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Small Press Bookwatch

Volume 4, Number 3 March 2005 Home | SPBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Military Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Parenting Shelf Psychology Shelf Biography Shelf
Self-Help Shelf World History Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Poetry Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Fiction Shelf Education Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Travel Shelf Business Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Captive Notions
John E. King
Little Philosophies Press
1001 Fourth Avenue, Suite 3200, Seattle, WA 98154
0976085054 $12.00 1-866-896-0899 www.captivenotions.com

Captive Notions: Concise Commentaries On The Commonplace is a collection of nearly 700 original aphorisms each of which makes a brief but timeless observation on various aspects of the human condition. Using a literary form found in both Eastern and Western cultures from the very beginnings of recorded history, author John King presents down-to-earth insights on a host of everyday subjects drawn from such personal qualities as ambition, character, ideas, and lifestyles, and public venues such as economics, history, the media, and politics. The compendium of succinct observations are as entertaining as they are thoughtful and thought provoking. Captive Notions is ideal for simply browsing and especially recommended to the attention of the non-specialist general reader with an interest in philosophy, ethics, and the nature of humanity. Education: Learning, like loving, may be done not wisely but too well. The Law: The only person less likely to evoke sympathy than a lawyer who looks out for his own interest is one who doesn't. Work: Many a reputed old-boy network suffers from faulty connections.

Wild Open Spaces
Yardena Rand
Maverick Spirit Press
PO Box 113, Manville, RI 02838
1932991441 $24.95 www.maverickspiritpress.com

Wild Open Spaces: Why We Love Westerns is a celebration of Western-themed novels, movies, and television shows, and the fans who enjoy them - 30% of American adults today! Known for their gritty realism, clearly defined characters, heroic heroes and villanous villains, and clear-cut values, Westerns have captured the American consciousness. Over 130 black-and-white stills, publicity shots, and off-stage photos of Westerns illustrate this involving history of a widely beloved popular culture genre, however romanticized. A superb giftbook for Western fans, and also a though-provoking resource for popular culture and entertainment studies.

Radio Silence F.D.N.Y.
John Joyce, FDNY and Bill Bowen
Chesapeake Books
2219 West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506
097590213X $28.95 www.radiosilencefdny.com

Written by a battalion chief of the FDNY and a former firefighter and federal agent, Radio Silence F.D.N.Y.: The Betrayal of New York's Bravest examines why 343 firefighters of the FDNY died during the September 11th attacks, as opposed to only 60 police and Port Authority officers. Radio Silence F.D.N.Y. scrutinizes facts in over 108 documents that have never before been seen by the public, and which are used to build the case for the conclusions and the scandal concerning FDNY radios. Simply put, Radio Silence F.D.N.Y. asks why firefighters never heard the evacuation order that the police did hear, and which was issued up to one hour before the North Tower collapsed. Radio Silence F.D.N.Y. dissects the flaws within the FDNY radio system, and also points out how these same flaws could be hampering American efforts in Iraq. A vital and probing inquiry that dares to raise questions in order to cherish the memory of those who were lost in the best way possible - by better safeguarding lives in the future.

Climb Denali
Laurent Dick
Privately Published
PO Box 1743, Nome, AK 99762
1578332478 $19.95 www.laurentdick.com

Climb Denali is a breathtaking collection of images and memories by photographer and mountaineer Laurent Dick. The full-color photos perfectly capture the breathtaking beauty of North America's highest peak (20,320 feet); stunning imagery of clouds seen from above and mountain faces at sunset are interspersed with glimpses of dedicated climbers. Thoughtful quotations intersperse the panoramic images in this brief but beautiful treasury especially recommended for armchair travelers and nature lovers. "You have to make peace with death. Accepting and coming to terms with it is important when you climb. In our society, we often push it off. On the mountain, you realize how precious life is, you enjoy every day as a wonderful day."

