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Library Bookwatch

Volume 17, Number 6 June 2022 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Education Shelf
Science Shelf Art Shelf Biography Shelf
Military Shelf Political Science Shelf Autism Shelf
Library Science Shelf Business Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Parenting Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Library CD Shelf General Fiction Shelf Historical Fiction Shelf
Literary Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf Western Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Music Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Civil War Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Photography Shelf Mathematics Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

The Mind and the Moon
Daniel Bergner
Ecco
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.eccobooks.com
9780063004894, $28.99, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Moon-Brothers-Science-Psyches/dp/0063004895

Synopsis: In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy declared that science would take us to the moon. He also declared that science would make the "remote reaches of the mind accessible" and cure psychiatric illness with breakthrough medications. We were walking on the moon within the decade. But today, psychiatric cures continue to elude us -- as does the mind itself. Why is it that we still don't understand how the mind works? What is the difference between the mind and the brain? And given all that we still don't know, how can we make insightful, transformative choices about our psychiatric conditions?

When Daniel Bergner's younger brother was diagnosed as bipolar and put on a locked ward in the 1980s, psychiatry seemed to have achieved what JFK promised: a revolution of chemical solutions to treat mental illness. Yet as Bergner's brother was deemed a dire risk for suicide and he and his family were told his disorder would be lifelong, he found himself taking heavy doses of medications with devastating side effects.

Now with the publication of "The Mind and the Moon: My Brother's Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches", Bergner recounts his brother's journey alongside the gripping, illuminating stories of Caroline, who is beset by the hallucinations of psychosis, and David, who is overtaken by depression. Bergner also examines the evolution of how we treat our psyches. He reveals how the pharmaceutical industry has perpetuated our biological view of the mind and our drug-based assumptions about treatment -- despite the shocking price paid by many patients and the problematic evidence of drug efficacy. Then he takes us into the pioneering labs of today's preeminent neuroscientists, sharing their remarkably candid reflections and fascinating new theories of treatment.

"The Mind and the Moon" raises profound questions about how we understand ourselves and the essential human divide between our brains and our minds -- and offers a thought-provoking reframings, delving into the science and spirit of our psyches. It is about vulnerability and personal dignity, the terrifying choices confronted by families and patients, and the prospect of alternatives.

In "The Mind and the Moon", Bergner beautifully explores how to seek a deeper engagement with ourselves and one another -- and how to find a better path toward caring for our minds.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Mind and the Moon: My Brother's Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches" will be of immense value to both health care professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Medical & Psychology Psychopharmacology, and Alternative Medicine. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation "The Mind and the Moon" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Psychology, Psychiatry, and Mental Health collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Mind and the Moon" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9798200970797, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Daniel Bergner is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of several books of nonfiction, including The Other Side of Desire; In the Land of Magic Soldiers: A Story of White and Black in West Africa, and God of the Rodeo: The Quest for Redemption in Louisiana's Angola Prison.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Infographic Guide to Creating Stories
Hank Quense
https://hankquense.org
Strange Worlds Publishing
9798985309713, $24.99, PB, 118pp

https://www.amazon.com/Infographic-Guide-Creating-Stories-Quense/dp/B09PP6NYDZ

Synopsis: Do you have a story struggling to come out? Do you know how to write it down? Or how to tell it? Writing a story involves weaving many elements together to create a singular tale. If you're stumped on how to get started then giving the "Infographic Guide to Creating Stories: Learn How to Write a Story" by the award-winning author Hank Quense is a good way to begin.

In this basic 'how to' instructional guide and DIY manual, Quense tells you how to create your story. He believes that stories come from the melding of three elements: getting ideas, story design and story-telling. Ideas have to come from the author. "Infographic Guide to Creating Stories" concentrates on the last two.

"Infographic Guide to Creating Stories" concentrates on developing characters including such rarely discussed requirements such as a dominant reader emotion and the character's biography.

Plots are also covered in depth and a number of graphics are included to illustrate complex points. Still section discusses subplots and how to utilize them and how to nest them within the main plot. A separate chapter discusses the relationship between the plot and the emotional arcs.

Other topics covered in "Infographic Guide to Creating Stories" include: character arcs, scene design, point-of-view, writing voice and more.

Critique: A complete course of 'how to' instructions on the art and craft of writing stories other people would enjoy reading, "Infographic Guide to Creating Stories: Learn How to Write a Story" is comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. Highly recommended to the attention of all aspiring writers, and while also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99), "Infographic Guide to Creating Stories" is an especially useful and commended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections and writer workshop curriulums.

Editorial Note: Hank Quense has a blog at blog:http://hankquense.org. He can also be followed Twitter at http://twitter.com/hanque99, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StrangeWorldsOnline, and on the Writers and Authors Resource Center https://hanque.gumroad.com


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste
Medicine National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309458856, $35.00, PB, 268pp

https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-Global-Plastic-Consensus-Report/dp/0309458854

Synopsis: An estimated 8 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste enters the world's ocean each year -- that's the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic waste into the ocean every minute.

Plastic waste is now found in almost every marine habitat, from the ocean surface to deep sea sediments to the ocean's vast mid-water region, as well as the Great Lakes. "Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste" is an official report that responds to a request in the bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for a scientific synthesis of the role of the United States both in contributing to and responding to global ocean plastic waste.

The United States is a major producer of plastics and in 2016, generated more plastic waste by weight and per capita than any other nation. Although the U.S. solid waste management system is advanced, it is not sufficient to deter leakage into the environment. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in the Global Ocean Plastic Waste crisis calls for a national strategy by the end of 2022 to reduce the nation's contribution to global ocean plastic waste at every step, from production to its entry into the environment, and includes substantially reducing U.S. solid waste generation.

This timely and alarming report also recommends a nationally-coordinated and expanded monitoring system to track plastic pollution in order to understand the scales and sources of U.S. plastic waste, set reduction and management priorities, and measure progress.

Critique: A consensus derived, science based, marine environmental impact report, "Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste" is a clarion call to action and urgently recommended reading for governmental policy makers, plastic manufactures, and environmental activists, as well as community, college, and university library Environmental Waste Management and Environmental Pollution Engineering collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Food Matters Cookbook
James Colquhoun, author
Laurentine Ten Bosch, author
Hay House, Inc.
PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
www.hayhouse.com
9781401967536, $34.99, HC, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Matters-Cookbook-Gluten-Free-Transforming/dp/1401967531

Synopsis: Especially relevant for anyone seeking a more plant-based diet that is full of flavor and made of ingredients that are natural and easy to find, who are struggling with bloating, digestive issues, fatigue, weight gain, or chronic illness, "The Food Matters Cookbook: A Simple Gluten-Free Guide to Transforming Your Health One Meal at a Time" offers recipes that free from gluten, dairy, and refined sugar can help to transform anyone's health one meal at a time.

A well-rounded cookbook by James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch, "The Food Matters Cookbook" shares the principles behind their popular Food Matters documentary and lifestyle brand, helping you to achieve optimal health with easy-to-make, delicious gluten-free recipes.

"The Food Matters Cookbook" reveals: The 10 key Food Matters nutrition principles; Ways to healthify your kitchen, including essential ingredients and easy swaps; Delicious recipes for improved gut health, immunity, energy, and beauty; Simple lifestyle tips to create healthy habits and morning rituals. Complete with full-color photos and easy-to-follow steps, this one cookbook guaranteed to provide the tools and motivation needed to make a new healthy lifestyle -- and one that will last a lifetime!

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with mouth-watering, hunger inducing dishes that range from a Berry-Rich Smoothie; Breakfast Tacos with Homemade Gluten-Free Wraps; Gluten-Free Pizza with Seasonal Roast Veg; and Raspberry Chia Seed Jam; to No-Bake Choc-Caramel Peanut Bars; Caramelized Cauliflower & Leek Soup; Healthy Mac 'N' Cheese with Hidden Veggies; and Rosemary & Sea Salt Cassava Crackers, "The Food Matters Cookbook: A Simple Gluten-Free Guide to Transforming Your Health One Meal at a Time" is unabashedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The Food Matters Cookbook: A Simple Gluten-Free Guide to Transforming Your Health One Meal at a Time" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: James Colquhoun & Laurentine ten Bosch are the filmmaking duo behind Food Matters, Hungry for Change, and Transcendence seasons 1 and 2 and the founders of Food Matters and FMTV. Together they founded the Food Matters community to help give people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. The have a website at www.foodmatters.com

Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends 4 Seasons Cookbook
Wanda E. Brunstetter, author
Barbour Publishing
P.O. Box 719, 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, OH 44683
www.barbourbooks.com
9781636092485, $16.99, Spiral Bound, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wanda-Brunstetters-Friends-Seasons-Cookbook/dp/1636092489

Synopsis: "Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends 4 Seasons Cookbook" was compiled, organized and presented by Wanda Brunstetter for the benefit of household cooks who want to provide their families with meals featuring fresh recipes for each season of the year.

Organized by the winter, spring, summer, and fall seasons, there are a bounty of recipes for various ways to use up seasonal fruits and vegetables. Sprinkled throughout with tips for growing and harvesting, too, this well-organized and beautifully illustrated cookbook boasts contributions drawn from Amish and Mennonites from across the United States.

Critique: Very highly recommended for personal and community library cookbook collections, and published in a lay-flat spiral binding with recipes that range from Coconut Peach Dessert; Green Tomato Relish; Chicken Dumplings; and Fruit Parfait; to Peanut Butter Popcorn; BBQ Meatballs; Buttery Onion Soup; and Home Made Tater Tots, "Wanda E. Brunstetter's Amish Friends 4 Seasons Cookbook" is a palate pleasing and appetite satisfying delight to plan menus with for anyone who gardens, participates in a CSA, or enjoys farmers' markets.

Editorial Note: An award-winning author Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written more than 100 books translated in four languages. Wanda has her own website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Binge Times
Dade Hayes, author
Dawn Chmielewski, author
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780062980007, $28.99, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Binge-Times-Hollywoods-Furious-Billion-Dollar/dp/0062980009

Synopsis: After giving Netflix and the deep-pocketed Amazon Prime Video a full decade's head start, rivals from the tech and start-up realm (Apple, Quibi) and traditional media (Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal) all decided to move mountains to enter the streaming game. At a cost of billions, each went after their own piece of the market, launching five new services in a seven-month span. And just as the derby was heating up, the corona virus pandemic arrived, a black-swan event bringing short-term benefits but also stiff challenges.

The battle for streaming supremacy may end up having more than one winner, but the cost and disruption to decades-old business models have also produced a lot of losers.

With the publication of "Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix", the team of Dade Hayes and Dawn Chmielewski reveal the true costs of the vision quest as companies are turned inside-out and repeatedly redraw their organization charts and strategic plans. Stretching from Silicon Valley to Hollywood to Wall Street, this is a mesmerizing, character-rich, true life tale of hubris and ambition, as the fate of a century-old entertainment industry hangs in the balance.

Critique: A simply fascinating and informative read from cover to cover, "Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix" will have an immense appeal to anyone interested in how technology has impacted the mass audience and entertainment market. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informative four page Epilogue, a four page listing of Acknowledgments, ten pages of Notes, and a twenty-two page Index, "Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Media & Mass Communications collections and supplemental curriculum 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 "Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798200856916, $43.99, CD).

Editorial Note #1: Dade Hayes is the business editor at Deadline. Along with two previous books about entertainment, he has written for the New York Times, Variety, and the podcast Business Wars.

Editorial Note #2: Dawn Chmielewski is an entertainment business correspondent for Reuters and was previously a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Recode, and Forbes.

John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars
Eve Golden
The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40508-4008
www.kentuckypress.com
9780813196497, $24.95, PB, 378pp

https://www.amazon.com/John-Gilbert-Silent-Screen-Classics/dp/0813196493

Synopsis: Charming and classically handsome, John Gilbert (1897 - 1936) was among the world's most recognizable actors during the silent era. He was a wild, swashbuckling figure on screen and off, and accounts of his life have focused on his high-profile romances with Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, his legendary conflicts with Louis B. Mayer, his four tumultuous marriages, and his swift decline after the introduction of talkies.

A dramatic and interesting personality, Gilbert served as one of the primary inspirations for the character of George Valentin in the Academy Award - winning movie The Artist (2011). Many myths have developed around the larger-than-life star in the eighty years since his untimely death, but "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars" is definitive biography that sets the record straight.

With the publication of "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars", biographer Eve Golden separates fact from fiction as she traces the actor's life from his youth spent traveling with his mother in acting troupes to the peak of fame at MGM, where he starred opposite Mae Murray, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and other actresses in popular films such as The Merry Widow (1925), The Big Parade (1925), Flesh and the Devil (1926), and Love (1927). Golden debunks some of the most pernicious rumors about the actor, including the oft-repeated myth that he had a high-pitched, squeaky voice that ruined his career.

Meticulous, comprehensive, and generously illustrated, "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars" provides a behind-the-scenes look at one of the silent era's greatest stars and the glamorous yet brutal world in which he lived.

Critique: Originally published in 2013 and now released in a paperback edition as well as in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99), "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars" is the definitive biography of one of the great male lead actors during the silent era years of American cinema. Organized chronological into three major sections (The Climb; The Peak; The Decline), "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars" is additionally enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of black/white photos, a thirty-two page Filmography, twenty-four pages of Notes, a four page Bibliography, and a fifteen page Index. Comprehensive and exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars" is an important and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Americn Theatre/Cinema History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Eve Golden is the author of five other theater and film biographies, including Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn't Help It, Anna Held and the Birth of Ziegfeld's Broadway, and The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall.


