, and more. Large colored photos of projects and steps for making them are helpful to beginners and intermediate seamstresses. Full of clear instructions, creative ideas, and colorful realizations of sewing craft projects, "Sew-It-Yourself Home Accessories" is an ideal how-to book for the practical home sewing crafter.

Add One Stitch Knitting
Alina Schneider
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
www.barronseduc.com
9781438010892, $18.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

In the pages of "Add One Stitch Knitting: All the Stitches You Need in 15 Projects", knitting expert and blogger Alina Schneider demystifies the knitting process and helps aspiring needlecrafters to learn 15 essential knitting stitches with her easy, step-by-step, illustrated guide. Starting with the simple knit and purl stitches, each individual lesson will help novice knitters to combine these building blocks to create more complex stitches such as moss, waffle, rib, seed, and more. Build your skill set and create lots of beautiful, stylish projects, including: Garter stitch: Scarf; Seed stitch: Headband; Moss stitch: Cowl; Broken rib: Baby blanket; Waffle stitch: Phone case; Andalusian stitch: Summer top; 3 x 1 Seed rib stitch: Pom-pom hat -- and much more! Crystal clear photos and easy-to-follow lessons give beginners and refreshers all the tips they need to create beautiful and modern knit pieces making "Add One Stitch Knitting:" an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library knitting instructional reference collections.

Martingale & Company
www.shopmartingale.com

These quilter references each offer something different to aspiring quilters and are recommended picks for anyone who would produce unique results. Charise Randell's Super Cute Paper Piecing: Designs for Everyday Delights (9781604688795, $22.99) shows how to use paper piecing to best advantage, and teaches simple piecing techniques through projects that rely on color photos to accompany written instructions. Motifs from such piecing can be used for coasters, mini-quilts, kitchen and dining room decoration, and more, and make the production and assembly a snap. Also quite easy and appealing is Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson's Easy Layer-Cake Quilts: Simple Quilts That Start with 10" Squares (9781604688658, $19.99), a survey that comes from the team behind Me and My Sister Designs. 10" precuts form the foundations for quilts which look complex but are actually a snap to produce. Kim Diehl's Simple Harvest: A Bounty of Scrappy Quilts and More (9781604688368, $28.99) provides 19 fall-themed projects ranging from lap and wall quilts to placemats, dining room and kitchen decor, and bedroom sets, and pairs color photos with materials, cutting, and piecing instructions. The fall colors enhance a workbook filled with easy, appealing projects perfect for the fall and winter seasons. Adrienne Smitke illustrates That Patchwork Place's Lunch-Hour Embroidery: 130 Playful Motifs from A to Z (9781604688986, $21.99), an approach which blends over seventy motifs with portable embroidery that can go along with even the busiest schedule. Steps show how to trace and sew illustrations, transfer them to clothing or linens, and apply embroidery stitches to best effect; but it's the motifs paired with a complete alphabet which form the heart of a fine needlework approach.


The Fishing Shelf

Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry
Bruce Staples
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811716208, $29.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Bruce Staples, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, has fly-fished the Greater Yellowstone area for thirty-five years. Yellowstone National Park is one of the most crowded parks in the country, and for good reason: breathtaking scenery, amazing wildlife, and for anglers, great fishing. Yet, even a short hike from the road or trailhead into the backcountry of the park and the surrounding area can put anglers into even better fishing, often in solitude. Drawing upon his impressive expertise and years of experience, Staples has created "Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry", a guidebook that focuses on backcountry fishing opportunities in Yellowstone Park and surrounding areas in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (Greater Yellowstone Area). In addition to full color photographs of the destinations, Staples has also included essential information for each stream or lake, including maps and written directions, flies, gear, and timing. An exceptionally well organized and presented instructional guide and reference, "Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry" is ideal for planning truly memorable fishing excursions anywhere in the Greater Yellowstone territory. While highly recommended for community library Fishing/Hunting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.65).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Extraordinary Dreams
Kimberly R. Mascaro
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476668826, $29.95, PB, 186pp, www.amazon.com