The Knights Next Door
Patrick O'Donnell
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595666337 $31.95 www.iuniverse.com www.knightsnextdoor.com

Every summer across the country there are Renaissance Fairs and medieval events reenacted for men and women who enjoy the pomp, life styles, music, foods, and battles associated with the Middle Ages. The largest of these medievalist groups of fans and reenactors is The Society for Creative Anachronism. The Knights Next Door: Everyday People Living Middle Ages Dreams by journalist Patrick O'Donnell (aka Mael Patraic mac Domnaill, a wandering chronicles of the 9th Century who has journeyed across the Known World and has taken to battle and fought - poorly - in the 5th Century alongside a band of Romano-Celt mercenaries called Darkyard) is about this popular hobby as practiced by thousands of men, women, and children today. Informed, informative, and a whole lot of fun to read, The Knights Next Door is especially recommended for the fans of medieval reenactments, Renaissance Fairs, medieval themed movies, role-playing games, and novels.

Why Do I Scream At God For The Rape Of Babies?
Claudia J. Ford
North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
1556435479 $9.95 1-510-559-8277 www.northatlanticbooks.com

African American, globetrotter, midwife, activist, scholar, feminist, author, mother, Claudia J. Ford is an extraordinary woman who has lived many places in the world while honing her expertise of issues of international development while raising three sons. On December 2, 2001, in a ghetto porn theatre in Johannesburg, a five-month-old girl was sexually violated -- gang raped and left for dead. Within two weeks of this incredible assault, little Vyanna would find herself in the care of Claudia Ford. In Why Do I Scream At God For The Rape Of Babies? Claudia candidly addresses an horrific reality. In South Africa more than 15 percent of all reported rapes are against children under the age of eleven. 26 percent are against children ages twelve through seventeen. In the year 2000, fifty-eight children a day were raped or the victims of attempted rape. This seminal, ground breaking memoir is a testament woven of journal entries, poems, epigrams, letters, and even portions of scholarly papers, and is specifically intended to lift the veil of silence and secrecy on this widespread atrocity. Why Do I Scream At God For The Rape Of Babies? embraces the power of love, courage, faith, and hope to change the world into something better for the sake of future generations. Would there were more autobiography voices against other such social injustices in the modern world.


The Military Shelf

Echoes Of Armageddon, 1914-1918
B. Cory Kilvert Jr.
AuthorHouse
c/o Cory Kilvert
47 Colonial Square, Peterborough, NH 03458
1418456586 $17.50 www.echoesofarmageddon.com

Echoes Of Armageddon, 1914-1918 by B. Cory Kilver Jr. tells the stories of eight otherwise anonymous British officers and men who fought under the appalling and lethal conditions of World War I trench warfare. These were men of valor who did not survive the battlefield. Their medals have been in Kilvert's personal collection for many years and in this military history are named to each recipient. Kilvert travelers through Great Britain, France, Flanders, and elsewhere in a dedicated search for information on each man's experiences in battle in order to recreate their lives and the circumstances of their war time deaths. Also covered are the political events and social conditions in Great Britain that affected these particular soldiers' families, as well as major happenings in both allied and enemy combatant nations. Presented with an impressive chronology, the stories of these eight soldiers stand as representative examples of what happened to hundreds of thousands of others in a war that led to an estimated eleven million dead world wide. Echoes Of Armageddon, 1914 -1918 is a strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Military History collections in general, and World War I battlefield history shelves in particular.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Definitive Southern California Diet
Jeffrey I. Barke & Godfrey Harris
The Americas Group
9200 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90069
0935047514 $15.95 1-310-278-8037 www.americasgroup.com

The collaboration of board-certified family physician Jeffrey I. Barke and public policy consultant Godfrey Harris, The Definitive Southern California Diet : What Really Works, What Usually Doesn't, And Why It Matters is about practical ways to achieve weight control by developing new habits, new techniques, and a new outlook involving food intake that recognizes the difficulties of counting calories or calculating carbohydrate consumption. Readers are show the necessity of, and how to go about, adopting simple lifestyle changes to help control weight and improve personal health -- all while taking into account the imperatives of personal taste, as well as the unavoidable changes wrought by aging. Advocating a relaxed, more causal approach to dieting, The Definitive Southern California Diet will enable the reader to achieve the best result they could hope for with respect to weight control, and over the longest period of time. Highly recommended reading for people serious about their health and physically well-being.