The Education Shelf

Well-Being in Schools
Andy Hargreaves, author
Dennis Shirley, author
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416630722, $32.95, PB, 188pp

https://www.amazon.com/Well-Being-Schools-Forces-Students-Volatile/dp/1416630724

Synopsis: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, students' well-being was an increasingly prominent concern among educators, as issues related to mental health, various global crises, and social media became impossible to ignore. But what, exactly, is well-being? What does it look like, why is it so important, and what can school systems do to promote it? How does it relate to student achievement and social and emotional learning?

With the publication of "Well-Being in Schools: Three Forces That Will Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World ", academicians and education experts Professors Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley answer these questions and more with an in-depth exploration of the underlying ideas and research findings related to well-being, coupled with examples of policies and implementations from around the globe. These two collaborative authors make the case for putting well-being ahead of other priorities, such as scores on high-stakes assessments, and explain the three powerful forces that educators can leverage to set up effective well-being policy and practice: prosperity for all, ethical technology use, and restorative nature.

"Well-Being in Schools: Three Forces That Will Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World" offers hope in a time of unprecedented challenges. Looking within and beyond the classroom, it charts a path toward a lofty but achievable goal: improved well-being not only for students but also for society as a whole.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, insightfully informative, thoughtful and thought provoking, "Well-Being in Schools: Three Forces That Will Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World" is inspiring and recommended reading for classroom teachers, school administrators, governmental education policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject. While a core addition to school district, college, and university library Contempoary Education Reform collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Well-Being in Schools: Three Forces That Will Uplift Your Students in a Volatile World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.99).

Editorial Note #1: Andy Hargreaves is director of CHENINE (Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education) at the University of Ottawa, research professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College, and honorary professor at Swansea University in the UK. He is cofounder and president of the ARC Education Project, a group of nations committed to broadly defined excellence, equity, well-being, inclusion, democracy, and human rights in education. Hargreaves was president of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement 2017 - 2019, served as education advisor to the premier of Ontario 2015 - 2018, and is currently an advisor to the first minister of Scotland.

Editorial Note #2: Dennis Shirley is Duganne Faculty Fellow and professor of education at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. Shirley has led and advised many educational change initiatives. He was the principal investigator of the Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement, a federally funded improvement network that united 18 urban schools, 7 higher education institutions, and 16 community-based organizations. He has conducted in-depth studies about school innovations in England, Germany, Canada, and South Korea. Shirley's previous book is "The New Imperatives of Educational Change: Achievement with Integrity".


The Science Shelf

The Monster's Bones
David K. Randall
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9781324006534, $26.99, HC, 28pp

https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Bones-Discovery-Shook-World/dp/1324006536

Synopsis: In the Bone Wars of the Gilded Age era, two vastly different men emerge with a mission to fill the empty halls of New York's struggling American Museum of Natural History: Henry Fairfield Osborn, a privileged socialite whose reputation rests on the museum's success, and intrepid Kansas-born fossil hunter Barnum Brown.

When Brown unearths the first Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils in the Montana wilderness, forever changing the world of paleontology, Osborn sees a path to save his museum from irrelevancy. With four-foot-long jaws capable of crushing the bones of its prey and hips that powered the animal to run at speeds of 25 miles per hour, the T. Rex suggests a prehistoric ecosystem more complex than anyone imagined. As the public turns out in droves to cower before this bone-chilling giant of the past and wonder at the mysteries of its disappearance, Brown and Osborn together turn dinosaurs from a biological oddity into a beloved part of culture.

Vivid and engaging, "The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World" by David K. Randall journeys from prehistory to present day, from remote Patagonia to the unforgiving badlands of the American West to the penthouses of Manhattan. With a wide-ranging cast of robber barons, eugenicists, and opportunistic cowboys, to reveal how a monster of a bygone era ignited a new understanding of our planet and our place within it.

Critique: Written with the storytelling flair of a novelist, David Randall's "The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World" is an inherently fascinating and detailed history that will have special appeal to academicians, paleontology students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in dinosaurs. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.16), "The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World" is especially recommended as a prized acquisition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Paleontology collections and Science History collections.

Editorial Note: A senior reporter at Reuters, David K. Randall is also the author of Dreamland, The King and Queen of Malibu, Black Death at the Golden Gate. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times, among other publications.


The Art Shelf

Women Painting Women
Andrea Karnes, editor
DelMonico Books
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.artbook.com
9781636810355, $49.95, HC, 172pp

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Painting-Andrea-Karnes/dp/1636810357

Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Andrea Karnes, "Women Painting Women" is a thematic exploration of nearly 50 female artists who choose women as subject matter in their works,

"Women Painting Women" is comprised of nearly 50 portraits that span the 1960s to the present. International in scope, the artists and their work recognizes female perspectives that have been under-represented in the history of postwar figuration.

Painting is the focus, as traditionally it has been a privileged medium for portraiture, particularly for white male artists. The artists here use painting and women as subject matter and as vehicles for change. They range from early trailblazers such as Emma Amos and Alice Neel to emerging artists such as Jordan Casteel, Somaya Critchlow and Apolonia Sokol. All place women in terms of their bodies, gestures and individuality at the forefront.

The pivotal narrative in "Women Painting Women" is how the selected artists included use the conventional portrait of a woman as a catalyst to tell another story outside of male interpretations of the female body. They conceive new ways to activate and elaborate on the portrayal of women by exploring themes of the Body, Nature Personified, Selfhood and Color as Portrait. Replete with complexities, realness, abjection, beauty, complications, everydayness and joy, the portraits in this volume make way for women artists to share the stage with their male counterparts in defining the image of woman and how it has evolved.

Critique: Of special note is the inclusion of photos of the women artists accompanying their succinct biographies. A simply fascinating volume to browse through on artist and one painting at a time, "Women Painting Women" is a unique, informative, ground-breaking volume that is an unreservedly recommended acquisition to personal, professional, community, college, and university Art History and Women's Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Andrea Karnes obtained a college degree in art history from the University of North Texas. She began her career as a receptionist at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. She then worked her way up to research assistant and registrar while getting her master's degree at Texas Christian University, then on to becoming a curator and now is a senior curator.

Drama & Beauty
Erin R. Jones, author
Richard P. Townsend, author
Giles
https://gilesltd.com
9781913875206, $39.95, HC, 152pp

https://www.amazon.com/Drama-Beauty-European-Paintings-Collection/dp/1913875202

Synopsis: "Drama & Beauty: Great European Paintings from the Bob Jones Collection" is a beautifully illustrated catalog that celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Bob Jones Collection and offers a fascinating survey of religious European art from the 14th through the 19th centuries.

Bob Jones Jr. founded the collection as an educational effort and opened it on the campus of the university named after his father in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1951. Those first 25 paintings included works by Bicci di Lorenzo, Luca Giordano, El Greco, and Tintoretto, and today the collection comprises over 400 paintings, as well as a wide range of sculpture, decorative arts, and antiquities. It is widely recognized among scholars as one of the finest collections of Renaissance and Baroque paintings in America, and a document of the revival of the taste for Baroque pictures in the mid-20th century.

Erin Jones's introduction provides an overview of the history of the various iterations of the Museum & Gallery, even as it looks forward to a new home in the center of its community. Richard P. Townsend's essay presents the most in-depth examination to date of Bob Jones Jr. as a collector, extensively using letters, invoices, and photographs to paint a picture of Jones hitherto not available.

At the heart of the volume is the presentation of 55 paintings, featuring works by great European masters including Botticelli, Bouts, Cranach, Guercino, Jordaens, Preti, Reni, Ribera, Rubens, Tiepolo, and Zurbaran.

Critique: A coffee-table style volume (9.75 x 1 x 11.25 inches), the format of "Drama & Beauty: Great European Paintings from the Bob Jones Collection" is to have a full page reproduction of the painting on the right hand page while the left hand opposing page provides informative commentary and physical attributes such as its size, time frame, artist, etc. The result is an impressively informative layout that will inspire the reader to revisit the volume time and time again. Especially appropriate as a library's Memorial Fund acquisition, "Drama & Beauty: Great European Paintings from the Bob Jones Collection" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university Fine Arts collections. It should be noted that "Drama & Beauty: Great European Paintings from the Bob Jones Collection" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note #1: Richard P. Townsend is a museum consultant and art advisor, and the president of Townsend Art Advisory LLC. He was previously executive director at the Driehaus Museum, Chicago, and the director of the Museum of Biblical Art, New York.

Editorial Note #2: Erin Rodman Jones is the executive director of the Museum & Gallery, Inc.

New Way of Seeing
Kelly Grovier
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500239636, $50.00, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Seeing-History-Works/dp/0500239630

Synopsis: From a carved mammoth tusk (ca. 40,000 BCE) to Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights (1505 - 1510) to Duchamp's Fountain (1917), a remarkable lexicon of astonishing imagery has imprinted itself onto the cultural consciousness of the past 40,000 years.

With the publication of "New Way of Seeing: The History of Art in 57 Works", Kelly Grovier devotes himself to illuminating these and more than fifty other seminal works in this radical new history of art. Stepping away from biography, style, and the chronology of "isms" that preoccupies most of art history, "A New Way of Seeing" invites a new interaction with art, one in which we learn from the artworks and not just about them. Grovier identifies that part of the artwork that bridges the divide between art and life and elevates its value beyond the visual to the vital. "A New Way of Seeing" challenges the sensibility that conceives of artists as brands and the works they create as nothing more than material commodities to hoard, hide, and flip for profit.

Lavishly illustrated with 200 illustrations showcasing the most breathtaking and enduring artworks ever created, Grovier casts fresh light on these famous works by daring to isolate a single, and often overlooked, detail responsible for its greatness and power to move

Critique: Providing a unique and inherently fascinating approach to art history, "New Way of Seeing: The History of Art in 57 Works" is an extraordinarily informative and thought-provoking study that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "New Way of Seeing: The History of Art in 57 Works" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780500295564, $29.95).

Editorial Note: Kelly Grovier is a poet, historian, and cultural critic. He is also a regular contributor on art to the Times Literary Supplement, and his writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Observer, Sunday Times, and Wired. Educated at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Oxford. He is the author of "100 Works of Art That Will Define Our Age", "Art Since 1989", and "On the Line: Conversations with Sean Scully".


The Biography Shelf

Identified with Texas
Elizabeth Whitlow
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574418668, $45.00, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Identified-Texas-Governor-Marshall-Lucadia/dp/1574418661

Synopsis: The first published biography of Texas Governor Elisha Marshall Pease (1812-1883), "Identified with Texas" by historian Elizabeth Whitlow is a dual biography of Pease and his wife, Lucadia Niles Pease (1813-1905).

Pease volunteered to fight in the first battle of the Revolution at Gonzales, and he served with the Texan Army at the Siege of Bexar. Pease served in the first three state legislatures after Texas joined the Union in 1845, was elected governor in 1853 and re-elected in 1855, and returned to the governorship as an interim appointee from 1867 to 1869 during Reconstruction. His achievements in all these positions were substantial.

Lucadia Niles Pease was known as the Governor's "Lady". Moreover, her early, independent travel and her stated position as a "woman's rights woman" in the 1850s, as well as her support for sending a daughter away to college in the 1870s to earn a degree, all serve as markers of her intelligence and the strength of her convictions.

To tell their story, Elizabeth Whitlow mined thousands of letters and papers saved by the Pease family and housed in the Austin History Center of the Austin Public Library, as well as in the Governor's Papers at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography, fifty-two pages of Endnotes, and a thirty- eight page Index, "Identified with Texas: The Lives of Governor Elisha Marshall Pease and Lucadia Niles Pease" is an impressively informative, detailed and documented biography that is a welcome and informative contribution to community, college, and university library 19th Century American Biography, and Texas History collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Identified with Texas: The Lives of Governor Elisha Marshall Pease and Lucadia Niles Pease" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Elizabeth Whitlow holds a BA with a double major in geography and history and a secondary school teaching certificate. She also received an MSW from the University of Denver and spent much of her career in social service work.

The Double Life of Katharine Clark
Katharine Gregorio
Sourcebooks Inc.
1935 Brookdale Road, #139, Naperville, IL 60563
www.sourcebooks.com
9781728248417, $16.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Life-Katharine-Clark-Suspenseful/dp/1728248418

Synopsis: In 1955, Katharine Clark, the first American woman wire reporter behind the Iron Curtain, saw something none of her male colleagues did. What followed became one of the most unusual adventure stories of the Cold War. While on assignment in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Clark befriended a man who, by many definitions, was her enemy. But she saw something in Milovan Djilas, a high-ranking Communist leader who dared to question the ideology he helped establish, that made her want to work with him. It became the assignment of her life.

Against the backdrop of protests in Poland and a revolution in Hungary, she risked her life to ensure Djilas's work made it past the watchful eye of the Yugoslavian secret police to the West. She single-handedly was responsible for smuggling his scathing anti-Communism manifesto, The New Class, out of Yugoslavia and into the hands of American publishers. The New Class would go on to sell three million copies worldwide, become a New York Times bestseller, be translated into over 60 languages, and be used by the CIA in its covert book program.

Meticulously researched and written by Clark's great-niece, Katharine Gregorio, "The Double Life of Katharine Clark: The Untold Story of the Fearless Journalist Who Risked Her Life for Truth and Justice" illuminates a largely untold chapter of the twentieth century. It shows how a strong-willed, fiercely independent woman with an ardent commitment to truth, justice and freedom put her life on the line to share ideas with the world, ultimately transforming both herself (and history) in the process.

