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The Bookwatch

Volume 5, Number 1 January 2010 Home | BW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Interior Design Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Military Shelf
Photography Shelf Computer Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Psychology Shelf Biography Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Criminology Shelf Social Issues Shelf Crafts Shelf
Education Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Art Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Sports Shelf Gaming Shelf
Automotive Shelf Music Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf
Parenting Shelf Economics Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Business Shelf Travel Shelf
American History Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf
Nautical Shelf Library DVD Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Confessions of a Public Speaker
Scott Berkun
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol, CA 95472
9780596801991, $24.99 www.oreilly.com

Confessions of a Public Speaker provides a funny, fun memoir on public speaking and comes from a professional speaker who reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, telling all how to use these techniques. Managers, teachers, or anyone who wants to talk to others will find this packed with excellent observations and insights key to any general lending library.

Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia
Christopher Paolini
Alfred Knopf
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780375858239, $ 24.99 www.alagaesia.com

Alagaesia is a vast, mysterious land of elves, magic, and strange creatures such as werecats - and Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia is an outstanding survey of this fantasy world, presented in pull-outs, fold-out tabs, and more. Packed with intrigue, illustrating, and flowery description, it's a top gift-giving pick for any family where fantasy and visual eye-popping presentation is a winner.

The Outhouse Reader
Tex Bix Bender & Judge Roy English
Gibbs Smith
Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1423604687, $9.99 www.gibbs-smith.com

The Outhouse Reader is packed with quips and advice for everything from raising kids to romance, and offers an entertaining light read for anyone with limited attention span, time, and a taste for trivia. Humor abounds in these one-liners of wisdom.

The Big Questions
Steven E. Landsburg
Free Press
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439148211, $26.00 www.simonandschuster.com

THE BIG QUESTIONS: TACKLING THE PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY WITH IDEAS FROM MATHEMATICS, ECONOMICS, AND PHYSICS comes from an unconventional economist who considers patterns of reality and uses ideas from science and economics to consider major philosophical debates. From right and wrong differences to questions on Darwin's relevance to God, this is a fine title for any debate collection.

iPod: The Missing Manual
J.D. Biersdorfer with david Pogue
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol, CA 95472
9780596804312, $19.99 www.oreilly.com

This easy guide tells how to get the most from an iPod unit, offering the latest edition in a full-color presentation covering everything from sharing music and movies with Home Sharing and YouTube to choosing music and photos to sync and creating instant playlists with Genius Mix.

Googled
Ken Auletta
Penguin Press
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9781594202353, $27.95 www.penguin.com

Google has not only changed how we access and use information, it has acted as an influence on that information. In "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It", media analyst Ken Auletta tells of Google's rise and influence as he considers the company and its evolution - and its impact on society. Anecdotes and insights pack a survey with wide-reaching appeal to not just business and computer libraries, but for general-interest collections as well.

Just Listen
Mark Goulston
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814414036, $24.95 www.amacombooks.org

Business and self-help libraries alike will welcome JUST LISTEN: DISCOVER THE SECRET TO GETTING THROUGH TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE. From hostile or cynical people to angry clients and more, this tells how to uncover desires, secret agendas and more and how to use strategies that can break down walls that keep you from getting through to others. The result is a formula backed by the author's FBI training and recommended for a wide range of libraries, from business to general collections.

Fierce Style
Christian Siriano
Grand Central Publishing
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780446546010, $23.99 www.hachettebookgroup.com

FIERCE STYLE: HOW TO BE YOUR MOST FABULOUS SELF offers tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names, pairing these with author Christian Siriano's blend of personal stories on how he discovered his unique fashion sense and insights on how readers can uncover their own 'fierce style'. From overcoming obstacles to how to incorporate 'fierce style' in everyday perspectives on life beyond fashion, this is a pick for fashion and general lending collections alike.


The Interior Design Shelf

Design Rules
Elaine Griffin
Gotham Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3657
9781592405060, $22.50 www.penguin.com

DESIGN RULES: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO BECOMING YOUR OWN DECORATOR comes from a decorator whose sense of humor and knowledge of trade secrets and how to pass these to do-it-yourself home decorators makes for a powerful book. From how to pick complimentary colors that work under varying conditions to sizing room pieces and pairing different styles, DESIGN RULES assures a home will appear polished. Any library catering to homeowners will find this a popular lend.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Wearing Smaller Shoes
Chip Haynes
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1XO, Canada
9780865716575, $16.95 www.newsociety.com

Wearing Smaller Shoes is a key acquisition for any home and garden collection catering to environmentally-conscious homeowners. It tells how to cut power bills, move to low-tech solutions to issues, and takes into account the costs involved in making this move. It's about making small changes over time rather than big projects, and is a top pick for any homeowner's alternative energy library.

The Rebirth of Environmentalism
Douglas Bevington
Island Press
1718 Connecticut Ave SW #300, Washington DC 20009
1597266566, $35.00 www.islandpress.org

THE REBIRTH OF ENVIRONMENTALISM: GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM FROM THE SPOTTED OWL TO THE POLAR BEAR offers a powerful survey of the modern environmental movement and provides a history of activism that surrounds it, focusing on the movement's changes in the 1990s and 200s. A fine set of case studies on three of the most influential biodiversity protection campaigns of the last 20 years lends to a powerful survey essential for any social issues library.


The Cookbook Shelf

Mother's Best
Lisa Schroeder with Danielle Centoni
Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
9781600850172, $28.00 www.taunton.com 1-800-477-8727

MOTHER'S BEST: COMFORT FOOD THAT TAKES YOU HOME AGAIN offers an inspiring, wonderful book teaching people who to make over a hundred fifty dishes from Lisa Schroeder's own family cooking heritage, from Manhattan Clam Chowder and Mother's Tuna Melt to Mama's Cheesecake and more. These comfort food dishes are easy to put together and offer fine, tested recipes perfect for any general lending library. Color photos peppered throughout and sidebars of information enhance the appeal.

The Baking Answer Book
Lauren Chattman
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 02147
9781603424394, $14.95 www.storey.com

THE BAKING ANSWER BOOK: SOLUTIONS TO EVERY PROBLEM YOU'LL EVER FACE ANSWERS TO EVERY QUESTION YOU'LL EVER ASK offers a powerful guide from a professional pastry chef. From whether a convention oven is useful for baking to how to melt chocolate on the stove and why commercial products have a long shelf life, The Baking Answer Book is packed with tips for any every home cook - and appears in a small enough package to be undaunting. Any library catering to beginning bakers will welcome it.

Wild About Cupcakes
Rachel Lane
Barron's
250 Wireless Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764162772, $16.99 www.barronseduc.com

WILD ABOUT CUPCAKES packs in over a hundred cupcake recipes, from simple breakfast and brunch cupcakes to elegant party and gift-giving ideas. From recipes for special dietary needs to those with fun frostings, this is packed with appeal and includes lay-flat spiral binding with lettering to further enhance a home cook's experience.

Eat Fresh Food
Rozanne Gold and her All-Star Team
Phil Mansfield, photographer
Bloomsbury
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9781599904450, $17.99 www.bloomsburyusa.com

EAT FRESH FOOD: AWESOME RECIPES FOR TEEN CHEFS is reviewed here for recommendation to entire families and libraries catering to them. It comes from a James Beard Award winner who presents a teen tasted, tested cook book highlighting the use of fresh foods. Pages are packed with photos of and comments from participating teen chefs in a guide packed with nutritional value and cooking innovations.

Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats
Eileen Talanian
Gibbs Smith
Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
9781423602491, $18.95 www.gibbs-smith.com

Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats tells how to make marshmallows at home, how to produce a range of flavors, and provides recipes for using these homemade creations. Over 100 recipes accompany color photos by Courtney Winston showing how to produce homemade marshmallow delights.

He Said Beer, She Said Wine
Sam Calagione and Marnie Old
DK Publishing
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780756654498, $16.95 www.dk.com

He Said Beer, She Said Wine considers the concurrent history of beer and wine, how each is paired with different dishes, and offers suggestions for specific pairings with foods, including recipes and menus alike. From antiquated rules and why they fail to work with today's different or fresh ingredients to sidebars of wine and beer characteristics and why they work, this is a fine addition to any food and wine collection, going beyond just suggestions to consider the history and culture of beer and wine pairings with food.

Forking Fantastic!
Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds
Gotham Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9781592405053, $20.00 www.penguin.com

Forking Fantastic offers home cooking geared to crowd-pleasing results, and comes from two veterans of the New York food world who twice monthly prepare a big meal in a tiny kitchen. These thus are foolproof, party-tested menus and recipes easy for beginners to access and providing accompanying tips on everything from shopping to stocking a kitchen. Any general culinary collection will welcome its lively format and presentation.

Absolutely Chocolate
Editors of Fine Cooking
Taunton Press
63 South Main St., Newtown, CT 06470-5506
9781600851339, $29.95 www.taunton.com

ABSOLUTELY CHOCOLATE: IRRESISTIBLE EXCUSES TO INDULGE is packed with invaluable information on how chocolate is made, what's the right pick to suit baking needs, and more. This information pairs well with over 125 recipes for all things chocolate, from layer cakes to pies and cookies, making for a photo-filled recipe and reference handbook for all general lending libraries strong in desserts.

Eating Well in Season
Jessie Price & Editors of EatingWell
Countryman Press
Box 738, Woodstock, VT 05091
088150856X, $24.95 www.countrymanpress.com

Eating Well in Season packs its pages with tested, healthy recipes pairing nutrition basics with dishes that are based on seasonal farmer's market finds. From Thai Red Curry Mussels to Grilled Chicken Ratatouille and Zucchini Rice Casserole, color photos abound in a powerful pick for any cookbook collection.