Breast Cancer: One Illness, Two Women, Four Seasons
Mary Ellen Havard and Mary Openlander
Penultimate Publishing
606 North and South Road, Saint Louis, Missouri 63130
0976067501 $15.95 www.penultimatepbl.com

Originally written as a journal of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer, who recorded each step of her journey partly as a way to keep fear and uncertainty under control, Breast Cancer: One Illness, Two Women, Four Seasons offers the perspective of a patient - one who felt she was practically living in two worlds, one side of herself terrified and unable to think, the other determined to face head-on the job of surviving her ordeal. A moving and inspirational personal testimony, recounting the author's transformation and growth over the six and a half years since the initial diagnosis, and her experiences with both conventional and alternative therapies. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this intensely personal account.

Navigating The Alzheimer's Journey
Carol Bowlby Sifton
Health Professions Press
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
1932529047 $24.95 1-888-337-8808 www.healthpropress.com

Carol Bowlby Sifton is the founder and editor of the journal "Alzheimer's Care Quarterly". In Navigating The Alzheimer's Journey: A Compass For Caregiving, she draws upon her many years of personal experience and professional expertise to provide caregivers for Alzheimer victims a complete, definitive, and thoroughly "user friendly" guide to caring for men and women in all degrees of Alzheimer's progressive deterioration. Readers will be expertly provided with information on how Alzheimer's disease and similar dementias affect a loved one; how to best communicate and interact with an Alzheimer's sufferer; how to manage activities of daily care; why challenging behaviors occur and how to respond to them; how to arrange the physical environment to best support everyday functioning; how to capitalize on remaining abilities; when and how to get help; and what plans to make for future care needs. If you have someone you love that is suffering from Alzheimer's, or caring for someone who is, and are carrying a personal responsibility for your own family member's struggle with Alzheimer, then give a careful reading to Carol Sifton's Navigating The Alzheimer's Journey -- it can improve the quality of the care you provide, while saving you from unnecessary physical and mental stress, and avoiding emotional burnout.

Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga
H. David Coulter
Body and Breath, Inc.
1409 Westside Avenue, Honesdale, PA 18431-1773
Cardinal Publishers Group (dist.)
7301 Georgetown Road, Suite 118, Indianapolis, IN 46268
0970700601 $40.00 1-800-251-9914 www.bodyandbreath.com

In Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga: A Manual For Students, Teachers, And Practitioners, author David Coulter draws upon his many years of experience and expertise in teaching microscopic, neuroscience, and elementary gros anatomy courses, as well as the practice of Hatha Yoga, to create a definitive, 623-page instructional manual covering the impact that this particular yoga tradition and practice has upon human physiology. Individual chapters are dedicated to "Movement and Posture"; "Breathing"; "Abdominopelvic Exercises"; "Standing Postures"; "Backbending Postures"; "Forward Bending Postures"; Twisting Postures"; "The Headstand"; "The Shoulderstand"; and "Relaxation and Meditation". Enhanced for the student and/or practitioner of Hatha Yoga with an informed and informative introduction and "Basic Premises" orientation, a glossary, additional sources for further study, "Acknowledgments", indexes of "Anatomical Terms" and "Practices", and a brief author biography, Anatomy Of Hatha Yoga is a seminal contribution which is strongly recommended reading for professionals and non-special general readers with an interest in the discipline of yoga in general, and Hatha Yoga in particular.


The Parenting Shelf

The Safe Baby
Debra Smiley Holtzman
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810299 $14.95 1-303-443-2188 www.sentientpublications.com

Herself the mother of two children, child safety expert Debra Smiley Holtzman brings a particular expertise to the pages of The Safe Baby: A Do-It-Yourself Guide To Home Safety. Readers will learn all of the child-proofing essentials for making the nursery safe, to protecting the baby in the kitchen, the bathroom, and every where else in the house. Parents are shown how to choose and use appropriate nursery equipment; prevent falls; avoid poison injuries; deal with environmental hazards; keep backyards safe; which pets are suitable for children; choosing a babysitter or day care center; and travelling safely with children. A candid, practical, thoroughly "reader friendly" instructional manual, this do-it-yourself advisory will have still another additional benefit -- peace of mind for stressed out parents!

No Paltry Thing
Larry L. Meyer
Calafia Press
PO Box 5610, Huntington Beach, CA 92615-5610
0942273052 $22.00

Prize-winning author Larry L. Meyer presents No Paltry Thing: Memoirs of a Geezer Dad, is the true-life story of a fifty-nine year old expectant father who, for lack of better options to raise with his latest progeny, chooses to quit his job in academia and become a full-time, stay-at-home dad. Part love story, part survival guide, part panic (one section is entitled "Fear and Trembling" for a reason) and part inspiration, No Paltry Thing elaborates on both the hardships and joys of parenthood - even when the parent needs as many naps as the little one. Highly recommended.

