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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 29, Number 9 September 2019 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Music Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Civil War Shelf General Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf
Western Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Parenting Shelf Education Shelf
Political Science Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Sports Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Photography Shelf Art Shelf
Gardening Shelf Self-Help Shelf Library Science Shelf
Automotive Shelf Biography Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Military Shelf Business Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Psychology Shelf Crafts Shelf Aviation Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Computer Shelf Railroading Shelf Fishing Shelf
Technology Shelf Humor Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice


Save the World: There is No Planet B
Louise Bradford
Summersdale
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooks.com
9781787830349, $9.99

Save the World: There is No Planet B: Things You Can Do Right Now to Save Our Planet provides a pocket-sized book that can serve as a take-along tote and quick read for busy individuals, and provides a host of actionable tips designed to help incorporate more eco-friendly choices into daily lives. From better choices in food coverings and travel options to considering natural textiles and better recycling options, Save the World provides that the first line of planetary defense and preservation resides in the home, and in the everyday efforts of readers who care enough to make a few simple changes in their habits.

Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius
Brainard Carey
Allworth Press
www.allworth.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781621536987, $12.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Whether you're a published author, an artist or a craftsman selling your work, the owner of a small start-up hoping to network, or just looking for a more meaningful social media experience, "Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius: A Guide for Artists, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Kindred Spirits" by Brainard Carey is an ideal instructional guide and manual for using social media as a platform for your marketing efforts.

In "Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius" Carey draws from his experience and interviews with others to show creative people how to make the most of their time on outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Readers will learn how to develop social media campaigns that reflect their personalities, share their unique offerings, and achieve their goals.

Chapter topics include: Building a following; Maintaining an authentic image; Creative ways to share information; Using social media to earn a living; and so much more!

With chapters focusing on practical how-tos and real-world examples, Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius provides readers with both instructive and demonstrative lessons in making the most of their online presence. Everyone can do it with the right tools, and Carey offers an insider's guide to an otherwise daunting process.

"Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius" will awaken and nurture the creative genius in everyone.

Critique: Authors and publishers alike can not hope to succeed without becoming 'social media literate'. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius: A Guide for Artists, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Kindred Spirits" is the perfect instruction manual and guide to becoming expert in utilizing social media to market books. While very highly recommended for community and academic library Small Business Management collections in general (and aspiring writers and novice publishers in particular), it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius: A Guide for Artists, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, and Kindred Spirits" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Brainard Carey is an artist, teacher, walker, and pool player. He cofounded the artistic collaborative Praxis with his wife, Delia Carey. As host of the popular Yale University radio show Lives of the Artists, he has interviewed more than one thousand artists and creative people to illuminate their careers and work. He is passionate about art education and has written several books for artists to develop their careers, including Making It in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, and The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dream Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius. Living in New York City, he also co-founded Praxis Center for Aesthetics, an online school for professional artists.

The Mother of the Brontes
Sharon Wright
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526738486, $39.95, HC, 184pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: They were from different lands, different classes, different worlds almost. So what were the chances of Cornish gentlewoman Maria Branwell (15 April 1783 - 15 September 1821) even meeting the poor Irish curate Patrick Bronte in Regency England, let alone falling passionately in love, were remote.

Yet Maria and Patrick did meet, making a life together as devoted lovers and doting parents in the heartland of the industrial revolution. An unlikely romance and novel wedding were soon followed by the birth of six children. They included Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, the most gifted literary siblings the world has ever known.

Her children inherited her intelligence and wit and wrote masterpieces such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Yet Maria has remained an enigma while the fame of her family spread across the world. It is time to bring her out of the shadows, along with her overlooked contribution to the Bronte genius.

Untimely death stalked Maria as it was to stalk all her children. But first there was her fascinating life's story, told here in "The Mother of the Brontes: When Maria Met Patrick" for the first time by Sharon Wright.

Critique: Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "The Mother of the Brontes: When Maria Met Patrick" is a 'must' for the reading lists for the legions of fans of the Bronte sisters. Impressively informative and an inherently fascinating study, "The Mother of the Brontes" will be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Monter of the Brontes" is also available in a paperback edition (9781526757609, $24.95, and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Sharon Wright is an author, journalist and playwright. She was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and lives in South West London with her family. She has worked as a writer, editor and columnist for leading national magazines, newspapers and websites. She is also the author of critically acclaimed plays performed in Yorkshire and London. Her first book Balloonomania Belles was serialized in the Mail on Sunday and received widespread coverage, including on BBC Woman's Hour and in the New York Post.

Among the Wonders of the Dells
J. Tyler Friedman
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299324049, $34.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Wisconsin Dells is a city in south-central Wisconsin that straddles four counties: Adams, Columbia, Juneau, and Sauk. The city takes its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic, glacially formed gorge that features striking sandstone formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River. Together with the nearby village of Lake Delton, the city forms an area known as "the Dells", a popular Midwestern tourist destination. (Wikipedia)

More than four million visitors travel each year to the Wisconsin Dells, making it the most economically significant tourist destination in the state. After the first non-Native settlers arrived in the late 1830s, photographers began capturing images of the region. H. H. Bennett marketed his iconic images, some of which exploited the image and history of the Ho-Chunk tribe living in the region, to travel agents who sold them across the United States, encouraging early tourism in the area focused on the untamed nature of the frontier. In the next century, this continued desire for adventure was built into exotic hotel names, water parks, and amusement rides.

"Among the Wonders of the Dells: Photography, Place, Tourism" provides the first comprehensive photographic history of the Dells, contextualized in essays by celebrated Wisconsin historians. Spanning the earliest extant photos of the area to the works of contemporary photographers, these representations depict the stunning natural landforms, document the development of the area, and explore public perception of the place. Many new and never-before-seen photographs present the interplay of art and tourism that has made the Dells what they are today -- which is certain to delight history enthusiasts and seasonal vacationers alike.

Critique: A joint publication project of the Museum of Wisconsin Arts and the University of Wisconsin Press, "Among the Wonders of the Dells: Photography, Place, Tourism" is expertly compiled and deftly edited by J. Tyler Friedman (Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Museum of Wisconsin Art). A simple delight to browse through and impressively informative with respect to the history of the Dells, "Among the Wonders of the Dells" should be considered a 'must' for all Wisconsin school and community library Wisconsin History collections -- and the perfect souvenir selection for anyone who has ever experienced and enjoyed what the Dells have to offer its visitors!

100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die
Jenna Kashou
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681061795, $16.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with its beautiful four seasons, fully lives up to its nickname: A great city on a Great Lake. And with enough cultural and sports attractions to rival cities twice its size, it's hard to know just which activities to explore! Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die" is the ideal companion and guide to discovering or re-discovering this Midwestern gem.

Tour a few (or all!) of the many craft breweries throughout the city. The Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks, also serves as a sprawling entertainment complex that has reinvigorated the west side of downtown. Don't miss the Milwaukee Art Museum and a chance to take a photo in front of its expansive white wings. Looking for live entertainment? The opulent Pabst and Riverside Theaters bring in top-notch comedy and musical acts. Whether you re in the mood for fine dining or a more casual meal, recommendations like Lake Park Bistro and the Milwaukee Public Market will not disappoint.

A Milwaukee native, author Jenna Kashou loves exploring and writing about the people and places in her ever-evolving hometown. With her insider's perspective, "100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die" is an indispensable guidebook will help you navigate Milwaukee's nooks and crannies, new hot spots, and iconic sites -- so don't leave home without it!

Critique: Impressively and comprehensively informative, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die" is a pleasure to simply browse through and ideal for planning Milwaukee bound day trips with. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading and reference lists that "100 Things to Do in Milwaukee Before You Die" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Beyond The Bizarre!
Ripley's Believe It Or Not, compiler
Ripley Publishing
www.ripleys.com
9781609912420, $28.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Beyond the Bizarre!", the 16th volume in the bestselling series from Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual series and is filled from cover to cover with all the unbelievable stories, incredible facts, and images that Ripley's is known for.

"Ripley's Believe It or Not! Beyond the Bizarre!" is filled with thousands of strange stories, unusual feats, and hair-raising oddities from around the world. Readers will discover how one man lived in a sand castle for 20 years, read about the cat with 28 toes, the piano bed, frozen beards, a bicycle graveyard, and so much more that is all weird and all true!

Critique: Bursting with vibrant and eye-catching photos, as well as submissions from our dedicated readers, "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Beyond the Bizarre!" is a must-have for every Ripley's fan and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, school, and community library collections.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Productive Graduate Student Writer
Jan Allen
Stylus
www.styluspub.com
9781620368916, $21.00

The Productive Graduate Student Writer: How to Manage Your Time, Process, and Energy to Write Your Research Proposal, Thesis, and Dissertation and Get Published comes from an associate dean for academic and student affairs, and provides students with all-in-one guide to managing grad school's demands. From working on and finishing a project both without and under deadlines to defining essential tasks, conducting research, and translating it to a dissertation, this addresses the basics student writers need to know to get projects completed in a more efficient manner. Unlike more general college how-to guides or creative writer's guides, The Productive Graduate Student Writer's focus on the routines, demands, and processes of grad school makes for a specialized presentation that provides exact details on the process of research and writing for grad students.

Writing Fiction
James Essinger
The Conrad Press
http://theconradpress.com
9781911546542, $13.00, 185pp

Synopsis: In "Writing Fiction: A User-Friendly Guide", author James Essenger draws on the his more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, as well as on the work and ideas of writers including (in alphabetically order): Anthony Burgess; Joseph Conrad; George Eliot; Ken Follett; Frederick Forsyth; Dan Harmon; Ernest Hemingway; David Lodge; Norman Mailer; John Milton; Ben Parker; J.K. Rowling; William Shakespeare; Martin Cruz Smith; J.R.R. Tolkien.

The twenty-four chapters comprising "Writing Fiction: A User-Friendly Guide" by James Essinger cover every important matter an aspiring author need to know about including: devising a compelling story, creating and developing characters, plotting, 'plants', backstory, suspense, dialogue, 'show' and 'tell', and how to make a novel more real than reality.

Also featuring special guest advice from legendary screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote the three immortal 'Back to the Future' movies (1985, 1989 and 1990), and novelist and screenwriter William Osborne, whose many screen credits include the co-writing of the blockbuster 'Twins' (1988), "Writing Fiction" is highly entertaining book provides all the advice and practical guidance needed to make the dream of becoming a published fiction writer come true.

Critique: "Writing Fiction: A User-Friendly Guide" draws on James Essinger's more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, and on the work and ideas of writers including: Anthony Burgess; Joseph Conrad; George Eliot; Ken Follett; Frederick Forsyth; Dan Harmon; Ernest Hemingway; David Lodge; Norman Mailer; John Milton; Ben Parker; J.K. Rowling; William Shakespeare; Martin Cruz Smith; and J.R.R. Tolkien. Itself exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Writing Fiction" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of any and all aspiring authors that "Writing Fiction" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99, Amazon.com).

Editorial Note: James Essinger has been a professional writer since 1988. his non-fiction books include Jacquard's Web (2004), Ada's Algorithm (2013), which is to be filmed by Monumental Pictures, and Charles and Ada: The Computer's Most Passionate Partnership (2019). His novels include The Mating Game (2016) and The Ada Lovelace Project (2019).


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Job Interview Tips for Overcoming Red Flags
Ronald L. Krannich
Impact Publications
14 Cotesworth Place, Savnnah, GA 31411
www.impactpublications.com
9781570234019, $19.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most people have one or two red flags in their background. Some will be minor and embarrassing, but others are major job application killers. Given today's high-tech world, with its rapid communication and instant background checks, your red flags may follow you wherever you go. For employers, they become major objections to hiring and the bases for firing.

While most interview books are designed for the perfect job seeker (the well-educated, credentialed, goal-oriented, skilled, enthusiastic, and accomplished) "Job Interview Tips for Overcoming Red Flags" by Ronald L. Krannich specifically addresses those who struggle to get ahead because of their less than stellar backgrounds. Many of them make poor education and career choices, frequently change jobs, get into trouble, and experience bad luck. They are seen by potential employers as risky hires to be avoided.

That's the subject of this unique book for job seekers is how to best handle red flags during the job interview. It's all about convincing reluctant employers to hire you by speaking truth to power, turning weaknesses into strengths, scrubbing a sketchy background, preparing for sensitive interviews, and knowing what to say and do when confronted with red flag issues.

Jam-packed with seasoned insights and solid job interview advice for people with not-so-hot backgrounds, this book examines: What employers really want and look for in great candidates; Major red flags that consistently derail thousands of job seekers; Ways to identify your red flags and transform them into green lights; 101 questions asked at most job interviews by subject category; Key nonverbal behaviors, from dress and handshakes to eye contact; Great ways to impress interviewers with compelling examples and stories; 35 common interview errors you must never commit; Best ways to address 10 red flags that come up during many interviews; Expert follow up and salary negotiation techniques that work wonders; Key resources from books to blogs that will keep you focused on the prize; Ways to scrub and repair online red flags and reputation issues.

Filled with interview strategies, examples, stories, quizzes, questions, sample Q&A dialogues, and advice, "Job Interview Tips for Overcoming Red Flags" is the perfect interview book for anyone with a spotted background who is also highly motivated to move ahead with their career.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Job Interview Tips for Overcoming Red Flags" is as 'real world practical' as it is effective as a training manual for anyone seeking employment but having a detrimental personal history that would diminish their chances for a successful job interview. "Job Interview Tips for Overcoming Red Flags" is unreservedly endorsed and recommended for personal reading lists and community library Jobs/Careers instructional reference collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Little Local Maine Cookbook
Annie B. Copps
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682684177, $14.95, HC, 80pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Annie B. Copps is a food writer, cooking teacher, and former chef. Annie has worked as a food editor for Boston and Yankee magazines. She teaches cooking classes all over the world and is the author of "A Little Taste of Cape Cod.

In her newest cookbook, "The Little Local Maine Cookbook" she draws upon her years of culinary experience and expertise to showcase thirty classic Maine recipes.

The Little Local Maine Cookbook brings the essential flavors of Maine to the family table with dishes that range from lobster boils, rolls, and bakes; to whole roasted fish with fresh farm-stand corn; to blueberry-sauced crepes and homemade pie. Also included are traditional recipes that celebrate the state.

Critique: With nicely presented illustrations throughout, "The Little Local Maine Cookbook" is a pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library regional cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The Little Local Maine Cookbook" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.97).

Food and Fire
Marcus Bawdon
Dog n Bone
c/o Ryland, Peters & Small
341 East 116th Street, New York, NY 10029
www.rylandpeters.com
9781911026884, $19.95, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Cooking meals over a fire is about as primal as it gets. There is nothing simpler (no metalwork, no fancy gadgets, just food and flame) allowing the cook to take the most basic of culinary ingredients and turn them into something special. Cultures across the globe have cooked in this way, developing their own innovative methods to combine heat and local flavors.

In "Food and Fire", author and outdoor cooking expert Marcus Bawdon takes the best of these global artisanal techniques (ranging from searing directly on the coals, to rotisserie, to wood-fired ovens, to cast-iron grilling, and plenty more) and showcases 65 specific dishes to cook outdoors and share in front of the fire with family and friends.

Critique: With recipes that are beautifully illustrated in full color, the dishes comprising "Food and Fire" range from Scallops on a Silver-Birch Log; Saute Potatoes with Padron Peppers and Chorizo; Grilled Eggplant Steaks with Miso and Honey Glaze; Japanese Barbecue Beef Skewers; and Chili Marmalade Glazed Checken Lollipops; to Slow-Smoked Lamb Rack with Chimichurri Rojo; Wood-Fired Rainbow Trout; Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Miso and Sesame Sauce; Grilled Pears with Honey; and Plancha Pineapple with Charcoal-Melted Maple Butter. A culinary delight to browse through and inspiring to plan meals with, "Food and Fire" is a unique and very highly recommended addition to family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Food and Fire" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.29).

Binging with Babish
Andrew Rea
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.hmhco.com
9781328589897, $30.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The internet cooking show Binging with Babish has taken YouTube by storm with an astounding 5 million fans and views as high as 12 million per episode. For each video, Andrew Rea, a self-proclaimed movie and TV buff, teaches a recipe based on a favorite TV show or film, such as the babka from the classic Seinfeld episode, the beef bourguignon from Julie & Julia, or the timpano from Big Night.

"Binging with Babish: 100 Recipes Recreated from Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows" is lavishly illustrated cookbook that includes these and other fan-favorite recipes. Some are so delicious that you'll want to make them for dinner right away, like Bubba's shrimp from Forrest Gump, while others can be saved for impressing a loved one -- like the chocolate lava cake from Jon Favreau's Chef, which the actor/director asked to make during a guest appearance on Rea's show.

"Binging with Babish" also features inherently fascinating behind-the-scenes stories and answers to frequently asked fan questions.

Critique: A delight to simply browse through, and inspiring to plan menus with, "Binging with Babish: 100 Recipes Recreated from Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows" is a unique and extraordinary addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Binging with Babish: 100 Recipes Recreated from Your Favorite Movies and TV Shows" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Clean Snacks
Arman Liew
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682683194, $21.95, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Clean Snacks: Paleo Vegan Recipes with Keto Options" Arman Liew draws upon his years of culinary experience and expertise to create a compendium of illustrated and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' snacks for any and all occasions ranging from Flourless Almond Butter Cookies; Spiced Baked Potato Wedges; No Churn Coffee Ice Cream; and Classic Bliss Balls; to Keto Granola Bars; No-Bake Cherry Coconut Candy Bars; Sugar-Free Candied Pecans; and Keto Blueberry Muffins.

Critique: A simple delight to browse through and inspiring to plan vegan snacks for special occasions with, "Clean Snacks" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Clean Snacks" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

From the Oven to the Table
Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784726096, $29.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, all of the recipes in showcases in the pages of "From the Oven to the Table" by Diana Henry can be cooked in one dish or pan. A compendium of delicious recipes, the kitchen cook need only to simply prep the ingredients then pop them in the oven to roast. From quick after-work suppers and light veggie meals to more substantial feasts to feed friends, the recipes comprising "From the Oven to the Table" are simply packed with full-on flavor.

Diana includes recipes such as Spatchcock Chicken with Chilie, Garlic and Oregano Aioli, Cod with Chorizo, Tomatoes, Olives and Saffron and Sherry-roast Jerusalem Artichokes, Chestnuts and Mushrooms, proving that impressive meals are achievable in every home -- no matter how limited the time, resources or energy on the apart of the kitchen cook.

Critique: The range of the palate pleasing and appetite satisfying dishes is truly impressive and ranges from Chicken with Feta Cheese, Dill, Lemon & Harissa Yogurt; Roasted Radishes with Honey, Mint & Preserved Lemon; Baked Sweet Potato with Avocado & Chimichurri; and White Beans & Roasted Tomatoes with Caper, Mint & Chili Dressing; Slow-Roast Hoisin Pork Butt with Radish & Cucumber Salad; Roast Lamb with Applies, Apple Brandy 7 Cream; and Cassis & Bay-Baked Pears with Blackberries. Each showcased recipes includes an ingredients list, step- by-step prep instructions, and estimated serving size. While unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "From the Oven to the Table" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Osteoporosis & Osteopenia
Bryant Lusk
PennedSource
https://bryantlusk.com/b2b
9781733642507, $15.99, paperback
9781733642514, $1.99, eBook

Osteoporosis & Osteopenia: Vitamin Therapy for Stronger Bones promotes the idea informed vitamin therapy to combat osteoporosis; but it's not a pop panacea that promotes irresponsible self-medicating, and actually includes warnings about the impact of improper vitamin applications. It's important to note is that all of Bryant Lusk's contentions are based on authoritative research from such entities as the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and World Health Organization, among others. Perhaps the reason why this is so well-researched is that the process stems from Bryant Lusk's background as a credentialed Safety Inspector and Quality Control Specialist. His detail-oriented approach to the facts cultivates a methodical approach that holds a few surprises for readers anticipating the usual focus on connecting bone health with concerns of the elderly. Osteoporosis & Osteopenia should be in the collections of any health-oriented library as basic primer encouraging daily supplementation routines.

Radiant
Hanna Sillitoe
Kyle Books
www.kylebooks.com
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857833921, $22.99

Radiant: Recipes to Heal Your Skin From Within comes from the creator of the blog My Goodness, and offers a diet and lifestyle change that only requires a prior interest in making adjustments in order to cure the ravages of skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Juice cleanses, meals that contain ingredients that support skin rejuvenation, and formulas for homemade beauty products offer a program for both skin condition sufferers and those who simply want to improve or maintain clear skin. Health benefits aside, these dishes will intrigue cooks looking for different fare, from a Beet and Bramley Apple Borscht to Brazil Nut Pesto, Butternut Squash and Root Cumin Soup, and Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It's the perfect all-around guide for anyone interested in improving or maintaining skin.

True Wellness: The Mind
Catherine Kurosu, MD, LAc & Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT
YMAA
www.ymaa.com
9781594396649, $15.95

True Wellness The Mind: How to Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Health comes from authors who discuss managing sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression using a blend of exercise, better food, stress management, and qigong, and offers worksheets and advice to help readers meet these goals. Ancient wisdom blends with the latest scientific research in a blend of medical approaches designed not just to reveal the basics of true health, but individual choices that lead to it. It's this focus on such choices that helps sets True Wellness The Mind apart from similar-sounding books.

When Food is Your Frenemy
Jacob F. Bustos
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781642793376, $17.95, PB, 142pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Jacob F. Bustos is a chef, cooking coach, and food enthusiast who has been in the food business for twenty-four years. He beat his own battle with morbid obesity after undergoing a life-saving bariatric procedure that began his 160-pound weight loss journey and has set out to make a positive impact on others by emphasizing how important healthy food choices are. Jacob began his career in the fast food business and earned various awards for great customer service, even receiving Congressional recognition for his charitable work. In 2002, he left the fast food business and currently runs a number of fast-causal Cafes in Southern California.

In "When Food is Your Frenemy: From Obesity to Restored Health", Bustos draws upon his experience and expertise to help those who are morbidly obese or who struggle with self-image make the necessary changes to live full and healthy lives.

"When Food is Your Frenemy" is also a cookbook to promote healthy eating with recipes that are not only healthy, but that also transform ordinary foods into healthier versions of themselves.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "When Food is Your Frenemy: From Obesity to Restored Health" is as inspiring as it is 'real world practical' in application. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Healthy Living collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life
Inna Khazan
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393712933, $22.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Biofeedback is the process of training your body to control its involuntary actions, such as breathing and heart rate. Minor changes to these actions can significantly improve physical and emotional well- being. In "Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Practical Solutions for Improving Your Health and Performance", Inna Khazan (who holds a faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and trains professionals in biofeedback) pairs biofeedback techniques with mindfulness practice to address some of life's most common ailments ranging from anxiety and fear, to stress and insomnia.

Professor Khazan begins with a description of basic physiological information, explaining concepts such as breathing and overbreathing. In Part Two she dives into the practice of mindfulness. And in Part Three she zeroes in on applying this mind-body approach to an array of common problems.

Professor Khazan's approach outlines simple solutions for readers who want to improve the way they respond to challenges. She guides them through increasing their resilience and emotional flexibility while empowering them to take back control of their overall health.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for both biofeedback students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Practical Solutions for Improving Your Health and Performance" is a seminal work of meticulous scholarship that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and biofeedback enthusiasts that "Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HighBridge Audio, 9781684574896, $39.99, CD).

What You Must Know About Dry Eye
Jeffrey Anshel, OD
Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9780757004797, $16.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: While the condition known as dry eye may sound like a minor problem, it can cause tremendous discomfort, even pain. Worse, this disorder can lead to eye fatigue, blurred vision, and difficulty driving, especially at night. In a healthy eye, lubricating tears continuously bathe the cornea the dome-shaped outer surface of the eye. These tears provide a layer of liquid protection from the environment while nourishing the cells, keeping the eyes comfortable, and helping the eyes function properly. But when tears are not of adequate quality or quantity, dry eye disease occurs.

Written by optometrist Jeffrey Anshel, "What You Must Know About Dry Eye: How to Prevent, Stop, or Reverse Dry Eye Disease" is divided into two parts. Part One begins by explaining the anatomy of the eye and how it works. It then focuses on dry eye -- what the condition is, what causes it, how it impacts vision, and how it is diagnosed. In Part Two, it examines a full range of treatments. First, it looks at conventional therapies, from over-the-counter artificial tears to prescription drugs. It then guides the reader in using smart nutrition and a proven supplement plan to relieve dry eye while making the eyes healthier, more comfortable, and able to see more clearly.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, "What You Must Know About Dry Eye: How to Prevent, Stop, or Reverse Dry Eye Disease" is as impressively informative as it is 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. Simply stated, this is a 'must' for the personal reading lists of anyone suffering from the medical condition popularly known as 'Dry Eye' and will prove to be a very worthwhile and enduringly valued addition to both community and academic library Health/Medicine collections.

Editorial Note: Jeffrey R. Anshel, OD, received his bachelor of science degree in visual science and his doctorate of optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry. After his service in the US Navy, Dr. Anshel went into private practice, offering his patients nutrition and alternative therapies as part of their vision care. He lectures internationally and has written six books on eye care, including Smart Medicine for Your Eyes and What You Must Know About Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle
Richard Furman, MD, FACS
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800728069, $13.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 2017 it was documented that more than 30 million Americans have diabetes. Another 84 million (more than 30% of the adult population) have elevated blood sugar levels that put them at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.

For most of us, it takes a medical emergency to get us to make vital changes to our eating, exercise habits, and weight control. At that point it is often too little, too late. The unfortunate reality is that 80% of diabetics will die of a heart attack. "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle" by Dr. Richard Furman is the trigger for the diabetes vulnerable reader to make critical lifestyle changes before any medical emergency ever occurs.

In "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle", Dr. Furman shows the three essential steps to take in order to defeat diabetes before it can cripple or kill. He carefully explains the latest medical literature, offers proven guidelines on what to eat (and what not to eat), and outlines an effective exercise program for keeping the heart healthy.

Critique: Specifically and successfully written for the non-specialist general reader, "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended read for anyone and everyone who is diabetic, prediabetic, or overweight. "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle" will prove to be especially instructive for the loved one or caregiver who wants specific directions for supporting the diabetic man or woman in their life as they help them make vital life saving lifestyle changes. Simply stated, every community and academic library should have a copy of "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle" as a core part of their Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Winning Your Blood Sugar Battle" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

Editorial Note: Richard Furman, MD, FACS, spent more than thirty years as a vascular surgeon. The author of Prescription for Life, Your Cholesterol Matters, and Defeating Dementia, Dr. Furman is past president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, past president of the North Carolina Surgical Society, and a two-term governor of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Furman is also the cofounder of World Medical Mission which is the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse, and a member of the board of Samaritan's Purse.

Rethinking Diabetes
Emily Mendenhall
Cornell University Press
512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
9781501738302, $95.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Rethinking Diabetes: Entanglements with Trauma, Poverty, and HIV", Emily Mendenhall (Associate Professor of Global Health, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University) investigates how global and local factors transform how diabetes is perceived, experienced, and embodied from place to place. Professor Mendenhall argues that the link between sugar and diabetes overshadows the ways in which underlying biological processes linking hunger, oppression, trauma, unbridled stress, and chronic mental distress produce diabetes. The life history narratives in "Rethinking Diabetes" show how deeply embedded these factors are in the ways diabetes is experienced and (re)produced among poor communities around the world.

"Rethinking Diabetes" focuses on the stories of women living with diabetes near or below the poverty line in urban settings in the United States, India, South Africa, and Kenya. Professor Mendenhall shows how women's experiences of living with diabetes cannot be dissociated from their social responsibilities of caregiving, demanding family roles, expectations, and gendered experiences of violence that often displace their ability to care for themselves first. These case studies reveal the ways in which a global story of diabetes overlooks the unique social, political, and cultural factors that produce syndemic diabetes differently across contexts.

From the case studies, "Rethinking Diabetes" clearly provides some important parallels for scholars to consider: significant social and economic inequalities, health systems that are a mix of public and private (with substandard provisions for low-income patients), and rising diabetes incidence and prevalence. At the same time, Professor Mendenhall asks us to unpack how social, cultural, and epidemiological factors shape people's experiences and why we need to take these differences seriously when we think about what drives diabetes and how it affects the lives of the poor.

Critique: An erudite work of original and seminal scholarship, "Rethinking Diabetes: Entanglements with Trauma, Poverty, and HIV" is an extraordinary study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for college and university library Contemporary Health/Medicine Issues collections in general, and International Diabetes supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academics, governmental health police makers, and non-specialists general readers with an interest in the subject that "Rethinking Diabetes" is also available in a paperback edition (9781501738432, $28.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The One Minute Cat Manager
Kac Young
Hubble & Hattie
Veloce House
www.hubbleandhattie.com
9781787113732, $13.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "The One Minute Cat Manager: Sixty Seconds to Feline Shangri-la", Kac Young showcases 60-second techniques that anyone can practice with their cat.

Often, people pass up the opportunity to rescue a cat because they believe they don't have the time to care for a pet. The One Minute Cat Manager shows how, by employing certain sixty-second techniques can make cat care easy for all, and demonstrates the rewards that unconditional cat-love can bring, creating a bond that will last a lifetime. Specially commissioned illustrations enhance and inform the text throughout.

With expert insight into the inner workings of the feline mind, and analysis of cat behavior, "The One Minute Cat Manager" will facilitate a deeper understanding, and stronger bond with a feline friend and companion.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, accessibly organized and deftly presented, "The One Minute Cat Manager: Sixty Seconds to Feline Shangri-la" is impressively informative and thoroughly 'user friendly'. This unique and effective instruction manual is 'real world' practical and especially recommended for community library Pets/Wildlife collections. It should be noted for anyone and everyone with a feline companion that "The One Minute Cat Manager" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Australian Birds of Prey in Flight
Richard Seaton, Mat Gilfedder, Stephen Debus
CSIRO Publishing
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781486308668, $31.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Birds of prey spend most of their time in flight, and, when viewed from the ground, they are notoriously hard to identify. "Australian Birds of Prey in Flight" is a photographic guide to the eagles, hawks, kites and falcons flying high in the sky.

Individual species profiles describe distinguishing features and the text is supported by detailed images showing the birds at six different angles and poses, using photographs from many of Australia's leading bird photographers. the inclusion of an annotated multi-species comparison plates highlight key features that can help differentiate birds of prey in flight.

"Australian Birds of Prey in Flight: A Photographic Guide" will prove to be of immense and practical value to anyone who wants to learn more about Australia's birds of prey, and will provide a useful reference for identifying soaring birds in the field, and also while trying to identify images from their own camera.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Australian Birds of Prey in Flight: A Photographic Guide" is an immense pleasure to browse through and impressively practical for identifying specific bird species in the skies of Australia, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Australian Birds of Prey in Flight: A Photographic Guide" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.27).


