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Volume 24, Number 5 May 2014 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Education Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf Technology Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fiction Shelf Political Science Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Native American Studies Shelf Science Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Nautical Shelf Computer Shelf
Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Sports Shelf Crafts Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf American History Shelf
World History Shelf Language Studies Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Business Shelf Large Print Shelf Poetry Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Agriculture Shelf Travel Shelf
Gaming Shelf Automotive Shelf Biography Shelf
Civil War Shelf Psychology Shelf Jewelry Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Library Science Shelf Art Shelf Gardening Shelf
Railroading Shelf Literary Studies Shelf Photography Shelf
Architecture Shelf Wisconsin Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

The Role of the Postal and Delivery Sector in a Digital Age
Michael A. Crew & Timothy J. Brennan, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781782546337, $145.00, www.amazon.com

Few sectors of the U.S. economy has been so dramatically affected by the impact of the Computer Age as the U. S. Postal Service. Knowledgeably compiled by the editorial team of Michael A. Crew (CRRI Professor of Regulatory Economics, Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University) and Timothy J. Brennan (Professor of Public Policy and Economics, University of Maryland), "The Role of the Postal and Delivery Sector in a Digital Age" is a 360 page compendium comprised of twenty-five descriptively analytical papers by experts on the decline of traditional postal mail due directly and indirectly from the electronic competition (which can be succinctly summed up by the terms "snail-mail" vs. "email") and offering practical strategies by which traditional mail services can survive in a dominate and dominating digital age. A seminal body of impressive scholarship, "The Role of the Postal and Delivery Sector in a Digital Age" is as informed and informative as it is thoughtful, and thought-provoking, making it very highly recommended reading for governmental policy makers, and a critically important addition to academic library reference collections.

The Gender Communication Connection, second edition
Teri Kwal Gamble & Michael W. Gamble
M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504
www.mesharpe.com
9780765642226, $49.95, www.amazon.com

There are subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) differences between the way men and women communicate among themselves and with each other. Now in a fully updated and revised second edition, "The Gender Communication Connection" is a 376 page compendium collaboratively written by the team of Teri Kwal Gamble (Professor of Communication, The College of New Rochelle) and Michael W. Gamble (Professor of Communication Arts, New York Institute of Technology) and provides a detailed inquiry into how gender attitudes and practices have in the past, as well as in the present, influence our gender based perceptions of what constitutes the feminine and the masculine. The exceptionally well written text is enhanced with the inclusion of 'instant recall boxes', 'talk it out' boxes, bibliographic references, and an index. Exceptionally qualified and highly recommended for academic library Communication Studies reference collections, "The Gender Communication Connection" is also commended for Gender Studies supplemental reading lists.

Recovering Place: Reflections on Stone Hill
Mark C. Taylor, author and photographer
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street
New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231164986 $35.00 http://cup.columbia.edu

Part meditative memoir, part poetic quiescence, part photographic testimony, Recovering Place: Reflections on Stone Hill is a coffee-table book filled with thoughts and pictures from the Berkshire Mountains, home to author, photographer, and sculptor Mark C. Taylor. Beautiful images of the natural world paired with introspective musings on life's greatest mysteries fill this wondrous compendium. "Deed precedes word: the practice of art is the theory of life. Far from a limited activity, art is infinite, though its occurrence is always local. The infinity of the work of art is the unending process of its own production." Recovering Place makes an excellent and unforgettable giftbook; nature lovers especially will enjoy browsing its insights.

Love Illuminated
Daniel Jones
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062211163, $25.99, www.williammorrow.com

LOVE ILLUMINATED: EXPLORING LIFE'S MOST MYSTIFYING SUBJECT (WITH THE HELP OF 50,000 STRANGERS) provides a fine survey from the long-time editor of the New York Times popular Modern Love column, and here provides a survey on the meaning of love. From how to find love and whether it's achieved through hard work or destiny to how online and in-person relationships function, the concept of 'true love' even when trust is broken, and how loyalty influences romance, this is a powerful survey that considers love's different forms and social encounters, and is recommended for any general-interest collection.

Extreme Bricks
Sarah Herman
Skyhorse Publishing
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
9781626362123, $24.95, www.skyhorsepublishing.com

EXTREME BRICKS: SPECTACULAR, RECORD-BREAKING AND ASTOUNDING LEGO PROJECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD charts the ruse of adult fans of LEGO and the complex modeling, and details the rise of large-scale projects in a fine survey that documents some of the finest LEGO constructions in the world. Some two hundred color photos of these achievements accompanies a powerful survey highly recommended for any fan of LEGO building and adult LEGO achievement.

After Effects Apprentice, third edition
Trish & Chris Meyer
Focal Press
c/o Elsevier/Butterworth Heinemann
3251 Riverport Lane, Maryland Heights, MO 63043
www.elsevier.com
9780240817361, $24.95, www.focalpress.com

After Effects Apprentice: Real-World Skills for the Aspiring Motion Graphics Artist appears in its third updated edition to cover CS6/5.5/5, and is for novice to intermediate users of the digital video program. Some eleven basic lessons accompany a final project that combines all the lessons in a title newly updated to cover all the new features in the latest After Effects program. Digital video users can use this either as a basic primer, a classroom-in-a-book, or as a reference to animating, handling footage, using new environments with shots, and more. The step-by-step instructions cover all features and explain why some techniques may be used over others. The result is an outstanding survey, recommended for any multimedia or digital video collection.

Sex After
Iris Krasnow
Gotham Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781592408276, $26.00, www.penguin.com

SEX AFTER...WOMEN SHARE HOW INTIMACY CHANGES AS LIFE CHANGES shares true stories of women's intimate relationships and considers, decade by decade, the typical patterns that women take in the course of their lives. From senior women who date to young love, this is all about intimate connections at all phases of life, after health struggles, menopause, and other typical life challenges. Stories here address social and health changes, pair with medical advice from experts and healthcare professionals, and provide wide-reading perspectives on modern sexual health and intimacy - all this couched in a lively, readable account you simply wont' find elsewhere.


The Education Shelf

What Excellent Community Colleges Do
Joshua S. Wyner
Harvard Education Press
8 Story Street, 1st floor, Cambridge, MA 02138
www.harvardeducationpress.org
9781612506494, $26.95, www.amazon.com

In the United States, community colleges, sometimes called junior colleges, technical colleges, two-year colleges, or city colleges, are primarily two-year public institutions providing higher education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees. Many also offer continuing and adult education. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year liberal arts college or university for two to three years to complete a bachelor's degree. Community colleges primarily attract and accept students from the local community, and are often supported by local tax revenue. "What Excellent Community Colleges Do: Preparing All Students for Success" by Joshua S. Wyner (Founder and Executive Director of The Aspen Institute's College Excellence Program) is a 200 page compendium providing prospective and current students and their families with a comprehensive and descriptive overview of the policies and practices that have ensured the continued importance and relevance of community colleges within the framework of American education. Organized into five major chapters (Completion and Transfer; Equity and Developmental Education; Learning Outcomes; Labor Markets; The Community College President), "What Excellent Community Colleges Do: Preparing All Students for Success" includes an informative Introduction and Conclusion, along with two appendices, extensive notes, and a comprehensive index. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Educational Studies reference collections, it should be noted that "What Excellent Community Colleges Do: Preparing All Students for Success " is also available in a Library Binding edition (9781612506500, $60.00).

Let's Find Out!
Susan Kempton
Stenhouse Publishers
477 Congress Street, Suite 4B
Portland, ME 04101-3451
9781571109514 $28.00 www.stenhouse.com

Susan Kempton, an educator with thirty years' professional experience specializing in the field of childhood literacy, presents Let's Find Out! Building Content with Young Children, a resource especially for educators of pre-K through second grade students. Chapters discuss the critical role of developing schema (guiding principles that underlie instruction) and offer both examples from her practice and solid strategies for helping children read, write, and communicate more effectively. Black-and-white photographs and an online video enhance this practical minded guide, filled with examples of Kempton's methods put into practice. Sections rotate through "Story" (Kempton's conversations with children), "Unpack" (the reasoning behind Kempton's teaching method), "Conference/Reflection" (the children's thoughts), and "Original Writing" (samples of writing from the children). Highly recommended.

Intentional Talk
Elham Kazemi & Allison Hintz
Stenhouse Publishers
477 Congress Street, Suite 4B
Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781571109767, $20.00, www.amazon.com

Math phobias are common place, primarily because of the way children encountered the subject in their school classes. One major way to get past an aversion to mathematics is to have effective discussions about math in all of its aspects. The collaborative work of Elham Kazemi (Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Washington) and Allison Hintz (Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Washington), "Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions" is a 168 page compendium comprised of informative instruction on holding a math oriented or targeted discussion group beginning with a chapter on Open Strategy Sharing. Enhanced with a number of Appendices, an extended list of References, and a comprehensive Index, "Intentional Talk: How to Structure and Lead Productive Mathematical Discussions" is highly recommended for academic library collections as a unique and seminal contribution to the field of mathematical education.

Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam 2014
Paul Foglino, et.al.
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780804124750, $18.99, www.princetonreviewbooks.com

Cracking the AP Chemistry Exam 2014 offers two full-length practice tests with proven techniques to help you score higher, and is recommended for any high school collection strong in college prep materials. It has been revised and updated for the new exam and adapts all of its drills, tests and strategies to the latest materials, including the new test topics and practices for blending the new multiple choice and constructed response question types. Formulas, explanations and insights make for a powerful, highly recommended study for any AP Chemistry student.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

When Your Life Is Touched by Cancer
Bob Riter
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914
Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9780897936798 $14.95 www.hunterhouse.com

Cancer expert and educator Bob Riter presents When Your Life Is Touched by Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals, and Those Who Care, a resource that lives up to its title with straightforward, practical advice for dealing with a cancer diagnosis, whether pronounced on oneself or a friend or loved one. Chapters address how to tell one's children/family/friends about a cancer diagnosis, the pros and cons of different treatment choices, how to take care of oneself during treatment, how to most effectively support others with cancer, and much more. "Don't ask 'How can I help?' That puts the burden on the patient to think of things. It's better to call and offer something concrete such as, 'I'm heading to the grocery store this afternoon. Can I pick up something for you?'" When Your Life Is Touched by Cancer is a "must-read" for anyone who knows a person with this dangerous disease, and is highly recommended.

Kinesiology Taping
John Langendoen and Karin Sertel
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
9780778804819 $24.95 www.robertrose.ca

Kinesiology Taping: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide is a hands-on, user-friendly guide to using elastic tape on one's body to provide support for exercise/sports training, or to relieve muscle tension, bruising, sore muscles, strains, sprains, or arthritic conditions. Even simple ailments such as headaches and sinusitis can be ameliorated through taping. Step-by-step instructions, each illustrated clearly with full color photography, make Kinesiology taping an excellent and thoroughly accessible resource for readers of all skill and experience levels. Highly recommended, both for the general public and for specialists in the medical professions.

Happy Hormones
Kristy Vermeulen, ND
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10
Hobart, NY 13788
9781578264865 $16.95 www.hatherleighpress.com

Happy Hormones: Discover the Breakthrough Treatment Program for Better Hormonal Health is a diet and lifestyle guide written especially for laypeople struggling with health problems traceable to hormonal imbalances. Although Happy Hormones is absolutely cannot substitute for the diagnosis and recommendations of a physician, its basic advice is enlightening and practical. "Exercise not only relieves stress, but also increases our metabolism and the release of natural endorphins, leading to increased energy and happier thoughts and feelings. However, intense exercise actually triggers the stress response, so if you already have excess cortisol levels, it is important to focus on light to moderate exercise. People with excess cortisol respond very well to yoga and meditation, as both of these significantly decrease stress." Self-assessments, suggested hormonal balancing programs, information about biodentical and synthetic hormones, nutrition programs grounded in healthy and hormone-friendly recipes, and more fill this handy, helpful, and thoroughly accessible guide.

Mindful Living with Asperger's Syndrome
Chris Mitchell
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849054348, $19.95, www.jkp.com

Mindful Living with Asperger's Syndrome: Everyday Mindfulness Practices to Help You Tune in to the Present Moment is based on the author's own life experiences, travels and meditations and considers how mindfulness can help with typical AS problems, from sensory issues to social situations. Step-by-step mindfulness practices that can easily blend into any lifestyle are suggested, from yoga stretches to breathing routines, and teach the basics of how to live mindfully in the moment.

Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics, second edition
Susan J. Westrick
Jones & Bartlett Learning
5 Wall Street, Burlington, MA 01803
9781284030204, $92.95, www.jblearning.com

Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics appears in its second updated edition to explain and explore legal aspects of nursing, and will make an excellent college-level text for any involved in the nursing profession. It provides scholarly chapters that cover everything from patient safety and rights to organ donation and the use of social media by nurses, it reviews ethical issues, and it updates legal and ethical issues. New discussions of staffing, professional boundaries and more make this a 'must' for any studying nursing.

Healthy Joints for Life
Richard Diana, MD
Harlequin Books
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9
9780373892709, $17.95, www.harlequin.com

Healthy Joints for Life isn't about surgery, even though it comes from an orthopedic surgeon: instead, it's his proven plan to reduce inflammation to avoid surgery and comes from his decades of clinical experience and the latest research on molecular NFkBs which play a role in inflammation. It's actually a program that focuses on what foods reduce inflammation, which supplements help, and how to incorporate movement into a routine designed to heal joints and keep them healthy. As the author has been a consultant to several collegiate athletic programs and has extensive background in an approach that works, his is a top recommendation for any who would consider an alternative approach to the usual surgery advice currently given for many joint conditions.

Heimlich's Maneuvers
Henry J. Heimlich, MD
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616148508, $19.95, www.prometheusbooks.com

Heimlich's Maneuvers: My Seventy Years of Lifesaving Innovation is medical biography writing at its best and provides a survey of his years in medicine and the many other life-saving inventions he developed, from the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve to the MicroTrach which provides a better way for people to take oxygen. In the past decade he's done extensive research on cancer and HIV: this too is described in an account that considers medical breakthroughs, research approaches, and the controversies his new ideas have sparked in the medical community. The result is a powerful survey any medical collection should have.

The Low-Carb Fraud
T. Colin Campbell, PhD with Howard Jacobson, PhD
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400, Dallas, TX 75204
9781940363097, $16.95, www.benbellabooks.com

The Low-Carb Fraud comes from a leader in nutritional science who outlines how the popular proponents of a low-carb diet are failing, and provides a critical assessment of the belief that carbohydrates are bad. All carbs, indeed, aren't equal and to consider them as such holds dangerous ramifications for health. Any who are considering a low-carb approach to nutrition should start here: it provides insights on nutrition and food management and is a 'must' for any who would go beyond diet promises to understand the nutritional foundations for healthy versus unhealthy diets.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Christ the Miracle Worker in Early Christian Art
Lee M. Jefferson
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
9781451477931 $39.00 http://fortresspress.com

Lee Jefferson (assistant professor of religion at Centre College of Danville, Kentucky) presents Christ the Miracle Worker in Early Christian Art, a scholarly discussion of ancient, Christian artistic images. These pictures showed Christ performing miracles or healings, and promoted the relatively new (at the time) faith of Christianity, even as they displayed the compassionate nature of Christ. An appendix of black-and-white images supplements the meticulous, well-reasoned text, grounded heavily in extensive research. Christ the Miracle Worker in Early Christian Art is especially recommended for college library Christian Studies shelves.