For Goodness' Sake
Michael Nitai Deranja
Crystal Clarity, Publishers
14618 Tyler Foote Road, Nevada City, CA 95959
1565891937 $12.95 1-800-424-1055 www.crystalclarity.com

For Goodness' Sake: Supporting Children & Teens In Discovering Life's Highest Values is a sourcebook of activities, advice, and tips on sharing values with children from ages 4 to 17. Written by an experienced parent, principal and classroom teacher, For Goodness' Sake covers how to exercise firm yet loving discipline, how to communicate honestly and effectively with children, helping children overcome the restlessness that can interfere with their learning, and much more. Activities emphasize such positive qualities as self-countrol ("Stony Faces" divides participants into pairs and has them look into each other's eyes; the first to smile, laugh or look away loses) and strengthening one's will (a three part activity that focuses on doing one thing at a time, finishing what one starts, and trying one new thing a day). A positive-minded blast of fresh air, filled with helpful suggestions for parents, teachers, and youth caregivers alike.

Saving Our Teen Drivers
John H. Loughry
Seminee Publishing Ltd.
30 Amberwood Parkway, PO Box 388, Ashland, OH 44805
0975326600 $19.95

Saving Our Teen Drivers: Using Aviation Safety Skills on the Roadways is a no-nonsense, in-depth guide to the hazards of automobile driving and how to protect oneself from hazards, with especial emphasis on how to teach teenaged children the skills they will need to keep themselves as safe as possible. Written by a commercial pilot with more than 25 years of flying experience, Saving Our Teen Drivers is unique in that it incorporates concepts drilled into aircraft pilots - who must withstand intense responsibilities, scrutiny, and training - and shows how such understanding can be applied to situations that may confront inexperienced drivers. Author John Loughry warns that it is quite possible for a responsible driver to do nothing wrong, obey all the rules and still suffer injury or death due to the disruptive actions of a bad driver. Therefore the key to keeping teen drivers safe is to not only teach them good driving habits, but also to train them how to anticipate and react to threatening behaviors - from staying out of situations that could cause drinking/drugs/drowsiness and driving to mix, to learning how to spot and avoid drunks on the road, to staying cool and focusing on removing oneself from the situation when confronted by viciously aggressive driver. An absolute "must-have" for all households with a teenager ready to get behind the wheel - and fact enthusiastically recommended even to veteran drivers, as a refresher course in how to avoid road dangers before a crisis hits its boiling point and stay cool even if the crisis erupts anyway.


The Psychology Shelf

Got Parts?
ATW
Loving Healing Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
1932690034 $16.95 1-734-662-6864 www.LovingHealing.com

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is more commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. A psychiatric condition that can arise out of severe trauma in children below seven years of age and most typically brought on by extreme and repeated physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Got Parts?: An Insider's Guide To Managing Life Successfully With Dissociative Identity Disorder is a compilation of successful strategies, coping techniques, and helpful ways to increase the day-to-day functioning of adult survivors of DID in personal relationships, work environments, parenting, self-confidence, and self-care. Got Parts? is not intended for a do-it-yourself substitute for psychotherapy, but rather as an invaluable supplement to be used in conjunction with a therapist. Enhanced with appendices, a bibliography, resource lists, and an index, Got Parts? is appropriate for personal, professional, academic, and community library Psychological Studies therapy reference shelves and resource collections.


The Biography Shelf

Please, Spell The Name Right
Jed Allan
McKenna Publishing Group
74-923 Highway 111, Suite 173, Indian Wells, CA 92210
1932172203 $24.00 1-760-340-6640 www.mckennapubgrp.com

Film and television actor Jed Allan is best known for the roles that he has played on day-time soap operas such as "Days of Our Lives", "Santa Barbara", "Port Charles", and "General Hospital" (where he currently plays Edward Quartermaine). Please, Spell The Name Right is a simply fascinating personal memoir by a veteran of the entertainment industry and a consummate actor who is much more than just another popular leading man in daytime TV. Readers will learn of his roles on programs ranging from Lassie, Walker: Texas Ranger; and Mod Squad; to Beverly Hills 90210, Love American Style, and Street of San Francisco. Here are to be found Jed Allan stories of fellow actors and entertainers Peter Falk, Milton Berle, Robert Redford, Buddy Hackett, Telly Savales, Michael Douglas, Chuck Norris, and Mary Tyler Moore. Please, Spell The Name Right is a considerable cut above the usual Hollywood memoir and a "must read" for Allan's legions of fans!