Critique: A fascinating, true life, and impressively informative journalist memoir that reads with all the suspense and high- tension thrills of a novel, "The Double Life of Katharine Clark: The Untold Story of the Fearless Journalist Who Risked Her Life for Truth and Justice" showcases an extraordinary woman who was able to accomplish a truly hazardous series of services during some of the worst years of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western Democracies. Also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), "The Double Life of Katharine Clark: The Untold Story of the Fearless Journalist Who Risked Her Life for Truth and Justice" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to community, college, and university library American Biography/Memoir, Cold War, and American Journalism collections.

Editorial Note: Katharine Gregorio is the great niece of Katharine Clark. She holds a BA in History from Dartmouth College, an MSc in International Relations from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MBA from The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

Nicolae Iorga: A Biography
Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera
Center for Romanian Studies
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9789739809177, $59.99, HC, 588pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nicolae-Iorga-Biography-Nicholas-Nagy-Talavera/dp/9739809170

Synopsis: The Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga played a critical role in the history of his country for more than fifty years until his tragic death in 1940. The author of more than 1,200 books and 20,000 articles, Iorga was one of the most prolific scholars of all time. In recognition of his academic achievements, Iorga was made a member of the Romanian, French, Yugoslav, and Polish academies, and received honorary doctorates from universities around the world.

Iorga was also deeply involved in the political life of Romania throughout the first four decades of the twentieth century, one of the most complex and important periods in his country's history. With the publication of "Nicolae Iorga: A Biography", the first comprehensive biography of one of the most important European cultural and political personalities of the first half of the twentieth century, biographer Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera considers Iorga not only as a historian, politician, journalist, literary critic, playwright, writer, poet, and linguist, but also as an orator, teacher, and last, but not least, a human being

Critique: A massively detailed, exhaustively researched and comprehensive biography of Nicolae Iorga, this study is a work of meticulously thorough scholarship that will be an appreciated and invaluable contribution to college and university library Historical European Political Biographies and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Romanian History that "Nicolae Iorga: A Biography" is also available in a paperback edition (9781592110759, $34.99).

Editorial Note: Nicholas M. Nagy-Talavera (February 1, 1929 - January 23, 2000) was a Hungarian-American dissident, historian, writer and professor. There are two websites dedicated to his life and work: https://www.enwik.org/dict/Nicholas_Nagy-Talavera and the Library of Congress at https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no90013846.html


The Military Shelf

The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book
Richard Estep
Visible Ink Press
43311 Joy Rd., #414, Canton, MI 48187-2075
www.visibleinkpress.com
9781578597772, $54.95, HC, 464pp

https://www.amazon.com/Handy-Armed-Forces-Answer-Book/dp/1578597773

Synopsis: From the few hundred soldiers in its ranks when it was first established, to the over one million service members today, the U.S. military has grown in power and size over its 250-year history. Its organization and branches have changed to adapt to new technologies and national needs. "The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military" by Richard Estep covers each branch of the U.S. military and answers more than 500 of the most intriguing questions ranging from How is the U.S. military organized?, to How do the branches work together?, When did the Army Air Corps become the U.S. Army Air Force?, and What is the selection process like for Special Forces?, to Who was the Continental Army's first Commander in Chief?, How many bases does the military have?, Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?, Does the Space Force have any operational bases?, Who defends the United States against cyberattacks and other digital threats?

The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force are uniquely American, each in their own way. With the publication of "The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military", the reader will learn what makes each branch special. With more than 140 photos and graphics, "The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military" is enhanced with the inclusion of a bibliography and extensive index.

Critique: Comprehensively informative, authoritative and exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military" must be considered an essential addition to community, college, and university library American Military collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Handy Armed Forces Answer Book: Your Guide to the Whats and Whys of the U.S. Military" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781578597437, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Author and researcher Richard Estep has written twenty books, including Serial Killers: The Minds, Methods, and Mayhem of History's Most Notorious Murderers. He has also written for the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.


The Political Science Shelf

Read Dangerously
Azar Nafisi
Dey Street Books
c/o William Morrow & Company
www.harpercollins.com
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9780062947369, $26.99, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Read-Dangerously-Subversive-Literature-Troubled/dp/0062947362

Synopsis: What is the role of literature in an era when one political party wages continual war on writers and the press? What is the connection between political strife in our daily lives, and the way we meet our enemies on the page in fiction? How can literature, through its free exchange, affect politics?

A galvanizing guide to literature as resistance, with the publication of "Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times", author, academician, and political activist Azar Nafisi seeks to answer these questions. Drawing on her experiences as a woman and voracious reader living in the Islamic Republic of Iran, her life as an immigrant in the United States, and her role as literature professor in both countries, she crafts an argument for why, in a genuine democracy, we must engage with the enemy, and how literature can be a vehicle for doing so.

Structured as a series of letters to her father, who taught her as a child about how literature can rescue us in times of trauma, Nafisi explores the most probing questions of our time through the works of Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, James Baldwin, Margaret Atwood, and more.

Critique: Thoughtful and thought-provoking, inspired and inspiring, exceptionally well organized and presented, and occasionally iconoclastic, "Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times" must be considered essential reading for not just the general public with an interest in preserving democracy with respect to today's political climate at home and abroad, authors and small press publishers with an interest in the politics of censorship, the political aspects of literary criticism, and the role of books and reading in shaping and influencing American political culture should give careful attention what Azar Nafisi has to say on these subjects.

While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Political Science & Literature collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists and writers, as well as non- specialist general readers with an interst in the subject that "Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781799953197, $34.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Azar Nafisi is the author of the multi-award-winning "Reading Lolita in Tehran", as well as "Things I've Been Silent About", "The Republic of Imagination", and "That Other World". Formerly a Fellow at Johns Hopkins University's Foreign Policy Institute, she has taught at Oxford and several universities in Tehran.

Beyond Leviathan: Critique of the State
Istvan Meszaros, author
John Belamy Foster, editor
Monthly Review Press
134 W. 29th Street, Suite 706, New York, NY 10001
www.monthlyreview.org
9781583679500, $99.00, HC, 512pp

https://monthlyreview.org/product/beyond-leviathan

Synopsis: Istvan Meszaros was one of the greatest political theorists of the twentieth century. Left unfinished at the time of his death, "Beyond Leviathan: Critique of the State" is written on the magisterial scale of his previous book, "Beyond Capital", and meant to complement that work. It focuses on the transcendence of the state, along with the transcendence of capital and alienated labor, while traversing the history of political theory from Plato to the present.

Aristotle, More, Machiavelli, and Vico are only a few of the thinkers discussed in depth. The larger objective of this work is no less than to develop a full-edged critique of the state, in the Marxian tradition, and set against the critique of capital. Not only does it provide, for the first time, an all-embracing Marxian theory of the state, it gives new political meaning to the notion of "the withering away of the state". In his definitive, seminal work, Meszaros seeks to illuminate the political preconditions for a society of substantive equality and substantive democracy.

Critique: Posthumously edited by Professor John Bellamy Foster, "Beyond Leviathan: Critique of the State" by Istvan Meszaros is a seminal work that will be an enduringly appreciated and valued addition to college and university library Political Economy and Religious Philosophy collections in general, and Communism/Marxism political science studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Beyond Leviathan: Critique of the State" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781583679494, $34.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.16).

Editorial Note #1: Istvan Meszaros (19 December 1930 - 1 October 2017) was a professor emeritus at the University of Sussex and a world renown philosopher and critic. He authored Marx's Theory of Alienation, Beyond Capital, and over a dozen other titles.

Editorial Note #2: John Bellamy Foster is the editor of Monthly Review and professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Oregon. He has written many books including The Robbery of Nature (with Brett Clark) and The Return of Nature, which won the Deutscher Memorial prize.


The Autism Shelf

The Loving Push
Temple Grandin, author
Debra Moore, author
Future Horizons, Inc.
107 W. Randol Mill Road, Suite 100, Arlington, TX 76011
www.fhautism.com
9781941765203, $19.95, PB, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Push-Professionals-Spectrum-Successful/dp/1941765203

Synopsis: Parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone who cares about a child or teen on the autism spectrum need to carefully read "The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults", an essential roadmap to prepare our youth for being successful adults in today's world.

With the publication of "The Loving Push", author, autism advocate, and animal science professor Dr. Temple Grandin joins psychologist and autism specialist Dr. Debra Moore in spelling out which steps can be taken to restore a child's hope and motivation -- and what must avoid.

"The Loving Push" is comprised of eight life stories told by people on the autism spectrum, as well as chapters on subjects like how to get kids off their computers, how to build on their strengths and get back to caring about their lives, and how to find a path to a successful, meaningful life.

Critique: Thoroughly 'parent and caregiver friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Autism & Asperger's Syndrome. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parents, teachers, daycare center staff, and psychology students that "Autism & Asperger's Syndrome" is an ideal guide and DIY handbook for assisting autistic children to succeed in their daily lives.


The Library Science Shelf

How to be a Peer Research Consultant
Maglen Epstein, author
Bridget Draxler, author
ALA Editions
c/o Neal-Shuman Publishers
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838937624, $50.00, PB, 108pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Peer-Research-Consultant-Librarians/dp/0838937624

Synopsis: Every student brings their own individual set of educational and personal experiences to a research project, and peer research consultants are uniquely able to reveal this "hidden curriculum" to the researchers they assist.

In seven highly readable chapters, "How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" provides focused support for anyone preparing undergraduate students to serve as peer research consultants, whether you refer to these student workers as research tutors, reference assistants, or research helpers.

"How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" offers valuable training material to help student researchers develop metacognitive, transferable research skills and habits, as well as foundational topics like what research looks like in different disciplines, professionalism and privacy, ethics, the research process, inclusive research consultations, and common research assignments.

"How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" concludes with an appendix containing 30 activities, discussion questions, and written reflection prompts to complement the content covered in each chapter, designed to be easily printed or copied from the book.

"How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" can be read in its entirety to gather ideas and activities, or it can be distributed to each student as a training manual. It pays particular attention to the peer research consultant-student relationship and offers guidance on flexible approaches for supporting a wide range of research needs. The book is intended to be useful in a variety of higher education settings and is designed to be applicable to each institution's unique library resources and holdings. Through mentoring and coaching, undergraduate students can feel confident in their ability to help their peers with research and may be inspired to continue this work as professional librarians in the future.

Critique: An ideal resource as a DIY study or as a library science curriculum textbook, "How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students" is especially recommended as an essential and core addition to community, school district, college, and university Library Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.

Editorial Note: Maglen Epstein (Research and Instruction Librarian) and Bridget Draxler (Associate Director of Writing, Speaking, and Academic Support), both work at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In addition to separately training undergraduate students in research support and writing tutoring, respectively, Maggie and Bridget have also co-trained students in the combined position of Writing and Research Tutor as part of an initiative to better support underrepresented first-year students. Their combined experience with tutor training, collaborative efforts to create cross-campus partnerships, and individual expertise in research instruction and writing pedagogy have shaped the collaborative and practical nature of "How to be a Peer Research Consultant: A Guide for Librarians and Students:.

Introduction to Information Science
David Bawden, author
Lyn Robison, author
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783304950, $79.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Science-David-Bawden/dp/1783304952

Synopsis: Now in a significantly revised and expanded second edition, "Introduction to Information Science" by academicians David Bawden and Lyn Robinson provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the subject, bringing it up-to-date with analysis of the changes in the information environment, now largely digital, and their implication for the discipline and professions.

The approach taken in "Introduction to Information Science" is rooted in the philosophical, theoretical, and conceptual foundations of the subject and in particular in Floridi's ideas of the fourth revolution, hyperhistory, and onlife.

The theory-practice relationship is strongly emphasized throughout, and the extensive literature coverage makes this a valuable sourcebook. This new second edition is extensively revised, with largely new text, illustrations, and resources, and offers a global perspective.

The main topics covered include: foundations: philosophies, theories, concepts, ethics, and historical perspectives organising, retrieving, and analysing information and data information behaviour, domain analysis, and digital literacies digital technologies, information systems, and information management information research methods and informetrics changing modes of information communication, and information society the nature and future of the information disciplines and professions.

A standard textbook for students of library and information disciplines, "Introduction to Information Science" includes information science, librarianship, information and knowledge management, archives and records management, and digital humanities. It will also serve as an introduction for those beginning research in these areas, and as a resource for thoughtful and reflective practitioners.

Critique: Comprehensive, well written, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, this new second edition of "Introduction to Information Science" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university Library Science collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted for student librarians, academia, librarian in-service workshops, active librarians, library board members, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in Information Science & Technology that "Introduction to Information Science" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $49.99).

Editorial Note #1: David Bawden is Professor of Information Science at City University London, editor of Journal of Documentation, and a council member of Aslib. He is author of over 150 books, chapters, papers and published presentations.

Editorial Note #2: Lyn Robinson is Senior Lecturer in Information Science, and Director of the Postgraduate Information Studies Scheme, at City University London. She is author of numerous papers and published presentations, and has written two books, including Facet's Understanding Healthcare Information.


The Business Shelf

The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs
Joe Pickard, editor
Molly Price, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500971185, $50.00, HC, 204pp

https://www.amazon.com/Monocle-Book-Entrepreneurs-Tyler-Br%C3%BBl%C3%A9/dp/0500971188

Synopsis: As we face a world that is undergoing unparalleled change, no area is more dynamic than business. To help us understand, navigate, and succeed in this new world, the editorial team of Joe Pckard and Molly Price at Monocle brings together a unique knowledge of culture, politics, economics, and business.