Vegan Lunch Box Around the World
Jennifer McCann
DaCapo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780738213576, $18.95 www.dacapopress.com

VEGAN LUNCH BOX AROUND THE WORLD packs in over a hundred international lunches kids will relish, offering plant-based recipes and menus for lunches. From Italian Grilled Vegetable Stromboli to Thai Pad Thai and Mexican Nacho Cheese Dip, this offers an allergen-free index and a set of vegan lunchbox ideas that go beyond peanut butter and jelly. Any library strong in vegan dishes or kids' food needs this.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The End of the Road
Sue Henry
Obsidian/NAL/Penguin
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780451226044, $23.95 www.penguin.com

THE END OF THE ROAD is a Maxie and Stretch mystery telling of a PI and her miniature dachshund Stretch, just back from their latest adventure when a murder in their hometown of Homer, Alaska changes their lives. Her search for the killer will lead to danger in this fine mystery for any general lending library.

Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. 1st Ave. #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.poisonedpenpress.com

Steven F. Havill's RED, GREEN OR MURDER (9781590586655, $24.95) provides a riveting survey of former Posadas County sheriff Bill Gastner, who is enjoying a day on the ranch counting cattle when disaster strikes. His investigation of an unattended death leads to a rancher's collapse and questions about murder in cattle country in this fine thriller. Peter May's SNAKEHEAD (9781590586068, $24.95) provides the fourth China thriller and returns American pathologist Margaret Campbell back on home soil, facing a truck load of dead Chinese and a Beijing detective who is to work with her to find how his fellow countrymen died. A fine thriller evolves.

Berkeley Prime Crime
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
www.penguin.com

Fans of the Victorian mystery will relish Emily Brightwell's MRS. JEFFRIES AND THE YULETIDE WEDDINGS (9780425230466, $23.95), telling of a middle-age spinster killed in what her murderer hoped would look like a random crime. The Inspector's work reveals many secrets and a dangerous Christmas killer that affects holiday plans in this engrossing read, suitable for year-around enjoyment. Also recommended is Charlaine Harris' GRAVE SECRET (9780425230152, $24.95), telling of sleuth Harper and her stepbrother who take a break from looking for the dead only to find memories of their horrible childhood come to life. A father newly released from jail and family secrets emerge and blend with a missing sister issue to create a riveting thriller with plenty of satisfying twists and turns of plot.


The Military Shelf

Osprey
www.ospreypublishing.com

Vladimir Brnardic's IMPERIAL ARMIES OF THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR (1): INFANTRY AND ARTILLERY (9781846034473, $17.95) provides a fine survey of the history of the Habsburg armies of the Thirty Years' War, exploring their role and actions in Europe's last major religious war. A fine survey, this is a pick for any in-depth military history library. Also solid picks for such collections: Jim Crossley's BRITISH DESTROYERS 1892-1918 (9781846035142, $17.95), telling of new designs of the Royal Navy's destroyers and how they changed the way sea war was fought, Mark Stille's USN CRUISER VS. IJN CRUISER: GUADALCANAL 1942 (9781846034664, $17.95), telling of the US Navy's first major amphibious offensive, Gordon L. Rottman's WORLD WAR II US ARMORED INFANTRY TACTICS (9781846036927, $18.95), telling of lessons applied between divisions when the nation entered the war and underestimated the radio of mechanized infantry to tanks, C. Caballero Juardo's BLUE DIVISION SOLDIER 1941-45 (9781846034121, $18.95), telling of Spanish volunteers in the 'Blue Division' that allowed a technically neutral Spain to support Nazi Germany's invasion of Russia, Jon Guttman's SE 5A VS. ALBATROS DV: WESTERN FRONT 1917-18 (9781846034718, $17.95), telling of two competing attempts to refine proven designs for aerial combat, and John Weal's JUNKERS JU 88 KAMPFGESCHWADER IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN (9781846033186, $22.95), telling of the history of the twin-engined bomber that performed as a bomber, reconnaissance platform, and fighter. Any library strong in aircraft development will find this a specialized winner, as well. Alfred Buellesbach and Marcus Cowper's BATTLESCAPES: A PHOTOGRAPHIC TESTAMENT TO 2,000 YEARS OF CONFLICT (9781846034145, $29.95) will reach into general-interest as well as military libraries, gathering over 200 images of major world battlefields taken by a leading landscape photographer and presented in an oversized collection of panoramas. More than just a photo album, though, the accompanying history of battles and events is invaluable. Konstantin Nossov's GLADIATOR: ROME'S BLOODY SPECTACLE (9781846034725, $27.95) provides a powerful survey of gladiatorial games of ancient Rome, offering the newest research on gladiators to revise the standard perception of their combat, equipment, and lives and social status. Any library strong in ancient Roman history will find this a fine narrowed survey of gladiators - some of whom were volunteers seeking fame and fortune. Mir Bahmanyar's VANQUISHED: CRUSHING DEFEATS FROM ANCIENT ROME TO THE 21ST CENTURY (9781846033278, $29.95) offers a fine survey of battles of annihilation from ancient Rome to modern times, where defeats often elicited such a strong response that it led to the victors' downfall. Major defeats from Cannae to the 21st century Iran are analyzed for similarities and strategic insight perfect for any military collection. Peter Cottrell edits THE WAR FOR IRELAND: 1913-1923 (9781846039966, $28.50), a survey of the country's complex, bloody struggles when Irish nationalists fought the British for independence before battling their kinsmen for its future. Any history collection featuring Irish history will find this packed with rare photos, modern paintings and digital maps detailing conflicts. Osprey's 'Men at Arms' series offers a narrowed focus on equipment and uniforms throughout history and military collections will appreciate some new additions. Samuel Rocca's THE ARMY OF HEROD THE GREAT (9781846032066, $17.95) surveys the military skills of one of Rome's most important client kings; Ronald Pawly's MOUNTED GRENADIERS OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD (9781846034497, $17.95) surveys the troops of Napoleon's Old Guard, and Rafaele D'Amato's IMPERIAL ROMAN NAVAL FORCES 31 BC-AD 500 (9781846033179, $17.95) follows the history of the Roman navy from the battle of Actium to the fall of the Western Empire. Other recommendations for specialty military libraries include Gordon Williamson's GERMAN SPECIAL FORCES OF WORLD WAR II (9781846039201, $18.95), telling of German's wartime elite units; Mark Lardas' SHIPS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY NAVY (9781846034459, $17.95) tells of warships during the years 1776-83 who formed the first navy of the U.S., Gregory Fremont-Barnes' THE ANGLO-AFGHAN WARS 1839-1919 (9781846034466, $17.95) considers the history of Afghanistan and its military battles, and Steven J. Zaloga's THE ATLANTIC WALL (2) (9781846033933, $18.95) covers Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway as it surveys Germany's ambitious Atlantic Wall program of World War II. Robert O'Neill edits I AM SOLDIER: WAR STORIES FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD TO THE 20TH CENTURY (9781846035159, $19.95), a powerful collection of first-person military observations crossing hundreds of years of experience around the world.

The War to End All Wars
Jack Batten
Tundra Books
Box 1030, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
9780887768798, $24.99 www.tundrabooks.com

THE WAR TO END ALL WARS: THE STORY OF WORLD WAR I follows the major battles of the war, explaining why the nations fought the war and discovered a far bloodier conflict than the world had seen at that scale. From soldiers' accounts to maps, accounts of heroism and political insights, this is a most accessible history suitable for high school through adult readers seeking a brush-up on events and motivations.


The Photography Shelf

How to Photograph Absolutely Everything
Tom Ang
DK Publishing
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9780756626440, $40.00 www.dk.com

How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera offers some lovely step-by-step tutorials 'shadowing' photographer author Tom Ang as he covers a range of photographic challenges. From understanding focus, space, and light to how to select a camera and how to use the camera and computer to fix images, this comes packed with color examples throughout.

101 Quick and Easy Secrets for Using Your Digital Photographs
Matthew Bamberg
Course Technology
20 Center St., Boston MA 02210
1435454375, $29.99 www.courseptr.com

101 Quick and Easy Secrets for Using Your Digital Photographs tells how to make the most of your images, showing the best way to manipulate, manage, publish and promote photos. From understanding the printing process to polishing finished results, all levels of photographer will find this an exceptional guide.

Course Technology
20 Center St., Boston MA 02210
www.courseptr.com

James Karney's THE OFFICIAL PHOTODEX GUIDE TO PROSHOW (1598639692, $34.99) tells how to master making great slide shows with a title packed with details on making polished multimedia productions. Educators, graphics professionals, business readers and even home users will benefit from these step-by-step instructions including large screenshots and updated information to include ProShow's latest features. A CD contains all the shows, images and files needed to complete the chapter exercises. David Busch's DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BUCKET LIST (1598639935, $29.99) provides a color photo-backed selection of some 100 great digital photos to take before you die. From capturing human spirit and urban life to themes such as nature and photojournalism, this packs in inspiration designed to expand a digital photographer's horizons and perceptions.

Freelance Photographer's Handbook, second edition
Cliff and Nancy Hollenbeck
Amherst Media
175 Rando St, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14207
9781584282662, $34.95 www.amherstmedia.com

Any freelance photographer needs a good handbook to guide them through the business of successful digital photography, and the second updated edition of Freelance Photographer's Handbook does this, providing a strong reference for any seeking to market their work. From finding an area of specialization to managing image files, planning business, obtaining permits and ethical responsibilities, this covers all the basics and is key to any photographer's business.