The Music Shelf

The Road Goes on Forever
Michael Buffalo Smith
Mercer University Press
1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207-0001
www.mupress.org
9780881467123, $24.00, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Road Goes on Forever: Fifty Years of The Allman Brothers Band Music (1969-2019)" by Michael Buffalo Smith utilizes history, personal interviews, and many collected documents to aid in the telling of the story of the humble beginnings and career of the original Southern rock band on this, the 50th anniversary of their formation.

For "The Road Goes on Forever", Smith personally spoke with and interviewed former Allman Brothers members including Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, and Allen Woody, as well as producers, engineers, roadies, and fans to create a tribute to Macon, Georgia's greatest rock and roll export.

In the pages of "The Road Goes on Forever" Smith takes us inside the Big House on Vineville Avenue in Macon where the band lived during their peak years and into Capricorn Studios where they recorded all of their original albums. The albums are each given the spotlight as well, including Gregg and Dickey's solo projects, and the book explores the exhaustive list of recording credits accumulated by Duane Allman during his far too short career. There is a complete review of the unprecedented 40th anniversary Beacon Theatre residency in 2009 that found the band joined onstage by a veritable Who's Who of contemporary music greats.

More than just a history of the greatest Southern band of all time, "The Road Goes on Forever" is a kind of reference manual for fans of the band and a book filled with ramblin' men, blue skies, Georgia peaches, and great music. Chuck Leavell (who was a former band member and is currently the Rolling Stones band leader) provides an informative foreword.

Critique: Extraordinarily informative and impressively organized and presented, "The Road Goes on Forever: Fifty Years of The Allman Brothers Band Music (1969-2019)" is the definitive history of one of the most influential and popular music groups in American music culture. An absolutely 'must read' for the legions of dedicated Allman Brothers fans, "The Road Goes on Forever" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Music History collections.

Editorial Note: Michael Buffalo Smith has authored a total of seven books on Southern music history. He was founder and publisher of both Gritz music magazine and Kudzoo magazine, and has written countless cover stories, interviews, and reviews for many publications including Rolling Stone, Mojo, Goldmine, Hittin' the Note, and Relix. He is also a singer/songwriter with a new album produced by Macon's Paul Hornsby and featuring Capricorn star Tommy Talton, called Makin' it Back to Macon.


The American History Shelf

The Devil's Triangle
James M. Smallwood, Kenneth W. Howell, and Carol C. Taylor
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574417722 $19.95 amazon.com

Synopsis: In the Texas Reconstruction Era (1865 - 1877), many returning Confederate veterans organized outlaw gangs and Ku Klux Klan groups to continue the war and to take the battle to Yankee occupiers, native white Unionists, and their allies, the free people. This study of Benjamin Bickerstaff and other Northeast Texans provides a microhistory of the larger whole. Bickerstaff founded Ku Klux Klan groups in at least two Northeast Texas counties and led a gang of raiders who, at times, numbered up to 500 men. He joined the ranks of guerrilla fighters like Cullen Baker and Bob Lee and, with their gangs often riding together, brought chaos and death to the "Devil's Triangle," the Northeast Texas region where they created one disaster after another.

Critique: The Devil's Triangle is a close study of a criminal who extended a campaign of brutal guerilla violence for years after the Civil War. Here is the horrifying true tale of Ku Klux Klan groups and raiders who terrorized native white Unionists and freed slaves of Texas. Armed citizens killed Bickerstaff in the town of Alvarado in 1869, but the grim legacy of his crimes is reflected in the horrifying history of the Klan. An expertly researched case study of not only one man's depredations, but also a microcosm of racial and political strife in America, The Devil's Triangle is highly recommended for public and college library American History and Criminology collections.

The Ordeal of the Jungle
David Bates
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive, SIUC Mail Code 6806, Carbondale, IL 62901
www.siupress.com
9780809337446 $29.50 pbk / $28.02 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Between 1910 and 1920, the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) inaugurated a massive organizing drive in the city's meatpacking and steel industries. Although the CFL sought legitimately progressive goals, worked earnestly to organize an interracial union, and made major inroads among both black and white workers, their efforts resulted in a bitter defeat. David Bates provides a clear picture of how even the most progressive of intentions can be ground to a halt.

By organizing workers into neighborhood locals, which connected workplace struggles to ethnic and religious identities, the CFL facilitated a surge in the organization's membership, particularly among African American workers, and afforded the federation the opportunity to aggressively confront employers. The CFL's innovative structure, however, was ultimately its demise. Linking union locals to neighborhoods proved to be a form of de facto segregation. Over time union structures, rank-and-file conflicts, and employer resistance combined to turn the union's hopeful calls for solidarity into animosity and estrangement. Tensions were exacerbated by violent shop floor confrontations and exploded in the bloody 1919 Chicago Race Riot. By the early 1920s, the CFL had collapsed.

The Ordeal of the Jungle explores the choices of a variety of people while showing a complex, overarching interplay of black and white workers and their employers. In addition to analyzing union structures and on-the-ground relations between workers, Bates synthesizes and challenges previous scholarship on interracial organizing to explain the failure of progressive unionism in Chicago.

Critique: The Ordeal of the Jungle: Race and the Chicago Federation of Labor 1903-1922 examines the bitter lessons to be learned from the historical rise and fall of a progressive labor movement. Although the Chicago Federation of Labor strived to create an interracial union to benefit the city's meatpacking and steel industry workers, its methods ultimately undercut its lofty goals. Mistrust and estrangement in festered within the union, and the horrific 1919 Chicago Race Riot arguably inflicted a mortal wound. The CFL dissolved in the early 1920's. Author David Bates (assistant professor of history, Concordia University Chicago) examines the CFL's tenure with scholarly precision, offering a complex, nuanced portrayal of race relations in Chicago a century ago. The Ordeal of the Jungle is a welcome contribution to public and college library American History collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Ordeal of the Jungle is also available in a Kindle edition ($28.02).

The Strenuous Life
Ryan Swanson
Diversion Books
www.diversionbooks.com
9781635766127 $27.99 hc / $17.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Crippling asthma and grossly myopic eyesight as a child, Theodore Roosevelt was plagued by such ailments. Give up exercise completely, he was told by a doctor while attending Harvard, or you might die of a heart attack. Still, Roosevelt pressed on. His body was his weakness, the one hill he could never fully conquer.

But, oh, how he tried!

Roosevelt developed a lifelong obsession with athletics that he carried with him into the highest office in the nation. As President of the United States, Roosevelt boxed, practiced Ju-Jitsu, played tennis, conducted harrowing "point-to-point" walks, and invited athletes to the White House constantly. He also made certain that each of his children participated in athletics. Not surprisingly, Roosevelt's personal quest had broad reverberations. During his administration, America saw an unprecedented rise in sports and recreational activities. With Roosevelt in office, baseball's first ever World Series took place, interscholastic sports began, and schools began to place a legitimate emphasis on physical education. Additionally, the NCAA formed, and the United States hosted the Olympic Games for the first time.

And the "Bull Moose," as he'd come to be known, resided squarely in the midst of this upheaval. He fought desperately (and sometimes successfully) to shape American athletics in accordance with his view of the world. Filled with amazing anecdotes, a who's who of American political and sports figures from the early 20th century, and Rooseveltian gusto and humor, this book tells the tale of Roosevelt's struggle, which he termed "The Strenuous Life," and how it changed America.

Critique: The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete examines how President Theodore Roosevelt's devotion to athletics affected American culture. A striking rise in American sports and recreational activities occurred during Roosevelt's time in the White House, from the first ever baseball World Series to the formation of the NCAA, the implementation of physical education programs in schools, and more. Peppered with expertly researched anecdotes, and enhanced with endnotes and an index, The Strenuous Life is an extraordinary look into a lesser-studied aspect of American History, thoroughly accessible to scholars and lay readers alike. The Strenuous Life is a welcome addition to public and college library American History collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Strenuous Life is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

Hot Type, Cold Beer and Bad News
Michael D. Roberts
Gray & Company, Publishers
www.grayco.com
9781598511024, $24.95, HC, 293pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 1960s were the most turbulent era in Cleveland history -- and an exciting time to be a newspaper reporter. "Hot Type, Cold Beer and Bad News: A Cleveland Reporter's Journey Through the 1960s" is Michael Roberts personal memoir of those tumultuous times. It's an eyewitness account by a veteran journalist who, as an ambitious young reporter, covered the major events of the day: civil rights violence, corruption and crime, Vietnam, Kent State, and more.

Cleveland was already changing by the beginning of the 1960s. Racial unrest, migration to the suburbs and the decline of its once-mighty industrial base reshaped the city's politics and population. Cleveland found itself at the forefront of social upheaval that would sweep the nation and alter America. In those days, a journalist could find a story that reflected the times down the street or around the world.

Reporting for the Plain Dealer, Roberts covered a decade of destruction, death and dissension ranging from the riots on Cleveland's East Side, to the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, to the aftermath of the Six-Day War in the Middle East, to the tragedy of the Kent State shootings.

There were enlightened moments, too. For a good part of that decade the eyes of the nation were on Cleveland, watching whether it would elect the first African American mayor of a major American city. It did, in Carl B. Stokes.

It was also the last golden hour of print newspapers -- although they didn't know it yet. Technology had not yet altered the business. All a journalist needed was a pen, a notebook, a typewriter, a pay phone and a pocketful of change. Television was only just beginning to make a serious impact on news reporting. Newspapers were a unifying force in communities, a friendly visitor that arrived on your doorstop every day. But by decade's end, the spirit of revolt would come to haunt the newspaper and pluck both the verve and the soul from it.

For a reporter in search of a big story, though, bad times were also the best of times. This is the way it was.

Critique: An absolutely fascinating and sometimes nostalgic read, "Hot Type, Cold Beer and Bad News: A Cleveland Reporter's Journey Through the 1960s" will prove to be an enduringly valued contribution to both community and academic library 20th Century American History and Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and American Journalism supplemental studies lists in particular. Simply stated, every journalism student should read "Hot Type, Cold Beer and Bad News" to truly learn what journalism should be -- even in a world of 24 hours cable news, an era of an ever pervasive social media, and the slow demise of traditional newspapers.

Editorial Note: Michael D. Roberts got his start as a newspaper reporter in 1962 and joined the Plain Dealer in 1963. He received the Ohio Associated Press Award in 1966 for exposing a forged Rembrandt painting. He reported on assignment from Vietnam, the Middle East, and the newspaper's Washington Bureau. He joined Cleveland Magazine in 1972 and served as editor for 17 years. He currently works in public relations and regularly writes for several publications.

Early Alabama
Mike Bunn
The University of Alabama Press
PO Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0380
www.uapress.ua.edu
9780817359287, $24.95, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Alabama's territorial and early statehood years represent a crucial formative period in its past, a time in which the state both literally and figuratively took shape. The story of the remarkable changes that occurred within Alabama as it transitioned from frontier territory to a vital part of the American union in less than a quarter century is one of the most compelling in the state's past.

"Early Alabama: An Illustrated Guide to the Formative Years, 1798 - 1826" by Mike Bunn (Director of the Historic Blakeley State Park in Baldwin County, Alabama) is a state history that features a wealth of stories about charismatic leaders, rugged frontiersmen, a dramatic and pivotal war that shaped the state's trajectory, raging political intrigue, and pervasive sectional rivalry.

Many of Alabama's modern cities, counties, and religious, educational, and governmental institutions first took shape within this time period. It also gave way to the creation of sophisticated trade and communication networks, the first large-scale cultivation of cotton, and the advent of the steamboat. Contained within this story of growth and innovation is a parallel story, the dispossession of Native groups of their lands and the forced labor of slaves, which fueled much of Alabama's early development.

"Early Alabama: An Illustrated Guide to the Formative Years, 1798 - 1826" will also aptly serve as a kind of traveler's guidebook to the state with it's fast-paced narrative that traces Alabama's developmental years. Despite the great significance of this era in the state's overall growth, these years are perhaps the least understood in all of the state's history and have received relatively scant attention from historians.

Critique: Featuring selected homes, churches, businesses, government buildings, battlefields, cemeteries, and museums, "Early Alabama: An Illustrated Guide to the Formative Years, 1798 - 1826" is an impressively detailed historical guide that is unreservedly recommended as a curriculum textbook, and a uniquely informative addition to community, college, and university library 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 "Early Alabama" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $21.73).


The World History Shelf

Sudden Courage
Ronald C. Rosbottom
Custom House
c/o William Morrow & Company
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062470027, $27.99, HC, 366pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On June 14, 1940, German tanks rolled into Paris. Eight days later, France accepted a humiliating defeat and foreign occupation. Most citizens adapted and many even allied themselves with the new fascist leadership. Yet there were others who refused to capitulate; in answer to the ruthless violence, shortages, and curfews imposed by the Nazis, a resistance arose. Among this shadow army were Jews, immigrants, communists, workers, writers, police officers, shop owners, including many young people in their teens and twenties.

In "Sudden Courage: Youth in France Confront the Germans, 1940-1945", Ronald Rosbottom (the Winifred L. Arms Professor in the Arts and Humanities and a Professor of French, European Studies, and Architectural Studies at Amherst College) tells the riveting story of how those brave and untested youth went from learning about literature to learning the art of sabotage, from figuring out how to solve an equation to how to stealthily avoid patrols, from passing notes to stealing secrets -- and even learning how to kill. The standard challenges of adolescence were amplified and distorted.

"Sudden Courage" brilliantly evokes this dark and uncertain period, from the beginning of the occupation until the last German left French soil. A chronicle of youthful sacrifice and courage in the face of evil, it is a story that holds relevance for our own time, when democratic nations are once again under threat from rising nativism and authoritarianism. Beyond that, it is a riveting investigation about what it means for a young person to come of age under unpredictable and violent circumstances.

Critique: A thoroughly absorbing and impressively informative history of one of the more obscure aspects of the German occupation of France during World War II, "Sudden Courage: Youth in France Confront the Germans, 1940-1945" is an extraordinary and emotionally moving study that is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library 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 "Sudden Courage" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781982661373, $39.99, CD).

Scotland: A Concise History
Fitzroy Maclean, author
Magus Linklater, author
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500294727, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Scotland: A Concise History" is a highly readable and succint account that disentangles the complex threads of the history of Scotland from its beginnings to the present.

Bringing the story of Scotland up to date, this newly revised fifth edition of Fitzroy Maclean's classic work includes additional chapters by distinguished journalist Magnus Linklater.

Adding to Maclean's informed and informative history, Linklater examines how the new Scottish parliament has fared and discusses significant events, such as devolution and the transfer of taxation rights from Westminster, the release of the Lockerbie bomber, and the fallout from the 2008 global financial crash.

This expanded new edition of "Scotland: A Concise History" also touches on the independence referendum, the future of the United Kingdom now that the Scottish National Party is in power, and Britain's impending exit from the European Union.

Written with wit and scholarship, Scotland presents a highly readable account that disentangles the complex history of Scotland from its beginnings to the present, and offers a rich record of Scotland's art, politics, intellectual life, and national identity.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader's enjoyment with 30 color illustrations, this newly updated and expanded edition of "Scotland: A Concise History" is unreservedly recommended for personal the reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, as well as core addition to both community and academic library European History collections in general, and History of Scotland supplemental studies lists in particular.

Franklin's Fate
John Roobol
The Conrad Press
http://theconradpress.com
9781911546498, $25.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 1845 North-West Passage expedition of Sir John Franklin in the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with a full company of 129 officers and men, none of whom ever saw England again, was one of the most heroic and courageous, maritime expeditions in history.

"Franklin's Fate: An Investigation Into What Happened To The Lost 1845 Expedition Of Sir John Franklin" is an enthralling and deftly written history that is the result of seven years of arduous research by retired geologist Dr. John Roobol, who weighs evidence gathered over more than 170 years, and offers a highly convincing interpretation of what really happened to the lost, heroic, expedition.

Critique: Impressively informative work of original scholarship and exhaustive research, "Franklin's Fate" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of maps, four appendices, a two page listing of acknowledgments, twelve pages of source notes, and a one page listing of bibliographic references. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and academic library 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 "Franklin's Fate" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).


The Civil War Shelf

"Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken"
Thomas J. Ryan and Richard R. Schaus
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611214598 $32.95 hc / $19.95 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Countless books have examined the battle of Gettysburg, but the retreat of the armies to the Potomac River and beyond has not been as thoroughly covered. "Lee is Trapped, and Must be Taken": Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg: July 4 to July 14, 1863, by Thomas J. Ryan and Richard R. Schaus goes a long way toward rectifying this oversight.

This comprehensive study focuses on the immediate aftermath of the battle and addresses how Maj. Gen. George G. Meade organized and motivated his Army of the Potomac in response to President Abraham Lincoln's mandate to bring about the "literal or substantial destruction" of Gen. Robert E. Lee's retreating Army of Northern Virginia. As far as the president was concerned, if Meade aggressively pursued and confronted Lee before he could escape across the flooded Potomac River, "the rebellion would be over."

The long and bloody three-day battle exhausted both armies. Their respective commanders faced difficult tasks, including the rallying of their troops for more marching and fighting. Lee had to keep his army organized and motivated enough to conduct an orderly withdrawal away from the field. Meade faced the same organizational and motivational challenges, while assessing the condition of his victorious but heavily damaged army, to determine if it had sufficient strength to pursue and crush a still-dangerous enemy. Central to the respective commanders' decisions was the information they received from their intelligence-gathering resources about the movements, intentions, and capability of the enemy. The eleven-day period after Gettysburg was a battle of wits to determine which commander better understood the information he received, and directed the movements of his army accordingly. Prepare for some surprising revelations.

Woven into this account is the fate of thousands of Union prisoners who envisioned rescue to avoid incarceration in wretched Confederate prisons, and a characterization of how the Union and Confederate media portrayed the ongoing conflict for consumption on the home front.

The authors utilized a host of primary sources to craft their study, including letters, memoirs, diaries, official reports, newspapers, and telegrams, and have threaded these intelligence gems in an exciting and fast-paced narrative that includes a significant amount of new information. "Lee is Trapped, and Must be Taken" is a sequel to Thomas Ryan's Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign, the recipient of the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award and Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Distinguished Book Award.

Critique: Winner of the Edwin C. Bearss Scholarly Research Award, "Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken": Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863 is a scholarly, in-depth study of the crucial period immediately after the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War, which ultimately led to the surrender of General Lee of the Confederacy and the war's conclusion. Chapters scrutinize the day-by-day pursuit of General Lee and his withdrawing army, including the challenges both sides faced in gathering intelligence on the enemy and motivating their troops. Expertly researched, featuring black-and-white maps, a thorough bibliography, and an index, "Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken" is a welcome addition to public and college library Civil War shelves. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken" is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.95).

Pinkertons, Prostitutes and Spies
John Stewart
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476679075, $29.95, PB, 231pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Hattie Lawton was a young Pinkerton detective who with her partner, Timothy Webster, spied for the U.S. Secret Service during the Civil War. Working in Richmond, the two posed as husband and wife. A dazzling blonde from New York and a handsome Englishman, both with checkered pasts, they were matched in charm, cunning, duplicity and boldness.

Betrayed by their own spymaster, Allan Pinkerton, the two of them fell into the hands of the dictator of Richmond, the notorious General John H. Winder. "Pinkertons, Prostitutes and Spies: The Civil War Adventures of Secret Agents Timothy Webster and Hattie Lawton" by John Stewart is a lively history that was scrupulously researched from all available sources, corrects the record on many points, and definitively answers the long-standing question of Hattie Lawton's true identity.

Critique: Winner of numerous reference book awards, the late John Stewart was the author of nonfiction books on a variety of topics including African states and rulers, Antarctica, the British Empire, Moons of the solar system, Italian movies, Broadway musicals, the British circus, Lord Byron, and the flight of the Confederate government from Richmond. With the publication of "Pinkertons, Prostitutes and Spies" he has made an enduringly appreciated and unique contribution to the growing library of American Civil War literature. While especially recommended for community, college, and university library American Civil War history collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Pinkertons, Prostitutes and Spies" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

General Emory Upton in the Civil War
Robert N. Thompson
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476678900, $39.95, PB, 204pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Emory Upton (August 27, 1839 - March 15, 1881) was a United States Army General and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the American Civil War, but he also excelled at artillery and cavalry assignments. His work, "The Military Policy of the United States", which analyzed American military policies and practices and presented the first systematic examination of the nation's military history, had a tremendous effect on the U.S. Army when it was published posthumously in 1904. (Wikipedia)

Considered by many to be the architect of the modern U.S. Army, General Emory Upton commanded Union troops in almost every major battle of the Civil War's Eastern Theater. Witnessing some of the war's bloodiest engagements convinced him of the need for comprehensive reform in military organization, professionalism, education, tactics and personnel policies. From the end of the war to his 1881 death by suicide, Upton led an effort to modernize U.S. military culture. While much has been written about the politics of his reform campaign, "General Emory Upton in the Civil War: The Formative Experiences of an American Military Visionary" details his wartime experiences and how they informed his intense fervor for change.

Critique: Replete throughout with historical photographs and maps, "General Emory Upton in the Civil War: The Formative Experiences of an American Military Visionary" by historian and former career military officer Robert N. Thompson must be considered a core and essential contribution to both community and academic library American Civil War collections and 19th Century U. S. Military history supplemental studies lists.

Washington Roebling's Civil War
Diane Monroe Smith
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811737883, $29.95, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A civil engineer, today Washington Roebling (May 26, 1837 - July 21, 1926) is best known as the man who supervised construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. What is not so well known is that his path to overseeing that monumental task began during the Civil War as an officer in the Union army.

In addition to his brave, dramatic actions at Gettysburg, his Civil War service was remarkable and diverse including being an artilleryman, a bridge builder, a scout, a balloonist, a map maker, an engineer, and a staff officer.

His story as laid out in "Washington Roebling's Civil War: From the Bloody Battlefield at Gettysburg to the Brooklyn Bridge" by Diane Monroe Smith reveals much about Gettysburg but also about Civil War intelligence and engineering and the politics and infighting within the Army of the Potomac's high command. Roebling's service in terms of leadership, engineering, decision-making, and managing personalities and politics prepared him well for overseeing the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of maps, fifty pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a fourteen page Index, "Washington Roebling's Civil War: From the Bloody Battlefield at Gettysburg to the Brooklyn Bridge" is an extraordinarily well researched, impressive well written, and exceptionally well organized and presented biographical study that is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American Biography and American Civil War 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 "Washington Roebling's Civil War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $27.23).

Editorial Note: Diane Monroe Smith is the author of Fanny & Joshua: The Enigmatic Lives of Frances Caroline Adams and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Thomas Publications, 1999; University Press of New England, 2013), Command Conflicts in Grant's Overland Campaign: Ambition and Animosity and the Army of the Potomac (McFarland, 2012), and Chamberlain at Petersburg: The Charge at Fort Hell (Thomas Publications, 2004). She is an expert on the Army of the Potomac's 5th Corps (in which Chamberlain served and which Gouverneur Warren commanded after Gettysburg). Smith has been a volunteer guide at the Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Museum and has spoken widely on Chamberlain and Maine in the Civil War, including at National Park Service events, Civil War roundtables, and historical societies.

The Great Partnership
Christian B. Keller
Pegasus Books
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781643131344, $28.95, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Christian B. Keller is the Dwight D. Eisenhower Chair of National Security and Professor of History in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

In "The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy", Professor Keller directly address such questions as: Why were Generals Lee and Jackson so successful in their partner- ship in trying to win the war for the South, and what was it about their styles, friendship, even their faith, that cemented them together into a fighting machine that consistently won despite often overwhelming odds against them?

"The Great Partnership" significantly impact how historians and civil war buffs will think about Confederate strategic decision-making and the value of personal relationships among senior leaders responsible for organizational survival. Those relationships in the Confederate high command were particularly critical for victory, especially the one that existed between the two great Army of Northern Virginia generals.

"The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy" will inspire a very lively debate among the thousands of students of Civil War history, and significantly revise how Confederate strategy during the height the war is evaluated, as well as our understanding of why, in the end, the South lost.

Critique: Nicely enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 16 pages of historical photographs, "The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy" is a masterpiece of original and seminal historical scholarship. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and academic library American Civil 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 "The Great Partnership: Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Fate of the Confederacy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.61).

The Meanest and "Damnest" Job
Michael P. Rucker
NewSouth, Inc.
105 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
www.newsouthbooks.com
9781588383822, $28.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most Civil War histories focus on the performance of top-level generals. However, it was the individual officers below them who actually led the troops to enact the orders. Some of these were remarkably effective. One such officer was Edmund Winchester Rucker.

As a Confederate officer, Rucker was a force to be reckoned with, both during the Civil War and in his post-war business ventures. He was courageous, tough and resourceful, and achieved significant results in every assignment.

During the campaign by the United States Army to capture the upper Mississippi River, Rucker and his faithful Confederate artillerists, with only three operable cannons, held off the entire Federal fleet which possessed 105 heavy guns. Later, in East Tennessee, Rucker's duties included punishing saboteurs and conscripting unwilling local citizens into the Confederate Army. He described these assignments as: "The meanest and damnest [sic] duty a soldier had to perform."

Following the battles for Chattanooga, he served with General Nathan Bedford Forrest as a cavalry brigade commander, earning high merits for his performance. Rucker's leadership was a major factor in the Confederate victory in the Battle of Brices Cross Roads, which has been called "History's Greatest Cavalry Battle."

Subsequent to the Battle of Nashville, Rucker was wounded and captured; although his left arm was amputated, this did not impede his future achievements. After the war, Colonel Rucker and General Forrest became business partners in a railroad-building project. Rucker did well from this venture and became one of the wealthiest early entrepreneurs in Birmingham. In recognition of his many accomplishments, Fort Rucker Alabama was named in his honor.

Critique: The Meanest and "Damnest" Job: Being the Civil War Exploits and Civilian Accomplishments of Colonel Edmund Winchester Rucker During and After the War by Mike Rucker is an extraordinary and detailed biography that is a seminal and unreservedly recommended addition to the growing library of Civil War Histories & Biographies. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and Civil War history buffs that The Meanest and "Damnest" Job is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).


The General Fiction Shelf

Last Summer
Kerry Lonsdale
https://www.kerrylonsdale.com
Lake Union Publishing
www.apub.com
9781542093088, $14.95

Last Summer tells of Ella Skye, who wakes up in a hospital with amnesia after a car accident - an accident which has killed her unborn child. She struggles to reconnect with her husband Damien and to recall events, but has an uneasy and growing feeling that something remains unsaid between them. Should she let matters go, or pursue the truth? An involving story weaves a tale of recovery into a mystery that embraces relationships, danger, and new beginnings.

All the Flowers in Paris
Sarah Jio
Ballantine Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9781101885055, $27.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she's confused to learn that for years she's lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together -- though she can't help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.

In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Celine is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father's flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Celine is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most -- her daughter.

When Caroline discovers Celine's letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets and that she may have more in common with Celine than she could have ever imagined!

Critique: An inherently fascinating and compulsive page turner of a novel from cover to cover, "All the Flowers in Paris" is an emotional roller coaster of a read from beginning to end. Showcasing an author with a distinctive and effective flair for the kind of narrative storytelling that holds a reader's interest from cover to cover, "All the Flowers in Paris" by Sarah Jio is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "All the Flowers in Paris" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

A Beggar's Kingdom
Paullina Simons
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062098177, $19.99, PB, 656pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Is there a fate beyond the fates? Julian has failed Josephine once. Despite grave danger and impossible odds, he is determined to do the unimaginable and try again to save the woman he loves.

"A Beggar's Kingdom" is a love story like no other as the doomed lovers embark on an incredible adventure across time and space. Racing through history and against the merciless clock, they face countless dangers and deadly enemies.

Living amid beauty and ecstasy, bloodshed and betrayal, each time they court and cheat death brings Julian and Josephine closer to an unthinkable sacrifice and a confrontation with the harshest master of all...destiny.

Critique: The second and deftly crafted novel in Paullina Simons's simply outstanding and original 'End of Forever' saga, "A Beggar's Kingdom" continues the heartbreaking story of Julian and Josephine, and a love that spans lifetimes. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Beggar's Kingdom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HarperCollins, 9781982696061, $39.99, MP3 CD).

Novum Orbis Regium: The New World Realm
William A. Holdsworth
Adelaide Books
www.adelaidebooks.org
9781950437436, $23.30, PB, 382pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 476 CE,. it's been nearly seventy years since Rome abandoned Britain and war with the Saxons began. Mons Badonicus is under siege by the warlord Oesc of Kent while Arthur's cavalry holds the high ground. After a fortnight of stalemate, a heavy mist rolls into the valley in the early morning hours and blankets the Saxon camp. The chance has come for Arthur to end three generations of war and turn his isle of woes into a light for the world, a Camelot to be dreamed of by generations to come.Modern Day.

For fifteen centuries, the Clan Camulodunum has kept Arthur's bloodline from ending in hopes of one day bringing a new Camelot to the world, a Novum Orbis Regium. William "Mac" MacCrarey, Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, has called for a Charter Amendment Conference where he plans to shift the power monopoly of the Security Council to the General Assembly, and announce his candidacy for Secretary-General. By empowering the General Assembly and becoming the leader of the UN, Mac hopes to create a foundation for the first world-wide democracy that can serve as a light of hope for everyone.

Critique: Showcasing William Holdsworth's genuine flair as an author for originality and a distinctive narrative storytelling style as a novelist, "Novum Orbis Regium" is an inherently interesting and deftly crafted read from first page to last. While certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library general fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Novum Orbis Regium" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.77).

The Oysterville Sewing Circle
Susan Wiggs
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062425584, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's at the break of dawn when Caroline Shelby rolls into Oysterville, Washington, -- a tiny hamlet at the edge of the raging Pacific. She's come home to a place she thought she'd left forever, the home of her heart and her memories -- but not her future.

Ten years ago, Caroline launched a career in the glamorous fashion world of Manhattan. But her success in New York imploded on a wave of scandal and tragedy, forcing her to flee to the only safe place she knows.

And in the backseat of Caroline's car are five-year-old Addie and six-year-old Flick -- two children who were orphaned in a single chilling moment. She's now their legal guardian. A role she's not sure she's ready for.

But the Oysterville she left behind has changed. Her siblings have their own complicated lives and her aging parents are hoping to pass on their thriving seafood restaurant to the next generation. And there's Will Jensen, a decorated Navy SEAL who's also returned home after being wounded overseas. Will and Caroline were forever friends as children, with the promise of something more . . . until he fell in love with Sierra, Caroline's best friend and the most beautiful girl in town. With her modeling jobs drying up, Sierra, too, is on the cusp of reinventing herself.