The Self-Help Shelf

Sixty Seconds To Success
Edward W. Smith
Bright Moment
PO Box 8106, Englewood, NJ 07631-8106
0975416405 $13.95 www.brightmoment.com

Sixty Seconds To Success is specifically designed by Edward Smith to enable his readers to quite literally change their lives by getting (and staying) motivated, staying focused, utilizing time management, and setting achievable goals. Smith draws upon his experience as a motivational speaker and the host/producer of the cable television show "Bright Moment" where he interviews top peak performance/success experts. He has distilled into this remarkably "reader friendly" book a series of quick, action-oriented tips and techniques for how to live life better and more personally fulfilling. Also included are methods for handling fear, increasing productivity, and in general, living just the kind of life that suits the reader's abilities and circumstances best. If you only have time to read just one self-help book, then make it Edward W. Smith's Sixty Seconds To Success. It's about the best investment of your time that you could make and will benefit you for the rest of your life!

Give To Your Hearts Content...Without Giving Yourself Away
Linda R. Harper
Inner Ocean Publishing
PO Box 1239, Makawao, Maui, HI 96768-1239
188091364X $14.95 1-800-863-1449 www.innerocean.com

This new edition of Linda Harper's Give To Your Hearts Content...Without Giving Yourself Away (originally published by Innisfree Press in 2002) will introduce an expanded audience of readers to the necessity and technique of tending to their own needs while giving of themselves in service to others. Giving from the deepest self in ways that nurture rather than deplete is essential to balancing self-esteem and selflessness. Linda Harper has developed self-quizzes, charts, and worksheets to augment her clear and thoroughly "reader friendly" text. Give To Your Hearts Content...Without Giving Yourself Away is especially commended to the attention of anyone seeking to transform their identity into putting their unique gifts into the service of others and thereby securing joy and personal growth through those very acts of service. Highly recommended reading!


The World History Shelf

The Covert Enlightenment
Alfred J. Gabay
Swedenborg Foundation Publishers
320 North Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380
0877853142 $19.95 1-800-355-3222 www.swedenborg.com

The Covert Enlightenment: Eighteenth-Century Counterculture And Its Aftermath by Professor Alfred J. Gabay (School of Arts and Education, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia) is an historical survey tracing the influences of philosopher, theologian, and iconoclast Emanuel Swedenborg, and Franz Anton Mesmer with his "Animal Magnetism" hypnosis, upon European and American culture. These are two disparate individuals who were to have a seminal affect on the creation of modern psychology and represents the metaphysical influences of occultism and mysticism upon the scientific and cultural forces that would give rise to modern society. A unique and highly appreciated contribution to the study of history, The Covert Enlightenment is also represents an impressive body of original, meticulous, ground-breaking scholarship.

India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty
Abraham M. George
The Writers' Collective
780 Reservoir Ave, Ste 243, Cranston, RI 02910
1594111227 $26.95 www.writerscollective.org

Ably and informatively written by Abraham M. George (a businessman who has undertaken numerous humanitarian projects in South India), India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty assesses how economic liberalization measures have left much of rural India behind, particularly those belonging to the lowest caste, called "untouchables". Chapters address the reasons behind this disparity, promises for hope, global perspectives, and offer solutions to more equitably bring improved quality of life to all of India's people. A manifesto to work against cruelty, disease, and illiteracy, India Untouched is a cutting-edge political and social analysis of far-reaching problems in dire need of solutions.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Puppy's Guide To Training Humans
Cochise with Sequoia
Thornton Reyner Ventures
1614 SW Seagull Way, #32898, Palm City, FL 34990
0974771333 $12.95 1-954-252-2105

The Puppy's Gide To Training Humans: All We Need Is Unconditional Love is a thoroughly reader friendly 96-page compendium of advice for young canines on how to choose a suitable human to train as their companion, the best and most up-to-date methods for teaching people to obey their dogs, what really goes on in a human's mind, and how to make a human's idiosyncrasies work for lthe dog and not the other way around! Highly recommended reading by anyone who is a companion to their dog, The Puppy's Guide To Training Humans addresses issues related to housecleaning, inclement weather, food, getting and keeping attention, housebreaking, outdoor sports, and a statement of "Simple Dog Wisdom to Live By".