Featuring stories of people running enterprises on every scale, the inspirational tales comprising "The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs" provide readers with insights into the challenges and joys of creativity and entrepreneurship. These unmatched case studies reveal, among many success stories, how leaders choose branding, hire teams, and design workspaces for today's needs.

Whether you are planning to make a life change, start a new business, or reinvigorate an existing one, "The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs" is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to make a difference in their work and life.

Critique: Published for the benefit of anyone wanting to run their own business and find a better quality of life as a successful entrepreneur, "The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs" must be considered essential reading. Comprehensive, 'real world' practical, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Monocle Book of Entrepreneurs" is particularly appropriate for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Business Management & Entrepreneurship collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.

Editorial Note: Joe Pickard is the books editor at Monocle. Molly Price is deputy books editor for Monocle. The Monocle website is https://monocle.com


The Archaeology Shelf

Between the Meadows
Caitriona Moore
Wordwell Books
https://wordwellbooks.com
9781911633303, $30.00, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Between-Meadows-Archaeology-Edercloon-Dromod-Roosky/dp/1911633309

Synopsis: The bog in the townland of Edercloon, Co. Longford, first came to archaeological attention in 1964, when a local farmer discovered a prehistoric stone axe that retained a portion of its original wooden handle. Forty-two years later, during test excavations in advance of the construction of the N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass, the preservative peat of Edercloon relinquished further ancient secrets in the form of a large network of wooden trackways and numerous artifacts. This proved to be one of the most remarkable archaeological complexes ever excavated in Ireland's wetlands.

Evidence for human activity at Edercloon extends back almost 6,000 years, where the first narrow track of branches and twigs was laid down on the wet bog surface. This practice would continue for four millennia as further structures were built and wheel fragments, spears, and vessels were deposited among them.

The story of Edercloon is not limited to the sites and objects submerged within the peat. Volcanic ash, ancient pollen, microscopic organisms, deep accumulations of peat, beetles' wings, and the wood of the trackways themselves have been the subject of paleoenvironmental studies.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Between the Meadows: The Archaeology of Edercloon on the N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass" by Caitriona Moore is further enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of two Appendices (Radiocarbon Dates; Dendrochronological Dates), a seventeen page Bibliography, and a six page Index. Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Between the Meadows: The Archaeology of Edercloon on the N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass" is an inherently interesting and welcome addition to the growing library of Irish Archaeology. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Archaeology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, archaeologists, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Between the Meadows: The Archaeology of Edercloon on the N4 Dromod-Roosky Bypass" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: CaitrĦona Moore studied archaeology at University College Dublin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996 and a Master of Arts degree in 2009. She has worked on a wide range of archaeological projects across Ireland and specializes in the archaeology of wetlands, ancient woodworking, and wooden artefacts. CaitrĦona is a Managing Director with Archaeology and Built Heritage Ltd.

Editorial Note #2: The Wordwell Group, established in 1986, is the publisher of History Ireland, Archaeology Ireland and Books Ireland magazines, alongside Wordwell Books and, as of 2019, Eastwood Books. The group has been at the heart of Irish cultural life for more than three decades, publishing in collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, the OPW, the Department of Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, TII, the Decade of Centenaries and the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, together with many of Ireland's finest authors in the fields of history, heritage and archaeology. Recent awards include winning the 2019 Nilsson Heritage Prize at the Listowel International Festival and being shortlisted for Irish Small Press of the Year at the Bookseller Awards 2019.

How to Build Stonehenge
Mike Pitts
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500024195, $29.95, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Stonehenge-Mike-Pitts/dp/0500024197

Synopsis: There is nothing like Stonehenge: the simple, graphic genius of these great, arranged blocks. The stones seem to rise from the ground in some antediluvian heave of the Earth: lintels, great horizontal slabs, roughly squared, the grey rock now covered in subtle lichen green. But who made it? When did they make it? And most importantly, how was it built?

How it was constructed is perhaps the central question about Stonehenge and likely the most common query from its many visitors. Yet it's one of the least-researched aspects of the site, which author Mike Pitts aims to correct with the publication of "How to Build Stonehenge".

With a unique focus on the monument itself, Pitts describes the site as it is today, what we know about the different types of stone, how they were carved and positioned to create the ultimate in megalithic architecture, and how this was taken down and left to ruin until the decay was arrested in the twentieth century with substantial restoration works.

Pitts then examines the latest research on the site, interrogating the key questions: the sources of the various stones, how they were transported, and how it was all put together.

"How to Build Stonehenge" considers the first significant study of sarsen, the stone most of Stonehenge is made of, in detail. Recent groundbreaking discoveries using cutting-edge scientific techniques have given us incredible new detail on the sources of these immense stones and brings it into the wider context of other megalith buildings around the world, as well as placing Stonehenge at the center of a network of European Bronze Age cultures.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an Appendix (A Brief History of Stonehenge); a one page advisory on 'How to see Stonehenge'; eight pages of Notes; a two page listing of Further Readings, a two page listing of Acknowledgments; a one page 'Sources of Illustrations; and a four page Index, "How to Build Stonehenge" is an impressively informative and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, community, college, and university library Archaeology collections in general, and megalithic history supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "How to Build Stonehenge" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Mike Pitts is the author of "Digging up Britain", "Digging for Richard III", and "Hengeworld". He is also the editor of British Archaeology magazine and is a trained archaeologist with firsthand experience digging at Stonehenge. He has presented at countless events and talks at Stonehenge.


The Parenting Shelf

10 Steps to Develop Great Learners
John Hattie, author
Kyle Hattie, author
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9781032189284, $160.00, HC, 206pp

https://www.amazon.com/10-Steps-Develop-Great-Learners/dp/1032189282

Synopsis: With the publication of "10 Steps to Develop Great Learners: Visible Learning for Parents", veteran educators John and Kyle Hattie offer a 10-step plan to nurturing curiosity and intellectual ambition and providing a home environment that encourages learning. Drawn from the authors years of experience and expertise, each one of these steps is based on the strongest of research evidence and packed full of practical advice can be followed by any parent to support learning and maximise the potential of their children.

Critique: Covering such vital issues as: Choosing the right school for your child; Communicating effectively with teachers; Being the 'first learner' and demonstrating oneness to new ideas and thinking; Promoting the 'language of learning'; Having appropriately high expectations and understanding the power of feedback, "10 Steps to Develop Great Learners" is an especially recommended addition to personal, professional, community, school district, college, and university library Education Psychology and Parenting collections and supplemental studies curriculum lists. It should be noted that "10 Steps to Develop Great Learners" is also available in a paperback edition (9781032189291, $19.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: John Hattie is Emeritus Laureate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia. He is one of the world's best known and most widely read education experts and his Visible Learning series of books have been translated into 29 different languages.

Editorial Note #2: Kyle Hattie is a Year 6 Teacher working in a primary school in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Over his 10-year career, he has taught at many year levels, from Prep to Year 6 in both Australia and New Zealand. Kyle has held various leadership titles and has a passion for understanding how students become learners.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

To Strip the Flesh
Oto Toda
Viz
https://www.viz.com
9781974722372 $12.99 pbk / $7.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Strip-Flesh-Oto-Toda/dp/1974722376

Synopsis: A moving collection of six short stories that explores what must be stripped away to find the truth and celebrates the beauty of embracing who you are.

Chiaki Ogawa has never doubted that he is a boy, although the rest of the world has not been as kind. Bound by his mother's dying wish, Chiaki tries to be a good daughter to his ailing father.

When the burden becomes too great, Chiaki sets out to remake himself in his own image and discovers more than just personal freedom with his transition - he finds understanding from the people who matter most.

Critique: To Strip the Flesh is a black-and-white manga (Japanese graphic novel) anthology of six short stories about self- discovery, gender-identity, and the quest for understanding. Chiaki Ogawa was assigned female at birth, but has never doubted his identity as a boy. Chiaki tries to play the role of daughter to his father for the sake of his mother's dying wish, but can't keep going through the motions of living a lie. To Strip the Flesh is a thoughtful and profound story about the experience of a young trans man, highly recommended especially for LGBT collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that To Strip the Flesh is intended for older teen and adult readers, and available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).


The Audiobook Shelf

HMS Hazard
David Donachie, author
John Telfer, narrator
Soundings
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781407999715, $TBA, Library CD, 10 Discs

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781407999715

Synopsis: In the year 1796, John Pearce is stuck with a difficult mission, a crew of Quota Men forced to enlist in the Royal Navy, four new midshipmen, as well as Samuel Oliphant, companion-cum-spy, whom he finds a constant irritant.

In his favor he commands HMS Hazard, a speedy warship, a pair of competent officers and, of course, his trusty friends the Pelicans. Their mission is to head for the Mediterranean Fleet and warn Admiral Sir John Jervis of impending danger he will face, fighting a combined French/Spanish fleet.

But there is a serious distraction, the imminent arrival of a Spanish vessel from South America carrying silver, for which the Spaniards are waiting before declaring war. Can John Pearce resist the lure of such a valuable capture and risk his ship in a dangerous battle to gain it, or will his duty come first?

Critique: One of those great action/adventure novels from a time in history of iron men and wooden ships, Novelist David Donachie's "HMS Hazard" is brought vividly to life with a 'theatre of the mind' quality vocal performance by narrator John Telfer. The result is a complete and unabridged audio book that is enthusiastically recommended for all community library collections. It should be noted that "HMS Hazard" is also available in an MP3-CD edition (9781407999722) as well.

Editorial Note: David Donachie is a Scottish nautical historical novelist. He also writes under the pen-names Tom Connery and Jack Ludlow as well as, from 2019, Jack Cole. He was elected to the Management Committee of the Society of Authors in 2014 and became Chair in March 2016.

Jumping Jenny
Anthony Berkeley, author
Soundings
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781407998954, $TBA, Library CD, 7 Discs

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781407998954

Synopsis: At a costume party with the dubious theme of 'famous murderers and their victims', the know-it-all amateur criminologist Roger Sheringham is settled in for an evening of beer, small talk and analyzing his companions. One guest in particular has caught his attention for her theatrics, and his theory that she might have several enemies among the partygoers proves true when she is found hanging from the 'decorative' gallows on the roof terrace.

Noticing a key detail which could implicate a friend in the crime, Sheringham decides to meddle with the scene and unwittingly casts himself into jeopardy as the uncommonly thorough police investigation circles closer and closer to the truth.

Critique: Tightly paced and cleverly defying the conventions of the classic detective novel, "Jumping Jenny" by Anthony Berkeley was originally published in 1933 remains a a classic example of the inverted mystery subgenre. Brilliantly narrated by Sean Barrett, this complete and unabridged audio book is a 'must' for all dedicated mystery fans and will prove to be an enduringly prized addition to community library Mystery/Suspense audio book collections. It should be noted that "Jumping Jenny" is also available in an MP3-CD audio book format (9781407998961).

Editorial Note: Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 - 9 March 1971) was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts.

The Last Goddess
Katerina Tuckova, author
Nina Yndis, narrator
www.katerina-tuckova.cz/en
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781713649922, $34.99, Library CD Edition

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Goddess-Novel-Kate%C5%99ina-Tu%C4%8Dkov%C3%A1/dp/1542036380

Synopsis: Last in a centuries-old lineage of healing women, Dora Idesova was raised by her aunt Surmena in the White Carpathians. Resistant to superstition, Dora grew up hearing stories of the "goddesses" who were said to conjure love and curses and, through divine connection, cure the spirit and the body. Now an academic, Dora is researching the tales that for generations spellbound the hillside where she grew up.

As the mysteries become truths, they reveal a stunning discovery that reaches back from the witch trials of the seventeenth century through Nazi-occupied Germany. Embarking on an emotional journey, Dora is about to find out how deeply and fatefully she is entwined with secret tradition.

Critique: Beautifully weaving together fact, folklore, and fiction, with the publication of "The Last Goddess", Katerina Tuckova draws on the stories of her ancestors to explore the extraordinary history of goddesses who walked the earth. All this is compellingly narrated by the vocal performance of Nina Yndis is a complete and unabridged Library CD edition (11 CDs, 132 Hours, 57 Minutes) that is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library audio book shelves. It should be noted for personal and community library collections that there is also an MP3-CD edition (9780756415860, $27.99) available as well.

Editorial Note: Katerina Tuckova is a Czech playwright, publicist, biographer, art historian, exhibition curator. She has won several literary awards, including the Magnesia Litera Award, the Brno City Award for literature, the Josef Skvorecky Award, and the Czech Bestseller Award. Her books have been translated into nineteen languages. She has an informative website at www.katerina-tuckova.cz/en


The Library CD Shelf

Lifeline
John Stein
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
$TBA CD

Lifeline is a 2-CD music album celebrating the storied musical career of jazz guitarist John Stein. Featuring highlights from Stein's discography, the track selection showcases decades of passion, creativity, and performance. Contributions from side musicians and creative arrangements enhance this treasury, highly recommended especially for jazz guitar enthusiasts and public library collections. 73 min., 8 sec.

Reflection
Lynn Tredeau
www.lynntredeau.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $10.00 digital

https://lynntredeau.bandcamp.com/album/reflection

Reflection is a calming new age solo piano album. The gentle, smoothly flowing music evokes soul-searching over one's past, and inspires dreams for the future. Reflection is a beautiful, calming and centering listening experience, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are Tide Pools, Someday Somehow, What the Rain Said, Dreaming Tree, Meandering, Aspens of Targhee Mountain, Deep in the Forest, The Passing of Time, Nomad, The Road to There, Washed Away, and Celebration.