Caroline returns to her favorite place: the sewing shop owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom, the woman who inspired her and taught her to sew. There she discovers that even in an idyllic beach town, there are women living with the deepest of secrets. Thus begins the Oysterville Sewing Circle -- where women can join forces to support each other through the troubles they keep hidden.

Yet just as Caroline regains her creativity and fighting spirit, and the children begin to heal from their loss, an unexpected challenge tests her courage and her heart. This time, though, Caroline is not going to run away. She's going to stand and fight for everything and everyone she loves!

Critique: A deftly woven and thoroughly engaging story from first page to last, Susan Wiggs newest novel, "The Oysterville Sewing Circle", is a truly memorable and compulsive page turner of a read that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Oysterville Sewing Circle" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Deep Past
Eugene Linden
RosettaBooks
125 Park Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
www.rosettabooks.com
9781948122375, $25.99, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A routine dig in Kazakhstan takes a radical turn for thirty-two-year-old anthropologist Claire Knowland when a stranger turns up at the site with a bizarre find from a remote section of the desolate Kazakh Steppe. Her initial skepticism of this mysterious discovery gives way to a realization that the find will shake the very foundations of our understanding of evolution and intelligence.

Corrupt politics of Kazakhstan force Claire to take reckless chances with the discovery. Among the allies she gathers in her fight to save herself and bring the discovery to light is Sergei Anachev, a brilliant but enigmatic Russian geologist who becomes her unlikely protector even as he deals with his own unknown crisis.

Ultimately, Claire finds herself fighting not just for the discovery and her academic reputation, but for her very life as great power conflict engulfs the unstable region and an unscrupulous oligarch attempts to take advantage of the chaos.

Critique: Eugene Linden is an award-winning journalist and author on science, nature, and the environment. In "Deep Past" deftly draws upon his years of experience and expertise to deftly craft a simply riveting read that blends fact and fiction into an original and inherently fascinating novel that will be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Deep Past" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781982633714, $29.95, CD).

Drawing on Eugene Linden's celebrated non-fiction investigations into what makes humans different from other species, this international thriller mixes fact and the fantastical, the realities of academic politics, and high stakes geopolitics - engaging the reader every step of the way.

The Line Between
Tosca Lee
Howard Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781476798622, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Wynter Roth is turned out of New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation.

As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she's been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she's feared all her life -- until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there's something far more sinister at play and that these samples are key to understanding the disease.

Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter herself.

Critique: A deftly crafted dystopian novel showcasing author Tosca Lee's impressive flair for blending conspiracy and romance with action and paranoia level scepticism in an all too believable near future, "The Line Between" is one of those exceptional works of literature that will linger in the mind, memory, and nightmare dreams of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Line Between" is also available in a paperback edition (9781501169090, $17.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

The Glass Eye
Yolanda Gallardo
Arte Publico Press
University of Houston
4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg 19, Rm 100, Houston, TX 77204-2004
www.artepublicopress.com
9781558858787, $17.95, PB, 158pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Dona Amada can see more through one eye than most people can see with two. She can see the past and the future, in spite of the shiny marble serving as her second eye, which was ripped out by her husband's jealous lover.

Gossip and speculation about the mysterious disappearance of Amada's rival swirl around the neighborhood. Rumor has it her remains are buried, scattered in parts of Westchester County. Others swear they have seen her ghost (having collected all her essential parts) swimming in the river, trying to make her way back to the Bronx.

Critique: A deftly crafted comic novel about a Puerto Rican community and unreservedly recommended for community library general fiction collections, "The Glass Eye" showcases author Yolanda Gallardo's genuine flair for originality and is one of those fascinating stories featuring characters that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf.

Mother Knows Best
Kira Peikoff
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643850405, $26.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Claire Abrams's dreams became a nightmare when she passed on a genetic mutation that killed her little boy. Now she wants a second chance to be a mother, and finds it in Robert Nash, a maverick fertility doctor who works under the radar with Jillian Hendricks, a cunning young scientist bent on making her mark -- and seducing her boss.

Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world's first baby with three genetic parents -- an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family's problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned -- and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers!

Critique: A true and compelling page-turner of a suspense thriller from cover to cover, "Mother Knows Best" by Kira Peikoff is a compelling and highly recommended addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Mother Knows Best" is also available a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

City in a Forest
Ginger Pinholster
Black Rose Writing
PO Box 1540, Castroville, TX 78009
www.blackrosewriting.com
9781684333189, $18.95, PB, 210pp, www.amazon.com

Hidden in the heart of Atlanta, a pristine forest shimmers with magic, but an unscrupulous developer plans to flatten Silver Park -- unless two brave women can stop him. Arden Collier risks losing her home. Parker Gozer owns most of Arden's secret forest, which is rooted in Atlanta's rich African-American history.

As Arden struggles to reclaim her artistic voice, Parker confronts the man who once preyed upon her - and now wants to spoil a rare urban oasis. Both women fight to protect the place that has tangled itself around their hearts like flowering kudzu vines, achingly sweet as a beloved child.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "City in a Forest" is author Ginger Pinholster's debut as a novelist, this deftly crafted and original story showcases her distinctively reader engaging and inherently entertaining narrative storytelling style. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "City in a Forest" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

All City
Alex Difrancesco
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
www.sevenstories.com
9781609809393, $17.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a near-future New York City in which both global warming and a tremendous economic divide are making the city unlivable for many, a huge superstorm hits, leaving behind only those who had nowhere else to go and no way to get out.

Makayla is a twenty-four-year-old woman who works at the convenience store chain that's taken over the city. Jesse, an eighteen-year-old, genderqueer, anarchist punk lives in an abandoned IRT station in the Bronx. Their paths cross in the aftermath of the storm when they, along with others devastated by the loss of their homes, carve out a small sanctuary in an abandoned luxury condo.

In an attempt to bring hope to those who feel forsaken, an unnamed, mysterious street artist begins colorful murals of graffiti along the sides of buildings. But the castaways of the storm aren't the only ones who find beauty in the art. When the media begins broadcasting the emergence of the murals and one appears on the building Makayla, Jesse, and their friends are living in, it is only a matter of time before those who own the building come back to claim what is theirs.

Critique: A near future dystopian novel that is all the more plausible given today's documented trends associated with Climate Change, "All City" by Alex Difrancesco is an inherently riveting novel that is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "All City" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

The Tea Chest
Heidi Chiavaroli
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496434777, $24.99, HC, 242pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Boston, 1773 -- Emma Malcolm's father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma's heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer's assistant and Patriot. But her father has promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancee, she would have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her -- as well as the beliefs she has come to embrace.

After Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel's wife.

Present Day -- Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston in order to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.

Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom.

Critique: A uniquely crafted novel by an author with an impressive literary skill in terms of a narrative driven storytelling style, "The Tea Chest" is an extraordinary and inherently riveting read from cover to cover. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Tea Chest" is also available in a paperback edition (9781496434784, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).

Impossible Children
Robert Yune
Sarabande Books, Inc.
822 E. Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
www.sarabandebooks.org
9781946448408, $16.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Impossible Children" is an anthology of author Robert Yune's inventive short stories featuring an impressive variety of memorable characters who must navigate an impossible world -- America as we know it today.

Two estranged brothers on a road trip attempt to reconcile but end up at a Revolutionary War reenactment camp; a young woman moves in with her boyfriend and discovers an eerily personalized seduction manual on his bookshelf; a middle-aged Korean-American father attends college courses and is either blessed or haunted by the presence of Edward Moon, an eccentric billionaire who also happens to be "the most successful Korean in America."

Critique: Touching upon diverse genres including science fiction, the fairy tale, and the Gothic tale, the interconnected short stories comprising "Impossible Children" are impressively and deftly crafted literary gems. The collective result is compilation of stories that are unreservedly endorsed and wholeheartedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Lizzie Flowers And The Family Firm
Carol Rivers
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750547390, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's 1934 and Lizzie Flowers has been mother and protector to her East End family, the Allens of Langley Street, since she was fifteen. Even when her doomed marriage to Frank Flowers collapses, she sacrifices her own happiness to keep the family united. But when Lizzie buys the infamous dockland's pub, the Mill Wall, she discovers she's bitten off more than she can chew. Long-time love Danny Flowers abandons her, a close friend is murdered and her adopted child Polly is threatened. Then crime lord, Salvo Vella, makes a move on the Mill Wall. Lizzie could be forced to make a pact with the devil to save herself and her family and friends.

Critique: A compelling drama of a novel by an author with a distinctive and reader engaging narrative storytelling style, "Lizzie Flowers and the Family Firm" is a thoroughly entertaining, page turner of a read from beginning to end. This large print edition is especially recommended for personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.

Elsewhere
Ken McCoy
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750547291, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 402pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Billy Clegg and his big sister Peggy disappear from their home in Leeds after a suspicious fire in a local mill. The owner says the children caused it by lighting fireworks on Mischief Night. Their widowed mother Betty, badly injured in the incident, doesn't know if her children are alive or dead. She prefers to think of them as being elsewhere.

Following various adventures, the resourceful duo find themselves a long way away from bleak post-war Britain. Though successful, both of them are haunted by memories of the fire and the possibility that they caused their own mother's death. When the family is finally reunited, the repercussions continue!

Critique: A fully absorbing and exceptionally engaging novel of two struggling children in a post-war Britain, this large print edition of "Elsewhere" by Ken McCoy is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections

We, the Survivors
Tash Aw
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
175 Varick Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10014
www.fsgbooks.com
9780374287245, $27.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Ah Hock is an ordinary man of simple means. Born and raised in a Malaysian fishing village, he favors stability above all, a preference at odds with his rapidly modernizing surroundings. So what brings him to kill a man?

This question leads a young, privileged journalist to Ah Hock's door. While the victim has been mourned and the killer has served time for the crime, Ah Hock's motive remains unclear, even to himself. His vivid confession unfurls over extensive interviews with the journalist, herself a local whose life has taken a very different course. The process forces both the speaker and his listener to reckon with systems of power, race, and class in a place where success is promised to all yet delivered only to its lucky heirs.

An uncompromising portrait of an outsider navigating a society in transition, Tash Aw's anti-nostalgic tale, "We, the Survivors", holds its tension to the very end. In the wake of loss and destruction, hope is among the survivors.

Critique: A unique and deftly crafted novel showcasing author Tash Aw's genuine flair for originality and a thoroughly reader engaging narrative storytelling style, "We, the Survivors" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition for community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "We, the Survivors" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Make/Shift: Stories
Joe Sacksteder
Sarabande Books, Inc.
822 E. Market Street, Louisville, KY 40206
www.sarabandebooks.org
9781946448323, $16.95, PB, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Readers of Joe Sacksteder's short story anthology. "Make/Shift" will find themselves confronting moments in which status and ceremony are shown to be destabilized, contingent, and sorting through the suddenly unfamiliar contents of a time capsule, hanging poolside with parents while their hockey player sons devastate a hotel, and wandering the memory palace of a traumatized valedictorian during a commencement address -- all while flash vignettes based on corporate slogans saturate the story collection with greater and greater frequency, like the commercials of a TV movie.

Critique: Original, entertaining, thought-provoking, iconoclastic, and above all, memorable, the short stories comprising "Make/Shift" showcase author Joe Sacksteder as an extraordinary literary talent, making it unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Literary collections as well as personal reading lists.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

The Duke Is But a Dream
Anna Bennett
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250199485, $7.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Miss Lily Hartley is the anonymous mastermind behind the ton's latest obsession: The Debutante's Revenge, a tell-all advice column for young ladies. To keep her identity hidden, Lily delivers her columns disguised as a boy which is well and good, until she lands in the middle of tavern brawl. As luck would have it, a devastatingly handsome duke sweeps in to rescue her.

Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge, discovers there's a beautiful woman hiding beneath a lad's cap, and, before long, he's falling for the delightfully clever stranger recuperating in his house. He vows to help her find her home, even though he's reluctant to part with her. There's only one problem!

Lily has no idea who she is. She could be a duchess or maid. Betrothed or married. There's only one thing she does know -- that her attraction to Nash is more than skin-deep, and it grows stronger every day. While Lily and Nash search to find her true identity, they just might lose their hearts to each other.

Critique: A finely crafted historical romance novel and a wonderfully entertaining read from cover to cover, "The Duke Is But A Dream" is the latest novel in author Anna Bennett's 'A Debutante Diaries Novel' series and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fiction fans that "The Duke Is But A Dream" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Underestimating Miss Cecilia
Carolyn Miller
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825445903, $15.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Cecilia Hatherleigh has many secrets in her shy, sweet heart -- but none bigger than her unrequited love for Edward Amherst, the earl's son next door. Her love has persevered over many years, even when he grows to be a bit of a rake. Yet despite his fondness for females, he never seems to see her as anything more than the quiet younger sister, and nothing Cecy does has changed that. Rather than pining after his perhaps unworthy love, she decides to turn her focus toward living out her newfound faith. Now she's determined to follow God's leading to make a better world for the poor and dispossessed around her.

A London riot awakens Edward to the responsibilities due his family name. It's time to turn his life around to please his noble father -- and that means restoring his abandoned legal career and making a marriage of convenience. Neither will be easy, given his past and the prejudices of the upper echelons of society to which he belongs.

When misadventure strikes at a house party, these two are thrown together even as their lives are upended. If Cecy can't trust God, overcome her shyness, and find her inner strength, the good work they've both done may be for naught-and neither will ever find true love!

Critique: A part of the new historical romance series 'Regency Brides' series by Carolyn Miller, "Underestimating Miss Cecilia" is another deftly crafted and wonderfully entertaining reads by a master of the genre. While unreservedly recommended as an enduringly popular addition to community library romance fiction collections, it should be noted for the legions of Carolyn Miller fans that "Underestimating Miss Cecilia" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Glitter of Gold
Liz Johnson
Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800736262, $29.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When pirate wreck tour guide Anne Norris finds evidence of an undiscovered shipwreck, she seeks the help of museum director Carter Hale to uncover the truth and treasure that could save her business. But can she trust him with her secrets and her heart?

Critique: "Glitter of Gold" is the second volume in author Liz Johnson's 'Georgia Coast Romance' series and showcases her genuine flair for originality and a style of narrative storytelling that keeps her reader thoroughly engaged from first page to last. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of all Liz Johnson fans that "Glitter of Gold" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800729417, $14.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.48).

How To Love A Duke in Ten Days
Kerrigan Byrne
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250318848, $7.99, PB, 448pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past -- and it's one that she is paying a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire's most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady's hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

Critique: A deftly crafted historical romance novel by an author with a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling and a master of this particular genre, "How To Love A Duke in Ten Days" is an impressive and compulsive page-turner of a read from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Historical Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists that "How To Love A Duke in Ten Days" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me
Julie Wright
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629726076, $15.99, PB, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Charlotte Kingsley loves to write and dreams of having her reimagined fairy tales published, but she keeps getting rejected over and over. And to top it all off, her best friend, Anders, gets engaged, making her realize she's going to lose the Prince Charming who lives next door. After another rejection letter from a New York publisher, Charlotte decides to switch gears. What if she wrote a book about celebrating women for who they really are instead of trying to create a fantasy world for them to visit? She could call it The Cinderella Fiction, fill it with practical advice for living authentically, become ridiculously successful, and then find the confidence to tell Anders how she feels before it's too late.

Encouraged with her plan, Charlotte's new book practically writes itself and incredibly a small boutique publisher makes a quick offer to publish it. Though the publisher is well-known, it is a small company with limited resources. Charlotte worries about the book being successful and decides to sink her entire advance into hiring a premier publicity firm to make her book a bestseller. She also discovers that Anders has called off his engagement, and wants to try a relationship with Charlotte. Suddenly her fairy tale dreams seem to be coming true.

However, Charlotte's publicist has very specific ideas about how to market the book and the author. Which means Charlotte with her average looks, cluttered apartment, and penchant for raspberry fudge ice cream will need to undergo a total transformation in a social media makeover which will have to exclude her best friend Anders. After all, people who see Charlotte's perfect imperfections through a carefully curated Instagram account will relate and naturally want to buy her book.

The toll of her new life soon proves exhausting and in the end, Anders feels like his relationship with Charlotte is just another one of her carefully curated images, a side-note even, and he decides to head home to his native Finland. Though she tells herself he ll come around eventually, Charlotte needs to decide what she believes in: the fairy tale persona, or the woman Anders has always loved before he's gone forever.

Critique: A new, unique, and deftly crafted variation on the Cinderella theme, and one that will resonate with legions of her readers, Julie Wright's "Glass Slippers, Ever After, And Me" is an extraordinary and inherently entertaining read that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf. While absolutely recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Glass Slippers, Ever After, And Me" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.19) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781094067025, $29.95, CD).

The Housekeeper's Daughter
Rosie Meddon
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750547512, $34.90, HC, Large Print, 354pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Kate Bratton is a young woman who dreams of more. It's 1914, and her life is mapped out ahead of her: continue working as a maid in the beautiful Woodicombe House, settle down with Luke the gardener and, of course, start a family. Desperate to run away in search of adventure, Kate's plans are curtailed by the arrival of the Russell family at Woodicombe House. Tasked with becoming a lady's maid for their daughter, Naomi, Kate gets a glimpse of the other side of life. Will she return to the safety of her life before, or will the handsome Ned Russell turn her head?

Critique: A deftly crafted and impressively entertaining novel by an author with an especially effective narrative storytelling style, this large print edition of "The Housekeeper's Daughter" by Rosie Meddon will prove to be a valued and much appreciated addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Housekeeper's Daughter" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99).


The Western Fiction Shelf

Come West and See: Stories
Maxim Loskutoff
W.W. Norton
www.wwnorton.com
9780393357011, $15.95

Fans of literary stories set in the West will find much to like about this collection of thought-provoking tales which offer diverse scenarios firmly rooted in the West. From a trapper who falls in love with a bear to a father's standoff with the government, independence, isolation, confrontation, and a changing America reaches into small towns and reveals shakeups to individual lives. The scenarios that take place in Redoubt, an isolated region of Idaho, Montana, and Eastern Oregon, offers a fine selection of experiences rooted in rural living and changes, with the stories offering interconnected but separate experiences that are satisfyingly diverse, yet together build a bigger picture.

Tillman's Bounty
Scott Gastineau
Five Star Publishing
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432852139, $25.95, HC, 409pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After the mining company he works for goes belly up, young Max Tillman has a chance encounter with a man who has a bounty on his head. He soon takes up tracking other wanted men, but realizes he may be in over his head as he travels through some of the most dangerous towns in the West and crosses paths with those who survive by taking what is not theirs. Max meets people who draw him toward a more settled life, but is a peaceful life possible for a man with his past, especially in a region known for its lawlessness? And can he keep those he has come to care for safe?

Critique: A simply riveting western by a master of the genre, Scott Gastineau's "Tillman's Bounty" features more unexpected plot twists and turns than a bucking brama bull! Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections, "Tillman's Bounty" is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended!

The Man Who Hated Hickok
C. M. Wendelboe
Five Star Publishing
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432858179, $25.95, HC, 241pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 1876, the once notorious town of Cheyenne, Wyoming (long a haven for thugs and thieves) has taken on an air of civility. That is, until Wild Bill Hickock comes to town and humiliates a local gunman's mentally-challenged brother to the point of suicide.

Ira Drang promptly vows to hunt Wild Bill and kill him. Broke, Ira takes work as a shotgun messenger on the notorious Cheyenne to Deadwood stage -- to make it across the Black Hills after Wild Bill. It's a sporadic route through rough country fraught with road agents robbing whatever scraps the Indian raiders leave behind. So, it's no surprise when the stage is held up just out of Cheyenne -- and by Ira's longtime rival!

His daughter was murdered, and he knows the killer is on that stage. But Ira understands that nothing will stop him -- just as nothing will stop Ira's pursuit of Wild Bill Hickok!

Critique: A deftly crafted and original western novel, "The Man Who Hated Hickok" by C. M. Wendelboe is an extraordinarily entertaining and inherently compelling read from cover to cover, making it an especially recommended addition to community library Western Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of all dedicated western action/adventure fans!

Bitter Is The Dust
Scott A. Gese
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444839159, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Sarah McKinney finally escapes the clutches of her abusive husband (and beating him half to death in the process), she and her adopted son Jason begin a perilous new life on the run. Eventually they find her brother Mac (who is also Jason's father) and settle down as Sarah finds work as a doctor's assistant, and Jason takes a job as a ranch hand. But Jason's quick temper soon gets him into trouble with his employer, and their future hangs in the balance as their unhappy past threatens to catch up with them.

Critique: A deftly written western with more plot unexpected twists and turns than a rodeo bull rider, "Bitter Is The Dust" is a true page turner of a western novel and in this large print edition is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Riding The Vengeance Trail
Jack Martin
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444841428, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Thomas Fury had a young wife, a child on the way, and a farm to tend. They had kept him busy; but he'd enjoyed the toil, for he knew that he was building a future for himself and his family. That future, though, was shattered one afternoon when five riders, led by Luke Marlow, blew in. Soon gunshots rang out, and Thomas Fury's world fell apart. Now Fury rides the vengeance trail, driven on by a desire to deal out justice, one by one, to those who have destroyed everything that mattered to him. Along that trail he is joined by a young half-breed boy and an Apache girl -- an unlikely pair that prove indispensable to Fury in his question for gunsmoke justice.

Critique: One of the best westerns of recent times, "Riding The Vengeance Trail" is a simply riveting read from cover to cover -- and one with the most unusual and unanticipated plot twists ever to the end a vengeance crusade in the Old West. This large print edition of Jack Martin's "Riding The Vengeance Trail" is whole heartedly and enthusiastically commended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Mulvane's War
William Heuman
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416828, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Mulvane rides from the high country to his intended destination of Boulder City he is jumped by two men and finds himself into the middle of a range war between sheepmen and cattlemen. Working for a hardheaded woman to move sheepmen off of her cattle grazing range, he finds himself even more of a target when he quits her because of her greed based decision to violate the sheepmen's territory. Ending back up in town he takes the sheriff's badge (after first refusing it, but reconsidering after the Sheriff shot) Mulvane wonders just how long he will be stay alive this time.

Critique: A riveting read from cover to cover by a master storyteller, this large print edition of William Heuman's "Mulvane's War" is an extraordinary, entertaining, and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Love and Death Among the Cheetahs
Rhys Bowen
Berkley Prime Crime
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780451492845, $26.00

Love and Death Among the Cheetahs provides a new Royal Spyness mystery which takes place after amateur sleuth Georgie has married Darcy. An exotic honeymoon to Kenya of course turns into an opportunity for mystery as Georgie finds she can't elude a nose for trouble even on the most special days of her life. An atmospheric story filled with Kenya scenes and details attracts readers with a realistic backdrop to set off the engaging cat-and-mouse game which evolves. Mystery fans will find setting and events compelling.

An Unwanted Guest
Shari Lapena
Pamela Dorman Books
c/o Viking Books / Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780525557623, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing (maybe even romantic) weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge wood burning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.

So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity (and all contact with the outside world) the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.

Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead--it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic. Within the snowed-in paradise, something (or someone) is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm -- and one another!

Critique: A simply riveting read from cover to cover, "An Unwanted Guest" showcases author Shari Papena's master of the suspense laden thriller mystery genre. A truly compulsive page turner of a novel, "An Unwanted Guest" is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "An Unwanted Guest" is also available in a paperback edition (Penguin Books, 9780525557647, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

The Truth Behind the Lie
Sara Lovestam, author
Laura A. Wideburg, translator
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250300072, $26.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When a six-year-old girl disappears and calling the police isn't an option, her desperate mother Pernilla turns to an unlikely source for help. She finds a cryptic ad online for a private investigator: "Need help, but can't contact the police?"

That's where Kouplan comes in. He's an Iranian refugee living in hiding. He was forced to leave Iran after news of his and his brother's involvement with a radical newspaper hated by the regime was discovered. Kouplan's brother disappeared, and he hasn't seen him in four years. He makes a living as a P.I. working under the radar, waiting for the day he can legally apply for asylum.

Pernilla's daughter has vanished without a trace, and Kouplan is an expert at living and working off the grid. He's the perfect PI to help... but something in Pernilla's story doesn't add up!

Critique: A deftly crafted and immediately absorbing read from first page to last, "The Truth Behind the Lie " is ably translated into English for an American readership by Laura A. Wideburg. This extraordinary novel fully showcases author Sara Lovestam's impressive flair for a plot twisting suspense thriller that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Truth Behind The Lie" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781974959075, $29.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Sweden, Sara Lovestam is an award-winning author who specializes in novels that center around a sense of self. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages.

Haunted House Murder
Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross
Kensington
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496719966, $26.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the "Haunted House Murder" by Leslie Meier, newcomers to Tinker's Cove, Ty and Heather Moon have moved into a dilapidated house reputed to be a haven for ghosts. Now strange noises and flickering lights erupt from the house at all hours and neighborly relations are on edge. And when a local boy goes missing near the house, it's up to Lucy Stone to unravel the mystery of the eccentric couple and their increasingly frightful behavior.

In "Death By Haunted House" by Lee Hollis, for the past two years, the house next door to Hayley Powell has sat abandoned after the owner died under mysterious circumstances. The Salinger family has recently taken possession of the property, but the realtor behind the deal has vanished -- after a very public and angry argument with Damien Salinger. If Bar Harbor's newest neighbors are murderers, Hayley will haunt them until they confess.

In "Hallowed Out" by Barbara Ross (with its history of hauntings and ghost sightings), Busman's Harbor is the perfect setting for Halloween festivities. But when a reenactment of a Prohibition-era gangster's murder ends with a literal bang and a dead actor from New Jersey, Julia Snowden must identify a killer before she ends up sleeping with the fishes.

Critique: Three simply outstanding and 'Halloween themed' short stories by three masters of the mystery genre, "Haunted House Murder" is an impressively entertaining read that is fully commended for all community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Haunted House Murder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The Whisper Man
Alex North
Celadon Books
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
https://celadonbooks.com
9781250317995, $26.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window!

Critique: A superbly crafted and intense thriller of a read from cover to cover, "The Whisper Man" by Alex North is one of those books to be read with the lights full on! Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Whisper Man" is also available as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250222510, $39.99, CD).

Treacherous Strand
Andrea Carter
Oceanview Publishing
1620 Main Street, Suite 11, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608093045, $26.95, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A woman's body washes up on a remote beach on the Inishowen Peninsula. Partially clothed, with a strange tattoo on her thigh, she is identified as Marguerite Etienne, a French woman who has been living in the area.

Solicitor Ben (Benedicta) O'Keeffe is consumed by guilt: for the second time in her life Ben has failed someone who needed her, with tragic consequences. When local sergeant Tom Molloy dismisses Marguerite's death as the suicide of a disturbed and lonely woman, Ben cannot let it lie. Ben uncovers Marguerite's strange past as a member of a French doomsday cult, which she escaped twenty years previously, but not without leaving her baby daughter behind.

Disturbed by what appears to be chilling local indifference to Marguerite's death, Ben pieces together the last few weeks of the French woman's life in Inishowen. What she discovers causes her to question the fragile nature of her own position in the area, and she finds herself crossing boundaries (both personal and professional) to unearth local secrets long buried.

Critique: "Treacherous Strand" by Andrea Carter is the second in the author's 'Inishowen Mystery' and is set in the fictional town of Glendara on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal and featuring amateur sleuth and solicitor Ben O'Keeffe. While particularly and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Treacherous Strand" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

The Bone Fire
S. D. Sykes
Hodder & Stoughton
c/o Pegasus Books
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781473679993, $25.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the year1361, plague has again returned to England some thirteen years after the devastation of The Black Death. As destruction advances towards his estate in Kent, Oswald de Lacy leads his family to the safety of a remote castle in the marshes -- where his friend Godfrey is preparing a fortress to survive the coming disaster.

The rules are clear: once the de Lacys and other guests are inside the castle the portcullis will be lowered and no-one permitted to enter or leave until the Pestilence has passed. And then a murderer strikes!

Oswald is confronted with a stark choice -- leave and face the ravages of the plague, or stay and place his family at the mercy of a brutal killer. With word of his skills as an investigator preceding him, it falls to Oswald to unmask the murderer in their midst. Host, guest, or servant -- everyone is a suspect in this poisoned refuge of secrets, deceit and malice.

Critique: A brilliant conceived and deftly scripted medieval mystery of the first order, "The Bone Fire" by S. D. Sykes is an inherently fascinating and compulsive page turner of a read from cover to cover. Unreservedly and especially recommended for community library Historical Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "The Bone Fire" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

The Retreat
Sherri Smith
Forge
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
9780765386731, $26.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Katie Manning was a beloved child star until her mid-teens when her manager attacked and permanently scarred her face, effectively ending her career and sending her on a path of all-too-familiar post-Hollywood self-destruction.

Now twenty-seven, Katie wants a better answer to those clickbait "Where Are They Now?" articles that float around online. An answer she hopes to find when her brother's too-good-to-be-true fiancee invites her to a wellness retreat upstate.

Together with Katie's two best friends (one struggling with crippling debt and family obligations, one running away from a failed job and relationship) Katie will try to find the inner peace promised at the tranquil retreat. But finding oneself just might drudge up more memories than Katie is prepared to deal with.

Each woman has come to the retreat for different reasons. Each has her secrets to hide.

Critique: "The Retreat" by Sherri Smith is about four women, four secrets, and a weekend that will change them forever -- if they survive. A deftly crafted suspense thriller with more plot twists and turns than a carnival roller coaster, "The Retreat" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Retreat" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781721383535, $24.99, CD).

Murder in Plane Sight
Julie Holmes
Camel Press
6524 NE 181st Street, STE #2, Kenmore, WA 98028
www.camelpress.com
9781603817547, $15.95, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As an aircraft mechanic, Sierra Bauer is a woman in a man's world. There are few things more satisfying to her than the challenge of working on multimillion-dollar turboprops at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, especially now that her life has returned to normal after losing her brother in a plane crash, and almost losing her career in the FAA investigation that followed.

Normal is pitched into a tailspin when she finds a frozen body in a plane she is inspecting.

Detective Quinn Moore is certain Sierra's discovery is happenstance until he learns the victim, Tori Hjelle, is the woman Sierra blames for her brother's death. Despite his attraction to her, he must consider Sierra a prime suspect.

Efforts to prove her own innocence are jeopardized when Rune, her ex-boyfriend, returns after a five-year stint in state prison for stalking and attempting to kill Sierra. Things get complicated when Quinn finds evidence linking Rune and Sierra to Tori's murder, not to mention the counterfeit aircraft part discovered in her possession. He starts to doubt his belief that Sierra is innocent.