A Reader's Lexicon Of The Apostolic Fathers
Daniel B. Wallace, et al.
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
www.kregelpublications.com
9780825439490, $34.99, www.amazon.com

A lexicon is a book containing an alphabetical arrangement of the words in a language and their definitions. The Apostolic Fathers are the men who comprised the earliest generation of post-Biblical Christian writers, that is, after the apostles whose writings make up the books of the New Testament and before the unification of the Christian church at Emperor Constantine's Council of Nicea in 325A.D. The collaborative editorial work of Daniel B. Wallace (Professor of new Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas), Brittany C. Burnette (Adjunct Instructor, College of Biblical Studies, Houston, Texas); and Terri Darby Moore (New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary), "A Reader's Lexicon of the Apostolic Fathers" is a 256 page compendium that provides the English word meaning to the original Greek words for the eighteen documents attributed to the Apostolic Fathers Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Barnabas, as well as The Traditions of the Elders; The Fragments of Papais', The Fragment of Quadratus; The Letter to Dignetus; The Shepherd of Hermas; the Didache; and The Martydom of Polycarp. A model of biblical scholarship, "A Reader's Lexicon of the Apostolic Fathers" will prove to be an invaluable and indispensable addition to academic library Christian Studies reference collections in general, the Apostolic Fathers Studies reference collections in particular.

Newman and Life in the Spirit
John R. Connolly & Brian W. Hughes, editors
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9781451472530, $35.00, www.amazon.com

John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 - 11 August 1890 was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. Originally an evangelical Oxford academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman was a leader in the Oxford Movement. This influential grouping of Anglicans wished to return the Church of England to many Catholic beliefs and forms of worship traditional in the medieval times to restore ritual expression. In 1845 Newman left the Church of England and was received into the Roman Catholic Church where he was eventually granted the rank of cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College, Dublin, today the largest university in Ireland. Newman's beatification was officially proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. His canonization is dependent on the documentation of additional miracles. Newman was also a literary figure of note: his major writings including his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865 - 66), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865), which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar as an oratorio. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius). Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by John R. Connolly (Professor Emeritus of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angles, California) and Brian W. Hughes (Associate professor and Chair of Theology, University of Saint Mary, Levenworth, Kansas), "Newman and Life in the Spirit: Theological Reflections on Spirituality for Today" is a 192 page compendium comprised of ten major essays by outstanding scholars and theologians on the on the work and thought of Cardinal Newman. A very highly recommended contribution to pastoral, seminary, and academic library Christian Studies reference collections, it should be noted the "Newman and Life in the Spirit: Theological Reflections on Spirituality for Today" is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.24).

I Ask You to Pray for Me
Pope Francis
Paulist Press
997 MacArthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
www.paulistpress.com
9780809148592, $12.95, www.amazon.com

Rarely in the 2,000 year history of the Roman Catholic Church has a pope been as popular and respected by non-Catholics as Pope Francis. The impact this pope has had on the hopes of Catholics everywhere for social justice, reforms of the clergy, consideration for the plight of the poor, attention the incarcerated, assistance for the elderly, and help for the outcast is almost unprecedented. Simply stated, "I Ask You to Pray for Me: Opening a Horizon of Hope", a 102 page compendium of counseling and commentary by Pope Frances, should be considered mandatory reading by every Catholic and by every non-Catholic with an interest in what Pope Frances is seeking to accomplish in these troubled times. It should be noted that "I Ask You to Pray for Me" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

The Story Telling God
Jared C. Wilson
Crossway Books
1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, IL 60187
9781433536687, $14.99, www.crossway.org

The Story Telling God focuses on Christ's parables and discusses how each is designed to bring listeners to Jesus, and is the perfect book for any who would understand how Jesus used parables to illustrate the ways of God. Humor and analysis blend in a survey that considers the beginning, message and conclusion of each parable and how it relates to spiritual insights. From points of common parables that are often missed to significant characters, The Story Telling God examines how stories serve as instructional plans for understanding spiritual goals, and provide any Christian readers with many specific details perfect for furthering understanding.

True and Holy
Leo D. Leffebure
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781626980532, $30.00, www.orbisbooks.com

True and Holy: Christian Scripture and Other Religions provides a fine survey of how Christians view other religions and considers traditional Christian involvements with Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, documenting a shift in each from an atmosphere of hostility to one of respect. Theologians receive a detailed and scholarly investigation that documents the history of Christian interactions with other religions to provide a strong contrast of modern-day perspectives and changes. From Christian interpretations of Muslim and other religious beliefs to new approaches to biblical interpretation, this pairs analysis with quotes from source materials and is a pick for any scholarly Christian collection!


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Muhammad: His Character and Conduct
Adil Salahi
The Islamic Foundation
c/o Kube Publishing
MCC, Ratby Lane, Markfield
Leicestershire, LE67 9SY, United Kingdom
www.kubepublishing.com
9780860375616, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Muhammad unified Arabia into a single religious polity under Islam. Believed by Muslims to be a messenger and prophet of God, Muhammad is almost universally considered by Muslims as the last prophet sent by God to mankind. While non-Muslims regard Muhammad to have been the founder of Islam, Muslims themselves consider him to have restored the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. In "Muhammad: His Character and Conduct", author Adil Salahi draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as a Muslim and the editor of "Islam in Perspective" (a twice-weekly full-page column in the Saudi daily newspaper 'Arab News') to deftly write a 296 page analytical biography to defend against contemporary detractors of Muhammad's life, work, and legacy. Extraordinarily well written and presented, "Muhammad: His Character and Conduct" is a valued contribution to the growing body of Islamic literature and very highly recommended for community and academic library Islamic Studies collections, as well as the personal reading lists of non-specialist general readers with an interest in Muhammad and Islam.


The Technology Shelf

Remote Sensing of Natural Resources
Guangxing Wang and Qihao Weng, Editors
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
9781466556928, $129.95, www.crcpress.com

Remote Sensing of Natural Resources joins others in the Taylor & Francis Series in Remote Sensing Applications, and is recommended for college-level collections strong in environmental science. It highlights new technologies and explores these remote sensing systems and algorithms for image processing and data applications, discussing how this is used for evaluating natural resources from sampling to land management issues and modeling. Chapters include case studies of recent developments and changes to classic methods and techniques as a result of these technologies, and covers a wide range of remote sensing systems and options. With plenty of bibliographical references and black and white illustrations, charts, tables and specifics, this is a 'must' for any serious environmental reference collection.

Filter Synthesis Using Genesys S/Filter
Randall W. Rhea
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608078028, $129.00, www.artechhouse.com

Filter Synthesis Using Genesys S/Filter provides a practical guide to Genesys software for filter design and is a recommendation for any engineering collection strong in microwave and RF filter mechanics. The focus is on solving common filter problems with lumped element and distributed filters, and chapters accomplish this through diagrams, charts, mathematical expressions, and discussions of everything from Ikeno transforms to piezoelectric devices. Resistance sources, power matches, poor return loss and bandwidth, and many other issues are surveyed in the course of a discussion engineers will find both specific and applicable to real-world issues. The result is a 'must' for any working with filters.


The Cookbook Shelf

Better Homes & Gardens: The Ultimate Quick & Healthy Book
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
9780544245792 $19.99 www.hmhpub.com

Illustrated with full-color photography on nearly every page, Better Homes & Gardens: The Ultimate Quick & Healthy Book is a softcover omnibus cookbook packed with over 400 recipes, each with 15 grams of fat or less, each of which can be prepared within 30 minutes. User-friendly, step-by-step instructions plus helpful tips and tricks make preparing snacks or meals from The Ultimate Quick & Health Book a snap. Dishes suitable for just about every possible meal or occasion are offered, including Almond Breakfast Risotto with Dried Fruit, Two Tomato Bruschetta, Sweet and Spicy Edamame-Beef Stir-Fry, Southwest Kale Salad, Vegetable Curry, Cherry-Pistachio Cannoli, and much more. Highly recommended for cooks of all skill and experience levels!

The Complete Mediterranean Diet
Michael Ozner, MD
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400
Dallas, TX 75204
9781939529954 $19.95 www.benbellabooks.com

Expert cardiologist Michael Ozner, MD presents The Complete Mediterranean Diet: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease... with 500 Delicious Recipes, a cookbook compendium brimming with healthy offerings from the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is well-known and clinically proven to reduce one's risk of heart disease and cancer. Sample recipes include Broiled Artichoke Salad, Quinoa and Raisins Porridge, Peppered Fillet of Sole, Baked Eggplant with Garlic and Basil, Strawberry Sundae Whey Smoothie, and much more. Suggested 14-day meal plans, a glossary and index, and general dietary advice round out this excellent reference and resource for healthier living!

Vegan Finger Foods
Celine Steen & Tamasin Noyes
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1721
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com
9781592335947, $22.99, www.amazon.com

A vegan diet can be as fun and tasty as called for by any celebratory occasion. Case in point -- "Vegan Finger Foods: More Than 100 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes for Bite-Size Eats Everyone Will Love", a 176 page compendium collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the vegan team of Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes. The more than one hundred, thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from Kimchi-Stuffed Sausages; Red Pepper Hummus Tartlets; Pull-Apart Pesto Bread; and Eggplant Stackers; to Carmelized Bananas with Chocolate Chipotle Sauce; Three-Spice Snickerdoodles; Tiny Tomato Pies; Brewpub Cauliflower Dip and Chips; and Baked Jalapenos. A special feature includes a section of Menu Suggestions. Beautifully illustrated in full color throughout, "Vegan Finger Foods: More Than 100 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes for Bite-Size Eats Everyone Will Love" is truly extraordinary and very highly recommended for personal, family, and community library Vegan cookbook collections.

The China Study All-Star Collection
Leanne Campbell
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781939529978, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Vegan cuisine has been steadily growing in popularity. "The China Study All-Star Collection: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes from Your Favorite Vegan Chefs" is a beautifully illustrated, 304 page compendium of recipes contributed by professional vegan chefs and compiled by vegan cuisine expert Leanne Campbell. This outstanding collection of vegan recipes ranges from a Fresh Corn and Zucchini Frittata; to a Carrot and Maple-Walnut Salad; to Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Kale with Miso-Dijon Sauce; to Strawberry Babycakes. Thoroughly kitchen cook friendly, a great many of these wonderful recipes also feature a 'Tips' section of practical culinary preparation advice. Simply stated, "The China Study All-Star Collection: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes from Your Favorite Vegan Chefs" is an extraordinary collection and highly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library Vegan, Vegetarian, and Chinese cuisine cookbook collections. It should be noted that "The China Study All-Star Collection: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes from Your Favorite Vegan Chefs" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Idiot's Guides: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Denise Hazime
Alpha Books
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3658
www.penguin.com
9781615644452, $18.95, www.amazon.com

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Greece, Palestine, Lebanon, Spain, Portugal and Southern Italy. The principal aspects of this diet include proportionally high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and low consumption of meat and meat products. Compiled and presented by Denise Hazime, the "Idiot's Guides: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" is a 288 page compendium of more than 200 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for dishes that arise from the nutritional principles underlying the Mediterranean Diet. Featuring practical advise and commentary on cooking within the Mediterranean Diet framework, plus comprehensive coverage of the key ingredients upon which the Mediterranean Diet is based, the recipes comprising this outstanding collection range from Herbed Potatoes and Eggs; Mediterranean Pasta Salad; Beef-Stuffed Squash; Pickled Persian Cucumbers; and Mediterranean Grilled Cheese Sandwiches; to Homemade Greek Yogurt; Spiced Chicken and Rice; Vegetarian Quinoa Pilaf; Lemon Basil Garlic Sauce.; and Ashta Custard. Enhanced with the inclusion of a culinary glossary and a quite useful index, "Idiot's Guides: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" is strongly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Idiot's Guides: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.69).

The World's Best Spicy Food
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street
Oakland CA 94607
9781743219768 $19.99 www.lonelyplanet.com

The World's Best Spicy Food: Where to Find It & How to Make It lives up to its title as a culinary tour of classic, spicy recipes from around the globe. Straightfoward instructions, a wealth of full color photography, and a glossary of exotic ingredients with recommendations for easy-to-find substitutions make recreating worldwide fiery delicacies in one's own kitchen as simple as can be. Nearly every recipe is enhanced with a page full of notes about the dish's history, plus recommendations for tasting the heat! Recipes include Kothu Roti (Sri Lanka), Mao Xue Wang (Sichuan, China), Pasta all'Arrabbiata (Italy), Samosas (India), Tortas Ahogadas (Guadalajara, Mexico) and many more. An absolute "must-have" for connoisseurs of hot 'n' spicy delights!

It's All Greek to Me
Debbie Matenopoulos
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Ste 400
Dallas, TX 75204
9781939529930 $29.95 www.benbellabooks.com

Television personality Debbie Matenopoulos presents It's All Greek to Me, a hardcover collection of 120 traditional Greek recipes from her own family's kitchen traditions. Debbie deliberately gives a few of them her own touch to make them healthier and easier to prepare. Traditional Mediterranean foods such as these are well-known to be healthy, especially when one puts emphasis on consuming natural, whole, and unprocessed foods. Sample dishes include Tomato, Cucumber, and Red Onion Salad; Moussaka; Almond, Orange, and Semolina Cake; her family's beloved Baklava; and much more. Full-color photography and numerous culinary vignettes round out this cookbook that is as much fun to browse as it is to prepare nutritious meals from!

The Secrets of Gluten-Free Baking
Jillayne Clements
www.jillayneclements.com
Front Table Books
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781462112869 $18.99 www.cedarfort.com

The Secrets of Gluten-Free Baking is resource that will prove especially invaluable to anyone on a gluten-free diet. Featuring recipes that rely on whole food ingredients, The Secrets of Gluten-Free Baking proves that traditional favorite delicacies can be prepared in a healthy and gluten- free manner! Recipes include Honey Oat Bread (made with rice flour and flaxseed meal), White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies (made with ivory teff flour and out flour), Fruit Cake Cobbler (made with sprouted brown rice flour and oat flour), and much more. Easy-to-follow instructions and full-color photography enhance this "must-have" for anyone loves baked goods but can't tolerate gluten!