The Computer Shelf

The Book of Inkscape
Dmitry Kirsanov
No Starch Press
555 DeHaro #250, San Francisco CA 94107
9781593271817, $44.95 www.nostarch.com

The Book of Inkscape: The Definitive Guide to the Free Graphics Editor packs in a survey of Inkscape and its powerful uses, from working with objects and adding text and shapes to step-by-step instructions on creating business cards, animation and more. This powerful guide covers all kinds of features and projects and teaches all the basics: any library strong in free graphics programs will find this a popular lend.

O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway South, Sebastopol, CA 95472
www.oreilly.com

Tim Mather, et.al.'s CLOUD SECURITY AND PRIVACY: AN ENTERPRISE PERSPECTIVE ON RISKS AND COMPLIANCE (9780596802769, $34.99) blends theory and applications in a powerful survey of Cloud computing and on demand computing. It is for programmers trying to adopt cloud computing methods and offers an assessment of the latest options in data security and storage. Dean Wampler and Alex Payne's PROGRAMMING SCALA (9780596155957, $44.99) covers Scala and Java and tells how to be more productive with the new language for JVM that blends many features of object-oriented and functional programming. From Scala's flexible code to knowing how to compose using traits and patterns and using Scala's support for XML, this packs in all the basics and is a 'must' for any serious computer library. Also recommended for such a collection is Nitesh Dhanjani, Billy Rios and Brett Hardin's HACKING: THE NEXT GENERATION (9780596154578, $39.99), a survey of hacking and internet issues and emerging attack vectors. From new hacks that try to exploit technical flaws to hacks from individuals via social networking sites and abuse in cloud formations, no serious programmer should be without this expose. Also key to any programming collection is THE ART OF SEO: MASTERING SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION by Eric Enge, et.al. (9780596518868, $44.99). It covers search engine marketing and clearly explains SEO basics, from exploring its underlying theory and understanding how search engines work to learning how to build a SEO team and manage SEO projects. An outstandingly well-detailed survey, this is a 'must' for any serious computer collection catering to programmers. Wei-Meng Lee's WINDOWS 7: UP AND RUNNING (9780596804046, $24.99) offers users the quickest path to get started with the Windows 7 operating system. From how to upgrade or install it to surveying its built-in applications, this is a fine guide for all levels of users, especially for novices who are familiar with installing and upgrading operating systems but seek more specifics.

Course Technology
20 Channel Center St., Boston MA 02210
www.courseptr.com

Steve Pacey's GOING PRO WITH CUBASE 5 (1598639714, $29.99) is a powerful guidebook for those rady to move to the next level with Cubase and who seek tips and tricks for getting there. From recording MIDI and audio in Cubase to using its basic tools for advanced functions, this is a pick for any Cubase user who wants to move ahead. Ruth Maran's ILLUSTRATED WINDOWS 7 (1435454308, $24.99) is a fine Windows guide perfect for all skill levels, offering step-by-step advice geared to those who have purchased their first computer with Windows 7 installed. The visual approach packs in color screen shots throughout and covers all the basics of the latest version: perfect for newcomers to the Windows environment. Jon Margulies' ABLETON LIVE 8 POWER: THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE (1598639757, $39.99) tells how to make music using Ableton's live performance and studio software, Live 8. All Live users will find it a powerful survey of all the features and effects of Live 8 in a book written not so much for computer experts as for musicians, by a musician. Steve Pease's FL STUDIO POWER! THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE (1598639919, $39.99) considers FL Studio 9's changes and offers musicians a fine survey of how to install, run and update it on your computer, use recording audio functions and menus, use MIDI and plug-ins, and more. It comes from a composer, guitarist and DJ who has been playing music most of his life and as a DJ became expert in different music software options. The result's a powerful pick for any musician computer user's library. Kelly L. Murdock's POSER 8 REVEALED: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE (1598639706, $39.99) packs in all the details on the features of Poser 8, the advanced program used to create and animate scenes. Step-by-step tutorials for each task or skill being taught show how to create and position figures, simulate three dimensions, blend in props, animate figures, and more. Very highly recommended: a 'must' if only one Poser guide were to be chosen. John Levine's FLEX & BISON: UNIX TEXT PROCESSING SKILLS (9780596155971, $29.99) is for any library strong in Unix programming and offers advanced details, from building compilers and interpreters to learning key programming techniques. Revised tutorials for novices and references for advanced users make this an outstanding choice for any advanced programmer's collection. Brian Jackson's ABLETON LIVE 8 COURSE CLIPS (1598639900, $49.99) introduces key features of the program in ABLETON LIVE 8: course clips master, a hands-on DVD training tool that helps users move to the next level with Ableton Live 8. Over five hours of tutorials offer basic set-up, definitions, and new features of Live 8. Very highly recommended!

Addison-Wesley
www.informit.com/series.it

Any advanced programmer's library needs Jay Fields, et.al.'s REFACTORING RUBY EDITION (0321603508, $49.99), the definitive, fully revamped guide for Ruby programming. Programmers can change even the most chaotic software into disciplined, logical systems through refactoring - and this teaches the basics of refactoring and its logic, how to rework bad designs into good code, building tests and organizing data, and more. The second updated edition of Neal Allen's NETWORK MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE: FIELD-TESTED SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYDAY PROBLEMS (0321647416, $34.99) provides programmers with a real-world guide to anticipating, finding and testing network problems. From using the OSI model to troubleshoot networks by layers to preventing problems and discovering switches and devices that cause problems, this is a 'must' for any serious programming library.

iPhone 3.0 SDK Development
Bill Dusney and Chris Adamson
Pragamtic Programmers
P.O. Box 293325, Lewisville, TX 75029-3325
9781934356258, $38.95 www.pragprog.com

iPhone 3.0 SDK Development is a pick for any library strong in mobile device programming or OS X. It guides programmers through tools and APIs which can be used to create your own software for the iPhone and iPod touch, teaching how to develop a user interface, use Xcode IDE, and create multimedia apps with images, animation and audio and video. More than fifty sample programs written for iPhone SDK 3 offer concrete examples and practical applications.

Building Service-Aware Networks
Muhammad Afaq Khan, CCIE
Cisco Press
c/o Pearson Eduction
800 E. 96th St., Indianapolis IN 46240
1587057883, $60.00 www.ciscopress.com

Building Service-Aware Networks: The Next-Generation WAN/MAN provides an insider's guide to next-generation ASR 1000, and is written by a Cisco expert who offers practical coverage for the entire system, from planning and setup to daily management. The AST 10000's architecture and major performance points are covered in chapters considering implementation, qualifying an enterprise, and more. A pick for any advanced computer library strong in networking specifics.

Designing With Web Standards, third edition
Jeffrey Zeldman with Ethan Marcotte
New Riders
c/o Pearson Education
1249 - 8th St., Berkeley, Ca 94710
0321616952, $49.99 www.newriders.com

The third updated edition of Designing With Web Standards tales a classic guide, updates it with the help of Ethan Marcotte, and discusses the basics of creating sites that load faster, reach more users, and cost less to design. This book's been revised extensively to include new ideas, techniques, and selling strategies, and is a 'must' for serious collections.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Cheating Death
Sanjay Gupta, MD
Grand Central Publishing
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780446508872, $24.99 www.hachettebookgroup.com

CHEATING DEATH: THE DOCTORS AND MEDICAL MIRACLES THAT ARE SAVING LIVES AGAINST ALL ODDS packs in a fine examination of medicine, ethics, religion and law, detailing how science has made miraculous recoveries possible and using case files and the author's access to breaking news in his field to explain how technological advances are extending an understanding of differences between life and death. A 'must' for any health or general lending library.

Interpretation and Uses of Medical Statistics, fifth edition
Leslie E. Daly & Geoffrey J. Bourke
Blackwell Science
350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148-5018
9780632047635, $115.95 www.blackwell-science.com

In 1969 the first edition of Interpretation and Uses of Medical Statistics introduced concepts of statistics and their medical application to readers with no formal training in the area. This fifth updated edition has major restructuring, has some sections totally rewritten, and packs in new statistical techniques and approaches along with two new chapters. Any medical library or courses catering to college-level medical students needs this introductory text.

Anatomy Color-In Flash Cards
Dr. Kurt Albertine
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764196774, $28.99 www.barronseduc.com

Anatomy Color-In Flash Cards offers classrooms and individuals alike a powerful learning tool that helps improve memory with a blend of flash cards and color-in drawings. Over 264 color-in cards pack a study kit ideal for medical and nursing students and for any in the health care industry needing some reinforcement of anatomical names. Eight color pencils are included.

Pregnancy and Birth Sourcebook
Amy L. Sutton, Editor
Omnigraphics
Box 31-1640, Detroit, MI 48231-1640
9780780810747, $93.00 www.omnigraphics.com

Over seventy chapters arranged in eight major parts from preconception health issues to staying healthy during pregnancy, high-risk pregnancies, and complications make for a powerful, accessible consumer reference appearing in its third updated edition and perfect for any general consumer health collection.

Treating Dementia
Jesse F. Ballenger, Ph.D., et.al.
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
0801893658, $60.00 www.press.jhu.edu

TREATING DEMENTIA offers health libraries an invaluable survey of dementia issues, from how concepts have expanded to embrace a range of symptoms and are influenced by new classes of pharmaceutical treatments to the use of drug treatments for dementia and how culture, language and values affect drug marketing and dementia treatment options around the world. College-level collections need this.