When Sierra figures out Tori discovered the key to unraveling a tangled web of conspiracy that threatens the aviation world, she's forced to change everything she thought she knew about her brother's death. That knowledge comes with a price. She and Quinn must expose a network of money, deceit, and murder before Sierra becomes the next casualty.

Critique: A deftly crafted mystery with more plot twists and turns that a carnival roller coaster, "Murder in Plane Sight" showcases author Julie Holmes originality and impressive narrative storytelling skills as a novelist. An inherently riveting read made all the more plausible given the corporate corruption surrounding the Boeing 737 in the world today, "Murder in Plane Sight" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Murder/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder in Plane Sight" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.95) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HighBridge Audio, 9781684571284, $29.99, CD).

The Bouncer
David Gordon
The Mysterious Press
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
154 West 14th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10011
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802128003, $26.00, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Joe Brody is just your average Dostoevsky-reading, Harvard-expelled strip club bouncer who has a highly classified military history and whose best friend from Catholic school happens to be head mafioso Gio Caprisi.

FBI agent Donna Zamora, the best shot in her class at Quantico, is a single mother stuck at a desk manning the hotline.

Their storylines intersect over a tip from a cokehead that leads to a crackdown on Gio's strip joint in Queens and Joe's arrest -- just one piece of a city-wide sweep aimed at flushing out anyone who might have a lead on the various terrorists whose photos are hanging on the wall under Most Wanted.

Outside the jailhouse, the Fed and the bouncer lock eyes, as Gordon launches them both headlong into a nonstop plot that goes from back-road gun show intervention to high-stakes perfume heist and manages to touch everyone from the CIA to the Flushing Triads.

Beneath it all lurks a sinister criminal mastermind whose manipulations could cause chaos on a massively violent scale.

Critique: An inherently compelling and compulsive page turner of a suspense thriller novel by an author with an impressive narrative storytelling style that keeps his readers total and rapt attention from first page to last, "The Bouncer" by David Gordon is unreservedly recommended and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Bouncer" is also available in a paperback edition (9780802129673, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.04).

Girl Gone Missing
Marcie R. Rendon
Cinco Puntos Press
701 Texas, El Paso, Texas 79901
www.cincopuntos.com
9781947627116, $15.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Her name is Renee Blackbear, but what most people call the 19-year-old Ojibwe woman is Cash. She lived all her life in Fargo, sister city to Minnesota's Moorhead, just down river from the Cities. She has one friend, the sheriff Wheaton. He pulled her from her mother's wrecked car when she was three. Since then, Cash navigated through foster homes, and at 13 was working farms, driving truck.

Wheaton wants her to take hold of her life, signs her up for college. She gets an education there at Moorhead State all right: sees that people talk a lot but mostly about nothing, not like the men in the fields she's known all her life who hold the rich topsoil in their hands, talk fertilizer and weather and prices on the Grain Exchange. In between classes and hauling beets, drinking beer and shooting pool, a man who claims he's her brother shows up, and she begins to dream the about a missing fellow student calling out to her for help.

Critique: The newest addition to author Marcie Rendon's 'A Cash Blackbear Mystery' series, "Girl Gone Missing" is a deftly crafted and fully engaging read from cover to cover that is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Girl Gone Missing" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Word to the Wise
Jenn McKinlay
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780593100035, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lindsey Norris is finally getting married to the man of her dreams - but it's not all roses for Briar Creek's beloved library director, as gardening enthusiast and town newcomer Aaron Grady gives the term "book lover" a whole new meaning. Inappropriate looks and unwelcome late-night visits to Lindsey's house have everyone from the crafternooners to Lindsey's fiance, Sully, on edge.

When Grady's dead body is found staged outside the library and all the clues point to Sully, Lindsey knows it's up to her to dig through the hidden chapters of Grady's previous life to find the real culprit and clear Sully's name. But becoming a thorn in the killer's side is not without its consequences, and the closer Lindsey gets to the truth, the more determined the murderer is to make her just a footnote.

Critique: The newest addition to author Jenn McKinlay's 'A Library Lover's Mystery' series, "Word to the Wise" is another superbly crafted mystery novel by a true master of the genre. An inherently fascinating and compelling read from cover to cover, "Word to the Wise" is very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Word to the Wise" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781974969425, $29.99, CD).

Under Attack
Edward Marston
Isis Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9781785417405, $34.90, HC, Large Print, www.ulverscroftusa.com

Synopsis: In 1916, while German Gotha bombers raid London from above, a man's body is fished from the Thames below. The man had been garrotted and his tongue cut out before he was left to his watery grave, and as the killer had taken care to remove identifying items and even labels, Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy struggle to name the victim before they can begin properly with their investigation. As family and business associates are found, the list of suspects grows ever longer; and as Marmion wrangles with the case, he and his family must also contend with their anxieties for his now-missing son, Paul. With great care, Marmion must pick his way along a twisting path that will lead him towards the killer.

Critique: A carefully crafted mystery by a master of the genre, Edward Marston's "Under Attack" is an inherently absorbing and compulsive page-turner of a read from beginning to end. This large print edition is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections in general, and the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs in particular.

Elevator Pitch
Linwood Barclay
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062678287, $26.99, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It all begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. Each presses a button for their floor, but the elevator proceeds, non-stop, to the top. Once there, it stops for a few seconds, and then plummets right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different Manhattan skyscraper. And when Wednesday brings yet another high-rise catastrophe, one of the most vertical cities in the world (and the nation's capital of media, finance, and entertainment) is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it's working. Fearing for their lives, thousands of men in women working in offices across the city refuse leave their homes. Commerce has slowed to a trickle. Emergency calls to the top floors of apartment buildings go unanswered.

Who is behind this? Why are they doing it? What do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line? Two seasoned New York detectives and a straight-shooting journalist must race against time to find the answers before the city's newest, and tallest, residential tower has its ribbon-cutting on Thursday.

Critique: An inherently riveting and original story of compelling psychological suspense, "Elevator Pitch" by Lindwood Barclay is the stuff of which block buster movies are made. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Elevator Pitch" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

A Dangerous Engagement
Ashley Weaver
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250159779, $27.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As they travel by ship to New York for her childhood friend Tabitha's wedding, Amory Ames gazes out at the city's iconic skyline, excited by the prospect of being a bridesmaid. Her husband Milo, however, is convinced their trip will be deadly dull, since Prohibition is in full swing. But when a member of the wedding party is found murdered on the front steps of the bride's home, the happy plans take a darker twist.

Critique: Deftly set in New York in the 1930s, "A Dangerous Engagement" is an inherently absorbing and original mystery by Ashley Weaver who once again demonstrates her compelling narrative storytelling style that firmly engages the reader's rapt attention from cover to cover. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "A Dangerous Engagement" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781974969531, $29.99, CD).

The Tower of Songs
Casey Barrett
Kensington
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496709745, $26.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Embracing an improbable stretch of sobriety, unlicensed P.I. Duck Darley has proven himself stronger than the temptations that loom in the shadows of New York City. But the familiar pull of self-destruction lingers like garbage in July when Layla Soto, a sharp-tongued Park Avenue teenager with a family as screwed up as his own, presents a twisted missing-persons case he can't refuse.

Layla saw video evidence of her billionaire father being abducted from their home -- at the top of the tallest residential tower on earth. She suspects her grandmother, a Chinese social climber on husband number three, orchestrated the act to silence her only son. Duck agrees to investigate the hedge funder's disappearance, if only for the rush of a new thrill -- and an excuse to reconcile with Cass Kimball, his leather-clad sometime partner who nearly got him killed!

As the unlikely duo become immersed in a high-stakes ransom linked to the international drug trade and the delicate relations between the two most powerful nations on earth, survival means trusting no one. Because when confronting absolute power, certain forces will stop at nothing -- especially murder.

Critique: A superbly crafted and original thriller of a read from first page to last, "The Tower of Songs" showcases author Casey Barrett's distinctive storytelling style in a novel with more unexpected twists and turns than a Coney Island roller coaster. While especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Tower of Songs" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.26).

Remembering the Dead
Elizabeth J. Duncan
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643851136, $26.99, HC, 296pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Artist and spa owner Penny Brannigan has been asked to organize a formal dinner to mark the centenary of the armistice that ended World War One. After dinner, the guests adjourn to the library for a private exhibition of the Black Chair, a precious piece of Welsh literary history awarded in 1917 to poet Hedd Wyn. But to the guests' shock, the newly restored bardic chair is missing. And then Penny discovers the rain-soaked body of a waiter.

When Penny learns that the victim was the nephew of one of her employees, she is determined to find the killer. Meanwhile, the local police search for the Black Chair. The Prince of Wales is due to open an exhibit featuring the chair in three weeks, so time is not on their side. A visit to a nursing home to consult an ex-thief convinces Penny that the theft of the Black Chair and the waiter's murder are connected. She rushes to Dublin to consult a disagreeable antiquarian, who might know more than he lets on, and during the course of her investigation confronts a gaggle of suspicious travelers and an eccentric herbalist who seems to have something to hide. Can Penny find the chair and the culprit before she is laid to rest in the green grass of Wales?

Critique: Another deftly crafted Penny Brannigan mystery by author Elizabeth J. Duncan, "Remembering the Dead" is a 'whodunnit' mystery lover's delight and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Remembering the Dead" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Fatal Cajun Festival
Ellen Byron
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643851297, $26.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Maggie Crozat, proprietor of the Crozat Plantation B&B, plans to be in the cheering section when her friend Gaynell Bourgeois takes the stage with her band, Gaynell and the Gator Girls who are playng in the Cajun Country Live! music festival.

The festival's headliner, native daughter Tammy Barker, rocketed to stardom on a TV singing competition. She has the voice of an angel...and the personality of a devilish diva. But Maggie learns that this tiny terror carries a grudge against Gaynell. She's already sabotaged the Gator Girls' JazzFest audition. When a member of Tammy's entourage is murdered at the festival, Tammy makes sure Gaynell is number one on the suspect list.

Gaynell has plenty of company on that list -- including every one of Tammy's musicians. Posing as a groupie, Maggie infiltrates Tammy's band and will have to hit all the right notes to clear her friend's name.

Critique: The fifth addition to mystery author Ellen Byron's 'Cajun Country Mysteries', readers are once again transported to an entertaining dose of a 'whodunnit' mystery (southern style) in the pages of "Fatal Cajun Festival". Of special note are the inclusion of recipes! While also available in a digital book format for personal reading lists, "Fatal Cajun Festival" is especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Buried in the Stacks
Allison Brook
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643851389, $26.99, HC, 313pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In winter, the Haunted Library is a refuge for homeless townspeople. When a group purchases a vacant house to establish a daytime haven for the homeless, Carrie offers the library as a meeting place for the Haven House committee, but quickly learns that it may be used for illegal activities.

As the new Sunshine Delegate, Carrie heads to the hospital to visit her cantankerous colleague, Dorothy, who had fallen outside the local supermarket. She tells Carrie that her husband tried to kill her -- and that he murdered her Aunt Evelyn, the library's resident ghost, six years earlier.

And then Dorothy is murdered by being run off the road as soon as she returns to work. Evelyn implores Carrie to find her niece's killer, but that's no easy task: Dorothy had made a hobby of blackmailing her neighbors and colleague. Carrie, Evelyn, and Smoky Joe the cat are on the case -- but are the library cards stacked against them?

Critique: The third titles in author Allison Brook's unique and very special 'Haunted Library' series of 'whodunnit' mysteries, "Buried in the Stacks" is a thoroughly delightful and entertain read from cover to cover. Clever scripting and the deftly creation of memorable characters showcase Brook's impressively storytelling skills, making "Buried in the Stacks" unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Buried in the Stacks" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Wonton Terror
VivienChien
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.stmartins.com
9781250228345, $7.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lana Lee is all smiles when the first evening of Cleveland's Asian Night Market kicks off the summer. The weekly festival is always good for business, packed with locals and tourists, and this year, some stiff new food-truck competition. Wonton on Wheels, run by old friends of Lana's parents, promises to have customers lining up for their delicately wrapped delights -- until the truck blows up at evening's end!

Lana's boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, had been planning a birthday getaway for the two of them but, lo and behold, Lana must assume the role of amateur sleuth yet again. With one proprietor of Wonton on Wheels dead, it's beginning to look more like murder and less like an unfortunate accident. And as they begin to unwrap layers of disturbing secrets, Lana's own family erupts into new drama. Will Lana be able to solve this crime -- or has she jumped from the wok right into the fire?

Critique: The fourth volume in Vivien Chien's 'A Noodle Shop Mystery' series, "Wonton Terror" is a genuine treat for all dedicated mystery buffs and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted that "Wonton Terror" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

The Time for Murder is Meow
T. C. Lotempio
Midnight Ink
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989
www.midnightinkbooks.com
9780738760360, $15.99, PB, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting -- until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it.

When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick (her aunt's Persian Purrday) find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

Critique: Another delightfully entertaining and original 'whodunnit' from the pen of T. C. Lotempio, "The Time for Murder is Meow" is a genuinely compulsive page turner of a read by a master of the genre. While "The Time for Murder is Meow" is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated cat lovers and mystery buffs that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Cookies and Clairvoyance
Bailey Cates
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780399587016, $7.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Hedgewitch Katie Lightfoot is juggling wedding preparations, a visit from her father, and home renovations on top of her long hours at the Honeybee Bakery, where she and her aunt Lucy imbue their yummy cookies and pastries with beneficial magic. But when firefighter Randy Post is accused of murdering a collector of rarities, and his prints are on the statue that was used to kill the man, Katie steps in.

Randy is not only Katie's fiance's coworker, but also the boyfriend of fellow spellbook club member and witch Bianca Devereaux. Bianca and Declan are both sure Randy is innocent, and so is Katie. However, to prove it she'll have to work with ornery detective Peter Quinn again -- and this time around he knows she's more than your everyday baker!

Critique: Another 'Magical Bakery Mystery' from the pen of Bailey Cates, "Cookies and Clairvoyance" is a deliciously delightful and deftly crafted 'whodunnit' that will have special appeal for any and all dedicated mystery buffs! While unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all Bailey Cates fans that "Cookies and Clairvoyance" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

To the Lions
Holly Watt
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10014-3657
www.us.penguingroup.com
9781524745455, $27.00, HC, 400pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Casey Benedict, a female star reporter at the Post, has infiltrated the lives and exposed the lies of countless politicians and power players. Using her network of contacts, and her ability to slip into whatever identity suits the situation, Casey is always on the search for the next big story, no matter how much danger this might place her in, or what the cost might be, emotionally.

Tipped off by an overheard conversation at an exclusive London nightclub, she begins to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy young British man whose death has left his fiancee and family devastated. The young man's death, however, is only the tipping point of a much more sinister and dangerous scandal involving the world's most powerful leaders and magnates -- men who are gathering in northern Africa for an extreme and secret hunt.

With fellow reporter Miranda and combat veteran Ed by her side, Casey's determined hunt for the truth could well end in her own demise.

Critique: A deftly crafted suspense thriller of a read from first page to last, "To the Lions" by author Holly Watt showcases her exceptionally literary skills and distinctive narrative storytelling style that will hold the riveted reader's full attention. The stuff of which block buster movies are made and while certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted that "To the Lions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Marque of Caine
Charles E. Gannon
Baen Books
www.baen.com
9781481484091, $16.00

This Caine Riordan novel is set two years since Caine was relieved of command. He is on the cusp of his next adventure: to visit the puzzling Dornaai, who keep his mortally wounded love Elena in their advanced medical facilities. The reason for the contact becomes evident when he learns that Elena is in danger and missing, and that the Doornaai are being threatened, as well. Intrigue, mystery, and solid sci-fi combine in a riveting story of politics and struggle that ultimate links Caine's personal life with the survival of a species and Earth itself.

Above the Ether
Eric Barnes
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781628729986, $24.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Above the Ether" is the prequel to Eric Barnes's acclaimed sci-fi novel "The City Where We Once Lived" and finds six sets of characters move through a landscape and a country just beginning to show the signs of cataclysmic change.

A father and his young children fleeing a tsunami after a massive earthquake in the Gulf. A woman and her husband punishing themselves without relent for the loss of both their sons to addiction, while wildfires slowly burn closer to their family home. A brilliant investor, assessing opportunity in the risk to crops, homes, cities, industries, and infrastructure, working in the silent comfort of her office sixty floors up in the scorching air. A doctor and his wife stuck in a refugee camp for immigrants somewhere in a southern desert. Two young men working the rides for a roadside carnival, one escaping a brutal past, the other a racist present. The manager of a chain of nondescript fast-food restaurants in a city ravaged by the relentless wind..

While every night the news alternates images of tsunami destruction with the baseball scores, the characters converge on a city where the forces of change have already broken (a city half abandoned, with one part left to be scavenged as the levee system protecting it slowly fails) until, in their vehicles on the highway that runs through it, they witness the approach of what looks to be just one more violent storm.

Critique: An all too plausible extrapolation of the kinds of natural catastrophes currently identified with runaway climate change, Eric Barnes' "Above the Ether" is a multilayered and deftly crafted dystopian novel that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Science Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Above the Ether" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Witchy Kingdom
D. J. Butler
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781481484152, $25.00, HC, 624pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: An encounter with her father's goddess has not turned out to be the end for Sarah Elytharias Penn. Now, with the Imperial fist tightened around her city of Cahokia and the beastkind of the Heron King ravaging across the river, she must find a way to access the power of the Serpent Throne itself -- a feat, she has learned, that her father never accomplished.

To complicate her efforts, Cahokia's Metropolitan, a beloved and charismatic priest who despises the goddess as a demon, returns from a long pilgrimage and attempts to finalize the Wisdom eradicating reform that dogged Sarah's father when he was king.

Meanwhile, Sarah's brother Nathaniel and her brilliant but erratic servant Jacob Hop find their steps dogged by the Emperor's Machiavel, Temple Franklin, as they hunt in New Amsterdam for the third Elytharias sibling.

As Simon Sword's destroying storm threatens from the south and west, and New Orleans is thrown into deadly turmoil when a vodoun priest and mameluke assassins contend for ultimate power and control of the Mississippi, the chance for a unified New World teeters on the brink.

Sarah Penn understands she may face a hard fate in the final reckoning. But she also knows that only she can access the power of the Throne -- if she can find the Wisdom inside to unlock it.

Critique: D. J. Butler once again showcases an impressive talent for a narrative storytelling style that will keep the reader's rapt attention from cover to cover with "Witchy Kingdom", the third volume in a fantasy adventure series that includes "Witchy Eye" and "Witchy Winter" is unreservedly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Fantasy Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Witchy Kingdom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Iron Gods
Andrew Bannister
Tor Books
c/o Tor/Forge Books
120 Broadway, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10271
www.tor-forge.com
9781250179203, $18.99, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the depths of space, a beacon has awakened. And an ancient technology has begun to stir. As its memory returns, with it comes a terrifying knowledge -- a grave warning about the future of the Spin that has been concealed for ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years after the events of Creation Machine, the Spin is in decline and the beleaguered slave economy of the Inside is surrounded by rebel civilizations. A group of escapees from the vast forced-labor unit known as the Hive have stolen the last of the Inside's ancient warships and woken it from an enforced trance that had lasted for millennia. And someone has destroyed a planet that didn't exist, and halfway across the Spin, something has gone wrong with the sky.

Critique: The latest addition to science fiction author Andrew Bannister's 'The Spin' series, "Iron Gods" is an inherently fascinating and deftly crafted novel that is a compulsive page-turner of a read from cover to cover. While certain to become an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Science Fictions collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated SciFi fans that "Iron Gods" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Modern Japanese Short Stories
Ivan Morris, editor
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9784805315248, $19.99, PB, 512pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Ivan Morris (1925-1976) was a highly regarded figure in the field of Japanese studies. He was a professor at Columbia University from 1960 to 1973 where he was head of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. He is known for his work on Japanese history and literature, though his numerous books, articles, and translations reflect the familiarity he had with all aspects of Japan.

Compiled and edited by Professor Morris "Modern Japanese Short Stories" is a remarkable collection of Japanese short stories from the pioneers of contemporary Japanese literature. Comprised of twenty-five stories by as many authors this unique volume display a wide range of style and subject matter, revealing picture of modern Japanese culture and society.

Featuring a new foreword by Japanese literary scholar Seiji Lippit and striking woodcut illustrations by Masakazu Kuwata, the stories were translated by into English for an American readership by Professor orris, with the assistance of Edward Seidensticker, George Saito, and Geoffery Sargent.

Critique: Successfully reflecting and presenting in a short story anthology format the literary value of Japanese literature, "Modern Japanese Short Stories: Twenty-Five Stories by Japan's Leading Writers" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections in general, and Japanese Literature supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Modern Japanese Short Stories" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Monster, She Wrote
Lisa Kroger & Melanie R. Anderson
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781683691389, $19.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Frankenstein was just the beginning: horror stories and other weird fiction wouldn't exist without the women who created it. From Gothic ghost stories to psychological horror to science fiction, women have been primary architects of speculative literature of all sorts. And their own life stories are as intriguing as their fiction.

Everyone knows about Mary Shelley, creator of Frankenstein, who was rumored to keep her late husband's heart in her desk drawer. But have you heard of Margaret "Mad Madge" Cavendish, who wrote a science-fiction epic 150 years earlier (and liked to wear topless gowns to the theater)? If you know the astounding work of Shirley Jackson, whose novel The Haunting of Hill House was reinvented as a Netflix series, then try the psychological hauntings of Violet Paget, who was openly involved in long-term romantic relationships with women in the Victorian era.

In "Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction", are such celebrated icons as Ann Radcliffe and V. C. Andrews, as well as forgotten wordsmiths like Eli Colter and Ruby Jean Jensen, plus today's female vanguard including Helen Oyeyemi.

Part biography, part reader's guide, "Monster, She Wrote" offers engaging write-ups and detailed reading lists that will introduce more than a hundred authors and over two hundred of their mysterious and chilling literary works. Indeed, the curated reading lists point to their most spine-chilling tales.

Critique: Unique, fascinating, informative, "Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Literary Studies reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Monster, She Wrote" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Parenting Shelf

Sesame Street: Ready for School!
Rosemarie T. Truglio & Pamela Thomas
Running Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.runningpress.com
9780762466078, $18.00, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.colm

Synopsis: For the past 50 years, Sesame Street has stood at the forefront of child development, stimulating and nurturing the minds of preschoolers not only through the iconic TV show, but also through books, games, mobile apps, and community engagement initiatives. In the pages of "Sesame Street: Ready for School!: A Parent's Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5", Senior Rosemarie Truglio (VP of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop) shares all the research-based, curriculum-directed school readiness skills that have made Sesame Street the preeminent children's TV program, and that every parent needs in order to get their preschooler ready for lifelong learning.

Each of the eight chapters comprising "Sesame Street: Ready for School!" focuses on a key area: language, literacy, math, science, logic & reasoning, social & emotional development, healthy habits, and the arts. An essential dynamic of Ready for School! is its emphasis on the importance of play in a child's learning process. To respond to that need, dozens of "Play & Learn" activities are included to aid parents in educating their children: at the kitchen table, on the bus, in the park, or in the preschool classroom while playing together.

In addition, "Sesame Street: Ready for School!" recommends scores of hints, tips, ideas for useful products, and deep-dives on more complex topics for parents, all designed to make preparing young kids for school easy and joyful.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "Sesame Street: Ready for School!: A Parent's Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5" is especially and unreservedly recommended for use by home schooling parents, as well as a daycare center and preschool staff in-service training curriculum manual and instructional reference. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sesame Street: Ready for School!: A Parent's Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know
James Knipp
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781683691006, $9.95, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Becoming a grandfather is one of the most exciting events in a man's life -- but there's a lot to learn! That is way "Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know" by James Knopp is a little book that is jam-packed with all the wisdom, know-how, and trivia that needed in order to become the best grandfather possible.

"Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know" address a wealth of relevant grandfathering issues including: How to Pick Your Grandfather Nickname; How to Share Your Wisdom; How to Tell A Tall Tale; When to Step Up and When to Step Back; Planning for Your Future (And Theirs!).

Critique: Impressively organized and presented with 'real world practical' and timeless information make "Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know" a perfect gift for seasoned grandpas and grandpas-to-be alike and an enduringly popular addition to community library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Stuff Every Grandfather Should Know" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

The Single Parent
Linda Ranson Jacobs
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764232848, $14.99, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Whether you became a single parent through divorce, death, adoption, or some other situation, you've probably wondered what the future holds for you and your children. Will you be able to provide the emotional, financial, and spiritual support your family needs?

"The Single Parent: Confident and Successful" by Linda Ranson Jacobs will encourage you in your journey and help avert problems before they arise. It is filled with wise counsel, biblical truth, and real-life stories -- the author's own as well as those of the many single moms and dads who have come across her path through the years.

"The Single Parent" will help you bolster your abilities in such areas as: Improving your child's behavior; Negotiating boundaries; Graciously seeking and accepting help from others; Trusting God in the process.

God cares for the single parent and will provide for you and your children. Let "The Single Parent" give you the tools you need as you walk with him in this journey.

Critique: Presenting a Christian perspective in an impressively well presented instructional guide for single parents want and needing to do right by their children, "The Single Parent: Confident and Successful" is an especially recommended addition to personal, church, and community library Parenting reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Single Parent: Confident and Successful" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

Editorial Note: Linda Ranson Jacobs is one of the foremost leaders in single-parent ministry. Having been both divorced and widowed, Linda knows first hand the emotional and support needs of single-parent families and has a passion to help hurting families. As a children's ministry director, speaker, trainer, and therapeutic child care center owner, Linda has assisted countless single-parent families and their children. In 2004, Linda created and developed the DivorceCare for Kids program, a ministry tool designed to bring healing, comfort, coping, and communication skills to children of divorce.

Boy Mom
Monica Swanson
WaterBrook Press
c/o WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
10807 New Allegiance Drive Suite 500, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com
9780525652717, $15.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Monica Swanson knew she'd tapped a heartfelt concern when nearly two million readers shared her blog post "What a Teenage Boy Needs Most from His Mom." In the pages of "Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You", she takes mothers deeper into the insights they need for the boy-raising journey, covering topics from dealing with the daily influences of friends and technology to helping a boy grow to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy.

She also addresses learning and finding passions, perspectives on relationships and dating, and work ethics and money management. Each individual chapter features relatable stories, handy checklists, and practical advice based on a combination of research, experience, and biblical truth to guide and equip a mom in helping her son achieve his God-given potential.

Critique: Insightful, thoughtful, inspirational, exceptionally well written and 'real world practical' in application, "Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You" is especially recommended reading for every mother with sons to raise. While highly recommended for community library Contemporary Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Boy Mom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Education Shelf

The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition
Robert Franek, et al.
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.PrincetonReview.com
9780525568421, $24.99, PB, 880pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Princeton Review's college rankings started in 1992 with surveys from 30,000 students. Over 25 years and more than a million student surveys later, they stand by their claim that there is no single "best" college, only the best college specifically for a particular student. And the designed this 2020 Edition of The Best 385 Colleges to help that student find it!

"The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition" features 385 in-depth school profiles based on candid feedback from 140,000 students, covering academics, administration, campus life, and financial aid, as well as insights on unique college character, social scene, and more.

"The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition" lists of the top 20 colleges in 62 categories based on students' opinions of academics, campus life, facilities, and much more. Also included are ratings for every school on Financial Aid, Selectivity, and Quality of Life.

Offering detailed admissions information, "The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition"includes the "Inside Word" on competitive applications, test scores, tuition, and average indebtedness, as well as comprehensive information on selectivity, freshman profiles, and application deadlines at each school.

Of special note are the free access to 2 full-length practice tests online (1 SAT and 1 ACT) to help students prep for the important admissions-exams part of their admissions journey.

Critique: A core college assessment and selection resource, "The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition" should be a part of every highschool counselor's reference collections, as well as being unreservedly recommended for community library collections for students and their families to have access to. It should be noted for students and their families that "The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Rise to the Challenge
Jeff C. Marshall
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416627982, $20.95, PB, 118pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Jeff C. Marshall is a professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Education at Clemson University. He has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching; published 5 other books and more than 60 articles; and given over 130 presentations in the last 12 years alone. He also serves as a consultant for school districts, universities, and grant projects across the nation.

In "Rise to the Challenge: Designing Rigorous Learning That Maximizes Student Success", Professor Marshal draws upon his years of experience and expertise to help those classroom teachers who sense that some of their students have mentally "checked out" of their classroom because those students are actually bored by lessons that they view as unchallenging and uninteresting.

"Rise to the Challenge: will enable teachers to: Reorient themselves and their students toward active learning -- and establishing the habits that allow it to flourish; Create a classroom culture where students aren't afraid to take risks -- and where they grow as learners because of it; Plan the same lesson at different levels of challenge for different levels of development -- and designing assessments that gauge student progress fairly without sacrificing expectations; Implement inquiry-based activities that push students beyond their comfort zones -- and that result in well-rounded learners with stronger character and sharper thinking skills.

Leveraging the latest research in the field as well as years of hard-won classroom experience, "Rise to the Challenge" offers practical strategies, replicable examples, and thoughtful reflection exercises for educators to use as they work to help students embrace the mystery, complexity, and power of challenge.

Critique: Deftly organized and presented, "Rise to the Challenge: Designing Rigorous Learning That Maximizes Student Success" is an extraordinary and 'real world practical' instructional guide that is unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of student teachers, classroom instructors, school administrators, education reform activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Rise to the Challenge" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher
Ariel Tichnor-Wanger, et al.
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
9781416627517, $30.95, PB, 260pp, www.ascd.org

Synopsis: Classroom teachers today must prepare students for an increasingly complex, interconnected, and interdependent world. Being a globally competent teacher requires embracing a mindset that translates personal global competence into professional classroom practice. It is a vision of equitable teaching and learning that enables students to thrive in an ever-changing world.

"Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher" is thought-provoking instruction manual and textbook that introduces a proven self-reflection tool to help educators of all grade levels and content areas develop 12 elements of such teaching. Divided into three sections (Dispositions, Knowledge, Skills) each individual chapter is devoted to an element of globally competent teaching and includes a description of that element, tips for implementation delineated by developmental levels, and links to additional resources for continuing the journey.

Examples of globally competent teaching practices include: Empathy and valuing multiple perspectives; A commitment to promoting equity worldwide; An understanding of global conditions and current events; The ability to engage in intercultural communication; A classroom environment that values diversity and global engagement.