Southern Thymes Shared
Lara Lyn Carter and Doc Lawrence, authors
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053
www.pelicanpub.com
9781455618668 $35.00 256 pages www.amazon.com

"Southern Thymes Shared" is an indulgent collection of original Old South recipes paired with excellent choices of wines of world wide fame. Scrumptious examples of Southern cuisine are presented in accessible recipe format with frequent inspiring color photos of finished delicacies. An example of a typical menu and recipes is found in the chapter on Easter Dinner, page 35. Here are home recommended recipes for Glazed Ham, Three-Cheese Mac 'n' Cheese, Spring Peas with Pancetta and Caramelized Onions, Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter, and Coconut Cake, paired with several delightful wines including Chateauneuf-du-Pape, from the Rhone Valley of France, Donelan Cuvee Moriah, a California Syrah, or Albarino from Galicia, Spain. Similar elegant menu suggestions with paired vintages are included for a variety of special Southern traditional dining experiences. Here will be found elegant recipes and menus for seafood, holidays, fiestas, fish fries, barbecue, coastal fare, fall traditional meal menus, hunt suppers, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more. All fare is authentic Southern cuisine skillfully adapted for an informed critical palate. The photography is inspiring and elegant as are the cosmopolitan wine suggestions for each menu. Enhanced with 33 color photos, "Southern Thymes Shared" is a sensation for the senses, inviting readers to share in a sophisticated, delicious, grand variety of gourmet experiences from different famous Southern traditions. You won't want to miss it.

Up In Smoke
Matt Pelton
Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South, Springville, Utah 84663
www.cedarfort.com
9781462112654, $18.99, www.amazon.com

Smoke has been used to preserve, cook, and flavor meats of all kinds throughout recorded human history. "Up in Smoke: A Complete Guide to Cooking with Smoke" by meat smoking expert Matt Pelton is a very nicely illustrated, 128 page instruction guide that will enable even the most novice of chefs to effectively smoke, grill, and barbecue all manner of meats. There are chapters devoted to the use of wood fires to enhance flavors, descriptions of various types of barbecue pits, fire control, and more. A wealth of step-by-step recipes and techniques are offered in chapters focused on smoking, barbecuing, rubs, sauces, marinades, side dishes, and deserts. For the competitively minded, there is even a chapter on 'Competition Barbecue and Organizations'. Thoroughly 'user friendly', informed and informative, "Up in Smoke: A Complete Guide to Cooking with Smoke" is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that 'Up in Smoke: A Complete Guide to Cooking with Smoke" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.99).

Bacon 24/7: Recipes for Curing, Smoking, and Eating
Theresa Gilliam
The Countryman Press
43 Lincoln Corners Way/P.O. Box 748
Woodstock, Vermont 05091
www.countrymanpress.com
9781581572377, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Bacon is a meat product prepared from the pork belly of a pig and usually cured. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon (also known as green bacon). Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, or it may be boiled or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon is typically cooked before eating. Boiled bacon is ready to eat, as is some smoked bacon, but may be cooked further before eating. Most popularly encountered at breakfast or the traditional BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich, author and culinary expert Theresa Gilliam demonstrates in her superbly illustrated, 178 page cookbook, "Bacon 24/7: Recipes for Curing, Smoking, and Eating" that bacon is a highly versatile meat that can be a part of any breakfast, lunch, dinner meal. With recipes ranging from Bacon Ricotta Corn Cakes; Bacon and Apple Grilled Cheese Panini; Bacon Butternut Squash Soup; and Teriyaki Salmon Skewers with Bacon and Apple; to BLT Mac and Cheese; Wrapped-Up, Glazed-Up Pork Tenderloin; Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates; and Apple Pie with Bacon Streusel. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' throughout, "Bacon 24/7: Recipes for Curing, Smoking, and Eating" is an exceptional and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Bacon 24/7: Recipes for Curing, Smoking, and Eating" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes
Jane Sharrock
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804758, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Candy is universally popular and a multi-billion dollar industry world wide. But now with Jane Sharrock's "300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes" even the most novice of kitchen cooks can turn out an impressive variety of first class candies for all dining occasions including high end celebrations, daily meal desserts, or snack time any time. As the title indicated, this 288 page compendium is comprised of three hundred recipes very nicely organized into five major sections: Heirloom Candies; Make Mine Fudge; Designer Delights; Short and Sweet. Of special note is the opening information provided on candy making basics, a Candy Glossary; 'Dipping Candies in Chocolate', and a great deal more. Concluding with 'Recipes by Skill Level' and a comprehensive index, "300 Best Homemade Candy Recipes: Brittles, Caramels, Chocolate, Fudge, Truffles and So Much More" is an extraordinary recipe collection and an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Pitt Cue Co.: The Cookbook
Tom Adams, et al.
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781845339074, $34.99, www.amazon.com

Enhanced with illustrations by Georige Adams, and full-color photos throughout, "Pitt Cue Co.: The Cookbook" is an extraordinary, 288 page compendium comprised of more than 120 outstanding recipes drawn from the menus of such award winning restaurants as The Spotted Pig; The Breslin Bar and Dining Room; Hawksmoor; The Albion; The Blueprint Cafe; and the Brunswick House. The collaborative effort of BBQ experts Tom Adams, Simon Anderson, jamie Berger, and Richard H. Turner. The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from drinks like 'The Ganton' and 'Buzz Cut'; to such snacks as Smoked Foie Gras on Toast with Pickled Cherries; to sauces and rubs like Pitt Cue Barbecue Sauce, to entrees like Hot Mutton Ribs and Smoked Quail; to desserts like Orange & Chocolate Cheesecakes, Doughnuts, and a Rhubarb & Lemon Tart. A culinary joy to simple browse through, "Pitt Cue Co.: The Cookbook" is very highly recommended as an addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

The Complete Book Of Icing, Frosting & Fondant Skills
Shelly Baker
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
www.barronseduc.com
9781438003443, $24.99, www.amazon.com

Compiled and presented by Shelly Baker, "The Complete Book Of Icing, Frosting & Fondant Skills" is a superbly illustrated, 288 page instructional compendium that will enable even the most novice of kitchen cooks to turn out professional baker quality cakes and cookies. Beginning with an introduction to the materials and equipment that will be needed, "The Complete Book Of Icing, Frosting & Fondant Skills" goes on to include a recipe section for a number of basic cakes, frostings, fondants, and icings, followed by a section on preparing and covering cakes. Of special note are the sections devoted to working with frosting, chocolate, fondant, gum paste, marzipan, and royal icing. Enhanced with the inclusion of an index, a roster of suppliers, biographies and acknowledgments of contributors, "The Complete Book Of Icing, Frosting & Fondant Skills" is a superbly well organized and presented 'how to' manual that is recommended for personal, family, and community library culinary collections -- and would make an excellent supplementary textbook for school baking classes.

In a While, Crocodile
Patrice Keller Kononchek and Lauren Malone Keller
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781455618422, $21.95, www.pelicanpub.com

In a While, Crocodile: New Orleans Slow Cooker Recipes is a satisfying change from your usual slow cooker general collection, narrowing the focus to classic New Orleans gumbos, meatballs and more and accompanying recipes with lively anecdotes. Color photos of such dishes as Muffuletta Mambo Pasta - an innovation on the classic sandwich - and Flambeaux Gumbo (packed with sausage, chicken, and spices) make for a lovely collection of dishes that take classics, add innovative twists, then adapt them to the slow cooker's strengths. The result is a wonderful collection highly recommended for any New Orleans or slow cooker fan.

125 Best Casseroles and One-Pot Meals
Rose Murray
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
9780778800552, $19.95, www.robertrosa.ca

125 Best Casseroles and One-Pot Meals provides a fine collection of meals suitable for busy people who want homemade food with a minimum of fuss, and features a variety of make-ahead meals. These aren't complex dishes but recipes perfect for beginning cooks who don't want to stock a pantry of exotic ingredients, and provide foods elegant enough for entertaining and portable, quick weeknight dinners alike. Add in several centerfolds of color photos and you have a winner!

Harvest
Max Watman
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393063028, $24.95, www.wwnorton.com

HARVEST: FIELD NOTES FROM A FAR-FLUNG PURSUIT OF REAL FOOD comes from an author who resolved to hunt, fish, bake, preserve and handle his own food. He buys a thousand-pound steer, raises chickens, and gardens and here in his memoir records his experiences as he tries to become more connected to food sources. There are successes and failures, trials and errors, and challenges such as making his own cheese. His accounts are lively journeys of discovery both in food circles and of his own strengths, and make for a powerful account highly recommended for any interested in real food discoveries and sustainable small-scale food production.

Almonds Every Which Way
Brooke McLay
Da Capo Press
44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738217383, $18.99, www.dacapopress.com

Almonds Every Which Way packs in over 150 almond milk, flour and butter recipes and provides fine alternatives to wheat-based dishes, making this cookbook accessible to gluten-free and vegan readers alike. Basic recipes for almond milks, butters and flours accompany keys for storing and using these ingredients in the recipes that follow, with chapters using almond milk in creamy soups, flour in pizza crusts, and butter in roasted cinnamon squash, to name just a few of the recipes within. A centerfold of color photos provides attraction for any interested in using almonds to their best advantage.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Family Ties
Eric Hobbs, author
Noel Tuazon, artist
ComicsLit
c/o NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing
New York, NY 10038
9781561637294 $13.99 www.nbmpublishing.com

Family Ties: An Alaskan Crime Drama is a black-and-white graphic novel set in modern-day Alaska, yet inspired by Shakespeare's classic tragedy "King Lear". An aging crime boss struggles with dementia and tries to plan an orderly succession of his black market enterprises. But his two daughters are greedy for power, and ruthless in their machinations, while his straight-laced son is caught in the middle, wanting only to see his beloved father get proper elder care. Murder, betrayal, and revenge abound in this dark and violent parable, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of Shakespearean drama and gritty crime stories alike.


The Audiobook Shelf

Silas Marner
George Eliot
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781843798118, $47.98, www.amazon.com

"Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe" is the third novel by George Eliot, published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, it is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialization to community. This complete and unabridged audiobook edition from Naxos is expertly narrated by Anna Bentinck. Flawless production values, seven CDs, and a total running time of 8 hours, 34 minutes, 15 seconds, all combine to make this classic work of English literature a "must" for community and academic library Audio Book collections, and a highly recommended 'theatre of the mind' listening experience for the general public.

The Christie Curse
Victoria Abbott, author
Carla Mercer-Meyer, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781494500993 $42.99 www.tantor.com

The first volume of Victoria Abbott's "Book Collector Mystery" series, The Christie Curse is an unabridged audiobook rendition of a researcher who just might be in over her head. Jordan Kelley is trying to dig her way out of a mountain of debt from her credit card-stealing ex and her grad school loans. Her new researcher job - which involves tracking down an alleged Agatha Christie play - seems to be a dream come true at first. But her employer has no shortage of enemies, and Jorden soon learns that the last person to look for the play met a grisly fate. Is Jordan's new job too good to be true? Wry, suspenseful, and tongue-in-cheek witty, The Christie Curse is a treat for mystery connoisseurs. 8 CDs, 10 hours.

Border War
Lou Dobbs and James O. Born
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315
New York, NY 10010
9781427240996 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

Border War is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a thrilling tale of intrigue and suspense. When FBI Tom Eriksen's seemingly routine investigation ends a deadly shootout, he is unceremoniously reassigned to the El Paso "Island of Misfit Cops". This Eriksen's partner is abruptly murdered. Eriksen must join forces with the beautiful, sharp-minded NSA agent Kat to track down an assassin, a cartel lord, and a shady American computer company. Can he stop a ruthless killer with a steadily rising body count? Exciting to the very end, Border War is especially recommended to listeners who can't get enough edge-of-one's-seat suspense. 9 CDs, 11 hours.

The Greatest Lover Ever
Christina Brooke, author
Elizabeth Wiley, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781494500528 $42.99 www.tantor.com

The second volume in the Westruthers series by award-winning author Christina Brooke, The Greatest Lover Ever is a mature, unabridged audiobook about fiery romance between strong, dueling wills. Georgiana Black's engagement to the Earl of Beckenham abruptly ended due to a sharp personality clash six years ago; faced with the prospect of becoming a lifelong spinster, Georgiana doesn't want her younger sister to make the same mistakes. But chance and scandal bring Georgiana together with the dashing yet prideful Earl of Beckenham once more. Even though the two are passionately drawn together, do they truly have a second chance at love, or will their respective egos push them apart once more? Red-hot historical romance comes alive in this sensual audiobook, enthusiastically recommended for connoisseurs of the genre. 8 CDs, 10 hours.

The Weight of Blood
Laura McHugh, author
Read by Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Shannon McManus, and Sofia Willingham
Books on Tape
c/o Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 5th floor
New York, NY 10019
9780553546033 $50.00 www.randomhouse.com

The unabridged audiobook rendition of author Laura McHugh's debut novel, The Weight of Blood is a murder mystery set in the Ozarks. Lucy Dane belongs to a close-knit community with deep ties to the land, but when her best friend Cheri disappears and is later found murdered, the shock and horror of the event prompt her to search for answers. Lucy is distressed not only by the loss of Cheri, but also the mother who mysteriously vanished from Lucy's life many years ago. With the help of a local boy, Lucy pries into the dark side of a landscape where the wilderness is not fully tamed. How far will people go to protect or avenge the ones they love most? Vividly performed by three talented actresses, The Weight of Blood is a "must" for mystery connoisseurs. 8 CDs, 10 hours.

Ask Deepak About Love & Relationships
Deepak Chopra
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781480535077, $14.99, www.brillianceaudio.com

Ask Deepak About Love & Relationships is performed by Chopra and Joyce Bean and provides an inspirational collection of reflections and advice from a spiritual philosopher whose writings have seen much success. Having his reflections in audio provides a winning format for a series designed to encourage people to live better lives with more spiritual and social awareness. The result is a recommendation for any spiritual thinker.

Mandela: An Audio History
Desmond Tutu, Host
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220, Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781622314331, $16.95, www.highbridgeaudio.com

Mandela: An Audio History provides an introduction by Mandela, a foreword by Joe Richman, and over an hour's history recounting Mandela's struggle against apartheid, and is hosted by Desmond Tutu in a documentary from Radio Diaries that features first-person accounts from those who fought with Mandela. This commemorative audio includes expanded interviews with Mandela and others and Richman's new foreword, along with a 32-page booklet of historic photos and a program transcript, making it a 'must' for any interested in Mandela.

On the Edge
Alison Levine
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9781478925224, $30.00, www.hachetteaudio.com

ON THE EDGE; THE ART OF HIGH-IMPACT LEADERSHIP is narrated by the author in an unabridged audio that makes the case that leadership principles that work in the world of adventure also apply to business. The audio pairs the two seemingly different worlds and Levine narrates her own stories of life-or-death struggles and how they held lessons for business and survival in all areas of life. The result is a powerful program highly recommended for any business or self-improvement audio listener.