Cooking Well: Multiple Sclerosis
Marie-Annick Courtier
Hatherleigh Press
5-22 46th Avenue, Suite 200, Long Island City, NY 11101
9781578263011, $11.00 www.hatherleighpress.com

Cooking Well: Multiple Sclerosis provides fine details on developing healthy eating habits to improve a life. Over seventy easily-made dishes are designed with MS in mind and provides shopping guides, cooking tips, and meal plans.

The One Day Way
Chantel Hobbs
Waterbrook Press
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
www.waterbrookpress.com
9780307458780, $19.99, www.amazon.com

THE ONE DAY WAY is a diet book with a difference: a guide that circumvents checking sales or worrying about food intake and offers goals in bite-sized pieces for easier, simpler planning. From making high-energy meal plans and using at-home exercising routines to changing actions and habits, this focuses on food, faith and fitness alike. Recommended for health and Christian collections alike, this goes beyond mere dieting to focus on values and lifestyle changes overall.

Bach Flowers for Crisis Care
Mechthild Scheffer
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions
One Park St., Rochester, VT 05767
9781594772962, $18.95 www.healingartspress.com

Bach Flowers for Crisis Care provides a fine therapeutic connection between the material and spiritual healing aspects of life, considering 50 common life crises and how the 38 individual Bach Flower Remedies can be used to turn them into growth options. Each flower offers a different spiritual orientation and healing: discussions center around both individual properties and combined results and make this a pick for any new age or alternative healing collection.


The Psychology Shelf

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology
Scott O. Lilienfeld, et.al.
Wiley-Blackwell
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell
9781405131124, $24.95, www.amazon.com

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology offers both students of psychology and consumers a fine book discussing science and everyday psychology. It offers facts and pinpoints fallacies about psychology, debunking popular myths and presenting evidence that also explains why people come to believe in these falsehoods. It's a fine pick for any psychology collection.

Brain Sense
Faith Hickman Brynie
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
0814413242, $24.00 www.amacombooks.org

BRAIN SENSE: THE SCIENCE OF THE SENSES AND HOW WE PROCESS THE WORLD AROUND US considers the senses and human consciousness. Science writer Faith Brynie examines the latest research on how the brain and senses interact, offering a blend of science and health insights perfect for both health libraries and general interest collections. The inclusion of myths and realities based on the latest research makes this a key acquisition.

Working with Adults with Asperger Syndrome
Carol Hagland and Zillah Webb
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
400 Market St. #400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849050364, $55.00 www.jkp.com

Working with Adults with Asperger Syndrome provides a workbook developed from the experiences of many working with Asperger Syndrome patients, and this represents a treasure trove of tested approaches that can be used in groups or with individuals. From communication and mental health to exercises and case histories to encourage interaction, it's a winning guide any mental health library needs.

W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

Tracy Todd's PRACTICE-BUILDING 2.0 FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE (9780393705621, $29.95) is for any psychotherapist contemplating business. It tells how to create a web site, use online scheduling and payment systems, blend in blogs and video casts, and more, offering assessments to expanding a clinical reach. Mental health professionals need this. Alan Fogel's THE PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY OF SELF-AWARENESS: REDISCOVERING THE LOST ART OF BODY SENSE (9780393705447, $44.95) tells of how an awareness of senses is lost as one ages, whether it be due to technology or ignoring physical sensations in favor of mental processes. This explains the neurological, anatomical and psychophysiological sources of embodied self-awareness for clinicians and therapists who would understand these sensations. It uses recent research in developmental neuropsychology and biology, blends in research with applied therapy and offers insights on alternative medical practices. Bill O'Hanlon's A GUIDE TO TRANCE LAND (9780393705782, $15.00) offers a brief, easy introduction to permissive, solution-oriented hypnosis and comes from a renowned therapist and speaker who uses his training to provide therapists with guidelines to using solution-oriented hypnosis. From emphasizing through voice volume to creating rhythm in altered states, A GUIDE TO TRANCE LAND is a fine addition to any health library. Also recommended is Diana Fosha, et.al.'s edited THE HEALING POWER OF EMOTION: AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND CLINICAL PRACTICE (9780393705485, $37.50), a survey of basic emotions and powers of the human mind and body and how they play roles in mental health and cultural health alike. Leading researchers and clinicians explore emotion and transformation in scholarly articles perfect for college-level health and psychology collections.


The Biography Shelf

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance
Elna Baker
Dutton
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3657
9780525951353, $25.95 www.penguin.com

Stand-up comedienne Elna Baker offers a lively, funny series of vignettes about her practicing Mormon living in the Big Apple in a literary memoir that is hilarious, revealing and honest all at once. From her Mormon faith and struggles with stereotypes to her coming of age and changes, this provides a powerful survey of her life, career, and identity and is a fun pick for any lending library.

Wildflower
Mark Seal
Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9781400067367, $26.00 www.atrandom.com

WILDFLOWER is a powerful biography of a dedicated environmentalist and sixty-nine-year-old world-renowned naturalist who was murdered by two masked men in Kenya. Police deemed it a robbery gone wrong - but Joan Root's efforts to preserve Kenya's wildlife had earned her many political enemies, and WILDFLOWER provides both a biography of her life and achievements and a story of Kenya's evolution perfect for any general lending library.

Unsweetined
Jodie Sweetin
Simon Spotlight Entertainment
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439152683, $25.99 www.simonandschuster.com

Jodie Sweetin played Danny Tanner's daughter and grow up on TV, for eight years playing the middle child character on Full House. A decade after the show tended the star reveals her recovery from addiction, a dangerous double life she led, and a secret that nearly destroyed her. Any library strong on movie personalities and TV stars will welcome her autobiography.

American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood
Marc Eliot
Harmony Books
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, #B1, New York, NY 10019-4305
9780307336880, $25.99 www.crownpublishing.com

American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood tells of a Hollywood icon and comes from a film historian whose biography provides a vivid account of actor Eastwood's life and career. This covers both his highs and lows, artistic successes and failures, and relationships between his life and career and pulls no punches in examining his ups and downs, offering insights into his life and work. A 'must' for any serious film biography collection and many a general interest lending library.

One and the Same
Abigail Pogrebin
Doubleday
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780385521567, $26.95 www.doubleday.com

ONE AND THE SAME; MY LIFE AS AN IDENTICAL TWIN AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT EVERYONE'S STRUGGLE TO BE SINGULAR is both an autobiography and a survey of the latest research on twins around the world. The author spoke to nearly every twin expert in the world for this book, offering a narrative packed with expert insights as well as interviews with twins with stories of their own search for singularity. General lending libraries will find this a compelling read.


The Audiobook Shelf

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

Sanjay Gupta, MD's CHEATING DEATH: THE DOCTORS AND MEDICAL MIRACLES THAT ARE SAVING LIVES AGAINST ALL ODDS (9781600247958, $34.98) comes from a chief medical correspondent and includes a bonus interview with the doctor as it tells of a neurosurgeon and journalist's investigation of science that has led to unbelievable recoveries. From extended cardiac arrest and brain death to more, this uses the latest medical research to investigate how physicians and researchers' findings are leading to more lives saved. An intriguing audio listen evolves! David Baldacci's TRUE BLUE (9781600247613, $44.95) pairs Ron McLarty's acting skills and smooth voice with a fine novel revolving around a high-profile homicide in the nation's capital. Thrills and chills pack a survey of a cop and a lawyer who find a routine homicide takes a lethal, dangerous turn. Wess Roberts, PhD's LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF ATTILA THE HUN (9781600248931, $19.98) receives James Lurie's TV personality and talents as he narrates with flare this classic on leadership. Attila shaped a band of mercenary tribal nomads into rulers: lessons from his approaches provide fine business insights, here. Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton's COLLECTION OF POEMS, SONGS, AND LULLABIES (9781600247583, $24.98) comes from Julie Andrews and her daughter, who have hand-selected a mix of their favorite poems, songs and lullabies in a fine audio poetry collection enhanced wit a bonus .pdf of paintings by James McMullan that's PC and Mac compatible. It's a gorgeous gift for any parent, a lovely survey indeed! Sherri Shepherd's PERMISSION SLIPS (9781600247507, $34.98) is narrated by the author, a stand-up comedian and film actress and co-host of The View, and offers a hilarious memoir recounting her struggles and lessons in life. From early experiences with boys and dating to her changing career on stage and TV, this packs in vivid detail in a powerful collection of memories.

Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com

Linwood Barclay's FEAR THE WORST (1423398386, $36.99) receives a fine reading by Buck Schirner, who tells of Tim, an average guy who sells cars and has an ex-wife who's moved in with a man while his girlfriend is a flake. But when his daughter vanishes, trouble really begins in this fine thriller of parental love and loss, recommended for any general lending library. Any studying depression survival tactics will find appealing Martin D. Weiss' THE ULTIMATE DEPRESSION SURVIVAL GUIDE (1441805281, $29.99). Oliver Wyman narrates a powerful plan to grow wealth against all odds with a title from one who warned of the current crisis well before it began - and here offers a step-by-step program of strategies to thrive. Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen's STORM CYCLE (1423329600, $36.99) is read by Tanya Eby and provides a fine story of Rachel, a computer genius whose personal life is falling apart. Her younger sister has a rare chronic illness that will eventually kill her, and her quest to save her sister's life is endangering her own when she joins a brilliant adventurer's discovery of a cure in an Egyptian tomb. Swift action is spiced by Tanya's vivid voiceover reading skills. Donita K. Paul's DRAGONKNIGHT (1423392655, $19.99) receives Ellen Grafton's powerful reading voice and tells of Bardon and knights trapped in an evil spell. A journey to free a dozen knights who cannot be awakened is influenced by a journal holding the key to rousing them in this fantasy thriller. John Ringo & Julie Cochrane's HONOR OF THE CLAN (1423395131, $29.99) receives Mark Vietor's moving voice and tells of duty, honor and country as it profiles a conspiracy grown strong and rules who have decided to lead a military space battle. Any fan of military sci fi will relish this. J.D. Robb's KINDRED IN DEATH (1423383761, $38.99) pairs veteran narrator Susan Ericksen's smooth voice with the story of Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who in 2060 searches New York City for a dangerous criminal. A teen brutally murdered in her bedroom horrifies even the veteran cop Eve Dallas, who finds multiple personalities involved in an unusual scenario. Ken Auletta's GOOGLED: THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (14417820973, $29.99) is performed by veteran Jim Bond whose 25 years of experience hosting fine arts radio talk shows lends a smooth and passionate voice to this reporter's survey of the story of Google's rise. Business and social history collections alike will find this packed with engrossing facts about behind-the-scenes Google growth. Patrick Rothfuss' THE NAME OF THE WIND (1423389263, $44.99) pairs Nick Podehl's smooth and fine voice with the story of Kvothe, a fantasy story of a hero told in his own voice and an epic saga of adventure and a man's search for meaning that would change his universe.

Random House Audio
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouseaudio.com

Jonathan Kellerman's EVIDENCE (9780739368992, $45.00) provides a fine Alex Delaware novel narrated by John Rubinstein in a fine unabridged recording. A watchman stumbles upon the bodies of a young murdered couple in one of Los Angeles's finest neighborhoods and involves psychologist Alex Delaware in a series of fresh insights on the crime. A questionable victim identity, a notorious womanizer, and more make for a tense, involving story in this winner. Peter Mayle's THE VINTAGE CAPER (9780307577115, $30.00) receives Erik Davies' fine stage credits and passionate voice as it tells of an impressive wine cellar from an entertainment lawyer and a wine heist that involves wine connoisseur Sam Levitt in an unusual investigation stretching back to Bordeaux. Anne Rice's ANGEL TIME (9780739316085, $35.00) is narrated by actor Paul Michael, whose impassioned voice lends a powerful touch to this story of Toby, a contract killer on assignment who lives under a series of aliases and lonely lethal purposes - until a mysterious angel offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. Robert Parker's THE PROFESSIONAL (9780739343890, $30.00) is narrated by Joe Mantegna and provides a fine unabridged production of a Spenser story, this intrigue revolving around rich wives with a shared affair with a man who's blackmailing them. Highly recommended for any audio library.


The Needlecraft Shelf

99 Yarns and Counting
Green Mountain Spinnery Cooperative
Countryman Press
Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780881508260, $24.95 www.countrymanpress.com

99 Yarns and Counting provides a fine collection of designs from a spinnery that has produced some 99 colors of yarn to work with. Marti Stone's fine color photos compliment projects using these colorful yarns, featuring step-by-step directions for knitters looking for something different.

Martingale & Company
20205 - 144th Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
www.martingale-pub.com

Sharyn Craig and Pamela Mostek's Quilt Challenge: "What If" Ideas for Color and Design (9781564779113, $21.99) offers a collection based on nationally known quilt designers who challenged each other to make eight quilts using specific designs and color guidelines. From inspiration from photos to favorite tips and techniques, these challenge blocks offer unique and diverse insights into the process. Quilters will welcome this. Karla Alexander's COLOR SHUFFLE (9781564779274, $26.99) provides new quilts from designer Karla Alexander, who explains how to blend her stacking and shuffling methods with more new techniques. Some 16 projects provide a range of colors and style options in a top pick for any quilting library. Also recommended is Sally Schneider's CRAZY FOR SCRAPS (9781564779267, $26.99), a powerful survey of nearly twenty quilts packing in many projects and including several traditional patterns updated with current fabrics for a different look. The 2010 calendar AWARD-WINNING QUILTS FEATURING QUILTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL QUILT ASSOCIATION (9781564779410, $12.99) packs in 12 full-size quilt pictures to accompany a fine, practical wall calendar format. The different quilt styles make for an outstandingly diverse presentation. Eleanor Levie edits SKINNY QUILTS & TABLE RUNNERS II: 15 DESIGNS FROM CELEBRATED QUILTERS (9781564779250, $26.99) follows up SKINNY QUILTS AND TABLE RUNNERS, offering new designs and some lovely folk-art creations from major designers. These projects are small enough to add quilt-based distinction to any home's tabletops, counter spaces, and more. Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss' ALL ABOUT CROCHET: THE DICTIONARY OF CROCHET STITCHES AND TECHNIQUES (9781564779069, $24.99) offers a visual guide complete with a lay-flat handy binding and an A-Z format that lends to quick and easy lookup. The layout is small enough to easily fit into a crochet bag and the dictionary packs in explanations of chains, stitches, yarns, and more, with clear illustrations throughout. Any crochet worker will find this an invaluable reference. MORE TWICE-QUILTED DESIGNS FOR CONTINUOUS-LINE QUILTING by Glorianne Cubbage (9781564778765, $26.99) offers a new collection of continuous-line designs. Stitch the first design in one color to quilt the layers together, then add the secondary design in a different color to finish. Some 20 interlacing designs are presented along with a 16-page booklet packed with instructions for tracing and sewing. An outstanding guide for any quilter's collection. Also outstanding is Pamela Mostek's BLENDED BORDERS: QUILTS WITH A CREATIVE EDGE (9781564779304, $19.98). This shares the author's innovative Blended Borders technique for softening lines between quilt tops and borders, using large-scale applique shapes in a technique collection for quilters of all skill levels. Five projects in full color highlight the presentation.

C&T Publishing
Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
www.ctpub.com

Learn how to hand stitch six quilts inspired by tropical designs in Sylvia Pippen's Paradise Stitched: Sashiko & Applique Quilts (9781571206176, $29.95), a fine quilting guide that covers both turn-under and fusible applique. Even more valuable - create designs from your own photos: a skill that can transfer beyond the tropical theme. With its collection of full-page patterns and tips on hand embroidery embellishments, this teaches how to choose applique fabrics to create Sashiko designs. Quilters looking for something different will relish this approach. Cyndy Lyle Rymer edits PHOTO FUN: PRINT YOUR OWN FABRIC FOR QUILTS & CRAFTS (1571202765, $17.95) offers twelve quilt and accessory projects using color photos and graphics, and easy picks for beginners in either computers or quilting. From finding the latest news on working with digital cameras and scanners to using any brand of inkjet printer or scanner for polished results, this is a fine crafts title for any quilter seeking to personalize products.

Potter Craft
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, #B1, NY, NY 10019-4305
www.pottercraft.com

Lily Chin's Crochet Tips & Tricks (9780307461063, $16.99) provides a nearly toteable sized book gathering over seventy of her best techniques - many gathered from her regularly sold-out classes. From easy solutions to crocheter's peeves to working with coned yarns, cheating at the beginning of a row, and more, this is packed with insights any knitter or knitting library needs. Chin's KNITTING TIPS & TRICKS: SHORTCUTS AND TECHNIQUES EVERY KNITTER SHOULD KNOW (9780307461056, $16.99) is also a fine acquisition, offering tips and insights for knitters of every level and using clear picture examples throughout. Clara Parkes' KNITTER'S BOOK OF YARN (9780307352170, $30.00) offers a comprehensive examination of wool, considering how it's classified, processed, and where different sheep breeds come from. Factors that contribute to yarn makeup are provided for knitters who would understand differences within each skein of yarn, pairing this information with some twenty patterns designed to display the qualities of wool yarns.

American Quilter's Society
Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
www.americanquilter.com

GARDEN NOUVEAU QUILTS (9781574326512, $24.95) offers Vicky Lawrence's original designs and patterns in a series of handwork applique designs inspired by nature that can be fused for quicker results. Beginners learn the basics of applique while those more advanced find clear patterns and new directions in a series of 7 very different projects from bolsters and totes to bed-size quilts. Sarah Ann Smith's THREAD WORK UNRAVELED (9781574329995, $28.95) packs in all the detailed needed about thread and machine quilting notions. From how thread's made to what threads work for different jobs and how to enhance piecing and quilting projects, THREAD WORK UNRAVELED is for any serious quilter's collection.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Kalaripayat: The Martial Arts Tradition of India
Patrick Denaud
Destiny Books
One Park St., Rochester VT 05767
9781594773150, $16.95 www.destinybooks.com

Kalaripayat: The Martial Arts Tradition of India provides a powerful blend of cultural and marital arts information, covering a form that is also a spiritual discipline. Its martial arts techniques are designed to create meditative states through focused, silent breathing techniques. KALARIPAYAT is a pick for any new age or martial arts library.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Soul Currency
Ernest D. Chu
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781577318514, $14.95 www.nhewworldlibrary.com

Ernest Chu's concept of 'soul currency' refers to a divine force circulating in our lives and offers a look at spiritual abundance and personal growth and prosperity. Pages that show how to remain true to self and psyche while being prosperous make for engrossing reading in SOUL CURRENCY: INVESTING YOUR INNER WEALTH FOR FULFILLMENT & ABUNDANCE. New age, business and spirituality collections will relish this.