The General Fiction Shelf

Carry On, Jeeves
P. G. Wodehouse
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com
9780486848952, $6.00, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Carry-Jeeves-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486848957

Synopsis: "Carry On, Jeeves" is comprised of ten classic and very funny short stories by author and humorist P. G. Wodehouse featuring the amusing antics and occasional mishaps of young gentleman Bertie Wooster, who regularly relies on the infinite wisdom of his consummate valet, Jeeves, for help. Lighthearted and delightful to read, these stories include some of the most popular from the Jeeves canon: "Jeeves Takes Charge," in which Bertie and Jeeves first meet, and "Bertie Changes His Mind," -- which is the only story told from Jeeves's point of view.

Critique: Lampooning the English gentry, "Carry On, Jeeves" will have a very special interest to the legions of Dalton Abby fans and the other BBC television series and movies reflecting life and times of the British upper class. P. G. Wodehouse was a master of the lighthearted short story forma and this new Dover Thrift Edition of "Carry On, Jeeves" will introduce a talented writer and a rather incompetent young man and his ever capably valet to a new generation of appreciative readers. Simply stated, "Carry On, Jeeves" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library humorous fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE (15 October 1881 - 14 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeves; the immaculate and loquacious Psmith; Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set; the Oldest Member, with stories about golf; and Mr Mulliner, with tall tales on subjects ranging from bibulous bishops to megalomaniac movie moguls. There is a website dedicated to the life and work of P. G. Wodehouse at https://wodehouse.fandom.com/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse


The Historical Fiction Shelf

In the Shadows of Guadalcanal
Phillip Parotti
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636241623, $22.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Guadalcanal-Casemate-Fiction/dp/163624162X

Synopsis: Twice torpedoed during the Battle of the Atlantic, LT. Tony Colombo USNR, a former merchant marine officer, is appointed to command a new Navy ship, PC-450, a 173 foot, steel-hulled and much advanced submarine chaser carrying five officers and sixty-five men. After a period of escorting convoys up and down the Atlantic coast, Tony suddenly finds himself escorting ships loaded with Marine Corps equipment all the way to Wellington, New Zealand and then to Brisbane, Australia.

Once arrived, he is instantly ordered to begin escorting small convoys up and down the Australian coast. Some weeks later, Tony and PC-450 engage in battle with a dangerous Japanese midget submarine which is attempting to penetrate Brisbane Harbor.

In the summer of 1942, as PC-450 begins to escort numerous convoys from Australia to Noumea in New Caledonia, the United States suddenly invades Guadalcanal with the result that Tony begins guiding convoys north in support of the invasion while fending off the multiple day and night air raids that the Japanese throw down The Slot.

Subsequently, following the hard fought victory on Guadalcanal, PC-450 participates in the invasion of the Russell Islands and then, during the grinding fight for New Georgia, PC-450 not only helps to fend off Japanese air attacks on the fleet but twice engages in surface actions when the Japanese attempt to infiltrate troops onto the island. Wounded in a sudden air attack that radar could not detect in advance, Tony and Baldy are returned to Brisbane for convalescence and new assignments.

Critique: Although a work of carefully crafted fiction, "In The Shadows Of Guadalcanal" by Phillip Parotti is clearly infused with the author's years of experience as a U.S. Naval officer and his familiarity with the history of American armed forces in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. The result is a simply riveting and entertaining read from first page to last. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49), "In The Shadows Of Guadalcanal" is certain to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Military Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Phillip Parotti graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1963, and served four years at sea on destroyers, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic, before exchanging his regular commission for a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In addition to a number of short stories, essays, and poems, Parotti has published three well received novels about The Trojan War. He has his own Wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Parotti


The Literary Fiction Shelf

Sonju
Wondra Chang
https://wondrachang.com
Madville Publishing
MadvillePublishing.com
9781948692588, $19.95, PB, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sonju-Wondra-Chang/dp/1948692589

Synopsis: Author Wondra Chang's novel, "Sonju", opens on a chilly day in November, 1946 in Seoul, Korea. Japan has ended its thirty-five-year occupation of Korea after the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The American military has become the new occupier. A young woman named Sonju is on the way to her best friend's house when she sees two Americans in military uniforms walking ahead of her, and her heart stirs. So begins the story that spans over two decades.

Sonju comes of age in Japanese-occupied Korea, and having received a modern education, she imagines a life of equality and freedom of choice. Her ideals soon clash with the centuries-old Confucian tradition of order and conformity when her mother arranges her marriage to a man she has never met. The decisions she makes during the Korean War lead to her being disowned by her family, betrayed by her best friend, and shunned by society.

Through the period of rapidly evolving political strife in her country following its liberation in 1945, Sonju's private struggle to seek her relevance in a male-dominated society parallels the struggles of Korea on its way to becoming a force in the word.

Critique: A carefully and impressively crafted work of literary fiction, "Sonju" will have a very special appeal to readers of women's historical and literary fiction. An entertaining and memorable read from beginning to end, "Sonju" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sonju" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Wondra Chang was born in South Korea and has lived in the U.S. since 1970. Her writing discipline began at age ten, writing five short stories a day under the tutelage of a writing teacher. She won first place in a province-wide in-person writing competition. She also studied journalism at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. She has a website at https://wondrachang.com


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Edgewater Road
Shelley Shepard Gray
Blackstone Publishing
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9781799923695, $17.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Edgewater-Road-Rumors-Ross-County/dp/179992369X

Synopsis: When Jennifer Smiley's grandmother, Ginny, leaves her an old farmhouse on Edgewater Road in seemingly quiet Ross County, Ohio, Jennifer can't pass up the opportunity for a new beginning. Almost immediately she meets a group of men who generously help her move in. When she realizes that they work for Lincoln Bennett, her next-door neighbor, she's intrigued. Lincoln is gorgeous and has dark, lapis-blue eyes she could get lost in . . . but he doesn't seem all that friendly. She's torn between getting to know him and sticking with the solitude she knows so well. Maybe she could let down some of those walls she's built around her emotions?

Lincoln Bennett likes to keep his head down and get his work done. He's been to prison and he knows that a lot of folks don't take kindly to a man with that kind of history. Plus, he's busy helping other ex-cons get back on their feet. But when he meets Jennifer, he can't help but feel an instant attraction. Will she be able to look past his unsavory history? Will she be able to accept the men he's working so hard to help?

While Jennifer gets to know Lincoln and his friends, she also begins to unravel her grandmother's story, putting together the pieces from scraps of memories and things she finds in her new home. She soon discovers that Ginny Smiley harbored some dark secrets on Edgewater Road -- and that those secrets include both Lincoln and her own absent father. Is learning the truth worth the heartache it could bring?

As the weeks pass and she and Lincoln become closer, Jennifer learns there is a lot to uncover in Ross County -- wonderful friendships, darling towns ... and more than one secret that might be better left buried!

Critique: An original, carefully crafted and inherently entertaining novel, with the publication of "Edgewater Road" author Shelley Shepard Gray continues to document her undeniable talents and genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that creates a kind of theatre of the mind experience for the reader. Of special attraction who like small town stories with revealed small town secrets, "Edgewater Road" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Shelley Shepard Gray fans that "Edgewater Road" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781799921813, $31.95). Librarians please note that there is a large print edition (9798200911547, $28.99, HC) of "Edgewater Road" as well.

Editorial Note: Shelley Shepard Gray is the author of numerous romantic fiction series and mystery novels, including the Seasons of Sugarcreek series, the Sisters of the Heart series, the Families of Honor series, and others. She is also a recipient of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award. She has written more than eighty novels, translated into multiple languages.


The Western Fiction Shelf

Deputized
T. L. Davis
Five Star Books
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9781432869724, $25.95, HC, 281pp

https://www.amazon.com/Deputized-Five-Star-Western-Davis/dp/1432869728

Synopsis: Frank Whittaker is just an unemployed trail hand trying to recover from a night of celebration when he witnesses a bank robbery and is deputized into a posse to track the outlaws. Frank is reluctant and resentful until he finds a way to make money at it by signing on as a guide for a U.S. marshal in pursuit of the same bank robbers, Dandy Jim Beudreaux and his gang.

Marshal Dayton Howard and his manhunters leave a bloody trail in their pursuit of Dandy Jim through Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, a trail that forces Frank to confront his own morality. But capturing Dandy Jim is only part of the puzzle Frank will have to solve before justice can be done!

Critique: A screenwriter with several screenplays, one optioned and one taking semi-finalist in a screenplay competition, but primarily a novelist and freelance writer, T.L. Davis has worked as a producer on micro budget films called The Green Room and The Last Water Well, both written by him. He has also acted as Executive Producer, writer and narrator for the non-partisan documentary Lies of Omission. So it's no surprise to find that Davis has a genuine flair for writing a western action novel like "Deputized". With memorable characters, unexpected plot twists, and gun play aplenty, this new hardcover edition of "Deputized" from the Five Star series from Gale" is especially recommended for community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated western fans.

Rio Hondo
Preston Lewis
Five Star Books
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9781432891404, $25.95, HC, 373pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rio-Hondo-Three-Rivers-Trilogy/dp/1432891405

Synopsis: In the aftermath of the "Big Killing," which culminated in the Lincoln County War, rancher Wes Bracken must rebuild life for himself and his family amid the lingering animosities from the deadly feud. That bloody conflagration has destroyed his livelihood, strained his family, and turned both sides against him as he steered a neutral path between the warring factions.

His vengeful brother-in-law vows to kill him, the economic kingpin of Lincoln County seeks revenge, and the despicable outlaw Jesse Evans, who violated Bracken's wife, intends to murder Bracken and his young family. Two promises complicate Bracken's chances for survival: a pledge not to kill his wife's brother and a commitment to help William H. Bonney earn a governor's pardon for his crimes during the turmoil.

With only his Henry rifle-toting partner to depend on, Bracken must fight a corrupt legal system, a duplicitous governor, a ubiquitous political ring, and an evil Jesse Evans if he is to fulfill his dream of a peaceful life in 1880s New Mexico Territory. If Bracken keeps his promises to his wife and Billy the Kid, he risks an early grave in the same soil that holds so many dead from the Lincoln County War. If he doesn't live up to those pledges, he will dishonor the good name he hopes to build his future on.

Critique: A prolific author who has his own website at https://prestonlewisauthor.com/, Spur Award winner Preston Lewis has a genuine flair for writing action adventure western novels and "Rio Hondo" is one of his best. Part of his 'Three Rivers Trilogy, "Rio Hondo" is the stuff of which great western movies are made and a compelling page-turner of a read that is especially recommended for community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of the legions of Preston Lewis fans.

Bad Man's Return
William Colt MacDonald
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419584, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 472pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419584

Synopsis: The publication of western novelist William Colt MacDonald's "Bad Man's Return", the cowboy heroes known as The Three Mesquiteers (Tucson Smith, Stony Brooke, and Lullaby Joslin) return with their special brand of triple trouble! Two gunfighters arrive in Los Potros the same day, both seeking Tucson. One is anxious to shake the hand of the man who befriended him years before. The other is a desperado looking for an opportunity to put a bullet through Tucson's heart, in revenge for a beating he once suffered. But when Tucson is shot, the evidence points to the culprit being his friend -- much to the gunslinger wrath of Stony and Lullaby.

Critique: This large print paperback edition of "Bad Man's Return" from the Linford Western Library series is in part a deftly crafted vengeance quest that is part mystery to be solved, and part western gunplay at its very best. A welcome introduction to one of the best western novelists to every put pen to paper and spin a story that is a terrifically entertaining read from cover to cover, "Bad Man's Return" is highly recommended to a whole new generation of appreciative readers and certain to be a welcome addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Allan William Colt MacDonald (December 2, 1891 - March 27, 1968), who used the name William Colt MacDonald for his writing, was an American writer of westerns born in Detroit, Michigan whose work appeared both in books and on film. His many film writing credits, all for character writing, include Santa Fe Stampede (1938), Cowboys from Texas (1939), The Kansas Terrors (1939), New Frontier (1939), Wyoming Outlaw (1939), Three Texas Steers (1939), The Night Riders (1939), and Red River Range (1938). His many novels included Gun Country (1929), Rustler's Paradise (1932), The Crimson Quirt (1949), Action at Arcanum (1958), and California Gunman (1957). A complete listing of his books can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Colt_MacDonald

No Place To Hide
John Davage
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848410, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 248pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848410

Synopsis: When Joe Spearman sees a face from the past, he gets a shock. It's the face of a killer - one who now has a good deal of influence and power in the little town of Ox Crossing. Someone who won't want his past catching up with him. However, before Joe can do anything about his discovery, the man he has recognized acts, and Joe is silenced - permanently. Now it's up to his old army buddy Nat Leach to find the murderer.

Critique: A deftly crafted action/adventure western novel that is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections, with the publication of this large print paperback edition of "No Place To Hide", veteran western author John Davage includes elements of a mystery and a little romance with traditional western gunplay and cliff-hanger plot twists. The result of an inherently riveting read and one that will have special appeal to all dedicated western fans.

Jed Harker Rides Out
Simon Webb
https://www.simon-webb.com
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848656, $TBA, Large Print, PB, 232pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848656

Synopsis: Its the Spring of 1861 and Jed Harker aims for nothing more than to mind his own business while traveling north to Kansas. But men and women are taking sides on the question of slavery all over the United States, and Harker finds himself compelled to declare where he stands on on the issue. Since Jed stops a white man named Chappe from abusing a young black boy. As a result Jed ends up fleeing through the Indian Nations having reluctantly volunteered to helping the boy, his mother and a baby sister to freedom in Kansas -- accompanied by a young woman who has invented a new kind of weapon for the Union forces that the Southerners will kill to acquire. With war about to break out, it will be a race against time for Harker and his companions to reach safety!