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

James Patterson & Mark Sullivan's PRIVATE L.A. (9781611130454, $35.00) appears in an unabridged audio pairing the solid, involving narrative skills of Jay Snyder with all of his Broadway theater and television experience with another gripping Patterson saga. Who would you kill to keep a secret? In Los Angeles two well-loved celebrities vanish - and Jack Morgan and Justine Smith embark on a secret investigation to find not just a killer, but the truth behind a much-loved couple's facade. As events coalesce to a surprising conclusion, thriller readers receive an audio listen that is gripping and hard to stop. An engrossing pick for any audio listener! Kevin Myers and John C. Maxwell's HOME RUN: LEARN GOD'S GAME PLAN FOR LIFE AND LEADERSHIP (9781478952367, $25.00) provides a powerful message and comes from a Christian leader who struggled for five years before God pointed out a biblical way of living that changed his life and ministry. Using a baseball diamond as an analogy, Myers and Maxwell discuss a better path involving prioritizing, developing a better connection with God, and more. The result is a series of lessons and applications that will prove a key to success in this work-driven world, offering a foundation of belief and a method for tapping its strengths. Annie Jacobsen's OPERATION PAPERCLIP: THE SECRET INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM THAT BROUGHT NAZI SCIENTISTS TO AMERICA (9781619691537, $35.00) is narrated by the author, a journalist who provides a passionate and smooth reading to this expose of America's secret post-World War II science programs, and is a pick for any who enjoy true accounts of war crimes and political intrigue. Exclusive interviews with dozens of Paperclip family members and interrogators contribute to a powerful survey of a decades-long covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the U.S...all of which springs exquisitely to life in audio. Mark Hyman, MD's THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION 10-DAY DETOX DIET (9781619696051, $30.00) is more than just another diet guide: it presents a clinically proven program by an MD who shows how to achieve fast, sustained weight loss that solves common ailments and revolves around eliminating an addiction to sugar and carbs. The 'detox' diet approach advocates breaking this addiction and substituting healthy foods, and provides steps to stopping food cravings, balancing sugar levels, and burning calories whether awake or asleep. The result is a fine set of detailed instructions that come alive in audio! Chelsea Handler's CHELSEA CHELSEA BANG BANG (9781478925644, $25.00) is narrated by Chelsea herself and is packed with the humor that has made her name synonymous with comedy. This essay collection provides a funny view of her bad behaviors and her outrageous life, and packs in a wide variety of crazy encounters of the Chelsea kind. The fact that it's narrated by Chelsea herself gives this the branding it needs to prove an exceptional listen. Scott McEwen and Richard Miniter's EYES ON TARGET (9781478952404, $30.00) comes from the eyes of current and former Navy SEAL members and provides an insider's account of their deadliest missions. It describes some major SEAL operations from the birth of SEAL Team Six to Afghanistan, it discusses the changing nature of terrorism and anti-terrorist responses, and it reveals the results of interviews to those who live by different rules and instincts. All this is paired with Holter Graham's fine performances and audiobook expertise to bring the account to life in fine pick for military and general collections alike.


The Library CD Shelf

Long Time... Seldom Scene
Seldom Scene
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
www.folkways.si.edu
c/o Shore Fire Media
$13.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Long Time... Seldom Scene is a new album from Seldom Scene, a talented, Grammy-nominated bluegrass band whose musical exuberance has remained popular for over four decades. The sixteen songs are each reworkings of beloved bluegrass treasures. A "must-hear" for fans of the genre, Long Time... Seldom Scene is highly recommended. The tracks are "California Cottonfields" (3:04), "Wait a Minute" (5:13), "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round" (2:50), "Hickory Wind" (4:02), "I'll Be No Stranger There" (2:20), "Walk Through This World with Me" (2:32), "Big Train (from Memphis)" (2:46), "With Body and Soul" (3:22), "Paradise" (2:57), "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (3:20), "Mean Mother Blues" (3:08), "My Better Years" (3:08), "Little Georgia Rose" (2:54), "Like I Used to Do" (4:09), "Through the Bottom of the Glass" (2:43), and "Lorena" (5:27).

Dot the Dragon's Eyes
Hanneke Cassel
www.hannekecassel.com
Hearth Music
14879 6th Ave. NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
www.hearthmusic.com
$19.09 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Inspired by the Chinese parable of an artist who resisted finishing the eyes of the dragon he had painted, for fear that it would spring to life and fly away, Dot the Dragon's Eyes is an album of violin and fiddle music by Hanneke Cassel, with assistance from cellist Rushad Eggleston, fiddler/violinist Jeremy Kittell, cellist (and husband) Mike Block, New England guitarist Keith Murphy, and vocals from Aoife O'Donovan. Uplifting, adventurous, and exquisite, Dot the Dragon's Eyes is a far-reaching facet of musical genius, the meeting point of tradition and innovation. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Dot the Dragon's Eyes" (3:49), "Katrina McCoy's Jig" (3:55), "The Captain" (4:36), "Natasha McCoy's Reel" (4:16), "Jig for Christina" (3:10), "Eliana Grace" (5:25), "The Marathon (for Boston)" (3:05), "Lissa and Corey" (5:24), "The Important Thing Is" (4:00), "Religulous" (4:57), "Dianne's Waltz" (4:18), and "The Lime Hill Strathspey" (4:29).

Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85017
$14.98 each www.canyonrecords.com

Canyon Records upholds its fine tradition of sharing authentic Native American music with the public in three vivid new releases. "Piciciwin: Cree Round Dance Songs" (53 min.) by Cree Confederation hums with energy, vibrance, and contagious enthusiasm; "Ewipihcihk" (57 min.) by six-time Grammy nominees Northern Cree offers more round dance, social gathering songs that energize the hearts, minds, and souls of listeners. "Nitehe Ohci - 'From the Heart'" (57 min.) by 2013 singing champions Young Spirit offers Round Dance songs invested in the strong beat of drums and the stylings of vocals in the Plains Cree language. All three are excellent additions to Native American music collections!

Arctic Sunrise
Kerani
www.kerani.nl
Privately Published
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$TBA CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

The third album by European keyboardist Kerani, Arctic Sunrise captures the breathless beauty of witnessing the first arctic sunrise after six months of sustained darkness. Instrumental pieces performed on piano and synthesizers, with orchestral support, convey the depths of wonder and mystery permeating wintry lands. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of unique and original compositions. The tracks are "Arctic Sunrise" (7:40), "Ice Kingdom" (6:46), "Far Away From Home" (10:25), "Norway" (8:27), "Drifting Ice" (5:20), "Aurora Sky" (8:05), "Discovery" (5:12), and "Spirit of the Last Wilderness" (6:27).

Harmonize Your Home
Jeff Bova and Carole J. Hyder
Sounds True Audio
413 South Arthur Avenue
Louisville, CO 80027
www.soundstrue.com
$15.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 www.amazon.com

Harmonize Your Home: Feng Shui Magic to Balance Your Space & Your Life is an instrumental music CD created especially to help align one's home with natural energies, in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui. Though creative and inspiring to listen to, Harmonize Your Home also serves its purpose of promoting balance and harmony through sound if played when one is not at home. A most unique and visionary work! The tracks are "Water" (9:07), "Wood" (9:07), "Fire" (9:30), "Earth" (8:55), "Metal" (9:17), and "Abridged Home Tune-Up" (13:29).


The Library DVD Shelf

The Human Scale
A film by Andreas M. Dalsgaard
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1594584168 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

The work of Danish urban planner and open space architect Jan Gehl forms the core of The Human Scale: Bringing Cities to Life, a documentary about revolutionary new approaches to the problems confronting the world's largest and growing megacities. Instead of endlessly displacing people with cars and gigantic building projects, Human Scale reveals ideas adhering to human-centric, sustainable, and health-promoting principles. Optimistic and uplifting, The Human Scale is literally about building a better and brighter future, highly recommended. 77 min., licensed for public performance.

Addiction Incorporated
Directed by Charles Evans Jr.
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1594583587 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Addiction Incorporated is an eye-opening documentary about the sordid history of tobacco marketing - especially after once tobacco's addictive qualities and marked influence on the human brain came to light. Victor DeNoble's happenchance discovery of an addictive ingredient in cigarettes prompted an avalanche of reactions. On the one hand, cigarette companies learned how to deliberately make their product more addictive; on the other, journalists, politicians, attorneys, and more cooperated to ensure that the tobacco industry would be regulated for the first time in America. A thought-provoking examination of what modern history has to tell us about the commercialization of legal addition, Addiction Incorporated is highly recommended. 76 and 35 minute versions on one DVD, SDH captions, rated PG.

Valentine Road
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1560290870 $295.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Licensed for public performance, Valentine Road is a documentary about a horrific and tragic crime. In a 2008 California classroom, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King in the head; King died two days later. King was an openly gay youth of color, who liked to wear makeup and heels to school, and had repeatedly declared a crush on McInerney, even claiming to be McInerney's valentine. After numerous delays, McInerney was tried as an adult and sentenced to 21 years behind bars in 2011, with no credit for time served before the trial and no credit for good behavior. Valentine Road examines the consequences of homophobia, the facts of a murder that destroyed King's life and condemned McInerney to prison, and the community-wide poisons of bigotry and prejudice. How can schools better prepare themselves to react to the difficult problems surrounding their students' lives? How can homophobia and prejudice be countered in today's communities? A teacher's guide and viewer's guide enhance this hard, serious look at dire quandaries. 88 min. and 52 min. versions both on one DVD, SDH captions, recommended for grades 8-12 and adults.

Florida Everglades & Biscayne
Bennet Watt HD Productions, Inc.
13021 - 244 Avenue SE
Issaquah, WA 98027
9781604901757 $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com

Part of the Discoveries... America National Parks series of DVDs, Florida Everglades & Biscayne is a breathtaking documentary of Everglades National Park (the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States) and Biscayne National Park (a rare haven of aquamarine waters, islands, and coral reefs). Astoundingly beautiful footage of natural landscapes/waterscapes, as well as rare and endangered species, fill this wonderful showcase. Florida Everglades & Biscayne is the next best thing to visiting these national preserves in person, and highly recommended especially for wildlife lovers and armchair travelers everywhere. 50 min.

Sparkpeople Workouts
with Coach Nicole
SparkPeople.com
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621722427 $24.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Sparkpeople Workouts is a value-priced DVD set of two popular fitness DVDs from certified personal trainer/exercise instructor Nicole Nichols, whose web exercise videos and diet plans are available to the public at SparkPeople.com. No expensive equipment is required; only light hand weights, a mat, and a chair. The set includes two full-length programs. "28-Day Boot Camp" is a high-energy and muscle-toning medley offering a customizable array of 12, 20, and 30 minute segments, the better to tailor a four-week workout plan. "Total Body Sculpting" includes a ballet-inspired barre routine, a cardio-heavy fat blaster, an enthusiastic dumbbell workout, and an interactive workout calendar. Sparkpeople Workouts is an excellent, user-friendly asset especially for serious fitness buffs looking to adhere to a solid, vigorous exercise regimen. Highly recommended! 2 DVDs, 153 min. total, widescreen.

Farmall Classic Films series
TM Books & Video
PO Box 9228
Michigan City, IN 46361
$6.99 each www.tmbv.com

A treasury of historical films promoting Farmall tractors, produced by the International Harvester Company across the decades, have been collected, digitally remastered for widescreen, and enhanced with appropriate sound effects and music upon five inexpensive DVDs. "Farmall Classic Films: The Early Years" (1 hour 45 min.) gathers black-and-white tractor footage from the thirties; "Farmall Classic Films: The Forties" (2 hours) makes the leap to color; "Farmall Classic Films: The Fifties" (90 min.) shows how these iconic tractors evolved in the post-World War II era; "Farmall Classic Films 2: The Sixties" (1 hour 32 min.) showcases a medley of agricultural equipment including the 403 combine, rotary cutter, plow mulchers, planters, hay balers, and multiple types of tractors; and "Farmall Classic Films: The Seventies" (90 min.) continues the proud tradition of film showmanship to display the strength of quality agricultural equipment in action. All five DVDs make part of the Wisconsin Historical Society's archives accessible to the general public for very modest price, and are sure to provide hours of fascination and entertainment for tractor lovers everywhere!

BarreAmped series
Featuring Suzanne Bowen
suzannebowenfitness.com
Bowen Productions, LLC
PO Box 2362, Brentwood, TN 37024
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.99 each www.411videoinfo.com

13-year fitness industry veteran Suzanne Bowen, who trained in the original U.S. barre studio (The Lotte Berk Method), presents two fitness DVDs grounded in classic barre technique. BarreAmped Boot Camp (80 min.) emphasizes a low-impact workout, which combines barre exercises with cardio intervals that won't push the viewer to extremes. Segments focus on the arms, thighs, seat, core, and stretching in this user-friendly introduction to barre fitness, complete with a bonus "Boot Camp Tutorial". BarreAmped (91 min.) takes barre-centric body shaping to the next level, through Bown's "Shake to Change" vigorous routines for flexibility, muscle toning, and all-around improved health. Both are excellent, user-friendly, and welcome additions to any fitness DVD library!


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Steeped in Evil
Laura Childs
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425252956, $25.95, www.penguin.com

STEEPED IN EVIL includes recipes and tea dishes in a new Tea Shop mystery centered around a dead body found in a wine barrel at an upscale winery. Theodosia is called upon to investigate, and she finds that everyone at the winery seems to be lying. Now, investigating a wine-based murder may seem out of character for a tea shop owner, but Theodosia is involved simply because of the invitation to a fancy wine-tasting party where the body was discovered. And it's proprietor Jordan who turns to her when the police are stymied. Add an investigation packed with too many suspects and you have a vivid, memorable read perfect for prior fans of Theodosia and newcomers alike!

Private L.A.
James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316211123, $28.00, www.littlebrown.com

Private L.A. provides a tense thriller revolving around a vanished popular Hollywood couple and an investigation that strikes at the heart of long-held Hollywood illusions, and is a pick for any mystery or thriller reader. The Harlows are celebrities who seem to have the perfect life - they're movie stars with a dream family and philanthropic perspective on life, so when they suddenly disappear, P.I.s Jack Morgan and Justine Smith are secretly flown in to investigate. What they discover will rock the foundations of Hollywood in this tense saga of discovery and danger.

Stone Cold
C.J. Box
G. P. Putnam's Sons
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780399160769, $26.95, www.penguin.com

STONE COLD provides a fine Joe Pickett novel and is a recommendation for any who like thrillers replete with sudden disappearances, rich strangers, a secretive Wyoming ranch, and murder. Joe Pickett is a game warden, who is assigned to get at the root of all these problems until he discovers that all of the evidence is merely the tip of the iceberg. When his rooting around uncovers a dangerous killer who takes a dislike to Joe, this only proves to be one of his evolving problems in a case that assumes a life of its own. Intrigue, mystery, and detective work blend in an engrossing saga filled with satisfying twists and turns of plot.


The Fiction Shelf

The Empty House/The Listener
Algernon Blackwood
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781933586458, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 - 10 December 1951) was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and a broadcasting narrator. "The Empty House & Other Ghost Stories / The Listener & Other Stories" from Stark House Press is a 352 page compendium comprised of Blackwood's first two short story anthologies originally published in 1906 and 1907. It is remarkable how well these 'time lost classics' hold up for the contemporary reader. A true master of his craft, Blackwood's supernatural stories are superbly written entertainments that engage the reader's full attention from beginning to end. The 'two-books-under-one cover' is a literary bargain and very highly recommended reading. Indeed, "The Empty House & Other Ghost Stories / The Listener & Other Stories" would make an enduringly popular addition to community library collections and well serve to introduce a whole new generation appreciative readers to the literary talents of Algernon Blackwood.