Throughout, there are illustrative examples of these practices at work from real teachers in real schools. No matter what your experience with global teaching, the information in this book will help you further develop your practice as a global educator -- a teacher who prepares students not only for academic success but also for a life in which they are active participants in their own communities, as well as the wider world.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Becoming a Globally Competent Teacher" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an Appendix (The Globally competent Learning Continuum Self-Reflection Tool), a thirteen page list of References, and a ten page Index, making it unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Ten Traits of Resilience
James Hilton
Bloomsbury Education
c/o Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781472951502, $23.90, PB, 179pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In an increasingly complex and ever-changing education landscape, school leadership is a rewarding but multifaceted profession. In order to survive in the job long term, school leaders need to understand how they can lead with positivity and purpose, all the while avoiding stress, coping with adversity, and taking better care of themselves physically and mentally. With teacher wellbeing and retention a growing concern, it is essential school leaders pass on this confidence and optimism to their staff members too.

"Ten Traits of Resilience: Achieving Positivity and Purpose in School Leadership" is thought-provoking study in which James Hilton explores ten traits of resilience and demonstrates to school leaders how they can embed these traits into their own practice and into their school to create a climate of resilience in every classroom.

"Ten Traits of Resilience" is packed from cover to cover with practical advice, tips and reflective questions to help school leaders evaluate and improve their current practice, and threaded throughout are also perspectives from a number of education experts, including Ross Morrison McGill, Patrick Ottley-O'Connor, Viv Grant and Kim Johnson.

Critique: Featuring a an informative Foreword by Dr Andy Cope, "Ten Traits of Resilience: Achieving Positivity and Purpose in School Leadership" is especially recommended reading for all K-12 school administrators, as well as college and university departmental heads seeking to promote and maintain a culture of resilience in their schools, as well as improve their own mental health and professional wellbeing, and that of their staff and pupils too! While unreservedly recommended for school district, college, and university library Education Administration collections, it should be noted for personal reading list that "Ten Traits of Resilience" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.34).

Editorial Note: James Hilton is a former head teacher working as a conference speaker and author, specializing in leadership, stress management and positive psychology. He applies his experience of human leadership to inspire a wide range of clients including school leaders, the NHS, local government and businesses. James provides fresh insights into the challenges of leadership in the intense environment that is the modern workplace.

The Relevant Classroom
Eric Hardie
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416627678, $29.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Students need to connect to the real world, be engaged, and learn deeply. But how are teachers supposed to ensure that students meet these objectives in the current school system?

In "The Relevant Classroom: Six Steps to Foster Real-World Learning", Eric Hardie presents six strategies derived from his two decades of experience as an elementary and secondary teacher and principal to show teachers ways to foster real-world connections, genuine engagement, and deeper learning to: Make meaning central to student work; Contextualize the curriculum; Create space to learn; Connect student work to the community; Follow the (student) leaders; Re- envision feedback and evaluation.

A practical volume, "The Relevant Classroom" includes advice on how to get started, vivid examples, reflection questions, and tips on how to overcome common obstacles. "The Relevant Classroom" is about recognizing that teachers who tap into students' capacities for creativity, collaboration, and innovation can create learning experiences that are truly meaningful for students.

Critique: Impressively organized and presented, "The Relevant Classroom: Six Steps to Foster Real-World Learning" will prove to be of enduring value for classroom teachers and is unreservedly recommended as a supplemental studies curriculum textbook for Teacher Education classes, as well as school district and college/university library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Relevant Classroom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99).

Editorial Note: Eric Hardie is a superintendent of instruction at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in Eastern Ontario. With more than two decades of experience in education, Hardie is a former elementary and secondary school teacher and principal. He holds a degree in English from Western University, a Bachelor of Education from Mount Allison University, and a Master of International Education (School Leadership). Hardie has provided professional development and training in experiential learning, working with both teachers and school leaders, and has previously published articles in ASCD's Educational Leadership.


The Political Science Shelf

A Constitution in Full
Peter Augustine Lawler, author
Richard m. Reinsch II, author
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
www.kansaspress.ku.edu
9780700627813, $29.95, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When political debates devolve, as they often do these days, into a contest between big-government progressivism and natural rights individualism, Americans tend to appeal to the "self-evident" truths inscribed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But in "A Constitution in Full: Recovering the Unwritten Foundation of American Liberty", authors Peter Lawler (who was the Dana Professor of Government at Berry College) and Richard Reinsch (who is the editor of Law and Liberty and the host of the podcast Liberty Law Talk) remind us that these truths understood in the abstract are untethered from a prior, unwritten constitution presupposed by the Framers -- one found in culture, customs, traditions, experiences, and beliefs.

"A Constitution in Full" is Lawler and Reinsch's attempt to return this critical context to US constitutionalism in order to recover a political sense of individualism in relation to country, family, religious community, and nature.

Power, the authors suggest, is a public trust, not a form of obedience to either majoritarian suppression of particular liberties or the endless rights-claims lodged by autonomous individuals against society. Instead, power is ordered to the demands of a shared political enterprise that emerges from man's social nature.

Building on political insights from Alexis de Tocqueville, Orestes Brownson, John Courtney Murray, and others Lawler and Reinsch seek to restore the relational person - the individual grounded in family, work, faith, and community -- to a central place in our understanding of republican constitutionalism. Their work promotes the ongoing development of constitutional self-government rooted in our historical, legal, and religious foundations.

The shared middle-class values that once united almost all Americans as well as any confidence in democratic deliberation or political liberty are rapidly atrophying. "A Constitution in Full" aims to rebuild this confidence by helping us think seriously about the complex interplay between political and economic liberties and the relational life of creatures and citizens.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of fourteen pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "A Constitution in Full: Recovering the Unwritten Foundation of American Liberty" is exceptionally well written, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and a timely contribution to our current and on-going discussion with respect to the concepts of political liberty within the context of a constitutional democracy. While highly recommended as a core addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections in general, and Constitutional Democracy supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "A Constitution in Full" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.95).

Claiming Her Place in Congress
Katherine H. Adams
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476677187, $39.95, PB, 246pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The fall of 2018 saw an unprecedented number of women elected to Congress, changing estimates of how long it might take to achieve equal representation. For the first time, women candidates used techniques honed by America's political families, which have helped women enter politics since 1916.

Drawing on extensive research and conversations with successful women politicians, "Claiming Her Place in Congress: Women from American Political Families as Legislators" by Katherine H. Adams (who is the Hutchinson Distinguished Professor of English at Loyola University New Orleans) offers a history of the political opportunities provided through familial connections.

Family networks have a long history of enabling women to run for political office. There is much for the latest group of candidates to emulate.

Critique: An extraordinary and timely study, "Claiming Her Place in Congress" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an Appendix (Widows and Other Members of Political Families in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House to the 115th Congress 2017-2019); twenty pages of Chapter Notes; a twenty-one page Bibliography, and a four page Index. Exceptionally informative, thoroughly comprehensive, fully 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Claiming Her Place in Congress" is an especially recommended for the personal reading lists of any woman aspiring to elected political office, as well as a critically important addition to community and academic library Political Science collections and supplemental studies lists.

The Credibility Challenge
Inken von Borzyskowski
Cornell University Press
512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
9781501736544, $49.95, HC, 246pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The key to the impact of international election support is credibility; credible elections are less likely to turn violent. This is the basic and core premise of "The Credibility Challenge: How Democracy Aid Influences Election Violence" by Inken von Borzyskowski (Assistant Professor of Political Science, Florida State University) who also provides an explanation of why and when election support can increase or reduce violence.

Professor Von Borzyskowski answers four major questions: Under what circumstances can election support influence election violence? How can election support shape the incentives of domestic actors to engage in or abstain from violence? Does support help reduce violence or increase it? And, which type of support (observation or technical assistance) is better in each instance?

"The Credibility Challenge" pulls broad quantitative evidence and qualitative observations drawn from Guyana, Liberia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Bangladesh to respond to these questions. Professor Von Borzyskowski finds that international democracy aid matters for election credibility and violence; outside observers can exacerbate post-election violence if they cast doubt on election credibility; and technical assistance helps build electoral institutions, improves election credibility, and reduces violence. Her results advance research and policy on peace building and democracy promotion in new and surprising ways.

Critique: A seminal work of consistently insightful and meticulous scholarship, "The Credibility Challenge: How Democracy Aid Influences Election Violence" is a timely and exceptionally well written, organized and presented contribution to community, college and university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, politicians, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Credibility Challenge" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Presidents by Fate
F. Martin Harmon
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476677422, $39.95, PB, 231pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Throughout the history of the United States, only nine men were elevated to the White House by the death or failure of a sitting president, and their legacies are as mixed as their circumstances.

In "Presidents by Fate: Nine Who Ascended Through Death or Resignation", retired journalist F. Martin Harmon informatively evaluates the similarities and distinct differences of these men, their varying degrees of ambition and readiness, and how each handled their suddenly enormous duties.

Some became presidential legends, while others are counted among the worst. Their shared stories shed light on America's political development during the last two centuries.

Critique: A unique, impressively informative, and inherently fascinating political history of the presidencies of men who were not elected to the office of the presidency, but as elected vice- presidents inherited the office through episodes of national tragedy, "Presidents by Fate: Nine Who Ascended Through Death or Resignation" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, community, and academic library collections.

A Crisis Wasted
Reed Hundt
Rosetta Books
www.RosettaBooks.com
9781948122313 $27.50 hc / $15.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: This book is the compelling story of President Obama's domestic policy decisions made between September 2008 and his inauguration on January 20, 2009.

Barack Obama determined the fate of his presidency before he took office. His momentous decisions led to Donald Trump, for Obama the worst person imaginable, taking his place eight years later.

This book describes these decisions and discusses how the results could have been different. Based on dozens of interviews with actors in the Obama transition, as well as the author's personal observations, this book provides unique commentary of those defining decisions of winter 2008 - 2009.

A decade later, the ramifications of the Great Recession and the role of government in addressing the crisis animate the ideological battle between progressivism and neoliberalism in the Democratic Party and the radical direction of the Republican Party. As many seek the presidency in the November 2020 election, all candidates and of course the eventual winner will face decisions that may be as critical and difficult as those confronted by Barack Obama. This book aims to provide the guidance of history.

Critique: A Crisis Wasted is a close study of President Barack Obama's defining decisions - specifically, those made in the months prior to his inauguration on January 20, 2009. At the time, the Great Recession was omnipresent, and both political parties were at an ideological crossroads on how to respond. Chapters focus on the actions and ideas that would become the Obama administration's economic stimulus, bank bailouts, and focus on healthcare reform. The Obama administration, beginning with these early decisions, would eventually lead to the rise of President Donald Trump. Author Reed Hundt, a member of the transition teams for the Clinton and Obama presidencies, does not hide his critical disappointment concerning Obama's choices: "Going forward, all the problems that needed solving in 2008-2009 are for the most part still begging for good governmental policies." Whether one agrees or disagrees with Hundt's perspective, A Crisis Wasted is an invaluable scrutiny, extensively researched and presented with clarity. A Crisis Wasted is highly recommended, especially for public library and college Political Science collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that A Crisis Wasted is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.99).


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Fundamental Principles of Finance
Robert Irons
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9781138477513, $180.00, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Finance is the study of value and how it is determined. Individuals, small businesses and corporations regularly make use of value determinations for making strategic decisions that affect the future outcomes of their endeavors. The importance of accurate valuations cannot be overestimated; valuing assets too highly will lead to investing in assets whose costs are greater than their returns, while undervaluing assets will lead to missed opportunities for growth. In some situations (such as a merger or an acquisition), the outcome of the decision can make or break the investor. The need for solid financial skills has never been more pressing than in today's global economy.

Robert Irons is an Associate Professor of Finance at Illinois Wesleyan University, USA. He has taught undergraduate and MBA students for over 20 years and is published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Investing and the Journal of Portfolio Management. Prior to teaching full time, Dr. Irons worked as a financial analyst for such firms as AT&T and United Airlines.

In "The Fundamental Principles of Finance", Professor Irons draws upon his years of research and expertise to offer a new and innovative approach to financial theory. He introduces three fundamental principles of finance that flow throughout the theoretical material covered in most corporate finance textbooks. These fundamental principles are developed in their own chapter of the book, then referred to in each chapter introducing financial theory. In this way, the theory is able to be mastered at a fundamental level. The interactions among the principles are introduced through the three precepts, which help show the impact of the three principles on financial decision-making.

Critique: Impressively well written, organize and presented, "The Fundamental Principles of Finance is an ideal and comprehensive introduction to the subject for students, academia, corporate financial managers, capital market investors, governmental policy makers, and non- specialist general readers. While a core and essential addition to academic and corporate library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The fundamental Principles of Finance" is also available in a paperback edition (9781138477520, $59.95) and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $51.66).


The Sports Shelf

The Juji Gatame Encyclopedia
Steve Scott
YMAA
www.ymaa.com
9781594386472, $34.95

The Juji Gatame Encyclopedia: Comprehensive Applications of the Cross-Body Armlock packs in over four hundred variations of a particularly popular, successful hold suitable for tournament sports fighting, known as Juji Gatame. This focus on armlocks and the four main applications allows users already familiar with the basics to understand both the general theory of armlocks and the specific concepts and applications of Juji Gatame. The result is a unique reference very specific in its coverage and focus, and very highly recommended for martial arts collections.

Sport Volunteering
Russell Hoye, et al.
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9780367262778, $150.00, HC, 186pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Volunteers are central to sport at all levels, from mega-events to grassroots clubs. "Sport Volunteering" is a definitive and comprehensive guide to the issues associated with managing volunteers in sport.

"Sport Volunteering" specifically focuses upon the psychology of the voluntary experience, the challenges inherent in managing a volunteer workforce for not-for-profit and other groups, and the development of volunteers. It provides a perspective on the roles of volunteers in the development and delivery of sport in a range of contexts (events, clubs, associations and other non-profit groups) and explores important contemporary issues such as sustainability, diversity and the management of risk.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Sport Volunteering" is essential reading for anyone studying sport volunteering or managing volunteers in sport, and is a valuable and valued resource for students of sport development, sport management, sport business, sport events, sport administration, sport policy, community sport, sport facilities, sport operations, event management or sport coaching. While unreservedly recommended for college, university, and professional sports association library reference collections, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Sport Volunteering" is also available in a paperback edition (9780367262792, $39.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $37.58).

That's My Team!
Paul Volponi
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538126738, $28.00, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: How did author Edgar Allen Poe influence the naming of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens? What major historical events inspired the naming of the Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers, and Oklahoma Sooners? And what caused the NBA's Washington Bullets to change their name to the Wizards?

In "That's My Team!: The History, Science, and Fun behind Sports Teams' Names", Paul Volponi shares the answers to these questions and more. Leading his readers on a fast-paced journey through different parts of the United States and the world, Volponi reveals fascinating pieces of information on pop culture, history, science, literature, and a slew of other subjects through the lens of sports. While examining how teams from a variety of sports received their names, he also includes segments on Native Americans, minorities overcoming prejudice, and the growth of women's sports.

"That's My Team!" also features fifteen challenges that test the knowledge readers have gained through the chapters, while three "timeouts" provide readers with opportunities to create meaningful names for their own brand new sports teams. Both reluctant and sports-crazed readers, teens and preteens alike, will find "That's My Team!" to be an exciting way to learn about a variety of subjects through their favorite sports teams.

Critique: A unique and certain to be highly prized addition to personal and community library Sports History collections, "That's My Team!: The History, Science, and Fun behind Sports Teams' Names" is an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated sports fans that "That's My Team!: The History, Science, and Fun behind Sports Teams' Names" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.50).


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Manga
Edited by Nicole Rousmaniere and Matsuba Ryoko
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500480496 $39.95 amazon.com

Synopsis: The story of manga, a vibrant form of Japanese narrative art, from its roots to its emergence as a contemporary global sensation.

Manga is a form of Japanese narrative art that has grown over the centuries to become a global phenomenon in the post - World War II era. Initially referring to graphic novels and comics, manga has expanded beyond its original forms to include animation, fashion, and new media.

Arranged into six thematic chapters, each opening with an essay, followed by interviews and art selections, this revealing study traces the origins of manga and explores its role in society, and its appearance in different media, from video games to street art, as well as its growing international reach. The voices of manga artists and editors are reflected throughout the book, along with critical analysis by leading scholars.

Taking the style of the genre and its terms of reference as its cue, Manga draws upon printed manga works, artwork, manga magazines, original drawings, theater, film, digital technologies, and interviews with artists and publishers to bring the subject vividly to life. This book gives readers an understanding of the excitement generated by a form that crosses cultures and media in a globalized world. 225 color illustrations.

Critique: Manga is not a graphic novel, but rather a museum-quality close study of the evolution of manga (Japanese comics), with emphasis on its modern incarnations in the past century. Visual examples of manga, including 225 color illustrations, complement essays by a wide variety of experts. Arranged into six thematic chapters, Manga is an extraordinary and impressive work of scholarship, enriched with interviews, notes, a bibliography, and an index. Manga is especially and enthusiastically recommended for public and college library collections.

Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel
George Orwell, author
Odyr, adapter/illustrator
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.hmhco.com
9780358093152, $22.00, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 1945, George Orwell, was called "the conscience of his generation" and created an enduring, devastating story of new tyranny replacing old, and power corrupting even the noblest of causes. Today it is all too clear that Orwell's masterpiece is still fiercely relevant wherever cults of personality thrive, truths are twisted by those in power, and freedom is under attack. Now, in this fully authorized edition of George Orwell's "Animal Farm', the artist Odyr deftly translates the world and message of Animal Farm into a gorgeously re-imagined graphic novel.

Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Boxer, and all the animals of Animal Farm come to life in this newly envisaged classic. From his individual brushstrokes to the freedom of his page design, Odyr's adaptation seamlessly moves between satire and fable and will appeal to readers of all ages.

Critique: Unexpectedly timely in the age of the Trump administration and the rising tide of white nationalism, "Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly valued addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Pigs
Johanna Stoberock
Red Hen Press
P.O. Box 40820 Pasadena, CA 91114
www.redhen.org
9781597090445, $16.95, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Four children live on an island that serves as the repository for all the world's garbage. Trash arrives, the children sort it, and then they feed it to a herd of insatiable pigs: a perfect system. But when a barrel washes ashore with a boy inside, the children must decide whether he is more of the world's detritus, meant to be fed to the pigs, or whether he is one of them.

Critique: A superbly crafted and thoroughly reader absorbing novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the use of evocative use of language, "Pigs" by Johanna Stoberock threads her superbly shaped prose with subtle questions about environmental responsibility and the innate nature of human beings. A singularly memorable read, "Pigs" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists as well as both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Dan Dare: The Evil One
David Motton, author
Keith Watson, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785862939, $39.99, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future -- The Evil One", Dan Dare and Digby, defend Earth from a series of threats that see them rocket from one action-packed adventure to the next! From the depths of outer space, and the threat of a race of intelligent giant, mind-controlling spiders, hell-bent on global domination - to the secret, underground hideout of an intergalactic evil genius buried beneath the pleasure beach of Blackpool, an unquenchable, out-of-control fireball, and a race of malevolent, ruthless flora!

Critique: A truly memorable classic work of newspaper serialized science fiction, and a part of the now legendary Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future series, "The Evil One" by the team of author David Motton and illustrator Keith Watson is superbly re-published by Titan Comics and is a nostalgically entertaining read and an ideal introduction for a new generation of appreciative science fiction fans. While the illustrations are in the original black-and-white, of special note is an introductory page drawn by artist Keith Watson as a unique kind of resume and application to become an artist on this series. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated SciFi fans that "The Evil One" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $34.99).

Editorial Note: After finishing his national service, David Motton began his 30-year career in comics as a freelance writer working on the Fleetway title The Sun Comic, a title he would become the editor of in its final year. He went on to edit both Knockabout and Film Fun. His writing credits prior to Dan Dare included: Jet-Ace Logan, Max Bravo -The Happy Hussar, Desperate Dan as well as strips for the comics Wizard, Hotspur, Valiant, Mandy, Bunty, Debbie and Judy.

Keith Watson first started working on the Dan Dare strip back in 1958 when he joined the Frank Hampson studio. However, he left after a year to draw Captain Condor for rival comic Lion. In 1962 Keith returned to Dan Dare and became the sole artist. Keith would go on to draw the strip for longer than any other artist, until the comic's demise in 1969. He went on to draw Captain Scarlet and Joe 90 for the Gerry Anderson themed comics TV Century 21, Joe 90 and also Battle of the Planets for TV21. In the 1970s Keith worked for the Dutch comic Eppo on the football strip Roel Dijkstra. In 1989 he returned to Dan Dare once again, when Eagle comic was revived and continued to draw the adventures of the Dare's grandson also conveniently called Dan.

Snowpiercer: The Escape
Jacques Lob, author
Jean-Marc Rochette, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781782761334, $19.99, HC, 110pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold and near distant future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train while the outside world remains encased in ice -- the result of a deliberate sabotage campaign using nuclear reactors around the world to create a Nuclear Winter that will decimate the human population in order to 'save' the planet Earth itself.

"Snowpiercer: The Escape" is the enthralling and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic graphic novel in a series by author Jacques Lob and illustrator Jean-Marc Rochette that inspired the critically acclaimed movie of the same name starring Chris Evans. Originally published in French, this new edition by published by Titan Comics is the first time that "Snowpiercer: The Escape" will be available in English.

Critique: An absolutely fascinating read from cover to cover, "Snowpiercer: The Escape" is one of those dystopian science fiction stories that is all too plausible given today's political polarization, increasingly rapid climate change, and humanities undeniable contribution to the increasing extinction rates of flora and fauna species globally. While "Snowpiercer: The Escape" is very highly recommended community library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a paperback edition (Titan Books, 9781782761433, $9.20, Amazon.com).

The Route List: Illinois
Eric Stalner
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184298, $11.95, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a state of utter grief, Alex Poliac buries his wife Alice. That same evening, he and his son must flee their home. Not because he is a suspect in Alice's death, but because a serial killer called The Clown is prowling the state -- and Alex knows how he picks his victims. A rough meeting with Laura, a friend of his wife, brings more questions: was Alice hiding something, with her mysterious phone calls and unexplained absences? Was her death really an accident?

Critique: Set in 1961 Illinois. "The Route List: Illinois is the debut title in a new graphic novel series by author and artist Eric Stalner that involves a desperate life and death chase along the fabled Route 66 and involves the FBI, a sleeper network of Russian agents, and a confusion over who are the good guys and who are the villains. A simply riveting read from first page to last, "The Route List: Illinois" will leave its fully entertaining readers looking eagerly toward the next graphic novel entry into this suspense thriller of a series. While highly recommended for community library Graphic Novel series, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Route List: Illinois" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Sons of Chaos
Chris Jaymes, author
Ale Aragon, illustrator
IDW Publishing
2765 Truxton Road, San Diego, CA 92106
www.idwpublishing.com
9781684054794, $39.99, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The collaborative work of author Chris Jaymes and illustrator Ale Aragon, "Sons of Chaos is a vivid presentation of the story of how in 1821 Marcos Botsaris, the son of a respected Greek leader was taken prisoner as a child and raised within the dungeons of history's most infamous Ottoman Pasha, known as the "Napoleon of the East"-- Ali Pasha of Ioannina. Over the next ten years, the bond formed between them would define history.

The Greek War for Independence was a conflict that quietly influenced the entire world and participants ranged from the London Stock Exchange to celebrities such as Lord Byron, as well as average impassioned Americans willing to transport themselves across the Atlantic to fight alongside the Greeks.

This conflict was the pinnacle of what we now know as the Romantic Period and yet, it's a war that few know ever existed outside of the Greek and Turkish cultures; a war that stimulated the fall of the Ottoman Empire and shaped Western Civilization as we now know it, and in a sense is being fought today under a different heading amongst today's political world leaders.

Hundreds of years of Ottoman rule gave the Greeks a reason to fight. Marcos Botsaris gave them a leader.

Critique: A coffee table sized book, this panoramic graphic novel exposes the quiet agenda of the Ottoman Empire's most brutal dictator, and his fascination with a young Greek that would define the Western World. An inherently compelling and truly memorable read from cover to cover, "Sons of Chaos" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sons of Chaos" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Zombillenium: Royal Witchcraft
Arthur de Pins
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681122199, $16.99, HC, 48pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Zombillenium Park has never been better. Its popularity reaches new heights following demonic reforms by Behemoth, who then decides to play his property in a very special competition: a witches' Sabbath!

Gretchen, Aurelian, and Von Bloodt, meanwhile, have set up an underground escape network in order to offer the damned the chance for reconversion, far from the nine circles of Hell -- a dangerous secret operation not appreciated by the park's board of directors.

Determined to clean this out, they hire the services of a formidable enchantress who will turn into an arch rival of Gretchen. Underground as in the air, the fight promises to be epic!

Critique: The fourth volume of Arthur de Pins's Zombillenium series, "Royal Witchcraft" reveals Gretchen's true intentions, if the undead succeed in asserting their rights, and who will be the future happy owner of the Zombillenium Park! A 'must' for the legions of Arthur de Pin fans, this coffee-table size (9 x 12 inches) NBM hardcover edition of "Zombillenium: Royal Witchcraft" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections.

Bezimena
Nina Bunjevac
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
www.fantagraphics.com
9781683962090, $29.99, HC, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Bezimena " by Nina Bunevac is an graphic novel inspired by the myth of Artemis and Siproites, in which a young man is turned into a woman as a punishment for the attempted rape of one of Artemis' virgin cohorts.

Bunjevac's retelling of this mythological story follows Benny, who, when he comes across a former classmate, concocts a disturbing rape fantasy. In her stippled, illustrative, black-and-white style as an artist, Bunjevac deftly crafts a gripping noirish, Nabokovian tale, by turns sensual, surreal, and harrowing, that turns the male gaze inside-out.

Critique: An inherently fascinating read from first page to last, "Bezimena" will prove to be of immense interest for both the style of its artwork and the content of its story, making it a prized addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library graphic novel collections for mature readers.

BTTM FDRS
Ezra Clayton Daniels, author
Ben Passmore, illustrator
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
www.fantagraphics.com
9781683962069, $24.99, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Once a thriving working class neighborhood on Chicago's south side, the "Bottomyards" is now the definition of urban blight. When an aspiring fashion designer named Darla and her image-obsessed friend, Cynthia, descend upon the neighborhood in search of cheap rent, they soon discover something far more seductive and sinister lurking behind the walls of their new home.

The collaborative work of author Ezra Clayton Daniels and illustrator Ben Passmore's "BTTM FDRS" (pronounced "bottomfeeders") is a uniquely striking graphic novel that offers a vision of horror that is gross and gory in all the right ways.

At turns funny, scary, and thought provoking, "BTTM FDRS" unflinchingly confronts the monsters (both metaphoric and real) that are displacing cultures in urban neighborhoods today.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, compulsive page turner of read from first page to last, "BTTM FDRS" is an extraordinary, memorable, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Graphic Novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "BTTM FDRS" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

Vendetta in Death
J.D. Robb, author
Read by Susan Ericksen
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250231024 $39.99

Synopsis: Lieutenant Eve Dallas must keep the predator from becoming the prey in Vendetta in Death, the newest thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

She calls herself Lady Justice. And once she has chosen a man as her target, she turns herself into a tall blonde or a curvaceous redhead, makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless.

The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company's human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims but they don't know that his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price.

Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy's secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive. It's a challenging case, made even more difficult by McEnroy's widow, who reacts to the investigation with fury, denial, and threats. Meanwhile, Lady Justice's criminal crusade is escalating rapidly, and if Eve can't stop this vigilante, there's no telling how much blood may be spilled...

Critique: Vendetta in Death is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a shocking thriller about grim vigilante justice. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is locked in a race against time to stop the predations of a female seductress who wreaks horrifying revenge on wealthy and powerful men. Lady Justice's victims are not innocent, but do they truly deserve the full brunt of her brutality? Superbly performed by Susan Ericksen, Vendetta in Death is mesmerizing to the very end, and a "must" especially for connoisseurs of the genre and public library mystery/thriller audiobook collections. Highly recommended. 10 CDs, 12.5 hours.

Nothing Ventured
Jeffrey Archer, author
George Blagden, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250240132, $39.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: William Warwick has always wanted to be a detective, and decides, much to his father's dismay, that rather than become a lawyer like his father, Sir Julian Warwick QC, and his sister Grace, he will join London's Metropolitan Police Force.

After graduating from university, William begins a career that will define his life: from his early months on the beat under the watchful eye of his first mentor, Constable Fred Yates, to his first high-stakes case as a fledgling detective in Scotland Yard's arts and antiquities squad. Investigating the theft of a priceless Rembrandt painting from the Fitzmolean Museum, he meets Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the gallery who he falls hopelessly in love with, even as Beth guards a secret of her own that she's terrified will come to light.

While William follows the trail of the missing masterpiece, he comes up against suave art collector Miles Faulkner and his brilliant lawyer, Booth Watson QC, who are willing to bend the law to breaking point to stay one step ahead of William. Meanwhile, Miles Faulkner's wife, Christina, befriends William, but whose side is she really on?

Critique: Debuting his new 'William Warwick' mystery series, veteran author Jeffrey Archer once again showcases his genuine gift for a distinctive narrative storytelling style that keeps his readers' rapt attention from first page to last. This flawlessly produced, complete and unabridged audio book edition is ably narrated by George Blagden and is unreservedly recommended for both personal and community library audio book collections. (8 CDs, 9.5 Hours).

At Death's Door
Sherrilyn Kenyon, author
Holter Graham, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250223159, $39.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Valynda Moore was born cursed. So when she dies as the result of a spell gone wrong and is trapped in the body of a voodoo doll, she expects nothing else from her messed up life. Until Thorn, leader of the Hellchasers, offers her a chance at redemption and a new life.

But nothing has ever gone her way, for the Malachai, the very beast she and her crew of Deadmen have sworn to keep locked away, has risen. And this time he's taken prisoners. Valynda must keep her wits about her or be denied her salvation and forced to watch as the entire world falls into the hands of absolute evil.

It's a demon-eat-demon world where the stakes have never been higher and either redemption or the ultimate betrayal waits for her At Death's Door.

Critique: The latest addition to author Sherrilyn Kenyon's 'A Deadman's Cross Novel' series, in this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "At Death's Door" which is superbly narrated by Holter Graham, is an extraordinary entertainment that will be especially appreciated by all dedicated fantasy fans and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both personal and community library audio book collections. 8 CDs, 9.3 hours.