The Criminology Shelf

It Happens Every Day
Robin Sax
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2219
9781591027584, $26.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY: INSIDE THE WORLD OF A SEX CRIMES DA tells of a veteran prosecutor who worked as a deputy DA specializing in sex crimes against children. She personally reviewed at least five new cases daily - and in Los Angeles there were some sixty prosecutors with the same caseload. This offers an outstanding survey of law enforcement's campaign against child sexual assault, and is a powerful survey of not just sex crimes, but how the DA prosecutes. General libraries as well as college-level law enforcement collections will find this enlightening.


The Social Issues Shelf

W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com

Elizabeth Pisani's THE WISDOM OF WHORES: BUREAUCRATS, BROTHELS AND THE BUSINESS OF AIDS (9780393337655, $16.95) blends science and medicine with social issues and considers how the author's profession as an epidemiologist specializing in HIV prevention leads to international disease prevention. Politics, science, and medicine mix on the frontiers of AIDS developments and this book covers them all, offering an even hilarious account of AIDS issues around the world. Tristram Stuart's WASTE: UNCOVERING THE GLOBAL FOOD SCANDAL (9780393068368, $27.95) tells the overlooked story of how what we don't eat is destroying our environment. About 50 percent of all food is wasted by farmers and manufacturers - enough to food the world's hungry and more. Solutions to this problem are provided in a survey of the issue, human food chain waste habits, and how they may be remedied.


The Crafts Shelf

Big & Bold
Editors of BeadStyle Magazine
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871162861, $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Make dramatic, big, eye-catching jewelry with BIG & BOLD: HOW TO MAKE DRAMATIC BEADED JEWELRY. Projects here come from the pages of BeadStyle Magazine and offer over thirty projects with step-by-step directions, photos, and coverage of all the tools and techniques for beginners. Any crafter's collection or general library strong in easy jewelry-making handbooks needs this.

A Year in Earrings
Editors of BeadStyle Magazine
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871162960, $17.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

A YEAR IN EARRINGS offers jewelry makers 365 ways to show different styles, packing in dozens of earring projects and variations on themes to display the styles. Color photos offers step-by-step instructions to guide readers through each project, and make for a top pick for any crafts collection.


The Education Shelf

Corwin Press
2455 Teller Ave., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.corwinpress.com

Carolyn Chapman and Rita King's DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR WRITING IN THE CONTENT AREAS (9781412972321, $31.95) is for teachers who want to know how to work with a classroom full of unique writing skills and needs. It updates a previous best-selling book and explains strategies for differentiating writing instruction, covering thinking skills, text writing, and working with ESL students. Evelyn S. Johnson, et.al.'s HOW RTI WORKS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS (9781412971003, $31.95) provides a host of tested, practical solutions for implementing RTI in grades 6-12. Secondary school administrators will benefit from a host of ideas based on the latest research and current best practices, with case studies supplementing guidelines for building leadership to make RTI a success. A top pick for any educator's collection.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Creatures of the Deep
John Woodward
Barron's
250 Wireless Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764162322, $18.99 www.barrons.com

This 'Discoverology' title is an appropriate pick for libraries but is enthusiastically recommended for any home user interested in pop-up science books. It packs in a 3-D journey into the ocean's life and depths, offering pop-ups of fish using digital artwork that brings them to life, pull-tabs, wheels, flaps and more. A 'must' for any family or home user interested in exceptional pop-up collections.

A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil
Ber Van Perlo
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016-4314
9780195301557, $39.95 www.oup/com/us

Any birdwatcher planning a trip to Brazil needs A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil. It is the first modern, in-depth guide to Brazil's birds and offers information on size, call and identifying features for nearly 2,000 birds. Clear color drawings pack a portable dictionary including an English-Portuguese dictionary especially for birders and some 1,700 species-distribution maps. Simply invaluable.

Wiley-Blackwell
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Clinicians using MRI in the diagnosis and treatment of animals will find Patrick R. Gavin and Rodney S. Bagley's PRACTICAL SMALL ANIMAL MRI (9780813806075, $175.99) a key acquisition offering specialist references on applied MRI. From normal anatomy and specific clinical conditions to basic information on physics and equipment and over 1,000 image examples, Practical Small Animal MRI's chapters on diseases and diagnosis are key to any college-level or clinical vet's library. Also key are Lars Mecklenburg, Monika Linek and Desmond J. Tobin's HAIR LOSS DISORDERS IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS (9780813810829, $169.99), the first veterinary text devoted just to hair loss and written by an international team of expert editors. Hair follicle biology and clinical diagnosis are covered in an in-depth survey packing over 300 color images into a text key for any veterinary library. Such collections will also value the sixth updated edition of Donald C. Plumb's VETERINARY DRUG HANDBOOK (9780813810973, $79.99). It is packed with dosage, drug interactions laboratory considerations and monitoring advice for animals, provides sidebars of prescribed highlights and cautions, and is a 'must' for any serious vet's library.

Red Dog Rising
Jeff Schettler
Alpine Publications
38262 Linman Rd., Crawford, CO 81415
9781577791041, $12.95 www.alpinepub.com

RED DOG RISING provides a fine memoir of a bloodhound and his owner who shared a passion for tracking down criminals. It follows the duo through their investigations of crime and the process of their search for justice and makes for riveting true crime reading for any general lending library.


The Art Shelf

Glimmer
Warren Berger
Penguin Press
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9781594202339, $27.95 www.penguin.com

GLIMMER: HOW DESIGN CAN TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE, AND MAYBE EVEN THE WORLD offers insights into how great modern designers design new product lines from iPhones to social network systems, considering how the art of professional design can teach everyone how to achieve a breakthrough just by learning how designers think. It focuses on insights of designer Bruce Mau, a powerful modern designers, and considers the works of ten top designers, interviewing over 200 leading design experts to provide an analysis and synthesis of 'glimmer' thinking. Arts and design collections need this.

Down by the Sea with Brush & Pen
Claudia Nice
North Light Books
c/o F&W Publications
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
160061163X, $26.99 www.artistsnetwork.com

Down by the Sea with Brush & Pen offers different chapters of basics for step-by-step artistic progression, using more than 60 step-by-step demonstrations from short min-demos to full paintings. Each chapter breaks down a different element of coastal scenery painting, offering complete directions for mixing colors of active and still water and dozens of tips to add details for drama and realism. Very highly recommended!

Imaginative Realism
James Gurney
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9780740785504, $24.99 www.amuniversal.com

IMAGINATIVE REALISM: HOW TO PAINT WHAT DOESN'T EXIST packs in an explanation of how to take fantasies and dreams and paint them as though they have substance and reality. Sculpting, modeling, sketching, and painting are all included in displays of imagined animals and worlds and information on equipment, step-by-step techniques, and lovely color displays of finished results perfect for any arts collection.

The Unguarded Moment
Steve McCurry
Phaidon Press
180 Varick Street, 14th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780714846644, $59.95 www.phaidon.com

The Unguarded Moment offers college-level art libraries a powerful oversized presentation of Steve McCurry's portraits and scenes of peoples around the world. His lovely photos from the last thirty years are captured in full color and full splendor: facing pages are largely white with a small line to identify each photo, detracting not at all from the image's presentation. Highly recommended.

Hudson Hills Press
P.O. Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254-9911
www.hudsonhills.com

Mike Glier's ALONG A LONG LINE (9781555953195, $60.00) pairs lovely color images with text by Mike Glier, Lisa Corrin and Carol Diehl, displaying Glier's paintings of nature and the outdoors and accompanying his works with poetic descriptions from an internet blog kept by the artist. Pictures and photos here blend in a stunning presentation of his world travels and nature observations, perfect for any college-level art library strong in nature painting. AN AMERICAN ARTIST by Fletcher Benton (9781555952969, $75.00) profiles the works of a geometric sculptor whose painted steel works use grids, crystals and architecture for high impact. Here Benton's work is considered in three essays examining different periods of his career, packing in large-size color photos of his works, a timeline of 20th century artists, and a profile of some of his finest achievements. Very highly recommended for any serious arts collection; particularly those incorporating architectural achievement.

Wildlife in American Art
Adam Duncan Harris
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806140155, $35.00 www.oupress.com

Wildlife in American Art: Masterworks from the National Museum of Wildlife Art packs in a lovely series of sketches and paintings capturing the tradition of wildlife in American art. For over two decades the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Wyoming assembled these works: this volume captures the museum's holdings for the first time, providing a history of this theme in American art. College-level art libraries will welcome this.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

130 Projects to Get You Into Film Making
Elliot Grove
Barron's
250 Wireless Blvd, Hauppauge, NY 11788
9780764142963, $21.99 www.barronseduc.com

130 Projects to Get You Into Film Making provides a fine review of the basics of filmmaking and provides a complete introductory course under one cover. From using techniques based on low-budget equipment and software to movies that led to a better understanding of cinematography as a whole, this is a fine pick for any film library.

Inventory
A.V. Club
Scribner
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416594734, $18.00 www.simonandschuster.com

INVENTORY: 16 FILMS FEATURING MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRLS, 10 GREAT SONGS NEARLY RUINED BY SAXOPHONE, AND 100 MORE OBSESSIVELY SPECIFIC POP-CULTURE LISTS offers an entertaining gathering of lists from film, music, TV and more and is based on THE A.V. CLUB's weekly inventory. A sampling of the most popular lists accompanies fun opinions, facts and details gained from the film and arts worlds and is a pick any general lending library will relish.