Outside
Stories by Barry Lopez
Engravings by Barry Moser
Trinity University Press
One Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200
c/o Publishers Group West
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.pgw.com
9781595341891 $18.95 www.tupress.org

Outside is an anthology of six short stories, illustrated with striking black-and-white engravings. Each tale touches upon the crossroads between mundane and magical. Stories center upon a boy who can exchange his spirit with that of a half-coyote dog, a teacher who reveals the true meaning of friendship, and the nexus between humans and the natural world. Beautiful, thoughtful, and reverent of the natural world, Outside is a unique experience, highly recommended.

Moth and Spark
Anne Leonard
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780670015702, $27.95, www.penguin.com

Moth and Spark is set in the country of Caithen, which has been at peace for centuries, and revolves around a price who discovers there are gaps in his memory after he returns home from the north. Add more than a dash of romance when a girl invited to court as a guest falls under the prince's eye and you have a story of an evolving, forbidden relationship between a commoner and royalty with the threat of unheard-of war looming over everything. While the introduction of dragons would make this accessible to fantasy readers as well, Moth and Spark is actually a vivid story of conflict, change and confrontation and will immerse any historical novel reader in a fantasy setting all too real.


The Political Science Shelf

Subsidizing Democracy
Michael G. Miller
Cornell University Press
512 East State Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
9780801452277 $39.95 www.cornellpress.cornell.edu

The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) court decision enabled virtually unlimited private, union, and anonymous spending upon advertisements in American political elections. The McComish v. Bennett (2011) decision struck down the "matching funds" aspect of so-called Clean Elections public financing laws. As of this writing, though, the broader concept of public campaign financing remains legal, and has not had any severe constitutional challenges. Subsidizing Democracy: How Public Funding Changes Elections and How It Can Work in the Future is a close study of how public funding can change elections for the better, drawn from extensive interview testimony and twenty years' worth of election data. Author Michal G. Miller (Assistant Professor of the Dept. of Political Science, University of Illinois, Springfield) seeks to answer the question: why public funding? How can it reduce the influence of special interests, encourage greater participation in the political process, improve the quality of candidates (especially challengers), and promote democratic values? Thoughtful, well-reasoned, and heavily grounded in research, Subsidizing Democracy is highly recommended especially for public and college library Political Science shelves.

Poor Leadership and Bad Governance
Ludger Helms, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court
Northampton, MA 01060-3815
9780857932723 $110.00 www.e-elgar.com

If we do not study the political mistakes of today, are we doomed to repeat them? Poor Leadership and Bad Governance: Reassessing Presidents and Prime Ministers in North America, Europe and Japan is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors scrutinizing weaknesses in leadership among heads of state in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Japan. A comparative look at bad policies, undemocratic aspects of leadership, and the question of what makes a leader weak in different contexts, Poor Leadership and Bad Governance is an invaluable contribution to modern political science shelves. Highly recommended.

Thermonuclear Monarchy
Elaine Scarry
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
9780393080087, $35.00, www.wwnorton.com

Thermonuclear Monarchy: Choosing Between Democracy and Doom provides a powerful argument that the idea that one political leader can 'press the button' and use nuclear lives violates our constitutional rights and is at odds with basic premises of our nation, and examines the U.S. nuclear arsenal and who controls its deployment. The President has ultimate control over nuclear use, and Scarry argues that given the expansion of nuclear weapons and limited congressional powers, this has created a highly charged social and political scenario in which nuclear weapons can never be controlled. Her assessment is striking and packed with examples of near-misses and wider political assessments of who should remain that close to the trigger.

Hoover's FBI and the Fourth Estate
Matthew Cecil
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
9780700619467, $34.95, www.kansaspress.ku.edu

Hoover's FBI and the Fourth Estate isn't a recap of Hoover politics and history, but represents the author's research into new evidence about the purpose, nature and approach of the propaganda used by Hoover to intimidate America's media into exaggerating FBI actions: as such, it's a probe of the institution's criminal activities and a powerful survey of the degradation of civil liberties of its times. Chapters consider the FBI legend and realities with a look at exactly how Hoover's FBI evolved, and provide a powerful analysis and assessment highly recommended for any college-level political studies shelf.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Pattern Making for Kids' Clothes
Carla Hegeman Crim
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, NY 11788
9781438003863 $23.99 www.barronseduc.com

Pattern Making for Kids' Clothes lives up to its title for needlecrafters of moderate to advanced skill levels; it's packed cover to cover with illustrated, step-by-step techniques for creating practical and durable children's clothing. Instructions for making patterns from scratch or customizing patterns, tips and tricks from professional pattern designers, full-color photography as well as clear pattern diagrams, and much more fill this "must-have" for any parent relative interested in creating quality children's clothing, from rompers to dresses, jackets, pants, and more. Highly recommended!

Fabric Blooms
Megan Hunt
Lark Crafts
67 Broadway
Asheville, NC 28801
9781454708018 $17.95 www.larkcrafts.com

Fabric Blooms: 42 Flowers to Make, Wear & Adorn Your Life is a guide to creating vibrant, colorful, and beautiful fabric flowers to use as decorations, hair ornaments, or any other purpose. Step-by-step instructions and a wealth of full-color photography show how to use simple household and sewing materials to create silk poppies, a carnation lapel pin, a "crowning glory" flowery headband, and much more. A wonderful supplement to any needlecraft collection, Fabric Blooms is especially recommended for adding a unique, personal touch to handcrafted gifts for any occasion.

Modern Hand Stitching
Ruth Chandler
Landauer Publishing
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
9781935726487 $24.95 www.landauercorp.com

Modern Hand Stitching: Dozens of Stitches with Creative Free-Form Variations lives up to its title as a top-quality resource especially for intermediate to advanced practitioners interested in taking their stitching techniques to the next level. Step-by-step instructions illustrated with full-color photography making learning new stitches, as well as variations on classic stitches, as easy as can be. Straight stitches, building stitches, cross stitches, knots, chain stitches, couching and wrapping are all covered in this treasury for creative and inspired needlecraft artists.

Knit in New Directions
Myra Wood, author
Alexis Xenakis, photographer
XRX Books
P. O. Box 965
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-0965
9781933064284 $24.95 www.knittinguniverse.com

Featuring full-color photography and meticulous, graphic representations of its stitchery instructions, Knit in New Directions with Myra Wood is a superb resource of "how-to" knitting projects for intermediate to advanced practitioners. A wide variety of techniques are discussed, along with their applications for making bold statements with contrasting colors. Knit in New Directions is divided into sections discussing each technique or visual/geometric effect, including "Block Party", "Audacious Angles", "Short-row panels", "Trekking triangles", and much more. Vivid sample projects put the ideas into practice, yet Knit in New Directions is ultimately a resource for knitters who seek to raise their skill and creativity to the next level. Highly recommended, especially for dedicated hobbyists!

Mini Quilts
Jodie Davis & Jayne Davis
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street
Newtown, CT 06470
9781621137962 $22.95 www.taunton.com

Mini Quilts: Fresh, Fun Patterns to Quilt in a Snap lives up to its title as a step-by-step instructional guide to creating small yet vibrantly beautiful and original quilting projects. Whether for use as a pillow cover, potholder, or part of a larger project, these fabric designs are a delightful way for needlecrafters to expand their skills. Each project emphasizes a different special technique, such as hand-tying, precision piecing, applique, curved piecing, and much more. Full-color photographs complement the user-friendly instructions in this "must-have" for avid quilters!

Arm Knitting
Mary Beth Temple
Design Originals
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781574219456, $9.99, www.amazon.com

A unique method of knitting is to use the arms instead of knitting needles. "Arm Knitting" by knitting expert Mary Beth Temple is a 48 page, fully illustrated, thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manual in which is laid out fifteen original arm knitting based projects ranging from a Fringe Knotted Stitch Scarf; to a Color Block Wrap; to a Striped Knotted Stitch Capelet. Of special note is the instructive commentary on how to get started with respect to arm knitting. Informed, informative, and ideal for use by both the novice as well as the more experienced knitter, "Arm Knitting" is extraordinary and highly recommended for personal and community library Needlecraft reference collections.

Martingale & Company
19021 Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com

Quiltmaker Magazine's 501 QUILTING MOTIFS: DESIGNS FOR HAND OR MACHINE QUILTING (9781604684384, $19.99) comes from the editors of Quiltmaker Magazine and provides a collection packed with motifs gathered from over 26 years of the magazine. Indexes cross-reference each motif by size and style, while guidelines for selecting and transferring each accompany categories that make it easy to locate by themes. The result is a lively pattern book that quilters will find a solid reference. Stephanie Dunphy's UNCOMMONLY CORDUROY (9781604683998, $27.99) features some 17 fun projects from quilts to bags and scarves - all made using corduroy either alone or in combination with traditional quilting cottons or other fabrics. Projects are aimed at all skills levels from beginners to experienced needleworkers and provide bright color photos, patterns, and clear explanations. Any who want a focus on corduroy will find this an exceptional guide! Carol Rasmussen Noble and Cheryl Potter's LAVISH LACE: KNITTING WITH HAND-PAINTED YARNS (9781564775481, $24.99) tells how to create over a dozen scarves and shawls with no shaping requirements, and teaches how to work with different fibers and colors for maximum results. Techniques include tips on using patterns, will appeal to beginners as well as advanced knitters, and provide a range of lace projects that only assume knitters know how to read classic knitting directions. Full-page color photos and a host of colorful ideas make this a winning selection. Deborah M. Poole's YOU CAN QUILT IT! STUNNING FREE-MOTION QUILTING DESIGNS MADE EASY (9781604682953, $27.99) is a pick for any who would venture into the world of machine quilting, and teaches the basics in a series of step-by-step instructions on how to make feathers, cross-hatching and quilt border designs. Examples of thread paths and freehand design processes accompany large-size patterns, color photo examples, and keys to using stencils and machines to achieve optimum results. The result is an excellent survey of the entire process of free-motion quilting and designing that will prove a perfect introduction to any machine quilter!


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Soul Healing Miracles
Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX 75204
9781940363073, $24.95, www.benbellabooks.com

Soul Healing Miracles maintains that millions of people suffer from spiritual and mental sickness as well as physical ailments, and that there's a program for those with limited or no access to healthcare. The book is this program, offering Master Sha's teachings on 'soul healing miracles' that discuss sacred wisdom and techniques that enable individuals to create their own 'soul healing'. It represents the first time that The Source Ling Guang (Soul Light) Calligraphy is offered in a book form - calligraphies that carry matter, energy and soul of The Source. Enlightening, involving chapters provide a vivid survey new age and spirituality collections will find specific and important.

The Hero's Journey
Joseph Campbell
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
9781608681891, $19.95, www.newworldlibrary.com

The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work is a fine blend of psychology and religion and recommended for any new age collection seeing popularity with Campbell's writings. It provides a series of dialogues with Campbell and fills in the blanks regarding his life, gathering conversations between Campbell and the contemporaries he inspired. From the origins of myth and its function in society to artistry and its representation in society, The Hero's Journey is a fine pick to accompany any collection strong in Campbell's more philosophical and spiritual works.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Native Memoirs from the War of 1812
Carl Benn
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421412191, $29.95, www.press.jhu.edu

Native Memoirs from the War of 1812 documents how native peoples played major roles in the War of 1812 as allies of both the U.S. and Great Britain. Few wrote about their experiences, but two recorded their stories: British-allied chief Black Hawk and American soldier William Apess, a Christian convert who lived on a reservation in Connecticut. Their autobiographies here provide important, contrasting scenarios about decisions to take up arms, fight, and the consequences of engagement on both sides. Any collection strong in college-level analysis of this war and Native roles in American history will find this a powerful survey based on source references.


The Science Shelf

Consciousness and the Brain
Stanislas Dehaene
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780670025435, $27.95, www.penguin.com

Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts offers a scientific survey of the human brain and how it understands the world, with the idea of helping define the realm of human consciousness itself. Groundbreaking research shows how subjective and personal experiences can lend to research and serves as the foundation for an examination by a cognitive neuroscientist who writes about all the disciplines involved in the science of consciousness. Descriptions of philosophy, ethics and more explain this emerging field and provide a fine account suitable for health, psychology and science holdings as well as general-interest readers.

Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum
Leonard Susskind & Art Friedman
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465038677, $26.99, www.basicbooks.com

Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics comes from a renowned theoretical physicist who here provides lay readers with a concise introduction to the math and science of quantum physics. Readers who have wanted to understand quantum mechanics should ideally have a basic knowledge of calculus and linear algebra, but not necessarily physics. Chapters directed to this audience covers basic physics ideas and links them to math, offering a fine foundation for any interested in furthering their physics understanding.

Computing with Quantum Cats
John Gribbin
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616149215, $28.95, www.prometheusbooks.com

Computing with Quantum Cats From Colossus to Qubits studies the latest in the computer world: quantum computers, which rely on particles or atoms existing in two states at the same time. John Gribbin uses quantum physics to argue for a universe of 'many parallel worlds' and explains how quantum theory led to quantum computing work theory and its eventual applications. Chapters explore the potential applications of such computers and technology, moving from the world of PCs to smartphones and other devices, and they consider the evolution of a communications system that could supersede light. The result is an engrossing, lively physics discussion that any general reader will find accessible.

Worlds Without End
Mary-Jane Rubenstein
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231156622, $28.95, www.cup.columbia.edu

WORLDS WITHOUT END: THE MANY LIVES OF THE MULTIVERSE talks about the 'multiverse' cosmologies which consider that our universe may be just one of a vast number of others. Now, this is not a new concept: literature and religion has posited such for centuries. What is new is a modern approach which considers it as a scientific hypothesis with different supportive models stemming from cosmology and other physics approaches. This history of this approach begins with ancient philosophies and works forward to consider the evolution of the multiverse concept and its various incarnations and research, and is a 'must' for any who would understand the science and physics of the concept.

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field
Nancy Forbes and Basil Mahon
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616149420, $25.95, www.prometheusbooks.com

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics provides a fine blend of science and biography, and is a pick for any serious science collection. Faraday overcame class prejudice and a lack of math training to achieve fame, Maxwell was an educated philosopher and physicist who made many discoveries, and the two collaborated on works that were to challenge and transform field theory. Here two science writers explore their interactions, their physics and engineering achievements, and their lives, blending perspectives to create a focus that illuminates both men and their backgrounds and achievements. The result is a lively survey that science and general-interest collections alike will relish.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

A Dog's History of the World
Laura Hobgood-Oster
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
www.baylorpress.com
9781481300193, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "A Dog's History of the World: Canines and the Domestication of Humans", Laura Hobgood-Oster (Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies, Southwestern University) presents a 188 page history of the relationship of canines to humans. Ranging from the earliest cave paintings depicting the primitive canine-human relationship to the modern model of dogs as family members, "A Dog's History of the World" showcases how the relationship between dogs and their masters have exemplified both love and exploitation. As Professor Hobgood-Oster shows how dogs helped humans make scientific advancements, engage in empire building, and provide immense personal satisfaction. Dogs have been used for testing equipment for space exploration, for war, for hunting, and for industries. "A Dog's History of the World" documents that dogs have needed humans to survive just as much as humans have needed their canine companions. Combining archaeology, history, and literature, Professor Hobgood-Oster has illuminated the canine-human dynamic is clear, accessible, documented commentary. Enhanced with extensive notes, an impressive twenty-two page bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "A Dog's History of the World" is a strongly recommended addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted that "A Dog's History of the World" is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.54). It should be noted that "A Dog's History of the World: Canines and the Domestication of Humans" is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.54).