Hachette Audio
www.hachetteaudio.com

Three new audiobooks from Hachette offer libraries and listeners fine works that translate well to the medium. Adrian McKinty's The Chain (9781549122408, $30.00) is narrated by January LaVoy, who adds a passionate and clear voice to bring to life this story of a mother whose daughter is kidnapped. Required to both pay a ransom and kidnap another child by a caller who is herself a mother whose soon has been abducted, Rachel finds herself an unwilling participant in a kidnapping ring where every kidnapped child leads to a repeat of circumstances in The Chain. A powerful story of moral and ethical struggle evolves. Tom O'Neill and Dan Piepenbring's Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties (9781549175770, $35.00) receives a powerful reading by Kevil Stillwell, which is a good match for an equally compelling saga that reaches beyond a Manson Family expose to embrace the culture and milieu of a generation. Journalist author Tom O'Neill was reporting about the Manson murders for a magazine at a time when much had already been written about them, but his discovery of a shocking cover-up behind the official story introduced many new questions, covered here in riveting detail. Charles Hurt's Still Winning: Why America Went All In On Donald Trump-and Why We Must Do It Again (9781549148873, $35.00) is brought to life by narrator Nelson Hawthorne, who offers a clear, solid voice to this political piece about Trump's rise and support system. Whether or not the listener believes in Trump or this system, it's important to absorb the perceptions and rationales behind the story to understand its anti-Establishment perceptions and ideas surrounding Trump's presidency and its true meaning.


The Library CD Shelf

Growing Up
Josh Lovelace
Stonycroft Records
$9.69 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Growing Up is a family-friendly album by performer Josh Lovelace, created for listeners of all ages to enjoy together. Inspired by watching his own children come of age, Lovelace's songs evoke the honest, human experience of growing up. Warm, thoughtful, and brought to life with memorable vocals and masterful guitar play, Growing Up is highly recommended for personal and public library music collections. The Tracks are "You've Got Me and I've Got You", "Traveling Band (When I Grow Up)", "Calypso", "This Is A New Song", "Let's Go Drive", "Butterfly (feat. Frances England)", "Hey It's A Good Day", "Upside Down", "Annie Beth", "Forever My Friend", "Goodbyes are the Hardest Thing To Do", and "You Are Loved".

The Golden Rule: for Sonny
Eric Wyatt
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Bandleader and tenor talent Eric Wyatt presents The Golden Rule: for Sonny, a jazz tribute music album in honor of Sonny Rollins. The band members include guitarist Russell Malone, pianist Benito Gonzalez, trombonist Clifton Anderson, tenor JD Allen, Giveton Gelin on trumpet and pianist Sullivan Fortner. Eric Wyatt and the band have crafted a heartfelt, passionate wellspring. The Golden Rule: for Sonny is highly recommended for public library music collections, and an absolute "must-have" for jazz connoisseurs. 79 min.

Dreams for a Better Tomorrow
Alejandro Santoyo
www.alejandrosantoyo.com
Banade Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Dreams for a Better Tomorrow is a piano album composed, arranged, produced, and performed by Alejandro Santoyo. Santoyo's world-class talent shines; some songs are supported with orchestral accompaniment, and all are drawn from the realities, joys, and despairs of life itself. Sweeping and rapturous, Dreams for a Better Tomorrow resonates with hope, and is highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are "Legends of Love", "New World", "Leaving Behind", "Home Again", "Nostalgia", "Amor", "Hope", "Awakening", "Lullaby", "Nenita", "Soft Touch", "Morning Light", "The March of Time", "Embrace", "It's All Right", "Happenstance", "Just Us", and "The Miracle of Life".

Acorns
Ben Winship
Hearth Music
hearthmusic.com
$18.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Acorns is an Americana/country-rock music album written and arranged by Ben Winship, and performed with contributions from a variety of fellow artists. Inspired by the joy of jam sessions with friends and comrades, Acorns is a shining original creation, highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre along with its companion music album "Toolshed" (sold separately). The tracks of "Acorn" are "A Little Goes a Long Way", "Shakin' Down the Acorns", "Pilgrim", "I'll Live On", "Phoebe's Rest", "Cherry Tree", "Katy Bar the Door", "Turtle Dove", "Fit to be Tied", "New River Train", "One-Eyed Dolly", "Lily Green", and "Kennedy Rag".

Shell of a Girl
Sunny War
Hearth Music
hearthmusic.com
$15.00 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Shell of a Girl is an original music album by Sunny War (except for "The Place", which was co- written by Sunny War and Edith Crash) that draws directly on Sunny's difficult life. She used to be homeless, living on food stamps and train hopping to travel. She looks back on those times with mixed emotions - though she remembers experiencing happiness and freedom, most of her traveling friends have since perished from drug overdoses or liver failure. Shell of a Girl is raw, honest, profound, exquisitely punk, and utterly unforgettable. The tracks are "Shell", "Where the Lost Get Found", "The Place", "Drugs are Bad", "Love Became Pain", "Off the Cuff", "Soul Tramp", "Rock n Roll Heaven", "Got No Ride", "The Likes of You", and "XO".

The Love
Alphabet Rockers
alphabetrockers.com
School Time Music
$15.00 CD / $9.99 digital amazon.com

Grammy-nominated group Alphabet Rockers present The Love, an intergenerational hip-hop album promoting understanding, tolerance, self-love, and justice, especially for trans and gender non-binary youth and adults, as well as anyone who wants to be an ally for trans or non-binary friends and family. Songs in The Love emphasize the importance of making the world a safe, free, and just place for all people, denouncing violence and praising those who take a stand against hatred. Socially conscious and deeply moving, The Love is highly recommended. The tracks are "This is Ohlone Land (Introduction)", "We Royal", "Until You're Free", "Live Your Life", "They/Them", "I Am Enough", "Be Strong", "You (Interlude)", "Black Gxrl Magic", "#100kMasks", "I Know You See Me", "Us (Interlude)", "Just Be", "Not Alone", "We (Interlude)", "Someday", and "The Love (Outro)". 42 min. 37 sec.

Missing Chapters
Moken
MoodSwing Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Cameroonian-born, Atlanta-based music artists Moken presents Missing Chapters, his latest original album drawing upon a wide range of African musical styles. The title refers to the missing chapters of life, and the songs reflect the perseverance to survive and create in spite of immense hardships. Moken's immense vocal talent shines; his voice has a multi-octave range, and his mastery of acoustic guitar drives the vividly creative songs. Missing Chapters is highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are "Your Sun is Rising", "Sometimes", "Yen nin", "Machine man", "Walking man", "Mi amor", "U nia", "Everybody wants to rule the world", "Retro Africa", "Hiki mut", "Tequilasong", and "Sing the song".

A Presence of Three Minds
Holland Phillips
http://www.musicbyholland.com
Ageless Records
$10.22 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

A Presence of Three Minds is an instrumental, new age album by Holland Phillips, combining piano, keyboard, guitar, and flutes into tracks that take the mind on a transcendental journey. A beautiful, flowing audio experience that inspires reflection and insight, A Presence of Three Minds is highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are "From the Depths", "Oceanside", "The Order of Things", "Last One Home", "Finding Pixies", "Seeking Sanctuary", "Alone in the Crowd", "In The Queen's Court", "Aftermath", "Arendell Rising", and "To The Heavens".

Sacred Lullabies
Camille Nelson
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$TBA CD / $14.49 MP3 amazon.com

New Age Folk guitarist Camille Nelson presents Sacred Lullabies, showcasing extraordinarily beautiful and soothing songs, six of which have vocal tracks, as well as memorable contributions from guest artists and an atmosphere of gentle relaxation. A strong, reverent sense of faith in God is also present throughout the music. Sacred Lullabies is highly recommended for connoisseurs of acoustic fingerstyle guitar. The tracks are "I Am A Child of God", "Abide With Me", "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus (feat. Kimberly Knighton & Britney Holman)", "Redeemer of Israel", "Our Lullaby (feat. Madilyn Paige)", "A Child's Prayer", "Not for a Moment (feat. Stephanie Madsen)", "Paris Lullaby", "Into the West (feat. Alex Sharpe)", "Edelweiss", "New World (feat. Matthew John Nelson)", "Dreaming", "We'll Bring the World His Truth (feat. Kimberly Knighton & Britney Holman)", "For the Beauty of the Earth", "Pie Jesu (feat. Catherine Bohman)", and "Where Can I Turn for Peace".

The Paradise Collection
Joey Curtin
www.joeycurtin.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

The Paradise Collection: Piano with Strings and Things features the new age music of Joey Curtin. Certain individual piano tracks are enhanced by contributions from Patrick Cutrin on guitar, David Curtain on guitar and electronics, Jasmine Kinney on flute and violin, Maxwell Beckman on double bass, Garth Webber on guitar, or David Landon on bass guitar. Ranging from a re-imagined Irish folk tune to a spiritual melody once sung by slaves escaping to the north during the Civil War, The Paradise Collection is beautifully stirring, profound, and highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are "Chrysalis", "Be Thou My Vision", "Pool of Bethesda", "In the Twinkling of an Eye", "Evening in Eden", "Wade in the Water", "Blossom", "Tear Drop Piano", "El Viento", "A Thin Place", "Hide Me", and "Song of Zion".


The Library DVD Shelf

Islands of America
Martin Clunes
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$34.99 www.acornonline.com

Award-winning actor Martin Clunes hosts Islands of America, a four-episode documentary miniseries on DVD showcasing the panoramic beauty and wonder of American islands. Clunes starts in the state of Hawaii, notorious for its volcanoes; travels to Alaskan islands to watch bears in the wild; observes seals and sea lions in California's Channel Islands; enjoys salsa dancing in Puerto Rico; watches wild ponies swim at Chincoteague; and much more. An utterly gorgeous tour, Islands of America is a treasure for armchair travelers and public library collections, highly recommended. 4 episodes on 1 DVD, 196 min. widescreen, English language with English and Spanish subtitles.

Straight Forward
Starring Cecilie Stenspil
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$49.99 www.acornonline.com

Straight Forward is a thrilling crime drama about revenge spanning the globe. Danish con- woman Sylvia Petersen (played by Cecilie Stenspil) vows revenge when her father is cut down in cold blood. She sets her sights on crime kingpin Ravn, but when her plan fails, she is forced to flee to New Zealand, leaving her mother and daughter behind. When Ravn targets Sylvia's family, how is she to protect them from the other side of the world? Harrowing and suspenseful, Straight Forward is a "must-see" for connoisseurs of the genre, highly recommended. It should be noted that Straight Forward contains strong language, violence, sexual situations, and brief nudity, and is therefore recommended for mature viewers. 8 episodes on 2 DVDs, 367 min., SDH subtitles.


The Photography Shelf

Tales from the Roads Less Traveled
Pie Aerts, photographer
teNeues Publishing
350 Seventh Avenue, Suite 301, New York, NY, 10011
https://books-teneues.com
9783961711970, $75.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the past few years, Dutch photographer Pie Aerts has traveled to some of the most remote corners of our planet. From the deep jungles of West Papua to the high plains of Bolivia, from the tiniest Himalayan mountain villages to the beating heart of the Okavango Delta, Pie ventures well off the beaten track to capture real people and everyday experiences in extraordinary habitats around the globe.

An avid Instagrammer, Pie now presents his best travel photographs in "Tales from the Roads Less Traveled". Featuring vibrant images alongside first-hand travel anecdotes, the book invites Pie's many fans to join his photographic world tour, together with his girlfriend and favorite model, Jessica Wintz. Page after page brings viewers face-to-face with astonishing landscapes, captivating characters, and some of the most awesome and endangered animals.

With Pie's unique view on people, wildlife, and nature, "Tales from the Roads Less Traveled" provides a unique view on our beautiful planet, as well as a new sense of belonging and community around the globe.

Critique: With its beautifully reproduced images, "Tales from the Roads Less Traveled" is a superbly crafted, coffee-table style (9.2 x 1.2 x 12.8 inches) volume that would grace any personal, professional, community, or academic library Contemporary Photography collection. Of special note is that the commentaries by Jessica Wintz are presented in English, German and French. "Tales from the Roads Less Traveled" would make an excellent Memorial Fund Acquisition selection for libraries.

Stories Behind the Images
Corey Rich
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512649, $29.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: From his early days working out of his dorm room and shooting on film to becoming a Nikon ambassador and official photographer of the historic Dawn Wall ascent, Corey Rich has been capturing iconic shots of adventure superstars for more than two decades.

Now with the with the publication of "Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography", Corey tells how he got some of his favorite images of climbers, adventurers, skiers, performance artists, and more. He shares insights into the business of photography, photography tips, outdoor lessons, and what he has learned about human nature along the way.

Featured outdoor athletes that are particularly showcased in "Stories Behind the Images" include: Tommy Caldwell; Project Bandaloop; Beth Rodden; Lynn Hill; Ashima Shiraishi; Kelly Slater; Bear Grylls; Alex Honnold; Fred Beckey; and many more.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout in full color, "Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography" is an inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from first page to last. Of special note is how the contents page listing all of the individual chapters feature small photographs along with the one line chapter titles. "Stories Behind the Images" is an especially recommended addition to the personal reading lists of amateur and professional photographers, and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Photography collections.

Flora Magnifica
Makoto Azuma, author
Shunsuke Shiinoki, photographer
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500545003, $50.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Makoto Azuma cofounded the floral atelier Jardins des Fleurs with photographer Shunsuke Shiinoki. Azuma is internationally renowned for his extraordinary "botanical sculptures," which he has exhibited extensively across the globe. Shunsuke Shiinoki is a photographer and cofounder of the floral atelier Jardins des Fleurs. Together they have created a magnificent coffee table -style (9 x 1.1 x 12 inches ) volume of simply breathtaking photographs of flowering plants.

A visually sumptuous book, "Flora Magnifica: The Art of Flowers in Four Seasons" is more than a reference work or a simple collection of beautiful flowers. It is the product of a longstanding symbiotic collaboration between renowned flower artist Makoto Azuma and botanical photographer Shunsuke Shiinoki. Working together, they have selected hundreds of plant species and arranged them in striking combinations that could never exist in the natural world, creating a unique, fantastical floral aesthetic.

The result is a series of dense, luxuriant images, rich in color and texture, in which nature and artifice are skillfully mingled. "Flora Magnifica" is organized thematically by season: the freshness and new life of spring, the exuberance and abundance of summer, the fading grandeur of fall, and the deepening shadows of winter. Recalling the opulent still-life paintings of the seventeenth century, the photographs not only capture the surface beauty of the flowers, but suggest the burgeoning life brimming within them as well as its transience.

From the delicate beauty of opening petals to the unfurling elegance of fern fronds, these gorgeous displays are vividly preserved in a stunning book that will enchant lovers of nature, photography, and art alike.

Critique: A visual joy to browse through page by page, "Flora Magnifica: The Art of Flowers in Four Seasons" is a unique and extraordinary volume that would be an especially appreciated and valued library Memorial Fund acquisition selection. Unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college and university library Contemporary Photography collections, "Flora Magnifica" is within itself an impressively memorable work of art.


The Art Shelf

Korean Metal Art
Komelia Hongja Okim
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764357794, $65.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Komelia Hongja Okim has presented more than 130 lectures and workshops on Korean metal techniques internationally and has taught for over 40 years. She received three Fulbright grants. Her works are in collections at several museums, including the Museum of Arts & Design, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Renwick Gallery.

In "Korean Metal Art: Techniques, Inspiration, and Traditions" Okim draws upon years of experience and expertise to offer the reader not only detailed examples and history, but step-by-step instruction on the legendary metalworking traditions of Korea.

These techniques, with beginnings in the 3rd century, are legendary in the art world, but information on how the breathtaking effects are created in the studio has been difficult to find until now. Crafted gold, silver, jade, and other materials are brought to life in 400+ photos, including Korean pieces (now in museums) that have through the centuries expressed the pinnacle of each method.

Each individual chapter also focuses on works produced from 1980 through 2017 by modern metalwork experts, including artists from North America, showing how they incorporate traditional methods with modern working methods. Includes instructions for 15 techniques, including 24K gold overlay on silver (keum-boo or geumbu), line inlay on iron and copper works (kkium ipsa), chasing and repousse (tachul), enameling (chilbo), jade nephrite carving and inlay (oak ipsa), and many more.

Critique: Unique, exceptionally informative, profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, "Korean Metal Art: Techniques, Inspiration, and Traditions" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, community and academic library collections -- and should be considered mandatory reading by anyone with an interest in working out and crafting their own metal art projects.

Inspired Artist: Draw Every Little Thing
Flora Waycott
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781633228016, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Inspired Artist series from Walter Foster Publishing invites art hobbyists and casual art enthusiasts to have fun learning basic art concepts, relaxing into the creative process to make art in a playful, contemporary style. "With Draw Every Little Thing" is the first book in this new series and is specifically designed to teach aspiring artists how they can draw and paint their favorite everyday items. From learning to draw and paint plants, flowers, and bicycles to the neighborhood cafe and the contents of the kitchen cabinet, "Draw Every Little Thing" is a contemporary drawing instructional guide and manual that demonstrates, step-by-step, just how easy it is to render any item with little more than a pencil, paper, and paint.

Following a brief introduction to the joys of simplistic drawing and painting, this aesthetically pleasing book familiarizes you with a range of drawing tools and materials, including graphite pencil, pen and ink, colored pencil, and gouache, before offering a quick overview of basic color theory. Each subsequent chapter is then devoted to a specific theme (kitchenalia, hobbies, neighborhood haunts, and much more) and packed with simple step-by-step drawing projects.

Fully accessible, "Draw Every Little Thing" encourages jumping around and drawing what immediately inspires the aspiring artist. Interactive prompts, creative exercises, and inspiring ideas make the process fun and engaging. Easy techniques and helpful instructions show how to develop a personal style, as well as add color to drawings using gouache and colored pencil. Crafty projects round out the book, allowing the use of newfound drawing and painting skills.

Critique: Fun and appropriate for any and all aspiring artists, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in its organization and presentation, "Draw Every Little Thing" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended do-it-yourself 'how to' instructional book for personal, art school class, and community library collections.

The Artist's Guide to Public Art, second edition
Lynn Basa
Allworth Press
www.allworth.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781621536147, $19.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lynn Basa, an artist for almost forty years, has conceived and produced site-specific work for hospitals, universities, corporate headquarters, and private collections. In 2017, she began The Corner Project, a community development initiative to revitalize the old working-class main street in Chicago where she lives and has a studio.

In this newly updated and expanded second edition of "The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions", Lynn shows aspiring artists how to find, apply for, compete for, and win a public art commission.

First-hand interviews with experienced public artists and arts administrators provide in-the-trenches advice and insight, while a chapter on public art law, written by Barbara T. Hoffman, the country's leading public art law attorney, answers questions about this complex area.

Packed with details on working with contracts, conflict, controversy, communities, committees, and more, This new edition of "The Artist's Guide to Public Art", shows artists how to cut through the red tape and win commissions that are rewarding both financially and artistically. Also discussed are recent trends in the field such as: how the political climate affects public art, the types of projects that receive funding, where that funding comes from, how the digital age impacts public art, how to compete with the increase of architecturally trained artists, and more.

Critique: Essential reading for any dedicated artists seeking to make a living with their work, "The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions" is packed from cover to cover with information every artist needs to know including: Finding commissions; Submitting applications; Negotiating contracts; Budgeting for projects; Navigating copyright law; Working with fabricators, and so much more! While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Artist's Guide to Public Art: How to Find and Win Commissions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Return to Calgary
Brian W. Dippe, editor
Charles M. Russell Museum
c/o University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780974270234, $29.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: From his days spent on the open range of Montana, Charles M. Russell (March 19, 1864 - October 24, 1926) was drawn to depicting the life and history of the American West. In 1912 and again in 1919, the charismatic Wild West showman and rodeo promoter Guy Weadick sought out Russell as a major exhibitor and headliner to help promote the fledgling "Stampede" rodeo in Calgary, Alberta. The week long run of events and exhibits was designed to commemorate the values and people of the Old West, then rapidly changing from a way of life in North America to the stuff of memory, legend, and sport.

By celebrating old-timers, pioneers, ranching, cowboying, and indigenous traditions, the Stampede delivered the "West that had passed" (which was a theme central to Russell's work as an artist) to popular audiences across Canada. The special 1919 Calgary event was branded the Victory Stampede in honor of the troops returning home from the Great War overseas and in celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

"Return to Calgary: Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede" richly illustrates all twenty-four paintings and eight bronzes included in the historic 1919 special exhibition of Russell's work at Victoria Park in Calgary.

Critique: Beautifully reproducing the vividly painted artwork in a large book format (12.2 x 0.5 x 9 inches), and featuring informative commentaries compiled and edited by Brian W. Dippe, this outstanding edition "Return to Calgary: Charles M. Russell and the 1919 Victory Stampede" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Western Art History collections in general, and Charles M.Russell supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Disrupted Realism
John Seed
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764358012, $50.00, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: John Seed is an artist and curator known for his HuffingtonPost Arts blog. Seed has written for many publications, including Art Ltd., Arts of Asia, Catamaran, and www.Hyperallergic.com, as well as having appeared in the Google Arts and Culture series 'Name That Art'.

In "Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World", Seed draws upon his impressive expertise as an author and blogger to present an original survey the works of contemporary painters who are challenging and reshaping the tradition of Realism.

Helping art lovers, collectors, and artists approach and understand this compelling new phenomenon, "Disrupted Realism" includes the works of 38 artists whose paintings respond to the subjectivity and disruptions of modern experience. These are artists Seed sees as visionaries in this developing movement. The artists' impulses toward disruption are as individual as the artists themselves, but all share the need to include perception and emotion in their artistic process.

Six sections lay out and analyze common themes: "Toward Abstraction," "Disrupted Bodies," "Emotions and Identities," "Myths and Visions," "Patterns, Planes, and Formations," and "Between Painting and Photography." Of special note is the inclusion of interviews with each artist that offer additional insight into some of the most incisive and relevant painting being created today.

Critique: Showcasing beautifully reproduced paintings in this coffee-table style artbook (9.2 x 1 x 12.2 inches) that includes single page layouts, "Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World" is an impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking study that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Art History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Gardening Shelf

Backyard Farming: Growing Herbs for Food and Medicine
Kim Pezza
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578267996, $5.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Backyard Farming: Growing Herbs for Food and Medicine" by Kim Pezza is specifically designed and intended to be a complete and comprehensive instructional guide for aspiring gardens seeking to successfully grow and utilizing herbs in their life.

Especially intended to serve as a comprehensive primer for first-time gardeners, "Backyard Farming: Growing Herbs for Food and Medicine" features detailed illustrations and informative photographs help to eliminate confusion and ease new homesteaders into the world of backyard farming. It includes not only instructions on planting, but goes into detail the many different kinds of ways to use herbs such as marinades and garnishes for meals or as natural remedies and medicinal cures for numerous ailments.

Critique: Comprehensive, illustrated with black-and-white photos, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Backyard Farming: Growing Herbs for Food and Medicine" is an ideal choice for the novice gardener and unreservedly recommended for community library Gardening instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Backyard Farming: Growing Herbs for Food and Medicine" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

50 Simple Indoor Miniature Gardens
Catherine Delvaux
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781497100480, $17.99, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Catherine Delvaux is an agronomist and editor in chief of the French gardening magazine Detente Jardin. She is the author of several gardening books including The 50 Golden Rules of Permaculture and How to Grow From Seeds and Seedlings.

In "50 Simple Indoor Miniature Gardens", Catherine draws upon her impressive expertise instructively showcase 50 inventive micro-garden ideas that were specifically selected for their simplicity and easy upkeep. Here featured are terrariums, mini greenhouses, hanging plants, and other original compositions among these stunning garden projects. With step-by-step illustrated instructions, anyone can create and maintain a variety of charming and low-maintenance mini indoor gardens, whether you prefer succulents, cacti, greenery, flowering plants, vegetables, or orchids!

All of these selected plants are inexpensive, easy to find at your local garden center, and can each thrive with simple care. But the containers and displays are creative and out-of-the-box! Long gone are the days of the basic terracotta pot. Recycle and transform everyday objects into amazing and beautiful plant displays, from glass jars and tin cans to sieves, seashells, and even old chairs!

Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, especially for the novice home gardener, "50 Simple Indoor Miniature Gardens" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Contemporary Gardening instructional reference collections.


The Self-Help Shelf

The Warrior's Book of Virtues
Nick Benas, Matt Bloom, Buzz Bryan
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268078, $18.00, HC, 224pp, ww.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Warrior's Book of Virtues: A Field Manual for Living Your Best Life" is a compendium of time-tested principles for succeeding in life through the understanding and development of character, virtues represent the moral excellence of a person. From discipline to prudence, fortitude to faith, the warrior virtues presented in these pages are guaranteed to transform your life to one of meaning and purpose.

"The Warrior's Book of Virtues" uses the battle-tested principles of the United States Marine Corps to help everyone live their best life in easy and practical ways.

Don't settle for less, and don't make excuses for yourself. Become inspired to achieve your full potential and complete every objective you set. Adapt and overcome.

Critique: Offering a unique and effective approach, "The Warrior's Book of Virtues: A Field Manual for Living Your Best Life" is an unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Warrior's Book of Virtues" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Nick Benas, USMC, is a former United States Marine Sergeant and Iraqi Combat Veteran. He's the author of Mental Health Emergencies and Tactical Mobility. He travels around the United States training individuals on how to recognize a developing mental illness and how to prevent someone from slipping into a crisis. Nick attended Southern Connecticut State University for his undergraduate degree in Sociology, and for his M.S. in Public Policy. He has been featured by more than 50 major media outlets for his business success and entrepreneurship, including Entrepreneur Magazine, Men's Health, ABC, FOX, ESPN, and CNBC.

Matthew Bloom enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves where he spent eight years and did two combat tours to Iraq. During this time he worked at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility as a counselor and assistant therapist for incarcerated offenders. Matt then worked as law enforcement at the Department of Veterans Affairs. After getting his Masters in Social Work, he then worked five years as a licensed social worker. Matt is currently a police officer in Pittsburgh, PA. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, he attended Penn State University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

Richard "Buzz" Bryan is currently the Outreach Coordinator for the West Palm Beach VA medical center. He previously served as the OEF/OIF Transition Patient Advocate (TPA) for the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN4) based in Pittsburgh, PA for ten years, working specifically with Iraq & Afghanistan veterans. Buzz was a member of the Navy/Marine Corps team and retired from the United States Navy in July 2011 after 22 years of honorable service as a Fleet Marine Force Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman.

The Imposter Cure
Jessamy Hibberd
Aster
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781783253067, $14.99, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon in which people believe they are not worthy of success. They convince themselves that they have done well due to luck and are terrified their shortcomings will eventually be exposed, making it impossible to enjoy their accomplishments.

"The Imposter Cure: Escape the Mind-Trap of Imposter Syndrome" by Jessamy Hibberd explores the psychological impact of imposter syndrome and exposes the secrets fears and insecurities felt by millions of men and women. Dr. Hibberd provides sound expert advice to help the reader better understand the problem and overcome it, so they think differently, gain self belief and learn to see themselves as others do.

Filled with case studies to bring the concepts alive and packed with strategies to increase confidence, "The Imposter Cure" is especially insightful reading for anyone who has struggled with their achievements.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Imposter Cure: Escape the Mind-Trap of Imposter Syndrome" is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone and 'real world practical' in commentary, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Imposter Cure" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Dr Jessamy Hibberd (BSc, MSc, DClinPsy, PgDip) is a highly respected chartered clinical psychologist, author and commentator. She has 14 years' experience working in mental health (within the NHS and in her own practice), and is passionate about psychology and the benefits it can bring.


The Library Science Shelf

Do Archives Have Value?
Michael Moss & David Thomas, editors
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783303335, $199.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Collaborative compiled and co-edited by Michael Moss (who was an archvist and archival educator at Glasgow and Northumbria Universities) and David Thomas (who spent his career at The National Archives, Londoan, Kingland, largely in the digital area), "Do Archives Have Value?" explores ways of establishing value and measuring in the archives and specials collections.

There is a vast literature about ways of measuring value for cultural heritage assets as a whole, particularly museums and visitor attractions, but archives and special collections in libraries have largely been overlooked. They have been very poor at garnering statistical data and devising ways of measuring the impact of what they do, unlike museums and visitor attractions with their much heavier footfall.

Comprised of ten impressively informative articles by experts on their subjects, "Do Archives Have Value?" discusses the various valuation methods available, including contingent valuation, willingness to pay and value chain, and assesses their suitability for use by archives and special collections.

"Do Archives Have Value?" also assesses the impact of the transition to the digital in archival holdings, which will transform their character and will almost certainly cost more. The discussion will be set in the context of changing societal expectations of the archive in the wake of child abuse and other scandals where records to address grievances must be kept irrespective of cost. Value is explored in a range of different cultural and organizational contexts with case studies from a range of countries, including Australia, China, Japan, Malawi, Kenya, Russia and Thailand.

There are contributions from Nancy Bell, Head of Conservation at The National Archives, Louise Craven, one of the leading UK archival scholars, Paul Lihoma, National Archivist of Malawi, Helen Morgan from the University of Melbourne, Pak Te Lee of the University of Hong Kong and Richard Wato from the National Archives of Kenya. Key chapters include: The value of the Clinton emails for research The value of Russian archives before and after revolution The value of archives in public inquiries - the case of the Hillsborough tragedy The value of Find & Connect - Australia's response to child abuse The Chinese long tradition of record keeping Why and how to value Valuing digital content The commercialization of archives.

"Do Archives Have Value?" will be useful reading for professional archivists and students on archival studies courses. In the wider world of cultural heritage valuation is of increasing importance in justifying services and bidding for scant resources. As a result, "Do Archives Have Value?" will also be of particular interest to senior management with oversight of libraries and museums, owners of collections and external funders.

Critique: A unique, seminal, and expressly organized and presented work of collective scholarship, "Do Archives Have Value?" will prove to be an essential, core addition to professional, college, and university 'Library Science & Technology' collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, librarians, library board members, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Do Archives Have Value?" is also available in a paperback edition (9781783303328, $89.99).


The Automotive Shelf

Ludicrous
Edward Niedermeyer
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Ste 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781948836128, $27.95, HC, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tesla Motors and its CEO, Elon Musk, have become household names, shaking up the traditional auto industry by creating a set of innovative electric vehicles that have wowed the marketplace and defied conventional wisdom. The company's market valuation now rivals that of long-established automakers, and, to many industry observers, Tesla is defining the future of the industry.

But behind the hype, Tesla has some serious deficiencies that raise questions about its sky-high valuation, and even its ultimate survival.

Tesla's commitment to innovation has led it to reject the careful, zero-defects approach of other car manufacturers, even as it struggles to mass-produce cars reliably, and with minimal defects. While most car manufacturers struggle with the razor-thin margins of mid-priced sedans, Tesla's strategy requires that the Model 3 finally bring it to profitability, even as the high-priced Roadster and Model S both lost money. And Tesla's approach of continually focusing on the future, even as commitments and deadlines are repeatedly missed, may ultimately test the patience of all but its most devoted fans.