Keiko Speaks
Bonnie Norton & Keiko
Animal Messenger Publishing
PO Box 275, Elgin, OR 97827
g0976338807 $15.00 1-877-453-4562 www.keikospeaks.com

Keiko is the orca whale that starred in the movie "Free Willy". Keiko Speaks is a true story based upon Keiko's communications with Bonnie Norton, beginning with their first meeting at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in 1997. Their's was a relationship that continued for the next four years as Keiko's trainers and aquarium personnel tried repeatedly to return him to the ocean. Here related are Keiko's four years in Iceland, his incredible swim to Norway, through to his last communication in 2003 when he again repeated an often expressed desire to remain with people. Keiko Speaks is especially recommended reading for animal rights activists, fans of Keiko from his film aquarium appearances, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in animal/human communications.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Retire in Style
Warren R. Bland, Ph.D.
Next Decade, Inc.
39 Old Farmstead Road, Chester, NJ 07930
1932919198 $22.95

Now in a new expanded edition, Retire in Style: 60 Outstanding Places Across the USA and Canada rates the top towns and cities in America and Canada, based on the twelve most important criteria to retirees: landscape, climate, quality of life, cost of living, transportation, retail services, health care, community services, cultural and educational activities, recreational activities, work and volunteer activities, and crime rates and public safety. Written by award-winning geographer Warren R. Bland, Retire in Style discusses the pros and cons of each of its top cities in layman's terms, with a temperature chart indicating climate, a table of the various ratings, a simple map of the city and surrounding roads, a very brief summary of the city's history and distinguishing features, and a paragraph or two explaining the reasoning behind the rating in each category. An excellent, plain-terms, easy-to-use resource for surveying optimum places to relocate upon retirement.

The Dirty, Filthy Lies My Broker Taught Me And 101 Truths About Money & Investing
Mark Matson
McGriff Publishing
3700 Park 42 Drive, Suite 105A, Cincinnati, OH 45241
0970266871 $14.95 1-513-699-3228 www.dirtyfithlylies.com

In The Dirty, Filthy Lies My Broker Taught Me And 101 Truths About Money & Investing , investment management expert Mark Matson focuses squarely on the all-to-common financial industry fallacies that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of small investors losing trillions of their investment dollars. Matson offers a compendium of basic truths about investing while offering invaluable insights on just how investors can protect themselves from the scandalous hype of large investment institutions and their financial media flunkies and flacks. Of equal value to private investors and financial professionals, The Dirty, Filthy Lies My Broker Taught Me And 101 Truths About Money & Investing is one of the most accessible and "user friendly" instructional manuals available today. If you have money to invest in a stock and bond portfolio, then before calling up your broker, give a careful reading to what Mark Matson has to say -- quite simply, it could save your financial life.


The Poetry Shelf

The Death of Sardanapalus & Other Poems of the Iraq Wars
David Ray
Howling Dog Press
PO Box 853, Berthoud, Colorado 80513-0853
1882863550 $14.95 www.HowlingDogPress.com

The Death of Sardanapalus & Other Poems of the Iraq Wars is an impassioned, no-holds-barred critique written during the first term of President George W. Bush up to the election of 2004. Vividly exposing the blunders, the pandering to military and corporate wants, and the hoaxes that fueled Bush's "war on terrorism" in Iraq, these free-verse poems are as eloquent as they are biting. A fierce and passionate indictment of the war and every disgrace American has committed within it. "Deja Vu": This leader is a very special head of state. / He can detain anyone he wants, / need give no explanation or say / where these people have disappeared to / or whether they will ever be released / or whether they are still alive. // His name, you might say, was Joseph Stalin. / His name, you might say, was Saddam Hussein. / But you would be living in the past, / back when habeas corpus did not mean / you may recover the corpse when we're done it.