Ferret Ecology
Shelah A. Gallagher & Dana L. Plowden
Royal Fireworks Press
First Avenue, PO Box 399, Unionville, NY 10988
www.rfwp.com
Studies for One: Parent Manual, 9780898245745, $35.00
Studies for One: Problem Log, 9780898245752, $5.00

The ferret is the domesticated form of the European Polecat, a mammal belonging to the weasel genus of the family Mustelidae. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur. They have an average length of 20 inches including a 5 inch tail, weigh about 1.5 to 4 pounds, and have a natural lifespan of 7 to 10 years. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. Several other Mustelids also have the word ferret in their common names, including an endangered species, the Black-footed Ferret. The history of the ferret's domestication is uncertain, like that of most other domestic animals, but it is likely that ferrets have been domesticated for at least 2,500 years. They are still used for hunting rabbits in some parts of the world today, but increasingly they are kept simply as pets. The "Ferret Ecology" set from Royal Fireworks Press is specifically designed for home school curriculums. Thoroughly 'user friendly', students will receive a complete presentation on the history and biology of the ferret. Of special note is the inclusion of a section devoted to thematically relevant internet sources. Informed, comprehensive, and highly recommended -- especially for anyone with an interest in raising ferrets.

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee
Laurie Cinotto
Roaring Brook Press
33 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003
theittybittykittycommittee.com
9781596439375 $12.99 www.roaringbrookpress.com

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is an anthology of true tales and a dazzling display of captivating color photographs by blogger and "Kitten Wrangler" Laurie Cinotto. As of this writing, Cinotto has fostered over two hundred kittens, in preparation to having them adopted by loving homes. Although some basic kitten and cat care tips are included, The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is primarily a showcase of rambunctious, energetic, and adorable kittens, and their heart-touching true stories. Kitten lovers everywhere will enjoy this treasury from cover to cover! "The summer months are the busiest ones at animal shelters. Many orphaned kittens and kittens with mothers come into the shelters daily, and there isn't enough space to house them or staff to take care of everyone. If your family has the time to commit to a foster kitten or litter, and the space in your home to do it, it's a wonderful way to help kittens out!"

Notes on Feline Internal Medicine, second edition
Kit Sturgess
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780470671177, $59.99, www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Notes on Feline Internal Medicine appears in its second updated edition and joins a series designed in a note-based style for vets and students who want quick diagnostic insights, and is recommended for any veterinary reference library. It covers key areas of feline medicine, approaches to common presenting signs and diagnosis, and covers diseases and more, with a focus on initial testing for a disease and results. Students will find the format more accessible than most and will welcome this fine survey!

The Dog Trainer's Resource 3
Adrienne Hovey, Editor
Dogwise Publishing
403 South Mission Street, Wenatchee WA 98801
9781617811326, $24.95, www.dogwise.com

The Dog Trainer's Resource 3: The APDRT Chronicle of the Dog Collection is all about the business and technique of training dogs, and offers some of the best articles gathered from the APDT Chronicle of the Dog to date. It covers developing training skills in areas many trainers lack, it reflects the latest insights in dog behavior, and it also includes a healthy dose of tips on running a training business, from establishing a business to marketing it and dealing with different kinds of dogs. From defining a dog's traits and changes in how these traits are perceived and worked with to models for working with shelter or rescue dogs and general concepts on behavior modification processes, remedies for common problems such as excessive barking, this is a definitive reference any aspiring dog trainer will need.


The Nautical Shelf

Home Squadron
Cdr. James C. Rentfrow, USN
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612514475 $54.95 www.nip.org

Cdr. James C. Rentfrow of the United States Navy presents Home Squadron: The U.S. Navy on the North Atlantic Station, a historical examination of how the U.S. Navy changed into a fierce fighting force between 1874 and 1897. This change was difficult and not always linear; it involved not only the creation of battleships, but also exercises and training in fleet tactics, some of which was practiced with wooden cruising vessels. Exhaustive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this exceptional addition to nautical and military history shelves, highly recommended especially for college library collections.

Sail and Motor Boats: Easy Solutions to Onboard Problems
Hans Muhlbauer
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
9780764344251, $29.99, www.schifferbooks.com

Sail and Motor Boats: Easy Solutions to Onboard Problems offers a fine solution-based survey from a seasoned sailor who uses his years of experience to consider safety and sailboat challenges, from rigging to lights, anchors, electronics and waste systems. It's a handbook that covers the basics of sailing systems, adds tips and packs in color photos on every page, and provides quick at-a-glance solutions to typical boat problems. All that's needed is an interest in sailboats, making this a recommended pick for any nautical and many a general-interest collection.

The Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands, 13th edition
Chris Doyle
Cruising Guide Publications
1130 Pinehurst Road, Suite B, Dunedin, FL 34698
9780944428979, $34.95, www.cruisingguides.com

The Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands appears in its 13th updated edition to cover the island history and navigation of the Leeward Islands from Anguilla through Dominica, and is a destination-oriented nautical reference for any who want the latest details on the area. Updated information to this edition includes new information on navigation, new customs and immigration regulations, weather, communications to include WiFi availability, marinas, and more. In addition to the tips on new regulations and processes, readers will find photos of the best anchorages and keys to onshore amenities, along with an island-arranged directory that includes services along with addresses, phones, websites and emails. Simply packed with practical cruising information, this is not to be missed!


The Computer Shelf

R for Everyone
Jared P. Lander
Addison-Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780321888037, $39.99, www.informit.com/aw

R for Everyone: Advanced Analytics and Graphics joins others in Addison Wesley's 'Data & Analytics Series' and will reach programmers interested in exploring the potentials and applications of the open source R language. It shows how to build statistical models but is tailored for non-statistician audiences, assume no prior statistics knowledge as it teaches the basics of statistical programming objectives. The focus isn't on everything R can do; it's on the common routines and functions necessary to know to achieve 80 percent of modern data tasks. From bare-bones basics backed by practice and sample code to improving program efficiency and build linear and nonlinear models, this covers nearly everything the newcomer programmer needs to know about R.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

2014 North American Coins & Prices, 23rd edition
David C. Harper, Editor
Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
700 East State Street, Iola WI 54945
www.krausebooks.com
97814402437997, $21.99, www.shopnumismaster.com

The 23rd updated edition of 2014 North American Coins & Prices features nearly 50,000 individual coin listings and updated prices for the U.S., Canada and Mexico and provides a fine guide for coin collectors, dealers and any interested in coin values. All this information is accompanied by coin-sized black and white photos throughout of the various coins, accompanying a coverage that includes history about the coins starting from early Colonial times forward. The photo-grading guide is of particular interest in helping novices make informed decisions on condition for accurate pricing, while graphs that track price performances of selected coins give good indication on where the values are going in a 'must have' recommendation for any avid coin collector and reference holdings catering to them.

Buffalo Coins: America's Favorite
Q. David Bowers
Whitman Publishing
4001 Helton Drive, Florence, Alabama, 35630
9780794837983, $14.95, www.whitman.com

Buffalo Coins: America's Favorite considers the American bison on US coins, tokens and medals and provides a slim but lovely new book telling the history of this image in numismatics and popular culture alike. Chapters pair resources for coin collectors - to include good-sized color photos of coins and visuals about their history - with insights on the American bison in American folklore and culture, and considers the prevalence of the bison in branding and design choices over the decades. The result is a lively survey blending coin collecting with wider cultural insights: perfect for any general collection strong in American pop culture as well as specialty coin collecting references.


The Sports Shelf

March 1939 Before the Madness
Terry Frei
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781589799240 $24.95 www.rowman.com

In March of 1939, amid the Great Depression and stirrings of worldwide war, the NCAA debuted its first basketball tournament. At the time, the tournament was seen as a daring yet risky venture, and possibly a one-time event. Seventy-five years later, "March Madness" has become an embedded tradition of American sports culture. March 1939 Before the Madness is a historical chronicle and study of the tournament's initial year, including the story of the tournament's first champions, the Oregon Webfoots and their far-seeing coach Howard Hobson. Notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this accessible yet thorough study, highly recommended for basketball fans and public library collections alike.

The Athlete's Cookbook
Corey Irwin and Brett Stewart
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
9781612432304, $15.95, www.ulyssespress.com

The Athlete's Cookbook: A Nutritional Program to Fuel the Body for Peak Performance and Rapid Recovery belongs not just in cookbook collections, but especially in any aspiring athlete's reference library, and shows how to combine its nutrition plan with personal training and conditioning objectives. Over a hundred recipes are identified for their body-building specialties, from offering maximum protein to desserts with healthy fats and low-fat qualities. Introductions explain why each recipe offers more nutritional value than standard fare - such as a 'Crispy Southern Un-Fried Chicken', which uses yogurt instead of oil to keep the chicken moist and the coating crunchy while it's baked, instead of fried. The result's an outstanding survey recommended for any athlete looking for better food and preparation choices to support their program.


The Crafts Shelf

Enameling Made Easy
Anat Silvera
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871167705, $24.99, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Enameling Made Easy: Torch-Firing Workshop for Beginners & Beyond includes a bonus 25-minute DVD offering close-up visuals on firing stages and production to accompany a clear, step-by-step book on using an inexpensive handheld torch in creating metal jewelry. All the basics are presented in a jewelry guide that assumes little prior experience with either torch work or jewelry making, and which covers traditional enameling techniques from stenciling to cloisonne. A simple butane torch and some basic jewelry-making supplies is all that's needed to get started: these, and a book packed with color photos and step-by-step directions throughout!


The Social Issues Shelf

The Routledge International Handbook of Social Justice
Michael Reisch, editor
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, NY, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9780415620437, $205.00, www.amazon.com

At its core, 'Social Justice' is basically the ability people have to realize their potential in the society where they live. Ably compiled and deftly edited by Michael Reisch (Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice, University of Maryland), "The Routledge International Handbook of Social Justice" is a 560 page compendium comprised of thirty-three major papers by experts in the field of social justice and organized into four major sections: Historical and Cultural Concepts of Social Justice; Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks; Social Justice Issues and Practice; Cultural Reflections on Social Justice. Professor Reisch provides succinct and informative introductions to each section. Enhanced with occasional figures, a table on class differences in infant mortality, and a box presenting key features of social justice feminism, "The Routledge International Handbook of Social Justice" is a seminal work and strongly recommended for academic library Social Justice/Social Issues reference collections and academic social justice studies supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "The Routledge International Handbook of Social Justice" is also available in a Kindle edition ($164.00).

A Trust Betrayed
Mike Magner
Da Capo Press
44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780306822575, $27.50, www.dacapopress.com

A TRUST BETRAYED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF CAMP LEJEUNE AND THE POISONING OF GENERATIONS OF MARINES AND THEIR FAMILIES provides a powerful expose of one of the most lethal drinking water contaminations in U.S. history - and how it was covered up by the U.S. Marines themselves. This account blends personal stories with science and information on the contamination issues on US military bases around the world. But to limit its audience to military readers alone would be to deny its relevance to a wider audience of any concerned about contamination and its lasting impact. One might expect cover-ups from big businesses but A TRUST BETRAYED shows how even big government has a hand in denial, making this a pick for any social issues collection.

Degrees of Inequality
Suzanne Mettler
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465044962, $27.99, www.basicbooks.com

Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream documents the increasing failure of colleges and the de-evolution of American society as one of the best-educated to one dominated by a caste system where students are unequal from start to finish. Since 1980 progress in education has stalled and the rate of college dropouts has increased, a statistic directly related to their socioeconomic class. Political scientist Suzanne Mettler explains what has gone awry and considers how political influence has changed America's commitment to equality in higher education processes. Chapters cover everything from school marketing and monetary influences from big business to partisan polarization processes that have stymied educational objectives. All this takes the form of a historical, economic and political survey that documents the past, present and future of higher education to pinpoint exactly what has gone wrong, when, where, and why in a 'must' for any social issues or education collection.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Undead Pool
Kim Harrison
Harper Voyageur
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780061957932, $27.99, www.harpercollins.com

The Undead Pool adds to Kim Harrison's "The Hollows" urban fantasy series and returns Rachel Morgan to reader attention. Prior fans will find this a smooth addition and what promises to be the next-to-last novel in the series, and once again Rachel is investigating something supernaturally wrong in the world - something that seems rooted in her ley line. Strange magic is happening, spells are backfiring, the undead are revolting, and even the master vampires seem to be completely sleeping. A gripping series of events lends to an urban fantasy/detective story that is engrossing and packed with action and unexpected twists and turns, especially recommended for prior fans of Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.

The Barrow
Mark Smylie
Pyr
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781616148911, $18.00, www.pyrsf.com

THE BARROW deftly combines epic fantasy with a novel of action and horror and is set in the world of the Artesia comic books - but prior knowledge of this world isn't needed for a thorough appreciation of this fantasy, which revolves around a suspected murderer, a young woman hiding under the guise of a man, and others in a ragtag group of disparate individuals brought to low levels by scandal and strife. A quest unites these unlikely characters from all walks of life and leads them on a mission certain to gain them glory - or greet them with death. Interactions are constantly changing and graphically realistic, protagonists are complex but well-drawn, and the story succeeds in immersing readers in a fantasy universe packed with action.

Zombies: A Hunter's Guide
Joseph A. Mccullough
Osprey Publishing
4301 21st St, Suite 220B, Long Island City, NY 11101
9781472803382, $19.95, www.ospreyadventures.com

Osprey is a military book publisher, producing quite a few technical blends of history, military analysis and strategy surveys; so at first glance the subject of zombies - usually regulated to science fiction readers - would seem uncharacteristic for their focus. Think again: Zombies: A Hunter's Guide isn't entirely your usual fantasy survey, and takes a military-oriented look at the idea of the zombie and its various incarnations, and what the military response could be. Zombies are broken down into chapters by 'type', from Nazis and 'virals' to 'voodoo zombies' and 'atomic zombies'. Within each chapter lies discussions of their origins, best methods of permanent elimination, and ideas on prevention. Yes, it's fantasy thinking - but with far more strategic insight than most, making this a pick for military and science fiction readers alike!


The American History Shelf

Little Traverse Bay Past and Present
Michael R. Federspiel, author
Rebecca Zeiss, photographer
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building
4809 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780814338193 $39.99 http://wsupress.wayne.edu

Also available as an ebook, Little Traverse Bay Past and Present is a photographic history of Little Traverse Bay, a region in the lower peninsula of Michigan that became a haven for settlers, speculators, and tourists once a railroad connected it to the rest of the nation in 1870. Michael R. Federspiel supplies a summary of the changes that transformed this once-quiet haven, yet most of Little Traverse Bay Past and Present is dedicated to both black-and-white vintage and full-color modern photographs, revealing the vibrant local character and community of this nexus settlement. An excellent contribution to regional American History and Photography shelves, Little Traverse Bay Past and Present is highly recommended.