Kimberly R. Mascaro has practiced psychotherapy focused on dreamwork, anxiety, women's recovery, trauma, grief and loss for 20 years and has served as a faculty associate at Arizona State University for 11 years. Some see dreams as communications with another reality and others see them as insignificant random phenomena. Dreams range from the mundane of day-to-day events to the extraordinary, including visions, lucid dreaming, out of body experiences, interactions with the deceased, precognition, sleep paralysis and vivid hallucinations during transitions between sleep and wakefulness. Drawing on individuals' reports, and drawing upon her years of experience and expertise, Mascaro explores the phenomena and the significance of extraordinary dreams in the pages of "Extraordinary Dreams: Visions, Announcements and Premonitions Across Time and Place", making it an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies and Dream Studies instructional reference collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Extraordinary Dreams" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

The Eagle's View: Five Steps to Modern Mysticism
Paddy Fievet, PhD
www.modernmysticism.com
Cloverhurst Publications
9780990670643, $14.95 www.warwickassociates.com

The Eagle's View: Five Steps to Modern Mysticism pairs questionnaires and exercises with ideas designed to help readers achieve spiritual wisdom and change through Modern Mysticism. The author's mystical encounters around the world pair with the mission to help others get in touch with their mystical abilities to create a powerful probe into the Divine, the process of Awakening, and how to tap into spiritual purposes for greater understanding and life meaning. Readers on the road to a better spiritual self-discovery process will find this a fine, specific discussion of five steps that can be used to enter the realms of Modern Mysticism and better awareness.


The Crafts Shelf

Crafting Gratitude
Maggie Oman Shannon
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
http://vivaeditions.com
9781632280343, $18.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Rev. Maggie Oman Shannon believes that crafting for us and those we love can be used as a meditative practice to appreciate the incredible, overflowing richness of life. That's why when she wrote "Crafting Gratitude: Creating and Celebrating Our Blessings with Hands and Heart" she insured that each meditative craft, from novice to expert, is infused with stories like how Gratitude Bundles can represent prosperity and physical health, Spirit Houses from Southeast Asia can be a symbol of a happy home, a Values Bracelet can help you reinforce your best professional traits, or Flower Mandalas can be an affirmation of nature. With other crafts involving aromatherapy, journaling, dream catchers, and a variety of household items, anyone can invigorate their own lives with Crafting Gratitude for family, health, prosperity, the Divine, and much more. Accompanied by a carefully curated list of recommended reading, helpful websites, and how-to guides, these forty practices will resonate with and prompt the aspiring crafter to begin, or continue, exploring gratitude. While highly recommended and certain to be a popular addition to senior center and community library instructional reference crafting collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Crafting Gratitude" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Big Book of Weekend Beading
Jean Power, editor
Natalie Corgrove, Umbreen Hafeez, Cheryl Owen, and Julie Smallwood, authors
CompanionHouse Books
www.facebook.com/companionhousebooks
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552
9781620082829 $19.99 amazon.com

"Big Book of Weekend Beading" contains step-by-step instructions for over 30 quick beading projects, plus a helpful beginning section on materials, tools, and techniques for beading. All four main sections of "Big Book of Weekend Beading" are filled with specific color photos of materials, techniques, tools, and instruction steps, plus finished product photos. Beading is a popular hobby among adults and teens, and a project guide like this one is extremely appealing. "Big Book of Weekend Beading" is divided into four general sections of quick beading projects: General Beading, Stringing, Bead Embroidery, and Wirework. There are eight or more beading projects in each section, with complete lists and color photos of materials, photo illustrated step by step instructions, and a finished project portrait photo. Some of the projects include a bead fringed throw, a square stitch belt, a loom bracelet, a bead-fringed lamp shade, eyeglass chain, an elastic necklace, an embroidered shawl, flower embroidered napkins, chandelier earrings, a charm bracelet, a decorated candle, and a beaded key ring, plus many more. Hours of pleasant beading and crafting are contained within the slim 183 pages of "Big Book of Weekend Beading" with its helpful instructions, tips, and information, including lists of suppliers, and templates for projects. "Big Book of Weekend Beading" is a first class instruction manual for a popular pastime that is sweeping the nation, a perfect activity for quiet winter weekends.