Critique: A skillfully crafted western set in the opening days of the Civil War, "Jed Harker Rides Out" by seasoned western author Simon Webb is a memorable original and entertaining story from first page to last. Originally published in hardcover in 2019, this new large print paperback edition of "Jed Harker Rides Out" will prove to be a popular addition to community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of all dedicated western action/adventure fans.

Editorial Note: Simon Webb is the author of more than 30 westerns, including Badman Sheriff, Comanche Moon, and Showdown at Parson's End. He has a a personal and professional website at https://www.simon-webb.com

Remarque's Law
Will DuRey
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848731, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 234pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848731

Synopsis: Ben Joyner has no argument with the people who settled on the grassland near Pecos, but other cattlemen have long considered the range their own domain. Ben's boss Gus Remarque believes a dollar a day buys not only a man's labor, but his loyalty too. When that loyalty might involve killing or being killed, Ben wants to wash his hands of the dispute. So he quits the ranch and rides east. But then a strong-willed woman alters his plans!

Critique: Originally published in 2019 as a Black Horn Western, "Remarque's Law" by Will DuRey is new large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library series is a fully engaging and entertaining read from cover to cover by a veteran master of the western novelist.

Editorial Note: Will DuRey is a life-long student of the history and legends of the Old West.

A Gift from Crick
John McNally
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848458, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 228pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848458

Synopsis: Sailors Diggings, an an isolated mining settlement that is left reeling when outlaws slaughter seventeen of the stunned population and clean out the assay office, stealing $75,000 worth of freshly mined gold. A group of vigilantes led by Don Plunkett gives chase, determined to dispense some Old West justice. Eddie Carter is mistaken for a gang member, and to escape a lynching he must go on the run -- handcuffed to outlaw Dave Mooney, the man responsible for the death of his partner. In the confrontation that follows, the stolen gold disappears with an outcome that nobody could have anticipated.

Critique: An impressively crafted and original western action/adventure replete with many a cliff-hanger plot twist and turn, "A Gift From Crick by novelist John McNally is a large print paperback edition from Linford Western Library and certain to be a favorite addition to dedicated western fans and community library Western Fiction collections.

Gold Rush
Bill Grant
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848625, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 240pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848625

Synopsis: Union Army deserter Cody Black thinks that Gold Hill is a safe place to hide out the war and make his fortune. But Cody learns prospecting to be a tough business, and soon finds himself in debt to the local gold baron. Desperate for work, he is forced to become a deputy sheriff, facing the very violence he fled the army to avoid. Meanwhile, a nefarious plot is afoot to tip the balance of the war in favor of the Confederates. Cody must battle Southern sympathizers, and his own doubts, to seek redemption and help save the Union.

Critique: Action packed from first page to last, "Gold Rush" by western novelist Bill Grant is an extraordinarily gripping read from cover to cover. The stuff of which western movies are made, this large print paperback edition of "Gold Rush" is highly recommended reading for all western novel fans in particular, and will prove to be a welcome addition to community library Western Fiction collections in general.

The Line Rider
K. S. Stanley
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444848809, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 282pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444848809

Synopsis: With his job as a line rider under threat, Mack Cambray hopes to settle down with his bride as a homesteader. However, in trying to solve the mystery of his wife's untimely death, Mack ends up in the middle of a violent range war.

Critique: A riveting read so vivid you can practically smell the gunsmoke, "The Line Rider" by K. S. Stanley is part mystery, part action/adventure, and all western. Now available in a large print paperback edition from Linford Western Library, "The Line Rider" will prove to be a welcome and appreciated addition to community library Western Fiction collections and the personal reading lists of staunchly devoted western novel fans.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Death By Beach Read
Eva Gates
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781643859101, $26.99, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Beach-Lighthouse-Library-Mystery/dp/1643859102

Synopsis: It's spring in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Lucy and Connor have moved into their new home at last, a historic cottage on the Nags Head Beach. The house needs a lot of renovations, but they worked hard over the winter to get it ready. Lucy is now happily immersed in her work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, planning her wedding, and decorating the house. That is, until a dead body disrupts their peaceful new abode.

The first night Lucy's alone in the house, with the company of Charles the library cat, she hears sounds. Investigating they see footsteps in the dust of the unfinished living room, and the door to the outside is open. Lucy's reminded that the house is said to be haunted: forty years ago the teenage daughter of the owners fled in the night, and never again stepped foot inside her family home.

But the sounds have an all-too-human origin and one evening Lucy and Connor find the dead body of a man they don't even recognize in their kitchen. They soon realize he has a long-time connection to their house. Lucy's forced to find out what happened all those years ago and why it's threatening her happiness today.

Meanwhile, the Classic Novel Reading Club is reading The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a book about another old house full of secrets. Can Lucy find parallels to her own situation in Hawthorne's fiction before the killer strikes again?

Critique: The ninth title in mystery novelist's Eva Gates 'A Lighthouse Mystery Series', "Death by Beach Read" is the riveting and entertaining read we've come to expect from one of the best cosy mystery writers in the business. Memorable characters, clever plotting, and great fun from cover to cover, "Death by Beach Read" is a 'must' for Eva's legions of fans. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781666581317, $22.99, CD), "Death by Beach Read" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to personal reading lists and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Editorial Note: Eva Gates is a national bestselling author who began her writing career as a Sunday writer: a single mother of three high-spirited daughters, with a full-time job as a computer programmer. In addition to her nine volume 'Lighthouse Library Mystery' series, she now has more than twenty novels under her belt in the mystery genre, published under the name Vicki Delany.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Off-Target
Eve Smith
Thorpe/Charnwood Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444849165, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 384pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444849165

Synopsis: In an all-too-possible near future, when genetic engineering has become the norm for humans, parents are prepared to take incalculable risks to ensure that their babies are perfect, altering and replacing genes that may birth defects, cause illness, enhance favorable qualities such as intelligence and physical ability.

Susan has been trying for a baby for years, and when a one-night stand makes her dream come true, she'll do anything to ensure her husband doesn't find out -- including the unthinkable. She believes her secret is safe. For now. But as governments embark on a genetic arms race and children around the globe start experiencing a host of distressing symptoms, something truly horrendous is unleashed. Because those children have only one thing in common, and people are starting to ask questions.

Critique: A medical/psychological science fiction thriller of a read, "Off-Target" by Eve Smith is an inherently compelling novel that will engage the reader's full attention and engagement from first page to last. This large print paperback edition of "Off-Target" (all the more impressive when considering it is the author Eve Smith's debut as a novelist) is particularly recommended for both the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans and community library Contemporary Science Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Eve Smith has her own website at www.evesmithauthor.com and can be followed on Twitter @evecsmith, and on FB & Instagram at EveSmithAuthor


The Philosophy Shelf

The Story of Philosophy
Will Drant
Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com
9780486848556, $11.00, PB, 496pp

https://www.amazon.com/Story-Philosophy-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486848558

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Story of Philosophy" in Pulitzer Prize - winning author Will Durant chronicled the lives and ideas of several key philosophical thinkers throughout history in an impressively informative and eminently readable text.

Beginning with Socrates and Plato and concluding with Friedrich Nietzsche, with twelve other prominent philosophers in between, "The Story of Philosophy" builds a history of philosophy by showing how each thinker's ideas informed and influenced the next generation.

Critique: For several decades now, "The Story of Philosophy" (first published in 1926) has justifiably considered as essential reading for anyone fascinated by the development of Western philosophy -- and once again it has been made available to students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a Dover Thrift Edition. While unreservedly recommended, especially for personal, professional, community, college, and university library History of Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Story of Philosophy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.59) as well.

Editorial Note: William James Durant (November 5, 1885 - November 7, 1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He became best known for his work The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant, and published between 1935 and 1975. The Durants were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. There is a website dedicated to Will Durant at https://www.will-durant.com

Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly
Nancy Arden McHugh, editor
Andrea Doucer, editor
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza,, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438486352, $95.00, HC, 340pp

Synopsis: Lorraine Code FRSC (born 1937) is Professor Emerita of Philosophy at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Her principal area of research is feminist epistemology and the politics of knowledge. (Wikipedia)

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Andrea Doucer and Nancy Arden McHugh, "Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly: The Legacies of Lorraine Code" brings together a transdisciplinary cohort of feminist, critical race, Indigenous, and decolonial scholars who build upon and seek to widen and deepen the legacy and potential of feminist philosopher Lorraine Code's work.

Since the publication of her 1987 book "Epistemic Responsibility", Code has been at the forefront of linking epistemologies, ontologies, ethics, and epistemic injustice to guide critical frameworks for responsible, situated knowing and practices. "Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly: The Legacies of Lorraine Code" both enacts and expands Code's theories, epistemologies, and practices. It points to how concepts such as epistemic responsibility and approaches like ecological thinking are not only theoretical frameworks for knowing the world well; they are also practices and approaches that more and more feminists and critical thinkers are embodying in their work in order to think, write, and live critically and responsibly.

Critique: Comprised of thirteen erudite and thought-provoking essays, "Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly: The Legacies of Lorraine Code" is further enhanced for both academia and the non-specialist general reader with the inclusion of an informative Introduction by the editors, an Appendix ("I Am a Part of All That I Have Met": A Conversation with Lorraine Code on "Knowledge Processes and the Responsibilities of Knowing"), a four page List of Contributors, and a five page Index. While also available for personal reading lists of philosophy students and academia in a paperback edition (9781438486369, $35.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.25), Thinking Ecologically, Thinking Responsibly: The Legacies of Lorraine Code" is an invaluable work of collective scholarship and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Philosophy, Epistemology, and Ethics collections and Feminist Studies supplemental curriculum reading lists.

Editorial Note #1: Nancy Arden McHugh is Executive Director of the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dayton. She is the coeditor (with Heidi Grasswick) of Making the Case: Feminist and Critical Race Philosophers Engage Case Studies and the author of The Limits of Knowledge: Generating Pragmatist Feminist Cases for Situated Knowing, both also published by SUNY Press.

Editorial Note #2: Andrea Doucet is Professor of Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies at Brock University and Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work and Care. She is the author of Do Men Mother? Second Edition and the coauthor (with Janet Siltanen) of Gender Relations in Canada: Intersectionalities and Social Change, Second Edition.


The Music Shelf

The War on Music
John Mauceri
Yale University Press
PO Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040
http://yalebooks.com
9780300233704, $28.00, HC, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/War-Music-Reclaiming-Twentieth-Century/dp/0300233701

Synopsis: With the publication of "The War on Music: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century" and offering a major reassessment of classical music in the twentieth century, conductor and scholar John Mauceri argues that the history of music during this span was shaped by three major wars of that century: World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.

Probing why so few works have been added to the canon since 1930, Mauceri examines the trajectories of great composers who, following World War I, created voices that were unique and versatile, but superficially simpler. He contends that the fate of composers during World War II is inextricably linked to the political goals of their respective governments, resulting in the silencing of experimental music in Germany, Italy, and Russia; the exodus of composers to America; and the sudden return of experimental music (what he calls "the institutional avant-garde") as the lingua franca of classical music in the West during the Cold War.

Critique: With an impressive eloquence and insight, John Mauceri's "The War on Music: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century" is an extraordinary contribution to music history. Provocative, iconoclastic, informative, and thought-provoking, this study is a masterpiece of original scholarship and enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of an Appendix (A Personal Diary), ten pages of Notes, and a thirteen page Index, "The War on Music: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library 20th Century Classical Music History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The War on Music: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: John Mauceri is a world-renowned conductor and musical scholar. He has conducted most of the world's greatest orchestras and opera companies and served on the Yale University faculty for fifteen years, and is the former chancellor of the UNC School of the Arts.


The American History Shelf

The Widowed Ones
Chris Enss
TwoDot Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781493045945, $26.95, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Widows-Circle-Elizabeth-Custer-Bighorn/dp/1493045946

Synopsis: There weren't many women in the late 1800s who had the opportunity to accompany their husbands on adventures that were so exciting they seemed more the subject of a novel than a memoir. Such was the case for the women married to the officers in General George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry.

There were seven officers' wives. They were all good friends who traveled from post to post with one another along with their spouses. Of the seven widows, Elizabeth Custer was the most well-known. As the wife of the commanding officer, Libbie felt it was her duty to be present when the officer's wives at Fort Lincoln were told their husbands had been killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The women were overwhelmed with letters of condolence. Most people were sincere in their expressions of sorrow over the widows' loss. Others were ghoulish souvenir hunters requesting articles of their husbands' clothing and personal weapons as keepsakes. The press was preoccupied with how the wives of the deceased officers were handling their grief. During the first year after the tragic event, reporters sought them out to learn how they were coping, what plans they had for the future, and what, if anything, they knew about the battle itself.

The widows were able to soldier through the scrutiny because they had one another. They confided in each other, cried without apologizing, and discussed their desperate financial situations.

The friendship the bereaved widows had with one another proved to be a critical source of support. The transition from being officers' wives living at various forts on the wild frontier to being single women with homes of their own was a difficult adjustment. Without one another to depend upon, the time might have been more of a struggle.

"The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" by Chris Enss (with the support of authors Howard Kazanjian and Chris Kortlander) tells the stories of these women and the unique bond they shared through never-before-seen materials from the Elizabeth Custer Library and Museum at Garryowen, Montana, including letters to and from politicians and military leaders to the widows, fellow soldiers and critics of George Custer to the widows, and letters between the widows themselves about when the women first met, the men they married, and their attempts to persevere after the tragedy.