Operation Paperclip
Annie Jacobsen
Little, Brown
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316221047, $30.00, www.littlebrown.com

OPERATION PAPERCLIP: THE SECRET INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM THAT BROUGHT NAZI SCIENTISTS TO AMERICA provides a powerful historical expose that reveals new truths about how Nazi scientists were brought to this country secretly by the American government. It explores the nature of national security of the times, considers the evolution and results of a postwar U.S. intelligence program that relied on secret military contracts, and profiles some twenty-one men, eight of whom worked side by side with Hitler's highest officers at some point. Interviews with dozens of Paperclip family members and colleagues and access to German archival documents lend to a powerful historical expose that belongs in any World War II collection.

Chronicling the West for Harper's
Claudine Chalmers
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9781806143767, $45.00, www.oupress.com

Chronicling the West for Harper's: Coast to Coast with Frenzeny & Tavernier in 1873-1874 profiles some hundred illustrations produced for Harper's Magazine by two French artists in the course of their cross-country assignment in 1873 and 1874, and is a pick for history and arts holdings alike. The duo documented new territories and their inhabitants, with historian Chalmers including plenty of biographical background on the two artist adventurers. The inclusion of vintage black and white and color illustrations throughout lend to a treatment that captures the evolving far west and how it was initially depicted, using the chronology of the artists' sketches to produce examples of subjects of interest and discussions of choices in depicting the culture and discoveries of early frontier America. The result is an excellent survey recommended for American history and arts holdings alike!


The World History Shelf

Negotiating the Political in Northern European Urban Society, c.1400-c.1600
Sheila Sweetinburgh, editor
ACMRS
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402
Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
9780866984829 $60.00 http://acmrs.org/publications

Negotiating the Political in Northern European Urban Society, c.1400-c.1600 is an anthology of case study essays by learned historians, about political identity in cities during late medieval and Renaissance Europe. Towns had to negotiate with the overwhelming power of the Church and national rulers; essays are divided into the townspeople's "view from the inside", and the Crown's "view from the outside". A fascinating study of historic political and community developments, Negotiating the Political in Northern European Urban Society is a welcome addition to college library collections.


The Language Studies Shelf

Chineasy: The New Way to Read Chinese
ShaoLan
HarperDesign
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062332097, $24.99, www.harpercollins.com

Chinese is typically one of the hardest languages a Westerner can learn, but China's growing influence in the world often requires entrepreneurs and students to master at least some of the language against all odds - and that's where CHINEASY comes in. It creates an easy system for learning Chinese characters and understanding the written language's basics, building a foundation of key characters and using this foundation to uncover new words and phrases. It's only 200 pages but the strategy will help newcomers to Chinese to understand menus, road signs, and even basic Chinese articles in newspapers. Any who need a starting point for this complex language will find this the perfect place to begin.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Between the Scenes
Jeffrey Michael Bays
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781615931699, $26.95, www.mwp.com

Between the Scenes: What Every Film Director, Writer, and Editor Should Know About Scene Translations offers a specific approach to film directing and screenwriting and should be on the shelves of any involved in the industry. It tells how to connect scenes and sequences to each other, how to move beyond cinematic convention, and how to create powerful scene transition points that tie the entire production together. From scenery and scale to conveying emotion, chapters use black and white shots from films to accompany written description of common issues and how to resolve them, making this a top, winning pick for any film library.

Coppola
Peter Cowie
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
www.halleonard.com
9781480355576, $24.99, www.applausebooks.com

COPPOLA is an excellent biography that chronicles the life and achievements of a director who has produced such notable films as The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and many more. He almost single-handled introduced some of the world's major actors to the stage, and most of the best screen actors have produced their most notable efforts under his direction. This biography examines Coppola's film industry influences, his persona life, and more, and is a 'must' for any film collection. It offers critical assessments of his works and it reviews his many options in bringing his best works to screen. The result is a treatment that offers many insights into Coppola's strategies and achievements in an survey that should be in any film library.


The Business Shelf

Building Your Business The Right-Brain Way
Jennifer Lee
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608682560, $21.95, www.amazon.com

"Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way: Sustainable Success for the Creative Entrepreneur" by Jennifer Lee (a corporate consultant and founder of Artizen Coaching) is a 248 page compendium of practical, proven, 'real-world-tested' techniques that will enhance the performance of any and all entrepreneurial endeavors. "Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way" shows the novice business person how to assess their company's unique business environment; build brand recognition; solicit and retain customers; develop revenue streams, leverage time and resources; promote products and services; manage staff and vendors; create company infrastructure and operate smoothly; when and how to reflect and celebrate. Enhanced with play sheets, color illustrations, internet resources, and a comprehensive index, "Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and a highly recommended addition to entrepreneur reading lists and community library Business Studies instructional reference collections. It should also be noted that "Building Your Business the Right-Brain Way: Sustainable Success for the Creative Entrepreneur" is also available in a Kindle edition ($12.49).


The Large Print Shelf

The Wolf Strain
Max Brand
Sagebrush
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780753191460, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 - May 12, 1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. His westerns have never gone out of style, a large number of his novels and short stories have been made into films, and his tales of the Old West still remain popular for fans of the genre. This large print edition of "The Wolf Strain" provides the reader with 272 page of riveting story telling that is classic Max Brand fare, making it very highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Large Print fiction collections. It should be noted that "The Wolf Strain" is also available in a Kindle edition ($3.99).


The Poetry Shelf

The Eighth Day
Geoffrey Hartman
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
www.ttupress.org
9780896728318, $21.95, www.amazon.com

An academician and co-founder of Yale University's Fortunoff Video Archives for Holocaust Testimonies, Geoffrey Hartman proves to also be an accomplished poet with the publication of "The Eighth Day: Poems Old and New", a 128 page compendium of original and highly recommended verse with Judaic themes. 'A Holy City': enough stone to deal with every adulterer / enough learning to build the third temple / enough black to black out the new Jerusalem / enough leaping to alarm all Michals / enough sky to uncover seven more hills / enough hills to slaughter your only sons / enough honey to swarm the rolling dead / enough trees to cancel the curse of Gilboa / enough place-names to go unshod always / enough blows to unlock the eastern gate / enough light to break a painter's hands / enough


The Self-Help Shelf

Freedom From Anxiety
Marcey Shapiro, MD
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781583946756, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints and rumination. It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely to happen, such as the feeling of imminent death. Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is felt about something realistically intimidating or dangerous and is an appropriate response to a perceived threat; anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing. It is often accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, problems in concentration, and muscular tension. Holistic is the idea that natural systems (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) and their properties should be viewed as wholes, not as collections of parts. This often includes the view that systems function as wholes and that their functioning cannot be fully understood solely in terms of their component parts. "Freedom from Anxiety: A Holistic Approach to Emotional Well-Being" by family physician and natural medicine expert Marcey Shapiro is a 360 page compendium comprised of twenty one chapters providing the non-specialist general reader with a definitive and practical course of instruction ranging from the relationship of emotional well-being to physical health; the role of neurobiology with respect to emotions; the role of feelings, meditation, movement and exercise. There are invaluable chapters on breathing and pranayama; nutrition's role with respect to emotional health; nutrients and amino acids; herbs; traditional Chinese medicine; aroma therapy; homeopathy; color and light; essences; and more. Informed, informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Freedom from Anxiety: A Holistic Approach to Emotional Well-Being" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Health & Medicine reference collections, as well as the personal reading lists for anyone with an interest in understanding and dealing with conditions of anxiety for themselves or a loved one. It should be noted that "Freedom from Anxiety: A Holistic Approach to Emotional Well-Being" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The Agriculture Shelf

The Small Scale Dairy
Gianaclis Caldwell
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
www.chelseagreen.com
9781603585002, $34.95, www.amazon.com

"The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market" is a comprehensive, step-by-step, comprehensive instruction manual on the commercial enterprise of making milk, the proper management of a diary farm for the purpose of dependably creating a superior milk, understanding the microbiology of milk, and the necessary risk-reduction plans required for selling raw milk. Exceptionally well written, superbly organized, and cogently presented, "The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market" should be considered mandatory reading for anyone wishing to engage in producing milk for public (or private) consumption. No Wisconsin community or academic library should be without a copy of "The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market" as part of their Agricultural Studies reference collections.


The Travel Shelf

Travel Route 66
Jim Hinckley
Voyageur Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760344309 $21.99 www.voyageurpress.com

Travel Route 66: A Guide to the History, Sights, and Destinations Along the Main Street of America is a travel guide to America's iconic byway, Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. Full-color photography on almost every page enriches this detailed survey of both famous and little-known Route 66 destinations, vintage memorabilia, and overviews of historic and cultural context to notable landmarks. Travel Route 66 is a "must-have" for anyone interested in touring the "Main Street of America" - as well as a delight for armchair travelers to browse!

China Survival Guide, third edition
Larry Herzberg & Qin Herzberg
Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
www.stonebridge.com
9781611720105, $9.95, www.amazon.com

China has become an important destination for Americans seeking to do business and/or vacation. But there are major cultural and social differences that American visitors must be aware of and take into consideration if they are do avoid disappoints, confusion, and misunderstandings with the Chinese people that they encounter. Now in a fully updated and revised third edition, "China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps" by Larry and Quin Herzberg is an ideal, pocket-sized, 264 page compendium packed from cover to cover with practical advice, insightful commentary, and invaluable tips on places to go, things to see, what to do, and what to avoid. Of particular interest in the addition of a new chapter on high-speed and traditional trains, along with updates on dining, shopping, business and social etiquette, medical emergencies, personal safety issues and more. "China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps" should be considered an essential 'take-along' for anyone visiting China for business or pleasure. It should also be noted that "China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps" is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.69).


The Gaming Shelf

New Ideas In Chess
Larry Evans
Cardoza Publishing
5473 South Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.cardozapub.com
9781580422741, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide in homes, parks, clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments. Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently. Pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent's pieces, with the objective to 'checkmate' the opponent's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. In addition to checkmate, the game can be won by the voluntary resignation of the opponent, which typically occurs when too much material is lost, or if checkmate appears unavoidable. A game may also result in a draw in several ways, where neither player wins. The course of the game is divided into three phases: opening, middlegame, and endgame. Although the game is said to originate centuries ago in India, there are fresh gaming theories and ideas arising with each new generation of chess players. "New Ideas in Chess" by five times U.S. chess champion Larry Evans is a 200 page compendium comprised of impressive insights and commentaries on the game which are enhanced and illustrated with actual game examples. Superbly organized and presented, "New Ideas in Chess" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Chess reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Automotive Shelf

Jeep Cherokee XJ 1984-2001
Eric Zappe
CarTech Inc.
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613250792, $24.95, www.amazon.com

"Jeep Cherokee XJ 1984-2001: Advanced Performance Modifications" by car enthusiast Eric Zappe is a 144 page, profusely illustrated, 'user friendly' instruction manual on modifying one of America's most popular off-road utility vehicles. Readers will be informed concerning such modification projects as Front and Rear Axle Swaps; a Stroker Engine Buildup; 3-Link and 4-Link Suspensions; Hydraulic Steering Setups; Roll Cage Design and Fabrication; and a great deal more. Simply stated, no Jeep Cherokee XJ owner or professional garage shop can afford to be without a copy of Eric Zappe's "Jeep Cherokee XJ 1984-2001: Advanced Performance Modifications" in their automotive reference collection.


The Biography Shelf

Charles M. Russell: Photographing the Legend
Larry Len Peterson
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive
Norman, OK 73069
9780806144733 $60.00 www.oupress.com

Charles M. Russell: Photographing the Legend is a coffee-table book offering both an in-depth biography and a wealth of photography about Charles M. Russell (1864-1926), an artist, storyteller, and author also known as the "Cowboy Artist", famous for capturing iconic memories of the American West. Most of the vintage photographs are in black-and-white, given the technological limitations of Russell's time; occasional reproductions of art and other images are in color. Many of the hundreds of photographs of Russell have never before been published; they capture him riding horses, at his log cabin studio, "almost cracking a smile" with his infant adopted son, and much more. Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Charles M. Russell: Photographing the Legend is captivating from cover to cover, and a welcome contribution to public and college library biography shelves - as well as a fine giftbook for any connoisseur of Russell's classic works. Highly recommended.

Winnie Davis
Heath Hardage Lee
Potomac Books, Inc.
c/o University of Nebraska Press
22841 Quicksilver Drive
Dulles, VA 20166-2012
9781612346373 $29.95 www.potomacbooksinc.com

Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause is a biography of Varina Anne "Winnie" Davis, the youngest daughter of Confederate president Jefferson Davis, born in 1864 amidst the throes of the Civil War. After the South's defeat, she would spend a large part of her life abroad as an American expatriate. Christened the "Daughter of the Confederacy" in 1886, she was idolized by a Southern culture still affected by the bitterness of defeat. Her status as an icon of the Lost Cause threatened to overshadow her life, despite her talents as a professional writer, and caused great uproar over her engagement in 1890 to a Northern lawyer and grandson of a famous abolitionist. A fascinating story of a woman who sought to reconcile her own family history with her own beliefs in the virtue of tolerance, Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause is highly recommended especially for personal and public library biography collections.

An American Scientist
Gabor A. Somoraji
Archway
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10020
9781480801479, $27.95, www.amazon.com

Gabor A. Somorjai (born May 4, 1935) is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and is a leading researcher in the field of surface chemistry and catalysis. For his contributions to the field, Somorjai won the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1998, the Linus Pauling Award in 2000, the National Medal of Science in 2002, the Priestley Medal in 2008, and the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences in 2013. "An American Scientist: The Autobiography of Gabor A. Somorjai" is a 268 page compendium comprised of the life story of Professor Somorjai that includes his escape from the Holocaust in Hungary, his work in the fields of chemistry, physics, medical technology, and more. Exceptionally well written with the assistance of Mitch Jacoby, "An American Scientist: The Autobiography of Gabor A. Somorjai" is a candid, informative, and engaging read, making it highly recommended for academic library American Biography collections.

James K. McGuire: Boy Mayor and Irish Nationalist
Joseph E. Fahey
Syracuse University Press
621 Skytop Road, Suite 110
Syracuse, NY 13244-5290
9780815610328 $24.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu

Also available as an ebook (9780815652779), James K. McGuire: Boy Mayor and Irish Nationalist is the true-life biography of a talented leader, elected the youngest mayor of a major American city at age twenty-six. James K. McGuire (1868-1923) was a Democrat in the Republican bastion of Syracuse, New York; he challenged and almost defeated Theodore Roosevelt for the office of governor, and his ideals influenced presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan as well as the platform of the Democratic party. Yet parallel to McGuire's accomplishments lies the dark story of his shady dealings - he was indicted twice, and investigated by Congress and the Department of Justice for advocating Irish freedom. He used his influence in American politics to further the cause of Ireland, and gave aid to Irish freedom fighter Eamon de Valera. The extraordinary life story of a complex and charismatic man, James K. McGuire: Boy Mayer and Irish Nationalist is a welcome contribution to biography and political science shelves.