The Sports Shelf

Skiing New Mexico
Daniel Gibson
University of New Mexico Press
MSC05 3185, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9780826357564, $19.95, PB, 132pp, www.amazon.com

Impressively informative and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Skiing New Mexico: A Guide to Snow Sports in the Land of Enchantment" by Daniel Gibson is the ideal guide to recreational skiing and snowboarding in the Land of Enchantment. Included are thousands of helpful details on the state's downhill ski resorts and cross-country and backcountry venues. Each individual ski area is profiled in a separate chapter that includes details on facilities and services such as childcare and instructional options; statistics like average snowfall, vertical drop, and lift capacity; transportation options, including shuttle and bus services; and prices of lift tickets, rental equipment, and lessons."Skiing New Mexico" also includes historical facts about each ski area and its founders, suggestions for best runs by type of terrain, activities off the slopes, and notes on his favorite places to stay and eat. The separate chapters on cross-country and backcountry downhill skiing are equally informative. While very highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Skiing New Mexico" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Journalism Shelf

Stop the Press
James W. Ure
Prometheus Books
9781633883390, $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Stop the Press: How the Mormon Church Tried to Silence the Salt Lake Tribune offers a powerful expose that should be in social issues, media history, and any Utah collection alike, and considers how the Mormon Church tried to squelch and destroy a paper that was critical of its activities and tried to expose its secrets. The author of this book is both a Mormon and a journalist who once worked for the Tribune, so he's in the perfect, authoritative role to expose the behind-the-scenes events and manipulation of church, political and legal systems that affected both the paper and Utah politics in general. This isn't just about his experiences: interviews and research backs the history of Church involvements with the paper, making for a powerful testimony about oppression and influence.


The Mathematics Shelf

Game Changers
Rudolf Taschner
Prometheus Books
9781633883734, $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Game Changers: Stories of the Revolutionary Minds Behind Game Theory comes from a math professor and popular science writer who tackles game theory: a subject too often regulated to computer programming audiences and avid gamers. Lay readers receive a discussion that describes mathematical modeling, yet needs no prior familiarity with math theory, statistics, or modeling. Rudolf Taschner surveys the history of games and different approaches, from the evolution of probability theory to word plays and the current model of applying game theory to military strategy and global finance. The result is a 'must' for any interested in games and their history, science, math, and evolution.


The Woodworking Shelf

Handmade
Gary Rogowski
Linden Publishing
9781610353144, $18.95 www.woodworkerslibrary.com

Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction comes from a master craftsman who considers the many obstacles to honing creative focus in an age of distractions and self-doubt, and pairs the story of how he become involved in woodworking craftsmanship with a larger story of how he learned to cultivate his craft against all odds. These stories offer lessons to fellow aspiring craftspeople and provides an inviting set of inspections into not the craft of woodworking, but the art of centering one's attention to allow creative forces to blossom. Craftspeople and any creative innovator will find this an inspiring, accessible read.


The Dance Shelf

Choreography, fourth edition
Sandra Cerny Minton
Human Kinetics
9781492540120, $41.98 www.humankinetics.com

The fourth updated edition of Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation includes student web resources and updates a basic dance education primer with new, updated materials and tools, combining them into a web resource that pairs over twenty video clips and new chapter additions with expanded exercises and resources for exploring dance movements. High school and college-level classes alike will find this packed with discussions of how to use all forms of dance and choreography on and off stage, with chapters probing the basics of improvisation, typical issues that arise when choreographing dance movements, integrating common dance forms into varied productions, and more. Educators working in the dance field will find this a powerful tool.


The Martial Arts Shelf

YMAA
www.ymaa.com

Two fine titles link health concerns with martial arts and other topics, making them accessible beyond the usual sports audiences that read martial arts guides. Donivan Blair's Even If it Kills Me: Martial Arts, Rock and Roll, and Mortality (9781594395390, $15.95) provides a memoir that describes his life growing up poor in modern-day Texas, and follows his decision to take up martial arts and change his life. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he plays in the rock band the Toadies. He studied taekwondo as a kid, left the practice for some thirty years, then went back to it at age forty. His experiences lend to an involving story. Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's Pain-Free Joints: 46 Simple Qigong Movements for Arthritis Healing and Prevention (9781594395352, $14.95) counters the tendency to obesity and inactivity that aggravates arthritic conditions, providing qigong movements that are easy to achieve. These are simple exercises anyone can do, and provide movements designed to help practitioners loosen, stretch, and heal. From the basics of what qigong is and why it's especially good for joint health to massage methods and movements for different joints, this is a powerful fitness guide recommended for health and exercise collections alike.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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