The Sports Shelf

Performance-Enhancing Technologies in Sports
Thomas H. Murray, et.al., editors
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
0801893615, $50.00 www.press.jhu.edu

College-level sports collections serious bout ethical and scientific technologies in sports will welcome Performance-Enhancing Technologies in Sports. It brings together an interdisciplinary group of experts in bioethics, sports, law and philosophy who examine the need for regulating such athletic performance-enhancing technologies as steroids and gene doping. The policy and culture surrounding doping in competitive athletics provides both a history and analysis of past and present drug use in sports and is key to any serious sports collection.

Second Wind
Lee Bergquist
Human Kinetics
Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
0736074910, $17.95 www.hkusa.com

SECOND WIND: THE RISE OF THE AGELESS ATHLETE offers 18 stories to inspire effort in older men and women who want to achieve better fitness. From an 80-year-old who has completed over 150 marathons to a 70-year-old with a polished physique, this packs in outstanding stories of athletes who are succeeding far past the perceived optimum age for fitness. Any general or sports collection will find this compelling.

The Stack and Tilt Swing
Michael Bennett, Andy Plummer, Peter Morrice
Gotham Books
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781592404476, $30.00 www.penguin.com

THE STACK AND TILT SWING: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE SWING THAT IS REMAKING GOLF is a 'must' for any golfer, going beyond traditional moves to present two maverick golf instructors' unique method dubbed 'stack and tilt'. The move's being used on the PGA tour and this book shows how all levels of golfers can adapt their simple approach into a game. Over 200 color photos show how in a pick for any golfer's library.

Human Kinetics
Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
www.hkusa.com

Shannon Sovndal, MD's CYCLING ANATOMY: YOUR ILLUSTRATED GUIDE FOR CYCLING STRENGTH, SPEED, AND ENDURANCE (0736075879, $21.95) offers tips on how to improve performance by increasing muscular strength and movement. Some seventy of the most effective cycling exercises offer step-by-step directions and color anatomical illustrations showing the muscles in action in a guide recommended for any general or sports library strong in cycling handbooks. Ian McLeod's SWIMMING ANATOMY (0736075712, $21.95) packs in color exercises and drills perfect for swimmers seeking to strengthen their performance. Over seventy of the most effective swimming exercises are illustrated in color and offer insights into competition with illustrations of active muscles for starts, turns and the four competitive strokes.


The Gaming Shelf

Halo Encyclopedia
Tobias Buckell, Editorial Consultant
DK Publishing
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780756655495, $40.00 www.dk.com

Any Halo gamer more than casually involved in the program will find this an exhaustive, comprehensive companion to the characters, history and locations of Halo, Halo2 and 3, Halo Wars and ODST. It uses never-before-seen material from the Halo story and is more than just a listing of Halo specifics: it's a tour of Halo's entire structure and universe, and promises lasting and vivid reading packed with full color for any Halo player.


The Automotive Shelf

Legendary Race Cars
Basem Easef
Motorbooks
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 1st Avenue North #300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760335482, $35.00 www.motorbooks.com

Legendary Race Cars is a strong pick for any automotive history collection, offering a lovely illustrated examination of race cars from Mario Andretti's Lotus 79 to Jim Lark's Lotus 49. Ferraris, off-road racers, and more are profiled in an exploration of over twenty-five race cars and their stories.


The Music Shelf

Let It Bleed
Ethan A. Russell
Grand Central Publishing
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780446539043, $35.00 www.hachettebookgroup.com

LET IT BLEED: THE ROLLING STONES, ALTAMONT, AND THE END OF THE SIXTIES is a powerful pick for any library seeking personal stories from the Rolling Stone's 1969 Let It Bleed tour, a tour that ended in tragedy at Altamont. The author was one of only sixteen people who made up the tour, and its only photographer. He was with the Stones behind the scenes throughout the tour - and his photos blend with quotes from his interviews with the band and crew to pack in an outstanding memoir essential for any serious rock music library.

The Way I Am
Eminem
Plume
c/o Penguin Group, USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9780452296121, $25.00 www.penguin.com

Eminem's autobiography details the controversial rapper's life and art, offering views of family, friends, hip-hop and rap battles, and more. Over two hundred color and black and white photos include original family snapshots and personal Polaroids and pack in a lively visual survey of Eminem's life and influence. A 'must' for any library strong in hip-hop or rap music history and culture.

Led Zeppelin and Philosophy
Scott Calef, Editor
Open Court
70 East lake St. #300, Chicago, IL 60601
9780812696721, $19.95 www.opencourtbooks.com

Led Zeppelin and Philosophy: All Will Be Revealed is a recommendation for any music fan of the group Led Zeppelin. It covers their music, draws important links between song lyrics and philosophical reflection, and offers the insights of sixteen Zep fans who are also professional philosophers,

Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall
Jim Marshall
Omnibus Press
c/o Music Sales Corp
237 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10010
9781847721105, $34.95 www.musicsales.com

Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall offers an oversized and exceptional collection of rock star photos from the 'rock and roll photographer' Jim Marshall. For the first time photos from his extensive color archive appear in book form and gather under one cover all the fine figures of music history, documenting great musicians since the late Fifties. Photography as well as music libraries will find this a compelling gathering.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Waking Up To This Day
Paula D'Arcy
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781570758492, $17.00 www.orbisbooks.com

Waking Up To This Day offers inspirations and spiritual insights for daily living, from discussions of how to start each day anew and fresh based on 12-Step Program methods to how 'detours' in life have lasting impact and importance. A fine, simple addition to any spirituality shelf.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Faith Instinct
Nicholas Wade
Penguin Press
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9781594202285, $25.95 www.penguin.com

THE FAITH INSTINCT: HOW RELIGION EVOLVED AND WHY IT ENDURES comes from a longtime reporter for the New York Time's Science section and presents new evidence that human beings are hard-wired to be religious, and that religious instincts evolved because it lent a survival advantage on groups united by religion. Both spirituality and general collections will find this an intriguing theory, worthy of consideration and library addition.

Patience With God
Frank Schaeffer
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780306818547, $25.00 www.dacapopress.com

PATIENCE WITH GOD: FAITH FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE RELIGION (OR ATHEISTS) provides a powerful survey of polarizing forces that exist in both politics and religion, and offers a survey for religious and secular people like who treasure both faith and their freedom to question beliefs. It's both a personal look at religion detailing the author's on/off relationship with God and a survey of changing spiritual perceptions, and makes for a powerful consideration for any religious collection.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition
The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, MAD
Riverhead Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9781594488894, $25.95 www.penguin.com

The 10th anniversary edition of The Art of Happiness is a winner, updated with new material by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler and offering a message that happiness is attainable. Chapters tell how to get it and are based on a series of conversations held over many years on the purpose of life and the way to find happiness in it. General collections and spirituality libraries will find this a 'must'.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

After the Prophet
Lesley Hazleton
Doubleday
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780385523936, $26.95 www.doubleday.com

AFTER THE PROPHET: THE EPIC STORY OF THE SHIA-SUNNI SPLIT IN ISLAM tells the story behind the divide in Islam that begins with the death of Muhammad and fifty years later is still being reenacted in the hills of Iran and across the Middle East. Understanding the origins of the Shia-Sunnit split is key to understanding affairs in the region, making this a 'must' for any serious Middle East collection.


The Parenting Shelf

My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus
Nancy Tringali Piho
Bull Publishing
Box 1377, Boulder, CO 80306
9781933503172, $ 16.95 www.bullpub.com

Why are so many kids picky eaters, and how can a parent raise a kid to 'eat anything'? My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus is a fine survey that asks everyone from chefs to medical researchers to food enthusiast parents how to best teach kids to appreciate a range of foods and flavors. From parental attitude towards trying new things to changing the paradigm on 'children's meals', this is an outstanding recommendation for any parents' library.

Raise Winning Kids Without a Fight
William H. Hughes, MD
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218
0801893402, $15.95 www.press.jhu.edu

Raise Winning Kids Without a Fight: The Power of Personal Choice is a key to understanding the idea of personal choice in all aspects of life, offering parents different perspectives and skills to encourage good behavior in kids. A tested step-by-step approach goes beyond most theoretical child-rearing surveys to teach parents how to allow kids to decide cooperation on their own - and how to clarify expected behavior patterns.


The Economics Shelf

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Economic Indicators
R. Mark Rogers
Alpha Books
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3658
9781592579228, $18.95 www.diotsguides.com

Learn how the business cycle works and how to apply business data to personal ventures with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Economic Indicators. This discusses common economic indicators and how to read and understand them, from real estate trends and early inflation warnings to how to read manufacturing reports. A 'must' for any who would understand investments and business trends.

Shoptimism
Lee Eisenberg
Free Press
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9780743296250, $26.00 www.simonandschuster.com

SHOPTIMISM: WHY THE AMERICAN CONSUMER WILL KEEP ON BUYING NO MATTER WHAT offers a fine survey of American consumption patterns and shopping, surveying the world of buying and selling alike and discussing pricing tricks retailers play, consumer savvy, differences between impulsive shopping and compulsive buying patterns, gift-giving and differences between how men and women shop. Both business and general collections will find this a fine survey.