The Civil War Shelf

The Confederacy's First Battle Flag
Kent Masterson Brown
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street
Gretna, LA 70053-2246
www.pelicanpub.com
9781455618941 $24.95 www.pelicanpub.com

The Confederacy's First Battle Flag: The Story of the Southern Cross is a detailed yet thoroughly accessible historical recounting of how the Confederate flag came to be. Invented as a military necessity, outside the awareness of the Confederate government, the flag served as an identifiable banner for Confederate troops. The Confederacy's First Battle Flag tells the stories of the generals and seamstresses who played key roles in making the flag an icon that would be forever remembered across generations, in this excellent addition to Civil War history shelves.


The Psychology Shelf

Child-Centered Therapy Workbook
Jodi Ann Mullen and June M. Rickli
Research Press
2612 North Mattis Ave.
Champaign, IL 61822
9780878226825 $29.95 www.researchpress.com

Child-Centered Play Therapy Workbook: A Self-Directed Guide for Professionals is a resource created especially for therapists who use play therapy to aid child patients. Grounded heavily in research and experience with supervised play therapy sessions, Child-Centered Play Therapy Workbook covers how to structure play therapy sessions, stages of therapy, treatment goals, how to respond to children's questions and directions, and much more. "When children are interacting with toys (or you and toys), it is important that you do not label specific toys. To gain an understanding of the child's perspective, child-centered play therapists wait for the child to designate what a particular toy is. For instance, a child could use a hat as a bowl or a stethoscope as a utility belt. If the play therapist says something like 'You found a hat,' it could detract from the child's creativity and simultaneously shift the focus from the child's to the therapist's perception." An invaluable, "must-have" for any therapist who serves young patients.


The Jewelry Shelf

Linked: Innovative Chain Mail Jewelry Designs
Compiled by Karin Van Voorhees
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
9781627000895 $19.99 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Linked: Innovative Chain Mail Jewelry Designs is an extraordinary guide to crafting jewelry art that draws inspiration from ancient chain mail. Six expert artists contribute their different approaches to creating chain mail decorations, including patterns for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pendants. Full-color photography illustrates the explicit and meticulous instructions, in this "hands-on" resource of 22 projects perfect for prospective jewelry makers of all skill and experience levels!

I Love Those Earrings
Jane Merrill and Chris Filstrup
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road
Atglen, PA 19310
9780764345166 $59.99 www.schifferbooks.com

Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, I Love Those Earrings: A Popular History from Ancient to Modern is a striking, hardcover historical compendium of these classic pieces of jewelry, from the Celtic and Byzantine eras to Renaissance Europe, the Victorian Age, and the modern day. Vivid color photography on almost every page embellishes the detailed, heavily researched history of how earrings have been crafted through the centuries, what they symbolized under different circumstances, and their cultural significance. A most extraordinary chronicle, I Love Those Earrings is highly recommended especially for public library collections and the personal browsing shelves of jewelry connoisseurs!


The Genealogy Shelf

Northern Neck Wills, Inventories & Other Records 1800-1825
Robert K. Headley, Jr.
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260
Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806319858 $59.00 www.genealogical.com

Northern Neck Wills, Inventories & Other Records 1800-1825: Probate, Estate, Guardianship & Chancery Records for the Virginia Counties of Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland & Lancaster is a genealogical reference dedicated almost entirely to reproducing a wealth of preserved data. An index of over one hundred pages facilitates looking up mentions of people by name. A notable aspect of Northern Neck Wills is that its documents frequently referred to slaves by name; the index distinguishes the names of slaves (all slave names are prefaced by the listing "Slave") in order to expedite research. A brief introduction and description of methodology round out this meticulously researched, primary source.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Book Publishing 101
Martha Maeda
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781601385642, $24.95, www.amazon.com

"Book Publishing 101: Inside Information to Getting Your First Book or Novel Published" is a complete course of instruction on how to turn a manuscript into a book -- and then bring book to the attention of the author' intended readership. This comprehensive, deftly organized, exceptionally well written instruction manual begins with an overview of the business of publishing. The follows a chapter covering the options of traditional publishing, self-publishing, and the subsidy, co-op, and vanity presses. Practical information is provided on how to craft a financially successful book; publishing fiction and non-fiction; writing proposal and query letters; working with a literary agent; understanding publisher contracts; a comprehensive explanation of self-publishing; and book designing. Of immense importance is are the two chapters devoted to marketing resources and strategies. Enhanced with an impressive number of sample documents, a glossary, genre definitions, bibliography, and index, "Book Publishing 101: Inside Information to Getting Your First Book or Novel Published" should be considered mandatory reading for every aspiring author seeking to publish their work in today's highly competitive and volatile publishing world.

Playwriting
Shelly Frome
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
9780786477470, $25.00, www.amazon.com

A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or drama. These works may be written specifically to be performed by actors, or they may be closet dramas - simple literary works - written using dramatic forms, but not meant for performance. Every play, whether for the stage, the movies, or for television, begins with the written word. The playwright's work is the foundation upon which actors, directors, producers, and everyone else must base their productions. "Playwriting: A Complete Guide to Creating Theater" by Shelly Frome (Professor of Dramatic Arts Emeritus, University of Connecticut) is a 191 page compendium that succinctly covers every facet of writing plays. Professor Frome's commentary is enhanced with the inclusion of quotations from noted playwrights, excerpts from classic plays, and her own personal anecdotes as a former professional actor, as a teacher of acting, and as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Informed and informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' from first page to last, and offering a wealth of practical advice and insight, "Playwriting: A Complete Guide to Creating Theater" is strongly recommended for community and academic library Theatre Arts reference collections, and a 'must read' for anyone aspiring to become a successful playwright in their own right.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Finance Basics
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781625270856, $12.95, www.amazon.com

The newest addition to the outstanding '20 Minute Manager' series from the Harvard Business School Press, "Finance Basics" is a compact, succinct, practical, thoroughly 'user friendly', 144 page compendium that will show even the most novice reader just how to peruse and understand financial statements, weight costs and benefits, figure out budgets and financial forecasting, and most especially, how to effectively gage a company's financial health. Enhanced with a section of tests (and the answers to those test questions), a glossary, a bibliography, a list of Sources, and a useful index, "Finance Basics" is an ideal introduction that is especially appropriate for the non-specialist general reader wanting to grasp and apply the fundamentals of financial management and decision making. It should be noted that "Financial Basics" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.22).


The Library Science Shelf

The ALA Book of Library Grant Money, ninth edition
Nancy Kalikow Maxwell, editor
ALA Editions
50 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
9780838912119 $175.00 www.alastore.ala.org

Now in an updated ninth edition for 2014, The ALA Book of Library Grant Money is an all-purpose resource especially for researching and applying for library or school grants. Nancy Kalikow Maxwell, a grantwriter of 35 years' experience applies her expertise to refining the practical-minded guidelines to the concept of "grant readiness", the steps of preparing one's institution for a grant projects (including strategic planning, needs assessment, and identifying possible partners), a thorough grant directory cross-referenced by multiple indexes, a brand new section all about grant-related organizations and sources, and much more. The ALA Book of Library Grant Money is an absolute "must-have" for any institution seeking to apply for grant money!

Reference Sources For Small And Medium-Sized Libraries, eighth edition
Jack O'Gorman, editor
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838912126, $125.00, www.amazon.com

Knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Jack O'Gorman (Reference and instruction Librarian, Roesch Library, University of Dayton, Ohio), "Reference Sources For Small And Medium-Sized Libraries" is a 312 page instructional compendium now in a fully updated and significantly expanded eighth edition that covers a number of key subject areas ranging from General Reference, to philosophy, Religion, Ethics, to the Performing Arts, and more. Of special note is the coverage of database products, CD-ROMs, websites, and other electronic resources for library systems. Each noted source is annotated with information on author/editor, publisher, cost, format, Dewey and LC classification numbers. Informed and informative, "Reference Sources For Small And Medium-Sized Libraries" is an ideal and core reference title for library staff members as well as interested library patrons.


The Art Shelf

Julian Onderdonk in New York
James Graham Baker
Texas State Historical Association
1155 Union Circle #311580
Denton, TX 76203-5017
9781625110206 $49.95 www.TSHAonline.org

Julian Onderdonk in New York: The Lost Years - The Lost Paintings is a coffee-table artbook showcasing the lesser-known paintings of Texas artist Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), created during the years when Onderdonk lived in New York and worked under numerous pseudonyms. The striking images of landscapes, marine scenes, and the dwindling rural areas and shorelines about New York City are testament to Onderdonk's skill and inspiration. Full-color reproductions of Onderdonk's work fill this captivating slice of American art history, parallel to the involved biographical, historical, and descriptive text. Highly recommended, especially for both private and public library artbook collections.

Canvas Detroit
Julie Pincus and Nichole Christian
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building
4809 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780814340233 $34.99 http://wsupress.wayne.edu

Also available as an ebook, Canvas Detroit is an astonishing survey of Detroit's modern-day art scene. Though Detroit has been notorious for deindustrialization, abandonment, urban decay, and economic decline, today's artists strive to bring hope through creativity. Canvas Detroit presents full-color photographs of the city's art in almost every imaginable medium - wood, glass, living plants, fiber, fabric, sculptures, portraits, wearable art, murals, and much more. Captions and a small amount of text provide context to the works, but the majority of Canvas Detroit is given over to the city's art itself, in all its striking glory. An absolute "must-have" for twenty-first century artbook shelves!

Nature as Muse
Christoph Heinrich
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive
Norman, OK 73069
9780914738916 $50.00 www.oupress.com

Nature as Muse: Inventing Impressionist Landscape is a coffee-table artbook featuring full-color reproductions of rarely seen paintings from the collection of Frederic C. Hamilton, as well as a selection of works from the Denver Art Museum, in order to illuminate the storied history of Impressionist landscape art. Author Christoph Heinrich discusses the contributions of pioneering artists and teachers including Courbet, Corot, Pissarro, Monet, Cezanne, van Gogh, and many more; the text also touches upon the major events of history that shaped and impacted these artists. As beautiful to browse as it is enlightening to read, Nature as Muse is highly recommended, especially for personal and public library artbook collections.


The Gardening Shelf

Gardening with Young Children, second edition
Sara Starbuck, Marla Olthof, & Karen Midden
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court
St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781605541570 $25.95 www.redleafpress.org

The updated second edition of the authors' "Hollyhocks and Honeybees" curriculum, Gardening with Young Children is a resource created especially to help educators use gardening and outdoor learning to instruct children from infancy through third grade. Full-color photography and true-life classroom stories embellish the 60+ hands-on learning activities for little ones. Gardening with Young Children is also an excellent pick for Sunday school teachers, homeschoolers, and parents or babysitters who want to work some educational gardening fun into their childcare schedule. Highly recommended!


The Railroading Shelf

The Historical Guide to North American Railroads, third edition
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
9780890249703 $24.99 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Now in an updated third edition, The Historical Guide to North American Railroads spotlights more than 170 historical, current, and former railroad systems of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Railroad-by-railroad listings (some only a single page long, others consisting of multiple pages) are packed with full-color photographs, maps, historical data, the history of predecessor lines, railway merger information, and much more. An index rounds out this detailed, top-notch resource highly recommended for hobbyists, railway enthusiasts, railroad researchers and public library collections.


The Literary Studies Shelf

ACMRS
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402
Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
http://acmrs.org/publications

The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies continues its tradition of studying and preserving classic works of literature in three new titles. "Bertha of the Big Foot" (9780866984652, $45.00) is the first translation of Adenet le Roi's thirteenth-century saga from Old French into modern-day English, a feat skillfully accomplished by Anna Moore Morton. "Bertha of the Big Foot" is particularly notable in that it was once a popular story in which female characters played prominent roles, especially in comparison to the male characters! Elsa Strietman and Peter Happe have edited For Pleasure and Profit Six Dutch Rhetoricians Plays Volume Two: Three Classical Plays (9780866984782, $60.00), which compiles original Dutch texts and English translations of three plays widely shared in the Low Countries from c.1440-c.1625. The result is a wonderful preservation of literary and cultural history, sure to prove especially valuable to any interested in scrutinizing the evolution of theater. Adrian Armstrong's "The Virtuoso Circle: Competition, Collaboration, and Complexity in Late Medieval French Poetry" (9780866984638, $58.00) is an in-depth exploration of multigenerational poetic communities in medieval France, and how the poets that comprised them shared ideas, competed with one another, and cooperated to improve their craft. All three titles are excellent additions to college library literary or poetry shelves!


The Photography Shelf

New Mexico's High Peaks
Mike Butterfield
University of New Mexico Press
1312 Basehart Road SE, Albuquerque NM 87106-4363
www.unmpress.com
9780826354402, $39.95, www.amazon.com

"New Mexico's High Peaks: A Photographic Celebration" is a beautifully reproduced, 188 page compendium showcasing expert photographer Mike Butterfield's full color images of New Mexico's natural mountain splendor. Each visually impressive photograph is enhanced with an informed and informative commentary. A simple joy to browse through from first page to last, "New Mexico's High Peaks: A Photographic Celebration" is highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Photography collections.


The Architecture Shelf

Understanding Architecture, third edition
Leland M. Roth & Amanda C. Roth Clark
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
www.westviewpress.com
9780813349039, $80.00, www.amazon.com

Architecture is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings and other physical structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements. Now in a thoroughly updated and revised third edition, "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" by Leland M. Morth (Marion Dean Ross Professor of Architectural history Emeritus, University of Oregon) with the assistance of his daughter Amanda C. Roth Clark is an 816 page compendium offering a global perspective on the history of architecture with new essays on the contributions of Africa, Japan, China, India, and the Islamic world, as well as North and South America. Superbly illustrated throughout, and featuring a new full color, 32-page insert offering more than fifty new architectural images, "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" is enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive list of suggested readings for further study, a wealth of informative notes, a useful glossary of specialized architectural terminology, and a comprehensive index. "Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning" is the ideal textbook for classroom curriculums and a very strongly recommended addition to both community and academic Architectural Studies reference collections.


The Wisconsin Shelf

Food Lovers' Guide To Wisconsin
Martin Hintz & Pam Percy
The Globe Pequot Press
246 Goose Lane, Suite 200, Guilford, CT 06437
www.globepequot.com
9780762792146, $16.95, www.amazon.com

Ably compiled by Martin Hintz with the assistance of Pam Percy, "Food Lovers' Guide to Wisconsin: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings" is a superbly organized and presented, 360 page compendium showcasing the best places to eat and shop throughout the state of Wisconsin. From iconic farmer's markets and food festivals, to top Wisconsin chef recipes, to an impressive roster of outstanding restaurants, cafes, taverns and wine bars, "Food Lovers' Guide to Wisconsin: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings" will prove to be an ideal and invaluable planning guide for everything from day trips, to extended vacations, to local culinary treasures for true Wisconsin Foodies! An absolute must for Wisconsin natives and tourists alike, "Food Lovers' Guide to Wisconsin: The Best Restaurants, Markets & Local Culinary Offerings" will also prove to be an enduringly popular addition for all Wisconsin community libraries.


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


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