Critique: An extraordinary and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is an amazing and original work historical scholarship that lifts these women from an undeserved obscurity and effectively introduce them to an appreciative new generation of historians and non-specialist general readers. The true life experiences of women widowed in the aftermath of one of most famous 19th Century encounters between Native Americans and the United States military known as the Battle of Little Bighorn, "The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is an impressively original contribution that will be enduringly valued by both academia and the general reader alike.

Enhanced with black-and-white historic photograph images, an informative Introduction, an eight page Bibliography, twelve pages of Notes, and an eight page Index, no community, college, or university library 19th Century American History can be considered comprehensive within the inclusion of "The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" into their collection.

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to 19th Century American Biography supplemental studies curriculums. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and American western history and women's history enthusiasts that "The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.49).

Editorial Note #1: Chris Enss is has been writing about women of the Old West for more than twenty years. She has penned more than forty published books on the subject. Her work has been honored with five Will Rogers Medallion Awards, two Elmer Kelton Book Awards, an Oklahoma Center for the Book Award, and was a Western Writers of America Spur Award Finalist. Her books Thunder Over the Prairie, The Death Row All Stars, and The Trials of Annie Oakley have been optioned by major production companies for feature films. Enss's most recent works are According to Kate: The Legendary Life of Big Nose Kate, Love of Doc Holliday; No Place for a Woman: The Struggle for Suffrage in the Wild West; and Iron Women: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad. Chris Enss is also the current president of Western Writers of America, and serves as executive director of the Will Rogers Medallion Award, and is a licensed private investigator.

Editorial Note #2: Howard Kazanjian is an award-winning producer and entertainment executive who has been producing feature films and television programs for more than twenty-five years.

Editorial Note #3: Christopher Kortlander has been a Western Americana collector and dealer whose personal collection was assembled over several decades and features some of the rarest and most desirable works and historic collectibles in the province of the Indian Wars and America's Westward expansion. Kortlander also published "Custer In Photographs", and produced a play, "Libbie," which offered a new take on the battle and its aftermath.


The World History Shelf

Mythical Ireland
Anthony Murphy
The Liffey Press
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781838359331, $35.00, PB, 340pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mythical-Ireland-Light-Ancient-Past/dp/0995792720

Synopsis: The Ireland of myth and legend embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and this updated and expanded addition of "Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past" by Anthony Murphy is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. This informative history represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, and attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia.

In this new edition, author and journalist Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland's Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about ooded towns and cities?

Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest to reimagine the shrines as empowering and transformative sacred places. Murphy invokes the druids and poets of the Boyne and thus the sĦdhe of the ancient texts are reawakened for a modern and turbulent world.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, and beautifully illustrated volume, "Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Mythology/Folklore collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Anthony Murphy is a journalist and the author of Dronehenge: The Story Behind the Remarkable Discovery at Newgrange, Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers (2020 edition) and Newgrange: Monument to Immortality. He lives in Drogheda and manages the website www.mythicalireland.com.

The Solomons 1943 - 44
Mark Stille, author
Peter Denis, illustrator
Osprey Publishing
4301 21st St, Suite 220B, Long Island City, NY 11101
www.ospreypublishing.com
9781472824479, $24.00, PB, 96pp

https://www.amazon.com/Solomons-1943-44-Struggle-Bougainville-Campaign/dp/1472824474

Synopsis: Victory at Guadalcanal for the Allies in February 1943 left them a vital foothold in the Solomon Islands chain, and was the first step in an attempt to isolate and capture the key Japanese base of Rabaul on New Britain.

In order to do this they had to advance up the island chain in a combined air, naval, and ground campaign. On the other hand, the Japanese were determined to shore up their defences on the Solomons, which was a vital part of their southern front, and would bitterly contest every inch of the Allied advance. The scene was set for one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific War.

Fully illustrated with specially commissioned maps and artwork, "The Solomons 1943 - 44: The Struggle for New Georgia and Bougainville" is the compelling story of the struggle for the Solomons, a key part of the Allied advance towards Japan which saw tens of thousands of casualties and so many ships lost that part of the ocean became known as "Ironbottom Sound."

Critique: A profusely and effectively illustrated World War II Pacific campaign history, "The Solomons 1943 - 44: The Struggle for New Georgia and Bougainville" is impressively informative, organized, and presented -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library WWII Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and military history buffs that "The Solomons 1943 - 44: The Struggle for New Georgia and Bougainville" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).

Editorial Note #1: Mark Stille (Commander, United States Navy, retired) received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College. He recently concluded a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He is also the author of numerous Osprey titles focusing on naval history in the Pacific.

Editorial Note #2: Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, leading him to study Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen war gamer and model maker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.

At the Gates of Rome
Don Hollway
www.donhollway.com
Osprey Publishing
4301 21st St, Suite 220B, Long Island City, NY 11101
www.ospreypublishing.com
9781472849984, $30.00, HC, 368pp

https://www.amazon.com/At-Gates-Rome-Fall-Eternal/dp/1472849981

Synopsis: It took little more than a single generation for the centuries-old Roman Empire to fall. In those critical decades, while Christians and pagans, legions and barbarians, generals and politicians squabbled over dwindling scraps of power, two men (former comrades on the battlefield) rose to prominence on opposite sides of the great game of empire.

Roman general Flavius Stilicho, the man behind the Roman throne, dedicated himself to restoring imperial glory, only to find himself struggling for his life against political foes. Alaric, King of the Goths, desired to be a friend of Rome, was betrayed by it, and given no choice but to become its enemy.

Battling each other to a standstill, these two warriors ultimately overcame their differences in order to save the empire from enemies on all sides. And when one of them fell, the other took such vengeance as had never been seen in history.

Critique: History written with the narrative flair of a novel, with the publication of "At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, AD 410 ", historian Don Hollway has deftly combined antiquarian accounts of Stilicho and Alaric into an simply riveting history -- one that replete with inherently fascinating betrayals, politics, intrigues, war, and a no-holds-barred struggle for the mastery of the Roman Empire. While especially recommended for community, college, and university library Roman History 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 "At the Gates of Rome: The Fall of the Eternal City, AD 410" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.60).

Editorial Note: An author, illustrator, and historian, Don Hollway's first book, "The Last Viking", is a gripping history of King Harald Hardrada. He has published articles in History Magazine, Military Heritage, Military History, Wild West and World War II to Muzzleloader, Renaissance Magazine and Scientific American. His work is also available on his website at www.donhollway.com


The Civil War Shelf

The Blue & Gray Almanac
Albert Nofi
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636241258, $22.95 PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Gray-Almanac-Figures-Recipes/dp/1636241255

Synopsis: Now in a new paperback edition, Albert Nofi's "The Blue & Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts & Figures, Recipes & Slang" tells the story of the American War through a range of insightful essays, anecdotes, and facts.

For example: During the final days of the war, some Richmond citizens would throw "Starvation Parties," at which elegantly attired guests would gather at soirees where the finest silver and crystal tableware was used, though there were usually no refreshments except water; Union Rear-Admiral Goldsborough was nicknamed "Old Guts", not so much for his combativeness as for his heft, weighing about 300 pounds, and was described as ". . . a huge mass of inert matter."; That 30.6 percent of the 425 Confederate generals, but only 21.6 percent of the 583 Union generals, had been lawyers before the war.

That in 1861, J. P. Morgan made a huge profit by buying 5,000 condemned US Army carbines and selling them back to another arsenal, taking the Army to court when they tried to refuse to pay for the faulty weapons; Then Major General Loring was reputed to have so rich a vocabulary than one of the men once remarked he could "curse a cannon up hill without horses."; That Many militia units had a favorite drink, the Charleston Light Dragoons' punch took around a week to make while the Chatham Artillery required 1 pound of green tea leaves be steeped overnight; and that there were five living former presidents when the Civil War began, and seven veterans of the war (plus one draft dodger) who would go on to serve as President o the United States.

Critique: Simply stated, no personal, professional, community, college, or university library American Civil War collections should be without a copy of "The Blue & Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts & Figures, Recipes & Slang" by Albert Nofi. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, civil war historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Blue & Gray Almanac" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $$10.99).

Editorial Note: Albert Nofi is a military historian, defense analyst and wargame designer for many years was an Associate Fellow of the U.S. Civil War Center as well as a Director of the New York Military Affairs Symposium since its formation, and a member of the Society for Military History and a number of other military and historical societies.

Grant vs Lee
Chris Mackowski, editor
Dan Welch, editor
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215953, $29.95, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Grant-Lee-Perspectives-Historians-Anniversary/dp/1611215951

Synopsis: With the presidential election looming in the fall, President Abraham Lincoln needed to break the deadlock. To do so, he promoted Ulysses S. Grant -- the man who had strung together victory after victory in the Western Theater, including the capture of two entire Confederate armies. The unassuming "dust-covered man" was now in command of all the Union armies, and he came east to lead them.

The unlucky soldiers of George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac had developed a grudging respect for their Southern adversary and assumed a wait-and-see attitude: "Grant," they reasoned, "has never met Bobby Lee yet."

By the spring of 1864, Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, had come to embody the Confederate cause. Grant knew as much and decided to take the field with the Potomac army. He ordered his subordinates to forego efforts to capture the capital of Richmond in favor of annihilating Lee's command. Grant's directive to General Meade was straightforward: "Where Lee goes, there you will go also."

Lee and Grant would come to symbolize the armies they led when the spring 1864 campaign began in northern Virginia in the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. What followed was a desperate and bloody death match that ran through the long siege of Richmond and Petersburg before finally ending at Appomattox Court House eleven months later -- but at what cost along the way?

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Civil War historians Chris Mackowski and Dan Welch, "Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War" recounts some of the most famous episodes and compelling human dramas from the marquee matchup of the Civil War. These expanded and revised essays also commemorate a decade of Emerging Civil War, a "best of" collection on the Overland Campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.

Critique: Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, inherently interesting and often surprising, "Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War" is composed of 46 succinct vignettes and is further enhanced for the readers benefit with maps, photos, five pages of Contributor's Notes, a three page Postscript, and a twelve page Index. A masterpiece of Civil War scholarship, "Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library American Civil War Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note #1: Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the online resource Emerging Civil War. A writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, Chris is also historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. The series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, he has also authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in major Civil War magazines.

Editorial Note #2: Dan Welch was the Education Programs Coordinator for the Gettysburg Foundation, the non-profit partner of Gettysburg National Military Park. Welch continues to serve as a seasonal Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. Dan also serves as the Associate Editor of the long-running Gettysburg Magazine. He has received an MA in Military History with a Civil War Era concentration at American Military University, and completed Gettysburg College's rigorous Gettysburg Semester program under the tutelage of Dr. Allen C. Guelzo.

Hearts Torn Asunder
Ernest A. Dollar Jr.
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215120, $32.59, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Torn-Asunder-Campaign-Carolina/dp/1611215129

Synopsis: Most people believe the end of the Civil War came at Appomattox with handshakes and amicable banter between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant -- an honorable ceremony amongst noble warriors. And so it has been remembered to this day.

But the war did not end on April 9, 1865. A larger and arguably more important surrender had yet to take place in North Carolina. This part of the surrender story occupies but little space in the vast annals of Civil War literature, and as author Ernest A. Dollar Jr. ably explains in "Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War's Final Campaign in North Carolina", the lens of modern science may reveal why.

The war's final campaign in North Carolina began on April 10, 1865, one day after Lee's surrender. More than 120,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were still in the field bringing war with them as they moved across the state's verdant heartland. General William T. Sherman was still out to destroy the South's ability and moral stamina to make war. His unstoppable Union troops faced General Joseph E. Johnston's demoralized but still dangerous Confederate Army of Tennessee.

Thousands of paroled Rebels, desperate, distraught, and destitute, added to the chaos by streaming into the state from Virginia. Grief-stricken civilians, struggling to survive in a collapsing world, were caught in the middle. The collision of these groups formed a perfect storm long under reported by civil war historians.

"Hearts Torn Asunder" explores the psychological experience of these soldiers and civilians during the chaotic closing weeks of the war. Their letters, diaries, and accounts reveal just how deeply the killing, suffering, and loss had hurt and impacted these people by the spring of 1865. Dollar deftly recounts the experiences of men, women, and children who endured intense emotional, physical, and moral stress during the war's dramatic climax. Their emotional, irrational, and often uncontrollable reactions mirror symptoms associated with trauma victims today, all of which combined to shape memory of the war's end.

Once the armies left North Carolina after the surrender, their stories faded with each passing year. Neither side looked back and believed there was much that was honorable to celebrate. "Hearts Torn Asunder" ably recounts at a very personal level what happened during those closing days that made a memory so painful that few wanted to celebrate, but none could forget.