In "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors", journalist and auto industry analyst Edward Niedermeyer lays bare the disconnect between the popular perception of Tesla and the day-to-day realities of the company -- and the cars it produces. Blending original reporting and never-before-published insider accounts with savvy industry analysis, Niedermeyer tells the story of Tesla with objectivity and insight.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively informative, deftly organized and presented, "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors" is an extraordinary, detailed, and documented study of an automobile company and its iconoclastic founder. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.99).


The Biography Shelf

Mino
Hisako Matsubara
Daniel & Daniel, Publishers
www.danielpublishing.com
9781564746146, $24.95

Mino: A Young Scientist's Life-Long Journey Through Outer and Inner Space provides an absorbing memoir of a brilliant NASA scientist whose ideas became integrated into space and communication technologies around the world. This survey of a savant's life moves from childhood to adult achievements, artistic pursuits, his Shinto belief, and his health struggles. It comes from Mino's perspective, but in fact was written by novelist Hisako Matsubara, who recreated her son's life through his own voice after she lost him. The result is a powerful and unique survey which views the world through a lost son's eyes.

Neither Bomb Nor Bullet
Andrew Boyd
Lion Hudson
c/o Monarch Books
www.lionhudson.com
9780857218438 $16.95 pbk / $10.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: In the warzone that Nigeria has become, Archbishop Ben Kwashi has survived three assassination attempts. A brutal assault on his wife, Gloria, drove him to his knees - to forgive and find the strength to press on. Islamist militants have Nigeria in their sights. These are the terrorists who kidnapped hundreds of Christian schoolgirls - who have vowed to turn Africa's most populous nation into a hard-line Islamic state. Their plan is to drive the Christian minority from the north by kidnapping, bombing and attacking churches. Plateau State is on the frontline.

Holding that line against Boko Haram, and standing firm for the Gospel, is Ben Kwashi, the Anglican Archbishop of Jos. In Jos, churches have been turned into fortresses and Archbishop Ben now conducts more funerals than weddings and baptisms put together. Yet his faith grows ever more vibrant. He has adopted scores of orphans who live in his home, including many who are HIV positive. And the challenge of his message - to live for the Gospel even in the face of terror - has never been so timely.

Critique: Neither Bomb Nor Bullet is the biography of an extraordinary man of faith. Archbishop Ben Kwashi is a devout Christian in Nigeria, a land riven by religious violence. Yet despite the threat of armed Islamist militants who seek to transform the nation into an Islamist state ruled by Sharia law, Kwashi professes that neither bomb nor bullet can separate one from the love of God. In addition to Kwashi's courageous life story, Neither Bomb Nor Bullet offers Kwashi's open letter to the world, and of a pathway discipleship. A profound testimony from a devout Christian who places his life on the line for his faith every day, Neither Bomb Nor Bullet is highly recommended, especially for church library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Neither Bomb Nor Bullet is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).

Magic Journey
Kevin P. Rafferty
Disney Editions
c/o Disney Book Group
https://books.disney.com
9781368020480, $24.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In his forty-year storied career that began in the dish room at the Plaza Inn in Disneyland, Kevin Rafferty has conceived, designed, written, and overseen the creation of some of the Disney parks most memorable attractions including Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, Cars Land, Toy Story Mania, Test Track, Tower of Terror, MuppetVision, and many others, including the first-ever Mickey and Minnie Mouse attraction set to debut at Walt Disney World in 2019.

For a young man who began studying for the priesthood at a seminary, the journey to halls of Imagineering has truly been a magical one. A master storyteller, in "Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career", Kevin chronicles his unimaginable career with great humor, honesty, and heart.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, and thoroughly absorbing read from cover to cover, "Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections -- and a 'must read' for anyone who has every enjoyed themselves at one of the Disney theme parks!

Crazy Man, Crazy: The Bill Haley Story
Bill Haley Jr. & Peter Benjaminson
Backbeat Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
33 Plymouth Street, Suite 302, Montclair, NJ 07042-2677
www.halleonard.com
9781617137112, $29.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: William John Clifton Haley (July 6, 1925 - February 9, 1981) best known to the public as Bill Haley was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-selling hits such as "Rock Around the Clock", "See You Later, Alligator", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "Rocket 88", "Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle". He has sold over 60 million records worldwide and has been described as the greatest musical pioneer of the 20th century. (Wikipedia).

Bill Haley, the man who brought rock 'n' roll into the mainstream beginning with his song "Crazy Man, Crazy" that the first rock 'n' roll song to break the Billboard Top 20 in 1953, is often overlooked in the story of rock 'n' roll, overshadowed by others who followed him, from sex symbol Elvis Presley to wild man Jerry Lee Lewis and forever-young Buddy Holly.

But Haley's lack of visibility was in part his own doing: he had conflicted feelings about fame, was extremely private, suffered chronic alcoholism, and troubled relationships with multiple wives, which yielded ten children who he struggled to support. Though he managed to carry on a successful touring career, his demons eventually eroded his health, and in 1981, at the age of only 55, he passed away.

"Crazy Man, Crazy: The Bill Haley Story" is written by biographer Peter Benjaminson and Bill Haley Jr. -- Bill Haley's son who is himself a musician himself and tours the world paying tribute to his father's music. Culled from interviews with insiders - from ex-wives to the Comets, recorded conversations with Haley Sr., official documents, diaries, and more, "Crazy Man, Crazy: The Bill Haley Story" not only charts the happenings of Haley's career but gives insight into the Haley behind the curtain and some of the other trials he faced, from the dark side of the music business to ties with Mafia.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and impressively candid biography of a music legend that is enhanced for the reader's benefit with a collection of rare and historic photographs, "Crazy Man, Crazy: The Bill Haley Story" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American Music History -- and is a must-read for the legions of rock 'n' roll enthusiasts in general, and Bill Haley fans in particular.

All Heart: The Baseball Life of Frank Torre
Cornelius Geary
Henschel Haus Publishing
https://henschelhausbooks.com
9781595987310, $26.95, HC, 250pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Milwaukee Braves' first baseman Frank Torre won a World Series Ring in 1957, 39 years before his Hall of Fame brother Joe Torre earned his.

"All Heart: The Baseball Life of Frank Torre", is Frank's story in his own words, as told to Cornelius Geary in a series of interviews. This is a timeless, first-person account of a baseball life at the peak of one of the great franchises in baseball history, the Milwaukee Braves.

"In All Heart", Frank recounts the Braves' glory years with game-by-game accounts of the 1957 and 1958 World Series, tells what it was like playing with Henry Aaron, Ed Mathews, Warren Spahn, and Lew Burdette, and shares his heartbreak as the Braves' dream ends almost as quickly as it began.

With dozens of photos, "All Heart, the Baseball Life of Frank Torre makes an important contribution to the history of the Milwaukee Braves as the savvy veteran reflects on many of the great players of his time, including Mantle, Mays, Clemente, Koufax, Musial, and Hodges.

Critique: An absolute 'must read' for all baseball fans in general, and Milwaukee Braves fans in particular, "All Heart: The Baseball Life of Frank Torre" is an inherently fascinating and informative read from cover to cover. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All Heart: The Baseball Life of Frank Torre" is also available in a paperback edition (9781595986979, $16.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Bourbon King
Bob Batchelor
Diversion Books
www.diversionbooks.com
9781635765861 $27.99 hc / $10.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: On the 100th anniversary of The Volstead Act comes the epic, definitive story of the man who cracked the Prohibition system, became one of the world's richest criminal masterminds, and helped inspire The Great Gatsby.

Love, murder, political intrigue, mountains of cash, and rivers of bourbon . . . The tale of George Remus is a grand spectacle and a lens into the dark heart of Prohibition. Yes, Congress gave teeth to Prohibition in October 1919, but the law didn't stop George Remus from amassing a fortune that would be worth billions of dollars today. As one Jazz Age journalist put it, "Remus was to bootlegging what Rockefeller was to oil."

Author Bob Batchelor breathes life into the largest bootlegging operation in America--greater than that of Al Capone--and a man considered the best criminal defense lawyer of his era. Remus bought an empire of distilleries on Kentucky's "Bourbon Trail" and used his other profession, as a pharmacist, to profit off legal loopholes. He spent millions bribing officials in the Harding Administration, and he created a roaring lifestyle that epitomized the Jazz Age over which he ruled.

That is, before he came crashing down in one of the most sensational murder cases in American history: a cheating wife, the G-man who seduced her and put Remus in jail, and the plunder of a Bourbon Empire. Remus murdered his wife in cold-blood and then shocked a nation winning his freedom based on a condition he invented--temporary maniacal insanity.

Critique: The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius is the biography of Prohibition-era bootlegger George Remus. Here is a true-life tale worthy of the most sensationalist tabloids. Remus amassed a multi-million dollar illegal fortune, and entrusted control of his money to his wife, who cheated on him and attempted to file for divorce. Remus murdered his wife in broad daylight, to the horror of onlookers, yet walked away a free man from the trial due to the verdict of "not guilty on grounds of insanity". Notes, a timeline, and an index round out this expertly researched story, sure to fascinate historians, criminologists, and lay readers alike. Highly recommended, especially for public library biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Bourbon King is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).

Elizabeth Widville, Lady Grey
John Ashdown-Hill
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526745019, $42.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Wife to Edward IV and mother to the Princes in the Tower and later Queen Elizabeth of York, Elizabeth Widville was a central figure during the War of the Roses. Much of her life is shrouded in speculation and myth with even her name, commonly spelled as 'Woodville', being a hotly contested issue among historians.

Born in the turbulent fifteenth century, she was famed for her beauty and controversial second marriage to Edward IV, who she married just three years after he had displaced the Lancastrian Henry VI and claimed the English throne. As Queen Consort, Elizabeth's rise from commoner to royalty continues to capture modern imagination. Undoubtedly, it enriched the position of her family. Her elevated position and influence invoked hostility from Richard Neville, the 'Kingmaker', which later led to open discord and rebellion.

Throughout her life and even after the death of her husband, Elizabeth (popularly known to her people as the 'Pink Queen') remained politically influential: briefly proclaiming her son King Edward V of England before he was deposed by her brother-in-law, the infamous Richard III. She would later play an important role in securing the succession of Henry Tudor in 1485 and his marriage to her daughter Elizabeth of York, thus and ending the War of the Roses.

Elizabeth Widville was an endlessly enigmatic historical figure, who has been obscured by dramatizations and misconceptions. In this fascinating and insightful biography, Dr John Ashdown-Hill brings shines a light on the truth of her life.

Critique: "Elizabeth Widville, Lady Grey: Edward IV's Chief Mistress and the 'Pink Queen'" is a simply fascinating and deftly crafted biography of an extraordinary life lived out in extraordinary times. Enhanced with the inclusion of a seven page Bibliography, twenty-two pages of Notes, and a six page Index, this outstanding work of original and meticulous scholarship is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library 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 "Elizabeth Widville, Lady Gray" is also available in a paperback edition (9781526765833, $29.95).

Editorial Note: Dr John Ashdown-Hill is a well-known medieval historian, having published extensively on a variety of topics within that period but focusing mainly on the Yorkist era. He is best-known for his pivotal role in uncovering the burial place of King Richard III for and for tracing collateral female-line descendants of Richard's elder sister to establish his mtDNA haplogroup, which matched the mtDNA of the bones found in the Leicester car park. He continues to write about this period of history, and in 2015 he was awarded an MBE 'for services to historical research and the exhumation and identification of Richard III'.

On Stage at the Ballet
Robert J. Barnett & Cynthia Crain
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476679105, $35.00, PB, 221pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Dancer Robert Barnett trained under legendary choreographer Bronislava Nijinska. His professional ballet career was launched when he joined the Colonel de Basil Original Ballet Russe company. In the late 1940s, when George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein formed the New York City Ballet, Barnett was among the first generation of dancers. Under Balanchine's direction, he rose from corps de ballet to soloist.

In 1958 he became principal dancer and associate artistic director of the Atlanta Ballet the oldest continuously operating company in America and served as artistic director for more than thirty years. He was head coach of the American delegation to the International Ballet Competitions in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1980 and in Moscow in 1981.

Written by Robert Barnett with the assistance of Cynthia Crain, "On Stage at the Ballet" autobiography recounts his life of a dancer and artistic director, offering insight into what is involved in pursuing a professional career in dance, as well as providing a history of ballet in America from the early 1920s through 2019.

Critique: An extraordinary account of an extraordinary man of extraordinary accomplishment, "On Stage at the Ballet: My Life As Dancer and Artistic Director" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections and is a 'must' for anyone who has ever enjoyed a American ballet performance.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Firestorm
Edward Struzik
Island Press
2000 M Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610918183, $30.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire "the Beast." It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it's not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands -- a trifecta for igniting wildfires rarely seen before.

This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy ecosystems, but as the human population grows, and as changes in climate, animal and insect species, and disease cause further forestry destabilization, wildfires have turned into a potentially uncontrollable threat to human lives and livelihoods.

Our understanding of the role fire plays in healthy forests has come a long way in the past century. Despite this, we are not prepared to deal with an escalation of fire during periods of intense drought and shorter winters, earlier springs, potentially more lightning strikes and hotter summers. There is too much fuel on the ground, too many people and assets to protect, and no plan in place to deal with these challenges.

In "Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future", journalist Edward Struzik visits scorched earth from Alaska to Maine, and introduces the scientists, firefighters, and resource managers making the case for a radically different approach to managing wildfire in the 21st century. Wildfires can no longer be treated as avoidable events because the risk and dangers are becoming too great and costly. Struzik weaves a heart-pumping narrative of science, economics, politics, and human determination and points to the ways that we, and the wilder inhabitants of the forests around our cities and towns, might yet flourish in an age of growing megafires.

Critique: Impressively and comprehensively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future" is one of those extraordinary studies that will be read with interest by environmental experts and non-specialist general readers alike. Certain to be an enduringly valued and highly prized addition to both community and academic library Environmental Studies collections in general, and Forestry Management supplemental lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Firestorm" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1610919975, $23.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.19).

Editorial Note: Edward Struzik is an award-winning writer and photographer. His previous books include Future Arctic, Arctic Icons, and The Big Thaw, among others. A fellow at the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, his numerous accolades include the prestigious Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and the Sir Sandford Fleming Medal, awarded for outstanding contributions to the understanding of science. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.


The Military Shelf

Navy SEALs
Don Mann & Lance Burton
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510716551, $24.99, HC, 344pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In a world where acts of terror have become all too commonplace, America has turned to the elite warriors of special operations to lead the fight and hunt down those whose very ideology is one of hate for everything our nation stands for. Among those units one stands apart from the rest, carrying out the most dangerous missions with precision and now legendary lethality: the US Navy SEALs. What led these warriors to become one of the most feared and respected units in history?

From their birth in World War II as combat swimmers clearing the beaches of Normandy to their evolution into fighting men who could operate anywhere in the world by sea, air, or land, the intrepid story of the US Navy SEALs is one of courage, sacrifice, and world-renowned toughness that echoes of other great military units of history such as the Spartans, the Roman legions, or the Japan's samurai.

"Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet", authors Don Mann and Lance Burton reveal and document just what makes the SEALs America's deadliest warriors.

Mann and Burton take the reader through the inception of the Naval Combat Demolition Teams (NCDU) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) during World War II, their testing and development in Korea and into the Vietnam War, where the SEALs truly laid the groundwork for their legendary status, and on into the present day. The authors highlight the major steps and operations along the way, discuss the training and what it takes, and explore some of the most important moments in SEAL history.

Critique: Exceptionally informative and an inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library American Military History collections in general, and SEALs supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of military buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Highbridge Audio, 9781681685991, $29.99, CD).


The Business Shelf

Workplace Warrior
Jordan Goldrich
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626346512, $21.95, HC, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most authors and speakers who deal with the subject of corporate leadership refer to them with demeaning names because of assumptions that they needed to be more respectful of their subordinates. But in "Workplace Warrior: People Skills for the No-Bullshit Executive", Jordan Goldrich challenges this irony (or perhaps hypocrisy) by recognizing that, in reality, such leadership needs to possess a kind of warrior spirit, one that is crucial to the success of business organizations in our current volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) socio- economic environment.

Goldrich acknowledges that (just like himself) these leaders are imperfect human beings whose leadership or communication styles can sometimes create a negative impact. But he also acknowledges an important truth -- that they bring unique value to the workplace and to society.

His challenge is to his readers to become a better leader by measuring themselves against the greatest warriors on the planet: the Navy SEALs, the Green Berets, and the rest of the special operations community -- because a corporate executive has something in common with them with respect to sharing an uncommon desire to succeed and are committed to taking charge, as well as being are focused on accomplishing the mission. In addition, they commit to humbly serve and to place the welfare and security of others before their own.

"Workplace Warrior" shows how to do the same.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and very highly recommended for community, corporate, and academic library Business Administration collections, "Workplace Warrior: People Skills for the No-Bullshit Executive" is an ideal instructional guide that would prove to be of immense and particular value for anyone charged with corporate leadership responsibilities at any level. Of special relevance, "Workplace Warrior" is unreservedly recommended to the attention of human resources executives, executive coaches, and people who work with and for leaders labeled as abrasive or bullies so as to effectively build collaborative relationships with their colleagues.

American Businesses in China, third edition
Nancy Lynch Street & Marilyn J. Matelski
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476672274, $39.95, PB, 341pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Since the publication of earlier editions of "American Businesses in China: Balancing Culture and Communication" by Nancy Lynch Street (Professor Emerita of Communication Studies at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts) and Marilyn J. Matelski Professor Emerita of Communication at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts), China's political and economic landscapes have changed dramatically, with the rise of new leadership, evolving alliances, tariff wars, educational policies and technological advancements. Focusing on Chinese-American ventures, this expanded and revised third edition chronicles the investments that have marked China's astonishing growth in the 21st century. Adding another dimension to the exploration of Chinese-American commerce, this newly updated and expanded third edition discusses China's roots in Confucian identity and its effect on modern business culture. Case studies of American businesses that have been successful in China are included. Reflecting upon the changing nature of Chinese consumerism and international corporate behavior, Professors Lynch and Matelski close with specific suggestions for those interested in doing business in China.

Critique: Given the worsening impact of the current U.S. administration's invoked tariff war with China, this new and updated third edition of "American Businesses in China: Balancing Culture and Communication" should be considered essential and imperative reading for any corporate executive or entrepreneur considering or already engaged in a business enterprise with respect to China. This new third edition of "American Business in China" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, governmental, community, and academic library America/China International Business reference collection.


The Social Issues Shelf

Frenemies
Jaime E. Settle
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781108459952 $31.99 pbk / $24.49 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Why do Americans have such animosity for people who identify with the opposing political party? Jaime E. Settle argues that in the context of increasing partisan polarization among American political elites, the way we communicate on Facebook uniquely facilitates psychological polarization among the American public. Frenemies introduces the END Framework of social media interaction. END refers to a subset of content that circulates in a social media ecosystem: a personalized, quantified blend of politically informative 'expression', 'news', and 'discussion' seamlessly interwoven into a wider variety of socially informative content. Scrolling through the News Feed triggers a cascade of processes that result in negative attitudes about those who disagree with us politically. The inherent features of Facebook, paired with the norms of how people use the site, heighten awareness of political identity, bias the inferences people make about others' political views, and foster stereotyped evaluations of the political out-group.

Critique: Frenemies: How Social Media Polarizes America applies scholarly scrutiny to an increasingly apparent problem - American politics, and psychological attitudes, have become their most polarized since the Civil War. Chapters example why and how social media platforms such as Facebook contribute to the divide, by reinforcing preconceptions, and steering users toward the subsection of the Internet that agrees with their own views and villifies the opposing side. Exhaustively researched, intensely data-driven and featuring an index for ease of reference, Frenemies is a welcome contribution to public and college library Social Issues collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Frenemies is also available in a Kindle edition ($24.49).


The Needlecraft Shelf

Sewing 101
Quarry Books Editors
Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781631597572, $16.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Dedicated to serving creative makers at all levels of skill and experience, The editorial staff at Quarry Books empowers creativity, providing inspiration and expertise with beautiful, hands-on content, igniting readers' passion, enriching their experience, and cultivating their craft. One of their latest needlecraft projects is "Sewing 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction", a comprehensive and instructive compendium into the basics of sewing that is profusely illustrated throughout.

"Sewing 101: offers essential guidance for using a sewing machine, as well as for fabrics, patterns, and supplies. Projects are arranged progressively, from simple garments like T-shirts, skirts, and aprons, to more challenging home decor items such as a blankets, tablecloths, and Roman shades. Each individual project introduces and explores new sewing skills in depth. Variations will inspire the create personal designs.

Of special note for beginners are the links offered to accompanying online videos that present the techniques in action an invaluable resource.

Critique: Absolutely 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Sewing 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction" is the ideal textbook for highschool economics class curriculums and any adult wanting to learn how to sew but unsure as to how to go about it. Simply stated, "Sewing 101" is wholeheartedly recommended for personal, highschool, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits
Barbara Benson
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811737876, $24.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lace has traditionally been knit in finer weight yarns to create airy, delicate designs. But when knit in bulky yarns, lace becomes bold, graphic, and dramatic. Working with thicker yarns also makes the projects move along more quickly and the lace repeats shorter, so it's easy to learn new stitches and techniques.

For those new to bulky yarns, in the step-by-step illustrated instructions that comprise "Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits: 20 Shawls, Hats, Ponchos, and More in Bulky Yarn", Barbara Benson shows how these yarns work best in lace designs and provides tips and tricks for reading and executing lace patterns.

Gorgeous photography by Gale Zucker show the pieces to their full, stunning effect.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits: 20 Shawls, Hats, Ponchos, and More in Bulky Yarn" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Big Yarn, Beautiful Lace Knits" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.49).

Editorial Note: Barbara Benson is an independent designer, knitting instructor, and the author of "Mosaic & Lace Knits". Her designs are available online as well as in various books and publications. She teaches at both local yarn stores and national venues such as Interweave Yarnfest. Her love for teaching and talking about knitting can also be seen in the hundreds of videos on her popular YouTube channel "WatchBarbaraKnit."

The Weekend Quilter
Rosemary Wilkinson, editor
Landauer Publishing
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781947163294, $19.99, PB, 192pp, www.landauercorp.com

Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Rosemary Wilkinson, "The Weekend Quilter" is an profusely and beautifully illustrated compilation of master quilters' ideas for quick and easy quilt projects that presents step-by-step instructions for twenty-six quilts, along with photographs of finished quilts and a wealth of troubleshooting tips.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Weekend Quilter" is an inspiring resource for aspiring quilt makers whether they are novice beginners or are experienced and seasoned veterans of the art and craft of quilt making. A beautifully presented compendium of quilt making ideas, examples and instructions, "The Weekend Quilter" is very highly recommended for both personal and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Martingale & Company
www.shopmartingale.com

Jo Morton's Health & Home: 13 Reproduction Quilts, from Wall Hangings to Throws (9781683560050, $27.99) offers a wide selection of Morton's quilt designs which can be used for display or covers alike, and offers new variations on traditional blocks. Close-up photos allow quilters to understand exactly how the quilts are pieced and stitched, while step-by-step instructions on their assembly leave nothing to wonder. Fans of reproduction quilts or Jo Morton's prior collections will find this a winning gathering of ideas. Stacy West's Christmas at Buttermilk Basin: 19 Patterns for Mini-Quilts and More (9781683560036, $25.99) emphasizes seasonal celebrations with 19 projects ranging from gift bags and stockings to small decorative quilts. The holiday theme is incorporated into productions that use West's wool-applique and embroidery techniques to put everything together, crafting a unique approach to home decor and gift-giving possibilities that go beyond the usual lap quilt focus.


The Christian Studies Shelf

When to Walk Away
Gary Thomas
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
9780310346760, $24.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a sibling, parent, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people always seek to frustrate our life's calling. While you're seeking first God's kingdom, they're seeking first to distract your focus and delay your work.

Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it's time we dedicate our energy to the only worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us. It's only when we learn to say no to bad patterns can we say yes to the good God has planned for us.

In "When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People", Gary Thomas looks at biblical examples from the lives of Jesus, Paul, and Nehemiah. Drawing from years serving as a pastor, Thomas shares modern stories and practical examples for dealing with the difficult people in our lives. Each chapter includes insightful take-aways that you can apply right away.

Christian readers will discover how to: Set healthy boundaries to protect their life's calling; Find refuge in God when they feel under attack; Discern when to walk away from a toxic situation; Keep a tender heart even in unhealthy relationships; Love and serve difficult people by resisting their control; Grow their inner strength and invest in reliable people.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People" is a unique and highly recommended addition to personal, church, and seminary library Christian Living, as well as Family & Relationship collections. It should be noted that "When to Walk Away" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799711506, $29.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Gary Thomas is a writer in residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and an adjunct faculty member teaching on spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. He is the author of 19 books, including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, Cherish, Sacred Parenting, and the Gold Medallion Award-winning Authentic Faith. He has a master's degree from Regent College, where he studied under Dr. J.I. Packer, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity from Western Seminary. Gary has spoken in 49 states and 10 different countries. He has appeared numerous times on various national radio and television programs, including CBN, Focus on the Family and Family Life Today.

Practicing the Present
John Koessler
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802418685, $14.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The present is more than a place where the past comes to rest. It is more than a staging ground for the future. The present is where God shows up.

We live our lives in the present, but often our minds are racing toward the future or overwhelmed by the past. We want to change the past and control the future, but usually all we really do is exhaust ourselves in the here and now. Writing especially with church leaders in mind, Dr. John Koessler, teaches how to evade the tyranny of past regrets and future plans and meet God right where you are, in the present.

Critique: As thoughtfully insightful as it is impressively inspiring, "Practicing the Present: The Neglected Art of Living in the Now" is unreservedly recommended for community, seminary, church, and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of seminary students, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Practicing the Present" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Amish Voices
Brad Igou, compiler
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513805849, $28.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Strong families. Caring communities. The nearly nine in ten youth who join the church. How do the Amish do it?

In "Amish Voices: A Collection of Amish Writings", Amish writers share news and advice from their communities and reflect on their daily lives, work, and faith.

"Amish Voices is compiled by Brad Igou, publisher of Amish Country News, and gives readers a kind of behind-the-scenes tour of Amish life by compiling writing from Family Life, a popular monthly magazine that thousands of Amish people read.

Interested readers will learn about how the Amish began and what they value. Hear what they think about technology, happiness, community, obedience, success, and change. Listen in as they discuss shunning and rumspringa and forgiveness. Find out what sustains them in difficult seasons, and how they try to trust God in all things.

Why learn about the Amish from outsiders when you can learn from the Amish themselves? And why just learn about them when you can learn from them?

Critique: An impressively and diversely informative compendium of illustrative commentaries, "Amish Voices: A Collection of Amish Writings" offers a wealth of insights into the Amish community, Amish beliefs, and Amish practices. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Amish History & Culture collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Amish Voices" is also available in a paperback edition (9781513805832, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Brad Igou first became interested in the Amish of Lancaster County as a tour guide and came to know some Amish personally. He spent three months living with an Amish family as he studied for his sociology-anthropology major at Ithaca College, New York. Brad was an English teacher in Japan for eight years. Back home in Lancaster, Brad was employed by Amish Country Tours and started compiling writings from the Amish periodical Family Life. He has become vice president and co-owner of the Amish Experience, a center interpreting Amish culture to visitors.

I Was Hungry
Jeremy K. Everett
Brazos Press
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.brazospress.com
9781587434433, $29.99, HC, 178pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Hunger is one of the most significant issues in America. One in eight Americans struggles with hunger, and more than thirteen million children live in food insecure homes. As Christians we are called to address the suffering of the hungry and poor: "For I was hungry, and you gave me food..." (Matthew 25:35). However, the problems of hunger and poverty are too large and too complex for any one of us to resolve individually.

"I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis" by Jeremy Everett (who is a noted advocate for the hungry and poor) offers not only an assessment of the current crisis but also a strategy for addressing it. "I Was Hungry" is a clarion call for Christians to work intentionally across ideological divides to build trust with one another and impoverished communities and effectively end America's hunger crisis.

Everett was appointed by US Congress to the National Commission on Hunger. He founded and directs the Texas Hunger Initiative, a successful ministry that is helping to eradicate hunger in Texas and around the globe. In "I Was Hungry", Everett details the organization's history and tells stories of its work with communities from West Texas to Washington, DC, helping Christians of all political persuasions understand how they can work together to truly make a difference.

Critique: A timely and much needed contribution to our on-going national dialogue over the growing numbers of Americans (especially children that go to bed hungry every night and the Trump administrations efforts to reduce, curtail, and remove people from the federal food assistance programs, "I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis" is a very highly and desperately needed addition to community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all members of the Christian community and anyone else who is concerned about the problems of hunger in America that "I Was Hungry" is also available in a paperback edition (9781587434242, $16.99), and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

ChurchMoney
Michael White & Tom Corcoran
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594719127, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Money is always a touchy subject in Catholic churches: Pastors don't want to ask for it and parishioners don't want to hear about it. But it takes money (the love of which is ascribed to as the root of all evil) to run a thriving parish.

In "ChurchMoney: Rebuilding the Way We Fund Our Mission", Michael White and Tom Corcoran (award-winning authors of the Rebuilt Parish series) share stories of success and failure. They tell us what they learned to meet the real financial challenges of their mission. They offer the practical wisdom and inspiration you need to tackle the thorny matter of raising money in your Catholic parish.

White and Corcoran know from twenty years leading Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, that it's no fun working in a parish struggling to pay the bills. Without money, you can't hire staff to provide the programs you want to offer. You constantly have to beg parishioners to give. You grow frustrated and angry when they fail to respond. -- Does this sound familiar?

In "ChurchMoney" clergy and parishioners will learn the basic skills needed to discover that true success in raising funds comes from the incredibly freeing approach that connects giving to discipleship.

White and Corcoran share lessons learned, facts discovered, habits formed, and great ideas they've implemented from some of the most successful and vibrant churches in the United States. ChurchMoney offers a field-tested and proven plan for raising money in parishes. It's readily adaptable, firmly rooted in the reality of leading a Catholic parish, based on the Bible, and finessed with the best advice of communication professionals.

Here are 'real world' stories of embarrassing failure and exhilarating success in tripling a budget and running three extraordinarily successful capital campaigns over a ten-year period including their most recent campaign leading to the construction of $16 million sanctuary built debt free. They have increased staff fourfold and significantly raised salaries and increased staff benefits while expanding mission outreach both locally and internationally.