The Dollar Meltdown
Charles Goyette
Portfolio
c/o Penguin Group, USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781591842842, $27.95 www.penguin.com

The Dollar Meltdown: Surviving the Impending Currency Crisis with Gold, Oil and Other Unconventional Investments discusses how gold is continuing to rise as the value of the dollar declines. It tells readers the period of financial transition is only beginning - and the dollar's role as the world reserve currency is unstable. THE DOLLAR MELTDOWN surveys the history, present and possible futures of the crisis and tells how readers can prepare for economic disaster. Financial collections will find this engrossing.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Your Next Move
Michael D. Watkins
Harvard Business Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422147634, $26.95 www.harvardbusiness.org/press

YOUR NEXT MOVE: THE LEADER'S GUIDE TO NAVIGATING MAJOR CAREER TRANSITIONS tells how to survive and thrive in all major transitions leaders can expect to face during their career, from promotions to leading former peers. Modern business leaders face new roles and responsibilities: YOUR NEXT MOVE provides the strategies and tools needed to identify and navigate major turning points.

Girl on Top
Nicole Williams
Center Street
c/o Hachette Publishing Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
9781599951928, $19.99 www.centerstreet.com

GIRL ON TOP: YOUR GUIDE TO TURNING DATING RULES INTO CAREER SUCCESS tells how to take tactics used to land a man and apply them to a career to handle virtually any work situation. From learning how to get others to praise your work to keeping interest alive, playing hard to get, and networking as though on a date, this packs in easy links between a woman's relationship tactics and business.

101 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensable At Work
Carol A. Silvis, M.Ed.
Course Technology
20 Channel Center St., Boston MA 02210
1435454324, $12.99 www.courseptr.com

101 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensable At Work provides a guide to making the most of your job and appearing valuable to upper management. It teaches how to build positive work habits, foster people skills, expand leadership abilities, and more through a series of tips for workers at all skill levels. Any library catering to the general public needs this.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Conquer the Crash, second edition
Robert R. Prechter Jr.
John Wiley & Sons
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470567975, $29.95 www.wiley.com

CONQUER THE CRASH: YOU CAN SURVIVE AND PROSPER IN A DEFLATIONARY DEPRESSION provides a newly updated, second edition. Readers of the first edition who followed its ideas found their money safe as many stocks, real estate and commodities plunged. This book continues advice - and the author maintains here that the most intense portion of the financial crisis is yet to come - with those properly positioned prospering from this book's strategy. A 'must' for any who would do more than survive hard economic times.

The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning
Taylor Larimore, et.al.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470455579, $24.95 www.wiley.com

Any who want to form a viable retirement plan in the face of the current economic crisis will find The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning inspiring reading. It comes from a group of investors, the Bogleheads, who follow the general business beliefs of Vanguard Group former CEO John C. Bogle, offering explanations of savings, annuities, risks, managing and funding retirement accounts, and more. Libraries strong in retirement guides will find this a fine pick.


The Business Shelf

Crisis-Proof Your Practice
Lynn Grodzki
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393706116, $21.95 www.wwnorton.com

Crisis-Proof Your Practice: How to Survive and Thrive in an Uncertain Economy offers psychotherapists solid business advice on how to build and preserve a private practice during uncertain economic times. From a 4-step process for crisis-proofing a practice to what to charge and how to save, Crisis-Proof Your Practice's therapist-specific guidelines are key to success and recommended for business and health libraries alike.

Adland
James P. Othmer
Doubleday
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780385524964, $26.95 www.doubleday.com

ADLAND: SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE ON A BRANDED PLANET comes from an author with over two decades in the business as a former Executive Creative Director at an advertising firm. His insights on the advertising industry and its demands offers an insider's survey of how ads are created and brought to life in a lively, outstanding analysis recommended for both business and general libraries.

Creating Demand
Gerardo V. Tabio & Sally Beamer
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2119
9781591027553, $19.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

CREATING DEMAND: GENERATE COOL, CUSTOM MARKETING IDEAS is based on over forty years of combined market experience of two consultants who teach a marketing strategy to develop innovative ideas targeted to customer interests. From creating a positive marketing program with measurable results to a formula for synthesizing ideas while holding to high standards of success, CREATING DEMAND is a pick any business library will want.


The Travel Shelf

1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die
Michael Bright, General Editor
Barrons
250 Wireless Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764162330, $35.00 www.barronseduc.com

1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die covers some of the most beautiful sites on Earth and comes from the world's best traveled writers, ecologists, photographers and conservationists. From the Arizona desert to the Scandinavian archipelagos, this packs in details on natural wonders and compelling 'must see' destinations. Highly recommended for any general lending library.


The American History Shelf

The Fourth Part of the World
Toby Lester
Free Press
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416535317, $30.00 www.simonandschuster.com

The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name tells of a great map drawn in 1507 that was bought in 2003 by the Library of Congress for, $10 million - the highest price ever paid for a historical document. The map named America and was the first to show the New World as surrounded by water, separate from Asia - but its value lies in more than its depictions. Its history covers world events and crosses continents in an epic survey key for both history and general-interest collections.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Hunting Memories
Barb Hendee
ROC Books
375 Hudson, New York NY 10010
9780451462916, $15.00 www.penguin.com

HUNTING MEMORIES by Barb Hendee tells of Eleisha, who knows she has to connect with another vampire. She's learned how to draw blood from her victims without killing them - and wants to share her knowledge with like-minded vampires and create a haven where they can live together. But first she must face a dangerous vampire who's been killing his own kind in this fast-paced blend of fantasy and intrigue.

Time Travelers Never Die
Jack McDevitt
Ace Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson, New York NY 10010
9780441017638, $24.95 www.penguin.com

TIME TRAVELERS NEVER DIE tells of a physicist who mysteriously vanishes and whose sun discovers his time-travel device. When son Shel and linguist Dave embark on a rescue mission through time, their journey through history lends a wild ride to a story of a searcher who violates an agreement, views the future, and finds his life and world forever changed as a result. It's a powerful pick, not to be missed!


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II
Larry Gonick
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022-5299
9780060760083, $18.99 www.harpercollins.com

The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II provides a lively survey from Bastille days to modern times and offers a hilarious graphic take on modern history's personalities and events. This concludes Gonick's award-winning series and examines world events, ideologies, and more, using funny cartoons to show how world events are linked. An easy way of refreshing one's world history knowledge, The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part II will appeal to students and adults alike.

Book of Genesis Illustrated
R. Crumb
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393061024, $24.95 www.wwnorton.com

THE BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUSTRATED concludes nearly five years of work and comes from one of the biggest names in underground comics. This black and white collection is faithful to the actual Bible (King James Version and Robert Alter's new translation) and includes a map from Crumb that depicts the world of Abraham and eight pages of Crumb's own commentary on his intentions. The result is a 'must' for both cartoon and spiritual libraries.

The Squirrel Machine
Gary Groth, Editor
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781606993019, $18.99 www.fantagraphics.com

Set in a fictional 19th century New England town, THE SQUIRREL MACHINE details the relationship of Edmund and William Torpor, two brothers whose musical creations are built from strange science and scavenged animal bodies. Their discoveries will change the world in this fine graphic novel packed with black and white images and thought-provoking fantasy.


The Nautical Shelf

The Perfect First Mate, second edition
Joy Smith
Sheridan House
145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
9781574092820, $19.95 www.sheridanhouse.com

The second updated edition of the classic THE PERFECT FIRST MATE helps boaters streamline tasks and offers tips on everything from storage challenges to moving below decks, sleeping well, and keeping the cabin warm or cool. Tips are intended both for day travel or extended cruising and provide an updated set of secrets for boaters. Any nautical library needs this.

Mudlark's Ghosts
Ian Scott
Sheridan House
145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
0955024315, $19.95 www.sheridanhouse.com

MUDLARK'S GHOSTS AND THE RESTORATION OF A HERRESHOFF MEADOW LARK is an outstanding story deserving ongoing recommendation for any interested in ketch designs and boat overhauls. Mudlark, built in 1953, is about to sink - and author Ian Scott decides to save her and spend years restoring the wooden boat. His insights on wooden boat work are invaluable for any wooden boat owner and libraries catering to them.


The Library DVD Shelf

Dinosaurs Alive!
Image Entertainment
20525 Nordhoff St., Suite 200, Chatsworth, CA 91311-6104
014381343427, $24.98 www.image-entertainment.com

Dinosaurs Alive offers eye-opening animation and is loaded with special features, from a 'making of' documentary in HD to an educational section, dinosaur quiz, and more. CGI animation brings all to life with scientifically accurate images perfect for family viewing.

Anchor Bay
235 East 22nd St., Suite 15, New York NY 10010
www.anchorbayent.com/fitness

SLIM & TONE PILATES (01313165429, $14.98) packs in Pilates workouts set in a lovely location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Standard mat exercises and apparatus mat exercises, usually done in a Pilates studio on a reformer, enhance the routine and provide a Pilates approach without expensive equipment. 10 MINUTES SOLUTION: 5 DAY GET FIT MIX (01313163199, $14.98) packs in short 10-minute exercises for the entire body, from cardio kickboxing and power yoga to sculpting and belly fat burning routines. Each workout segment can be done once a day and offers five days of high-gear workouts - perfect for busy home users.

Real Body Work
www.realbodywork.com/yoga

YOGA: GENTLE VINYASA FLOW with Zyrka Landwijt (182064000353, $19.95) features a fine Pose Guide that gives detailed directions on 23 poses for positioning, covering common mistakes and featuring yoga sequences with different difficulty levels and lengths in two-hour sequences. Beginners will find this very accessible. YOGA: SPIRIT OF VINYASA FLOW with Deb Dobbin (182064000377, $19.95) is for intermediate to advanced yoga users and provides three sequences in 3.5 hours of practice. Some 20 pose lessons pack powerful routines perfect for yoga students.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
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