Critique: A unique and absolutely fascinating contribution to the growing library of Civil War histories, "Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War's Final Campaign in North Carolina" is a simply fascinating, absorbing, informative, thought-provoking read from cover to cover. Bringing out a vital piece of heretofore neglected history, no personal, professional, community, college, or university library American Civil War history collection can be considered comprehensive or complete unless it includes a copy of "Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War's Final Campaign in North Carolina". Essential reading for students, academia, Civil War historians, non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, it should be noted that "Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War's Final Campaign in North Carolina" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Ernest A. Dollar Jr. graduated from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro with B.A. in History and B.F.A. in Design in 1993 and M.A. in Public History from North Carolina State in 2006. Ernest has worked in several historic parks in both North and South Carolina, including as executive director of the Orange County Historical Museum, Preservation Chapel Hill. He currently serves as the director of the City of Raleigh Museum and Dr. M. T. Pope House Museum.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Possums Are Not Cute!
Ally Burguieres
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781683692997, $14.99, HC, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Possums-Are-Not-Cute-Misunderstood/dp/1683692993

Synopsis: Possums are more than the ugly-cute icons of the internet. These so-called trash animals and pointy kitties are not only relatable avatars for anxious but resilient people everywhere, but nature's secret clean-up crew. Organized around common myths that have given possums a bad reputation, "Possums Are Not Cute!: And Other Myths about Nature's Most Misunderstood Critter" by wildlife rehabber and possum advocate Ally Burguieres is a fun and offbeat book that reveals the truth about possums through dozens of adorable photos, informative illustrations, and fascinating facts.

For example: Possums protect people and pets from disease! A single possum can eat up to 4,000 ticks per week!; Possums excel at interspecies friendships, often sleeping in other animals' dens; Possums are shy creatures: when they "play dead," they are actually fainting from anxiety!

Critique: Enhanced with 'real world' practical tips on possum protection, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99), "Possums Are Not Cute!: And Other Myths about Nature's Most Misunderstood Critter" is a fun, informative, and unreservedly recommended addition to school and community library Pets/Wildlife collections.

Editorial Note: Ally Burguieres is a wildlife rehabilitation expert, a possum ambassador, and can be followed at her @ItsMeSesame Instagram account. When she's not wrangling her posse of rescue possums, she work as an artist and manages two boutiques and an art gallery in New Orleans.

The Birds of Egypt and the Middle East
Richard Hoath
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649031242, $16.95, HC, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Egypt-Middle-East/dp/1649031246

Synopsis: "The Birds of Egypt and the Middle East" is a compact and incisive photographic identification guide to 280 bird species in Egypt and the Middle East. Each individual bird showcased in the pages of "The Birds of Egypt and the Middle East" represents the region's most commonly seen, unique, and endemic species, and is a perfect visual guide for resident and visitor bird watchers alike.

Each bird species is illustrated with a high-quality full-color photograph, accompanied by a detailed description, which includes nomenclature, size, distribution, habits, and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers biogeography, migration, bird topography, and a glossary. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the birds of Egypt encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name as well as its status in each country and its global International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status.

Critique: Impressively informative and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Birds of Egypt and the Middle East" is an ideal reference for on-site bird watcher observation -- and an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Ornithological Identification & Reference collections.

Editorial Note: Richard Hoath is a leading naturalist based in Egypt, having traveled extensively throughout the Middle East. He is also the author and illustrator of A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt (pbk edn., 2009), and many other books and articles on the wildlife of the region. He is a founder member and serves on the Egyptian Ornithological Rarities Committee, is a long-time member of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East (OSME), and is currently on the faculty of The American University in Cairo.

The Secret Perfume of Birds
Danielle J. Whittaker
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
www.press.jhu.edu
9781421443478, $27.95, HC, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Perfume-Birds-Uncovering-Science/dp/1421443473

Synopsis: The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies.

With the publication of "The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent" (which is part science, part intellectual history, and part memoir) Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans.

Whittaker engagingly describes how emerging research has uncovered birds' ability to produce complex chemical signals that influence their behavior, including where they build nests, when they pick a fight, and why they fly away. Mate choice, or sexual selection (a still enigmatic aspect of many animals' lives) appears to be particularly influenced by smell.

Whittaker's pioneering studies suggest that birds' sexy (and scary) signals are produced by symbiotic bacteria that manufacture scents in the oil that birds stroke on their feathers when preening. From tangerine-scented auklets to her beloved juncos (redolent of moss), birds from across the world feature in Whittaker's stories, but she also examines the smelly chemicals of all kinds of creatures, from iguanas and bees to monkeys and humans.

Readers will enjoy a rare opportunity to witness the twisting roads scientific research can take, especially the challenging, hilarious, and occasionally dangerous realities of ornithology in the wild. "The Secret Perfume of Birds" will be of particular interest anyone looking to learn more about birds, about how animals and humans use our senses, and about why it can sometimes take a rebel scientist to change what we think we know for sure about the world -- and ourselves.

Critique: A pioneering work of original research and innovative scholarship, "The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent" will prove to be an extraordinary and essential contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Ornithology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a ten page Glossary, a twenty-two page listing of References, and a ten page Index, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Secret Perfume of Birds: Uncovering the Science of Avian Scent" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $20.99).

Editorial Note: Danielle J. Whittaker is the managing director of the BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action at Michigan State University, where she is an instructor and the graduate program director in the Department of Integrative Biology.

Wolves: Western Warriors
Julie Argyle
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
www.gibbs-smith.com
9781423660361, $50.00, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wolves-Western-Warriors-Julie-Argyle/dp/1423660366

Synopsis: With the publication of "Wolves: Western Warriors", wildlife photographer Julie Argyle showcases the life of the powerful and majestic North American wolf. Often considered to be vermin and dangerous, the struggle wolves have to simply survive in the wild and in a world where many people don't appreciate wolves and often set out to exterminate them is beautifully showcased with full color photographic images.

"Wolves: Western Warriors" also explores their behavior, their family dynamics, and what it means to be a wolf in the wilderness of the greater Yellowstone area through Argyle's stunning photography. Along with her superb images she includes information about the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and the ongoing struggle with keeping wolves listed as endangered species, while also offering her personal observations about the Wapiti Lake pack, among others, and several notable individual wolves.

The strikingly beautiful images and the information and stories woven throughout the pages of "Wolves: Western Warriors" showcase this frequently misunderstood, yet completely incredible species.

Critique: A timely, informative, beautifully presented coffee-table style volume (12.2 x 1 x 10.6 inches, 1.7 pounds), "Wolves: Western Warriors" is an ideal and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Wild Life Photography collections in general, and Wolf Biology supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Wolves: Western Warriors" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).

Editorial Note: Julie Argyle is a professional photographer who has spent 40 years observing and photographing grizzly bears, along with other wildlife, within the Rocky Mountain West. Her photography business, Wild Love Images, has grown to capture the lives and stories of much of the wildlife in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Julie is an active voice for their preservation and protection.


The Literary Studies Shelf

A Forest Tragedy in the Vacuum: Or, Cupid's Sacrifice
William Percy, author
William Shakespeare, author
Anna Faktorovich, author/translator
Privately Published
9798750078011, $25.00, HC, 168pp

https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Tragedy-Vacuum-Re-Attribution-Modernization/dp/B09K2BFS5D

Synopsis: The Forest Tragedy is the only text that William Percy labeled as a "tragedy", but kept closeted in his family archives, without successfully selling it to a publisher. As the dominant tragedian under the "Shakespeare" byline, Percy was the master of this genre. After decades of practicing perfecting strict obedience to the Laws of Tragedy, in this experiment, Percy rebels against them and satirizes the "imbecility" behind formulaic rules, and particularly in the types of rules that governs this "cruel" genre. The resulting farce especially satirizes Percy's "Shakespeare"-bylined Romeo and Juliet (1597), as well as other murder-suicide dramas described in "William Painter's" The Palace of Pleasure (1575).

Translated segments from Palace about Rhomeo and Julietta are included to assist readers with finding echoes between these three texts. One blatant echo is the "...I die!" speeches uttered by Romeo and by Amadour in the Forest Tragedy. In the latter, events take place seemingly in the duchy of the Vacuum, or a void that brings together characters from ancient times together with historical and contemporary international European monarchs.

In its conclusion, the Vacuum consumes all eight of the main characters, and leaves only dead bodies in its void. There is no clear main-character, so it might be Rhodaghond, the black-Egyptian slave-girl who ends up indirectly killing three of her masters because her mistress, Fulvia, shoves her once with her palm. Alternatively, it might be the Jewish boy-scholar and poison-brewer, Jeptes, who obliges his master by creating a poison that eventually kills four. The gore is brought to farcical lows, as three characters drink from a cup of wine with Lord Affranio's heart and the poison in it.

Numerous laws of propriety, morality and generic-integrity are not only shattered across this Plot, but these shatterings are also philosophically explained as deliberate decisions of a Poet intent on sacrificing this Plot to prove the absurdity of genre-adhering murder-suicides. There is infidelity, hints of homosexuality, court-intrigue, fraudulent schemes, and a myriad of other dramatic events. And below the surface of the farce, there are beautiful and enticing metered and rhymed poetic passages hitting the heart and soul, as the audience is asked to consider these from the perspective of the omnipotent Poet who has to condemn characters to tragic deaths across decades of a professional writing career.

Critique: An iconoclastic but inherently fascinating literary study by Anna Faktorovich, "A Forest Tragedy in the Vacuum: Or, Cupid's Sacrifice" will have a very special appeal to scholars and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the William Shakespeare - William Percy controversy regarding their contributions to Elizabethan literature and drama. It should be noted that "A Forest Tragedy in the Vacuum: Or, Cupid's Sacrifice" is also available in a paperback edition (9798750077540, $16.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note #1: William Percy (1567?-1648) is the dominant tragedian behind the "William Shakespeare" pseudonym according to the computational-linguistic study in The Re-Attribution of the British Renaissance Corpus. Percy was a younger son of the assassinated 8th Earl of Northumberland and the brother of the imprisoned in the Tower 9th Earl.

Editorial Note #2: Anna Faktorovich is the Director and Founder of the Anaphora Literary Press. She taught college English at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2016-7). Previously, she taught for three years at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and the Middle Georgia State College. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature and Criticism.


The Photography Shelf

Baobab
Beth Moon
Abbeville Press
655 Third Avenue, Suite 2520, New York, NY 10017
www.abbeville.com
9780789214096, $49.95, HC, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Baobab-Beth-Moon/dp/0789214091

Synopsis: Baobab trees are one of Africa's natural wonders. They can live more than 2,000 years, and their massive, water-storing trunks can grow to more than one hundred feet in circumference. They serve as a renewable source of food, fiber, and fuel, as well as a focus of native spiritual life. But now, suddenly, the largest baobabs are dying off, literally collapsing under their own weight. Scientists believe these ancient giants are being dehydrated by drought and higher temperatures, likely the result of climate change.

Photographer Beth Moon, already responsible for some of the most indelible images of Africa's oldest and largest baobabs, with the publication of "Baobab" has undertaken a new photographic pilgrimage to bear witness to this environmental catastrophe and visually documenting the baobabs that still survive. In this oversize coffee table style (15.4 x 0.8 x 10.3 inches, 3.26 pounds) volume, Moon presents breathtaking new duotone tree portraits of the baobabs of Madagascar, Botswana, South Africa, and Senegal. She recounts her eventful journey to visit these monumental trees in a moving diaristic text studded with color travel photos.

"Baobab" also includes an essay by Adrian Patrut, leader of a research team that has studied Africa's largest baobabs and alerted the world tot he threat these majestic trees are facing, making "Baobab" not only a compelling photo book and travel narrative, but also a timely ecological warning of the continuing impact of climate change.

Critique: A majestic and awe inspiring book to browse through on page at a time, "Baobab" by Beth Moon is a unique, thought-provoking, memorable, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Photography, African Photography, and Nature Photography collections.

Editorial Note: Beth Moon has gained international recognition for her large-scale, richly toned platinum photographs. Since 1999, her work has appeared in more than 60 one-person and group exhibitions in the United States, Italy, England, France, Israel, Brazil, Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia, and has received critical acclaim in numerous national and international fine art publications. Her prints are held in public collections such as The Museum of Fine Art Houston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Museum of Photographic Arts San Diego and the Fox Talbot Museum (UK), and The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Bolzano, Italy. In 2013, the first monograph of Moon's work was published by Charta Art Books in Italy. In 2014, Abbeville Press published Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time, and in 2015, Galerie Vevais, published a fine-art edition, La Langue Verte. Abbeville Press released a follow up title in 2016, Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees.


The Mathematics Shelf

Introduction To Linear Algebra
Mark J. DeBonis
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781032108988, $99.95, HC, 440pp

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Linear-Algebra-Computation-Application/dp/1032108983

Synopsis: "Introduction to Linear Algebra: Computation, Application and Theory" by academician and theoretical mathematician Mark J. DeBonis is specifically designed and intended for students who have never been previously exposed to the relevant topics of a linear algebra course of instruction.

"Introduction to Linear Algebra" includes cutting edge applications in machine learning and data analytics, is suitable as a primary text for undergraduates studying linear algebra, and requires very little in the way of pre-requisites.

The text is filled with interesting and diverse application sections but it is also a theoretical text which aims to train students to do succinct computation in a knowledgeable way. After completing the course with this text, the student will not only know the best and shortest way to do linear algebraic computations but will also know why such computations are both effective and successful.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'student friendly' in presentation, "Introduction To Linear Algebra: Computation, Application, and Theory" is an ideal textbook for highschool, college, and university curriculums. It should be noted for students and academia that "Introduction To Linear Algebra: Computation, Application, and Theory" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $79.96).

Editorial Note: Mark DeBonis received his PhD in Mathematics from University of California, Irvine, USA. He began his career as a theoretical mathematician in the field of group theory and model theory, but in later years switched to applied mathematics, in particular to machine learning. He spent some time working for the US Department of Energy at Los Alamos National Lab as well as the US Department of Defense at the Defense Intelligence Agency as an applied mathematician of machine learning. He is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Manhattan College in New York City and is also currently working for the US Department of Energy at Sandia National Lab as a Principal Data Analyst. His research interests include machine learning, statistics, and computational algebra.


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