Critique: A unique instructional guide and 'how to' manual, "ChurchMoney: Rebuilding the Way We Fund Our Mission" is unreservedly recommended reading for all members of the Christian community charged with the responsibility for the raising of funds to carry out the mission of the Church to bring the Gospel of Jesus to all the world. While especially recommended for church and seminary library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "ChurchMoney" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.10).

On the Dormition of Mary
Brian J. Daley, translator
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780881411775, $22.00, PB, 269pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Since the time of the early Church, Orthodox Christians have honored Mary, the Mother of God, with special solemnity on August 15. From the sixth century on, that celebration has been explicitly associated with her death, as the culmination of a human life uniquely "full of grace," uniquely involved in the Mystery of our salvation and transformation in Christ.

Translated into English by Brian J. Daley, S.J. (who is the Catherine F. Husking Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame), "On the Dormition of Mary: Early Patristic Homilies" brings together the earliest attempts by Greek theologians and preachers to interpret Mary's Dormition, or 'falling asleep' in the Lord, in the light of the whole Paschal Mystery. The collection includes the sermon of Bishop John of Thessalonica, the earliest "official" retelling by an Orthodox bishop of the traditional narrative of Mary's entry into heavenly glory, and eleven other homilies from the seventh and eighth centuries, as well as a metrical translations of St John of Damascus' canon for the feast.

All of the works gathered here represent profound and original efforts to integrate the celebration of Mary's death into the wider context of the Christian theology of redemption. Most of these works have never been translated into English before, and some are not available in any modern language. They offer Christian readers of all Churches an unparalleled new glimpse of Mary's central importance in Christian faith and spirituality: as the one in whom God's Word has become human, and in whom the community of Jesus' disciples sees the first full realization of its own share in the risen life of Christ.

In the event and the liturgical celebration of her Dormition, these ancient preachers offer to us a kind of icon of Christian hope for the transfiguration of our common humanity, both at the time of our own "falling asleep" and at the end of history.

Critique: As impressively informative as it is inspired and inspiring, "On the Dormition of Mary: Early Patristic Homilies" is a unique and valued contribution to the study of Christian theology and history with respect to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Exceptionally well organized and presented for the benefit of both clergy and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, ""On the Dormition of Mary: Early Patristic Homilies" is very highly recommended for church, seminary, and academic library Christian Theology collections.

Dear Church
Lenny Duncan
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9781506452562, $16.99, PB, 138pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work -- drawing a direct line between the church's lack of diversity and the church's lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.

Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, "Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US" offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan's denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. "Dear Church" rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone (leaders and laity alike) to the front lines of the church's renewal through racial equality and justice.

It is time for the Christian church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.

"Dear Church" also features a discussion guide at the back--perfect for church groups, book clubs, and other group discussion.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, inspired and inspiring read from beginning to end, "Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US" is unreservedly recommended and worthwhile reading for all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Dear Church" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

If You Love Me, You Will...
Michael Gonzales
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973650423, $30.95, HC, 162pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "If You Love Me, You Will... Learning to Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, and Mind and Others As Yourself ", Michael Gonzales insightfully examines how the Bible defines love and applies that understanding to human behavior-and especially to Christians.

Gonzales shares true stories from his life to illustrate the theme of love and provide examples that all of us can appreciate and relate to. Those who have been confused by the world's definition of love will find much illumination for their relationships with God, those around them, and even themselves. Men and women alike will benefit from the principles contained in "If You Love Me, You Will..." for the good of all their relationships.

Critique: An absorbing, thoughtful, and ultimately inspiring read, "If You Love Me, You Will: Learning to Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, and Mind and Others As Yourself " is especially recommended to the attention of all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "If You Love Me, You Will..." is also available in a paperback edition (9781973650416, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.03).

Heavenly Rewards
Mark Hitchcock
Harvest House Publishers
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736976534, $14.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's difficult to imagine eternal life. But when you've got only one life and you know there is coming a day when you will stand before God, it's important to consider whether you're living each day like your life depends on it.

For dedicated Christians, the good news is God's judgment isn't about determining our salvation - - it's about rewarding our faithfulness. Salvation cannot be earned because it is already ours!

In "Heavenly Rewards: Living with Eternity in Sight", author Mark Hitchcock reveals fascinating truths about how the life you live today determines your life in eternity. "Heavenly Rewards" shows: Tangible ways to please the Lord in our everyday living; That our labor and sacrifices are never in vain because God is a faithful rewarder; The benefits of living faithfully and enduring through even the most difficult times; That our faithfulness will be rewarded because God knows the smallest details of our days, and He wants to acknowledge our every act we have done for Him.

The underlying message throughout "Heavenly Rewards" is that for Christians, living well with an eternal perspective really can change our life for good!

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, counsel, insight, and inspiration, "Heavenly Rewards: Living with Eternity in Sight" is unreservedly recommended and endorsed for all members of the Christian community. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Heavenly Rewards" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Understanding Tarot
Liz Dean
CICO Books
c/o Ryland, Peters & Small
341 East 116th Street, New York, NY 10029
www.rylandpeters.com
9781782497257, $14.95, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Tarot is a secret system of ancient symbols that has been used for almost 600 years, and is becoming increasingly popular today as people look for meaning and reassurance in our ever-changing and chaotic world. This form of spiritual counsel can be used to seek answers to life's key questions: "Will I find success in my chosen career?", "Will I find true love?", "What does the future hold?", and "Will I be happy?".

Liz Dean teaches at Psychic Sisters within Selfridges department store in London and is the author of several tarot decks and books, including the official HBO Game of Thrones Tarot, The Magic of Tarot, and The Golden Tarot. Liz's work has been featured in the Daily Mail and the Express online, as well as the magazines Spirit & Destiny, Kindred Spirit, and Fate & Fortune. She lives in Sunderland, UK.

Now in "Understanding Tarot: Discover The Tarot And Find Out What Your Cards Really Mean" she empowers the reader by revealing the knowledge that each individual card brings, and how each reading can give a dynamic understanding of events, personalities, and relationships. With ten specific spreads to follow, along with sample readings and an extensive interpretation for each card, Liz Dean gives the aspiring tarot reader and student the confidence to approach the cards holistically. Freed from concentrating solely on the meaning of individual cards, tarot readers will begin to see them as a story or journey of life that gives them a clear picture of the past, present, and future.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Understanding Tarot" is impressively 'user friendly' in its instructive commentary. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Understanding Tarot" is an ideal and comprehensive reference that will be an immediately and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, and community library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Tarot Reading instructional reference lists in particular.

Celebrity Ghosts and Notorious Hauntings
Marie D. Jones
Visible Ink Press
43311 Joy Rd., #414, Canton, MI 48187-2075
www.visibleinkpress.com
9781578596898, $19.95, PB, 400pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: From old Hollywood silent film stars to rock stars to athletes, past presidents, and famous generals, celebrated individuals sometimes become 'celebrity ghosts', and they haunt their homes, workplaces, and even burial places. In turn, those places become famous, even notorious, thanks to the ghost that is haunting it!

Compiled by Marie D. Jones, "Celebrity Ghosts and Notorious Hauntings" looks at many famous ghosts -- dead celebrities that haunt old Hollywood locales, famous generals that appear to witnesses at great battlefields, and noted politicians that roam the hallways of courthouses, statehouses, and even the White House! Plus, this fascinating frightfest examines the famous haunted locations themselves, such as the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Hotel del Coronado, Gettysburg, the Stanley Hotel (which inspired Stephen King's The Shining) and so many others that claim the supernatural as part of their heritage and history.

This compendium of the unexplained also investigates movie lore, including the unsettling incidents on the Amityville Horror set; "The Dark Knight" curse that includes on-set accidents from the horrible death of Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, to the mass shooting at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises; the deaths and curse surrounding The Matrix; the Infamous Stage 28 at Universal Studios; and Paramount Studios' long history of hauntings and strange goings-on.

Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, and Hank Williams. Presidents John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Harry Truman. Henry VIII, beheaded Sir Walter Raleigh, and Prince Edward V. Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Marilyn Monroe, and "Superman" actor George Reeves. Houdini, Redd Foxx, Liberace, and serial-killer Ted Bundy. They all lurk in this chillingly riveting book. Haunted graveyards (of course), haunted historical landmarks and battlefields, plus haunted libraries, courthouses, ships, submarines, lighthouses, hotels, roadways, byways, bridges, prisons, and hospitals are all gathered together in this comprehensive look at the ghastly afterlife of the renowned. From famous faces to famous places, if it involves fame and celebrity, fortune and notoriety, legend and lore, it will be found in the pages of "Celebrity Ghosts And Notorious Hauntings".

Critique: A deftly organized and simply fascinating read from first page to last, "Celebrity Ghosts And Notorious Hauntings" is enhanced with a profusion of black-and-white photographs. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections, it will be of special and particular interest to both students of the afterlife and movie buffs alike!

Herbal Magick
Gerina Dunwich
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636853, $16.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The art, craft, and practice of herbal magick is an ancient tradition that is rooted in the pagan lore and tradition of antiquity. In "Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination", Gerina Dunwich (the author of dozens of books on Wicca and witchcraft) shows how to use the roots, flowers, leaves, and bark of common plants for practical magick.

"Herbal Magick" also reveals the well-guarded secrets of herbal enchantments and the history of herbal folklore, along with a satisfying easy-to-follow guide to herbal spells for many purposes.

Critique: Both a herbal manual and a wiccan grimoire, "Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination" is an invaluable and expertly organized and presented reference that is ideal for the beginner and offers a great deal to advanced students of the magickal arts as well. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Herbal Magick" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Psychology Shelf

Autism Is The Future
Marlo Payne Thurman
Future Horizons, Inc.
721 West Abram Street, Arlington, TX 76013
www.fhautism.com
9781941765890, $16.95, PB, 150pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Most recently, Marlo completed a landmark study proposing an alternative sensory-cognitive difference theory based on her extensive discussions and interactions with diagnosed adults. This research was the foundation for this book. Marlo lives in Johnstown, Colorado. In addition to several "quirky" close friends and family members, Ms. Thurman credits her two adult children for teaching her about the value and beauty of being "different-minded."

With the publication of "Autism Is The Future: The Evolution of a Different Type of Intelligence", Marlo Payne Thurman proposes that sensory and cognitive development have evolved together into a very different form of intelligence in those with ASD, and it should be viewed not as a disability but instead as a difference to be celebrated and followed.

Thurman began working with children diagnosed with ASD in 1986. With group home management and intensive ABA therapy in her early career, she developed a special interest in meeting the unique needs of those individuals who were asynchronously developed into the realms of the "ASD savant".

Most recently, she completed a landmark study proposing an alternative sensory-cognitive difference theory based on her extensive discussions and interactions with diagnosed adults. This research was the foundation for "Autism Is The Future".

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an eight page Glossary and a twenty-eight page bibliographic listing of References, "Autism Is The Future: The Evolution of a Different Type of Intelligence" is a seminal work of groundbreaking scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Psychology collections in general, and Autism supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academics, the parents of autistic children, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Autism Is The Future" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.98).

Editorial Note: Marlo Payne Thurman Marlo has been recognized for her work by People magazine, The Special Educator, ADDitude Magazine, The New York Times, and National Public Radio as well as numerous local venues.


The Crafts Shelf

Bead Jewelry 101
Karen Mitchell & Ann Mitchell
Quarry Books Editors
Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781631597596, $16.99, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, "Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction" teaches the reader everything he or she need to know to create beautiful jewelry with beads.

The Basics walks you through all the tools, materials, and basic construction techniques you'll use for the projects. The Projects are organized by various findings, or jewelry elements, so you'll learn new techniques and build new skills with every piece you make. Beautiful variations will inspire you to create your own designs.

Of special note are the links to accompanying online instructional videos that fully capture the bead jewelry making techniques in action.

Critique: "Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction" by the team of bead jewelry experts Karen and Ann Mitchell, is an ideal instructional guide and manual for anyone who has wanted to try jewelry making but are not sure where to begin. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional community, college, and university library Crafts/Hobbies collections in general, and Bead Jewelry Making supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted that "Bead Jewelry 101" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.54).

Bead Stitching Handbook
Bead & Button Magazine
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
www.KalmbachHobbyStore.com
9781627005531, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them with a sewing needle or beading needle and thread or thin wire, or sewing them to cloth. Beads come in a variety of materials, shapes and sizes. Beads are used to create jewelry or other articles of personal adornment; they are also used in wall hangings and sculpture and many other artworks. (Wikipedia)

Bead stitchers looking for information and instructions for the major bead stitches will find it all in "Bead Stitching Handbook", a complete and comprehensive reference to bead stitching techniques and includes clear, step-by-step illustrations and instructions for 15 different bead stitches, plus variations and lots of tips.

Ideal for advanced beginners and experienced bead stitchers looking for accurate, in-depth information, this all-in-one resource also covers other stitching-related techniques like bead embroidery, soutache, and loomwork. Finally, the "Bead Stitching Handbook" includes information on beading materials, beads, thread, tools, weaves, knots, and much more.

Each stitch is demonstrated with easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations, then demonstrated in a sample project so bead stitchers can see and understand how each stitch is applied. All instructions and projects are written by the contributors and editors of Bead&Button magazine, the original and most comprehensive beading magazine available today. This well-organized, 128-page, 7.25" x 9.4" reference manual is the perfect size for beaders to keep in their workspaces.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, the "Bead Stitching Handbook" is impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal addition to personal and community library Crafts/Hobbies collections in general, and bead stitching instructional reference reading lists in particular. It should be noted that "Bead Stitching Handbook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49).

Papercutting
Patricia Moffett
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764358081, $24.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Patricia Moffett is a designer and illustrator focusing on technological and time-based media. Her work ranges from prize-winning surface pattern design to work on the West End musical adaptation of Bend It Like Beckham.

In "Papercutting: Geometric Designs Inspired by Nature", Moffett draws upon her years of experience and expertise to showcase 25 papercuttng projects which show how ammonites, lichen rosettes, honeycomb, and other natural forms can help you apply the rules of mathematics to create complexly beautiful works.

Clear, illustrated, paper-art-focused explanations teach you the principles of mathematics we see in nature, including the Golden Section and Golden Angle, Fibonacci numbers, and symmetry. Learn about using flaps and piercings with various projects, including "A Murmuration of Starlings." Benefit from lessons in the Japanese art of kirigami and geometric principles, with projects such as "Kirigami Cascade" and "Rotational Symmetry." Tesselations and 2-D weaving, 3-D form assembly, woven 3-D forms, and stacked layers come into play for projects such as "Radiolarian" and "Sea Urchin."

The role that display plays in your work is covered too, including flexagons in the "Undersea Frieze," black light in "UV Jelly Fish," and light-box effects in "Art Deco Scarab" and "Diatoms through the Microscope." Art really does mirror nature, as these fascinating cut-paper sculptures show.

Critique: An ideal and unreservedly recommended introduction to the art and craft of papercutting, this beautifully illustrated, expertly presented, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional guide and manual, "Papercutting: Geometric Designs Inspired by Nature", is unreservedly recommended and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, college, and university library Crafts/Hobbies collections.

Making Marbled Paper
Heather R. J. Fletcher
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781497100435, $19.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As a young child she viewed the world through art, fabrics, and imagination, Heather RJ Fletcher had no clue about her artistic ability until her first drawing class in college at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Post-graduation she experimented with several career paths: award-winning documentary filmmaker, retail manager, interactive commercial business manager, mermaid model, and even a home shopping television producer. Then one day, she took an art licensing workshop at MCAD with Lindsay Nohl. It was during Lindsay's class where she learned to connect the dots of her artistic career. HRJ is now licensing her art work, making patterns, illustrating, and showing in galleries. She happily works from her studio in MCBA.

In "Making Marbled Paper: Paint Techniques & Patterns for Classic & Modern Marbleizing on Paper & Silk" she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to help aspiring papermakers to get started in the exciting art of marbling paper. The patterns range from ancient suminagashi to modern nail art. Marbling paper for book productions has been in use since the 11th century, and can be found in all sorts of mediums today.

Herein compiled are more than 30 different patterns to create and a step-by-step interactive workbook to encourage practice. As part of the publishing process, aspiring papermakers learn all the modern and traditional marbling techniques, from chevron and feathering to stone and scallop.

From foundational to advanced skills, "Making Marbled Paper" shows how to float paint on water, create intricate patterns and unique designs with unusual tools, lay paper on various materials to transfer beautiful artwork, and so many more marbling methods!

With guidance from Heather Fletcher (herself a professional artist who has traveled the world studying these distinctive methods and learning from the world's leading marbling masters), even the most novice of beginners will gain an understanding of the origins and evolution of this reemerging art form.

Whether you set up in your garage or at your kitchen table, anyone can get started using everyday household items to create colorful works of art. Beginning with the four foundational patterns (stone, chevron, getgel, and nonpareil) "Making Marbled Paper" features step-by-step, photo-illustrated directions will show everything necessary to know in order to successfully accomplish every design.

With room to paste a sample of work for each main pattern, "Making Marbled Paper" then progress into 30 more advanced patterns. Also included are six marbled paper project ideas, such as gift wrap, bookshelf liners, framed art, and more! There are a wealth of practical tips for troubleshooting as well as information on how to marble fabric. A list of resources for marbling tools and supplies, classes, and marbling artists is also included.

Critique: Profusely illustrated, expertly organized, accessibly presented, "Making Marbled Paper: Paint Techniques & Patterns for Classic & Modern Marbleizing on Paper & Silk" is an extraordinary, comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction guide and manual that is unreserved recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.

Creative Candle Making
Meredith Mennitt
Becker&Mayer! Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780760366158, $21.99, PB, (Boxed Set), 48pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Creative Candle Making:12 Unique Projects to Make Candles for All Occasions - Includes Materials to Make 4 Candles" by Meredith Mennitt is a hobby craft boxed set that comes with complete, step-by-step instructions and all the materials needed in order to make all-natural candles at home.

The beautiful instruction book leads the aspiring candle maker through 12 candle recipes as well as discussing the benefits of different waxes, wicks, molds, and a discussion of aromatherapy and candle craft history. The materials in the kit allow do-it-yourself candle makers to create a variety of candles ranging from sweet floating candles to modern cement pillar candles.

The attached "Creative Candle Making" box contains: Mounted cotton wicks; Soy wax chips; Floating candle molds; A sheet of all-natural beeswax; Candle fragrance.

Critique: Providing hours and hours of practical fun, "Creative Candle Making" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and very highly recommended introduction to the entertaining and useful hobby of candle making at home.


The Aviation Shelf

Navigating the C-124 Globemaster
Billy D. Higgens
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476677637, $35.00, PB, 219pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The C-124 Globemaster was a U.S. military heavy-lift transport in service 1950 through 1974. Barreling down a runway it was an awesome sight. The aircraft's four 3800 hp piston engines (the largest ever mass-produced), mounted on its 174-foot wingspan, could carry a 69,000-pound payload of tanks, artillery or other cargo, or 200 fully equipped troops, at more than 300 mph.

The flight crew, perched three stories above the landing gears in an unpressurized cockpit, relied, like Magellan, on celestial fixes to navigate over oceans. With a world-wide mission delivering troops and materials to such destinations as the Congo, Vietnam, Thule, Greenland and Antarctica, the Globemaster lived up to its name and was foundational to what Time magazine publisher Henry Luce termed the "American Century."

Drawing on archives, Air Force bases, libraries and accident sites, and his own recollections as a navigator, the author, Professor Billy D. Higgens (an aviation enthusiast who teaches history at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith) details Cold War confrontations and consequent strategies that emerged after Douglas Aircraft Company delivered the first C-124A to the Military Air Transport Service in 1949.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a five page Bibliography, eleven pages of Notes, and a four page Index, "Navigating the C-124 Globemaster: In the Cockpit of America's First Strategic Heavy-Lift Aircraft" is an extraordinarily informative history that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library 20th Century American Aviation collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Monologues for Headspace Theatre
Michael Bigelow Dixon, editor
Smith & Kraus Publishers
177 Lyme Road, Lyme NH 03755-6610
www.smithandkraus.com
9781575259369, $17.95, PB, 167pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Headspace Theatre is a small space for big ideas, and the 27 monologues comprising "Monologues for Headspace Theatre: Radical Thinking Inside a Box" in this collection compiled and edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon demonstrate the ingenuity and insight of American playwrights, as they expand the possibilities of performance in a box by featuring the humorous, the absurd, and the political. While these plays shine in the Headspace, they can also be performed on more traditional stages.

Also included are acting tips from Jon Jory and a critical perspective on the historical relevance of Headspace Theatre. A form of theatrical performance that is not for the timid or weak of heart, but then what exciting theatre is?

Critique: A unique and unreservedly recommended collection of monologues compiled and edited by former Actors Theatre Literary Manager Michael Bigelow Dixon, "Monologues for Headspace Theatre: Radical Thinking Inside a Box" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Theatre/Acting collections, as well as the personal reference shelf of anyone who aspires to act in either community theatre or professionally in both off- Broadway and Broadway theatrical productions.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Rare Watches
Paul Miquel
Conran
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781840917833, $50.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Compiled with commentary by Paul Miquel, "Rare Watches: Explore the World's Most Exquisite Timepieces" features more than fifty of the most unusual watches in the world, including incredible one-off models and collector's editions. From watches that have set new records in auction houses, to feats of modern technology and engineering, via iconic models worn by figures such as Elvis and James Bond, the photography visually showcasing each individual watch was organized in collaboration with Christie's auction house.

Critique: A large (10.4 x 1.5 x 13.8 inches) coffee table style volume that is beautifully and informative laid out from cover to cover, "Rare Watches" will have a very special appeal to professionals, collectors and amateurs alike -- and would make a valued and enduringly appreciated Memorial Fund acquisition for community and academic library Antiques/Collectibles collections.

Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2020-2021
Judith Miller
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784726102, $45.00, HC, 600pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide series remains the essential and trusted guide to the antiques market for professionals, as well as the general public. It has earned the reputation of being the book no dealer, collector or auctioneer should be without. Compiled by Judith Miller, world-renowned antiques expert and co-founder of the book, this 40th anniversary edition for 2020-2021 features more than 8,000 antiques.

Comprehensive sections cover ceramics, furniture, glass, silver and metalwares, jewellery and objets de vertu, clocks and watches, books, Oriental antiques, textiles, toys, decorative arts and to value an item and teach you to be your own valuer.

Biographies of designers and factories give the background information you need to help date and value objects, while special 'Judith Picks' sections give fascinating background and valuation details for particularly interesting or unusual objects.

Critique: With beautifully illustrated full color photographic illustrations on every page, the "Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide 2020-2021" is an absolutely essential reference for professionals, and is an inherently fascinating browse for the non-specialist general reader simply wanting to check out a possible antique of their own. This newest edition of an antique market standard reference is unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and academic library Antiques/Collectibles reference and assessment collections.


The Woodworking Shelf

Kitchen Projects for the Woodworker
Ken Horner
Linden Publishing
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781610353397, $24.95

Kitchen Projects for the Woodworker: Plans and Instructions for Over 65 Useful Kitchen Items contains over a hundred color photos, fifty diagrams, and step-by-step plans for projects that lead to practical kitchen development and tools, and offers functional and stylish kitchen woodworking ideas for everything from spice racks to kitchen stools and bowls. Color photos of finished projects accompany good-sized diagrams with measurements, highlighted tips for solving common problems, and step-by-step project specifics for materials, measuring, cutting, and assembly. Woodworkers seeking home-enhancing ideas will find this an excellent compendium of ideas.

Woodland Whittling
Peter Benson
GMC Publications
https://www.thegmcgroup.com
c/o The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781784945091, $14.95, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The gentle art of whittling is a relaxing and absorbing hobby that can be enjoyed almost anywhere from round the campfire to in a cozy armchair at home. All that is needed is a good pocket knife, a piece of wood and your imagination.

Projects can range from the delightfully simple to impressively intricate as "Woodland Whittling" by Peter Benson guides the aspiring whittler through the basics explaining what equipment is required, how to hold the knife, and what timber to use.

The projects are then all described in detail with clear step-by-step photographs and include: a letter opener, a thumb stick, a ring tree and an egg cup, and so much more!

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Woodland Whittling" is an ideal introduction to the ancient art of whittling and will prove to be the basis for hours and hours and hours of a peaceful release from the ordinary pressures of everyday life -- making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended acquisition for personal and community library collections.

Editorial Note: Peter Benson set up the Essex School of Woodcarving in 1996. He is often traveling and runs many workshops overseas as well as judging competitions around the world. He also writes regularly for woodcarving journals. Peter's passion is centered on carving miniature objects, especially the carving of netsuke, on which he has written a book which is also published by GMC.


The Computer Shelf

Microsoft Excel 2019 Programming Pocket Primer
Julitta Korol
Mercury Learning
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781683924128, $35.95, PB, 260pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As part of the simply outstanding Mercury Learning Pocket Primer series, "Microsoft Excel 2019 Programming Pocket Primer" was specifically designed by Julitta Korol (who has completed professional certifications by Microsoft Corporation and the Computing Technology Industry Association) for those who need to master Excel programming fundamentals without spending too much time.

Comprised of everything necessary to operate Excel 2019 Programming, this thoroughly 'user friendly and succinctly written instruction manual is ideal for getting started. It shows only the things needed to know in order to feel comfortable with VBA.

What is taught in this exceptionally well organized and presented instructional on Excel programming will also apply to Access programming. Divided into nine chapters that progressively introduce programming Microsoft Excel 2019, this handy manual includes a companion disc with all of the "Hands-On" files needed to complete the chapter projects and all the images from the text and introduces aspiring users to programming with Microsoft Excel 2019.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of a disc featuring all the 'hands-on' project files and images from the texts (including 4-color images), "Microsoft Excel 2019 Programming Pocket Primer" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Computer Software instructional reference collections in general, and Microsoft Excell 2019 supplemental studies lists in particular.

Murach's MySQL, third edition
Joel Murach
Murach Books
4340 N. Knoll Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722
www.murach.com
9781943872367, $57.50, PB, 628pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and expanded third edition to include MySQL 8, "Murach's MySQL" shows how to code all the essential SQL statements for working with a MySQL database. Developers use these statements every day to have MySQL do more of their work for them.

But beyond that, this new edition of "Murach's MySQL" shows how to work with classic MySQL features that take the user to new level, such as summary queries, subqueries, functions, views, transactions, stored procedures, triggers, and security. It also shows how to take advantage of newer MySQL features such as window functions, Common Table Expressions (CTE), and roles for database security. Plus, it shows how to design a database, including how to use MySQL Workbench to create and implement the design.

It even presents a starting set of skills for a database administrator (DBA) for those who are interested in that career path or if they need to be their own DBA.

Critique: Comprehensive, exceptionally organized and presented, and a 'must-have' guide for anyone who works with MySQL, beginning and experienced developers alike, this new third edition of "Murach's MySQL" is an ideal curriculum textbook for school, community, and academic library Computer Software collections, and an enduringly valued reference of all MySQL users.


The Railroading Shelf

British Railways in the 1960s
Geoff Plumb
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781473823945, $60.00, HC, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After the Second War, Britains railways were rundown and worn out, requiring massive investment and modernisation. The Big Four railway companies were nationalized from 1948, and the newly formed British Railways embarked on a programme of building new Standard steam locomotives to replace older types. These started to come on stream from 1951.

This program was superseded by the 1955 scheme to dieselise and electrify many lines and so the last loco of the Standard types was built in 1960 and the steam locomotives had been swept entirely from the BR network by 1968.

The newest addition to the Pen & Sword Books' 'The Geoff Plumb Collection' series, "British Railways In The 1960s: London Midland Region" is a photographic account of those last few years of the steam locomotives, their decline and replacement during the transition years.

Critique: Profusely illustrated and providing impressively informative commentaries throughout, "British Railways In The 1960s: London Midland Region" is superbly organized and presented from cover to cover, making it an enduringly valued and prized addition to personal, community, and academic library British Railroading History collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted that "British Railways In The 1960s: London Midland Region" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).


The Fishing Shelf

Sight Fishing for Trout
Landon Mayer
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811705516, $34.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Landon Mayer is a fly-fishing instructor, guide, and writer with nearly two decades of experience. He is a contributing writer for Fly Fisherman and High Country Angler, and his contributions have also been featured in Field & Stream, Fly Rod & Reel, American Angler, and Fly Fisherman magazines. Landon's previous books include Sight Fishing for Trout, Colorado's Best Fly Fishing, and How to Catch the Biggest Trout of Your Life.

"Sight Fishing for Trout" is Mayer's comprehensive book showcasing all of the tricks and skills anglers need to master when fishing for trout. Mayer deftly reveals his knowledge of trout and trout water, learned through years of fishing and guiding on prime trout waters.

Hunting for large trout with lightweight fishing equipment is what Landon does best. With detailed instructions on how to cast into tricky spots, how to present the fly whatever the conditions, and how to read the rise, he gives aspiring anglers the extra edge they need to find and catch more and larger fish. He reveals where to look for the trout, how to rig a line, how to retrieve the fish when getting a strike, and how to use the buddy system for a more productive day on the water.

Simply stated, sight fishing is intriguing, fun, addictive, and best of all, it gets results-more and bigger trout.

Critique; Now available to a new generation of aspiring trout anglers in a paperback edition (9780811737661, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.65), "Sight Fishing for Trout" is profusely and beautifully illustrated in full color throughout, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Hunting/Fishing instructional reference collections.


The Technology Shelf

Practical Project Management for Engineers
Nehal Patel
Artech House
www.artechhouse.com
9781630815851, $129.00

Practical Project Management for Engineers is a new resource that provides engineers a clear review on how to delivery products and services and manage team efforts to do so. It's especially recommended reading for engineers moving from individual pursuits to team management, and pairs examples from real world scenarios with discussions of the techniques and best practices that help define activities, project parameters, collaborative efforts, and superior products. The result is a practical guide rooted in real-world experience and filled with management tips many an engineer will find specific and useful.


The Humor Shelf

Bears Don't Care About Your Problems
Brendan Leonard
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512700, $18.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: If you've ever considered the absurdity of sleeping on the ground in a place where bears live, pooping in a bag on a glacier, or trying to teach someone you love a sport that scares them to the point of loudly threatening to kill you in front of strangers, "Bears Don't Care About Your Problems" will make you laugh out loud -- not just once or twice but over and over and over again.

Author Brendan Leonard is part Dave Barry, part Gary Larson, and 100 percent twisted in his own unique fresh way and showcases his genuine flair for originality in accounts unexpectedly arising from Everyman and Everywoman adventurers.

Critique: A fully absorbing, inherently fascinating, and laugh out loud funny, the 86 essays comprising "Bears Don't Care About Your Problems" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Humor collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone who has every enjoyed or deplored an outdoor experience that "Bears Don't Care About Your Problems" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.95).


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


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