Weight Of Light
Su Smallen
Laurel Poetry Collective
11268 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
097611531X $16.00 www.laurelpoetry.com

Weight Of Light is a showcase of poetry by Su Smallen who draws upon diverse sources of inspiration ranging from physics and biology, to visual art and dance, to nature and Buddhism. Not to be missed is Smallen's lyric essay, "On Poetry" which is her reflection on writing poetry. The Laurel Poetry Collective is a group of twenty-three poets and graphic artists living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area who are dedicated to publishing beautiful and affordable books, chapbooks, and broadsides. Weight Of Light is their best effort to date. After You, First Snow: Letters filling in/as if dog angels raced through,/tipping trays of type,/Goudy mixing Garamond,/mailing with least gravity//to rag paper, earth,/your neighborhood, your yard, now/a ghost-pressed broadside/without pawprint flowers, still,/your boundless joy, that playbow.

Secrets Of My Heart
Karl T. Woods
1st Books Library
c/o PO Box 3711, La Mesa, CA 91944
1414065140 $11.95 1-619-855-0893 woodman147@cox.net

A native Californian who grew up in Los Angeles, Karl Woods is a self-taught poet who began to write in his late teens with a particular passion for expressing the romance of life, love, and relationships in his poetry. Secrets Of My heart is his debut anthology and will aptly serve to share his poetic expressions with an appreciative audience of readers nationwide. Friends Forever: It was not meant for us to be together/As husband and wife/But we have a friendship/That is beyond compare/Our friendship knows no boundaries/It is one that gives its all/And in doing so/We share a special intimacy/That would rival that/Of most couples/Your smile comforts me/Your eyes tell you care/And the touch of your hand/Always reassures me/You are my friend.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Getting Gigs!
Mark W. Curran
NMD Books
2828 Cochran St., Suite 285, Simi Valley, CA 93065
0970677316 $19.95 www.nmdbooks.com

Getting Gigs! The Musician's and Singer's Survival Guide To Booking Better Paying Jobs is a no-nonsense career guide for aspiring and professional musicians. Offering tips, tricks and techniques for amateur, part-time, and full-time musicians with or without an agent of their own, chapters cover the basics of packaging and presenting oneself, such as why press kits are necessary but will rarely land one a job, and progresses to cover a wide variety of possible jobs at locations ranging from churches and country clubs to hotels, fairs, and schools, road gigs, and cruise ships. Advice on how to handle interviews, warnings of what to expect and common pitfalls to watch out fore, and a downright realist attitude distinguish Getting Gigs!, a plain-terms survival manual and an absolute "must-have" for anyone striving to make a living with music.

How To Make Up To $38 Per Hour Delivering Pizza
Dave Shelson
Double Crust Publishing
PO Box 424, Elkhorn, WI 53121
0976205319 $19.95 doublecrust.com

Dave Sheldon is a veteran pizza delivery man who draws upon his years of experience and expertise to write a 108-page "how to" book on one of the best income opportunities available in the job market today for people of all educational and cultural backgrounds, both genders, full-timers or part-timers. All that's needed is a driver's license and the information Dave lays out in a clear, concise, "user friendly" text addresses such practical issues as how to find the best pizzerias, how drivers are paid, how to consistently get the biggest tips, how to profit from spin-off activities, which drivers make the most money, how to deal with stingy tippers, -- even how to operate as an independent contractor. The only book of its kind, How To Make Up To $38 Per Hour Delivering Pizza is a "must read" for anyone engaged in delivering pizzas to the public.

Pathways To Career Nirvana
Dilip G. Saraf
iUniverse.com, Inc.
2021 Pine Lake Road, #100, Lincoln, NE 68512
0595669298 $41.95 iuniverse.com

Written by a former high-tech executive, inventor, and consultant, Pathways To Career Nirvana breaks down and codifies the core rules that drive a career, simplifying career pathways to a 10-element framework that any reader can quickly and intuitively understand. Chapters focus on elements such as the value proposition, identifying and understanding trends, the importance of skillfull risk management, how to discover the career goals that are best for oneself, and much more. Appendices go into further detail how to stay focused and deal with such major changes as losing one's job, or negotiating when things are in a state of transition. Written in plain terms with clear examples, succinct summaries, and a heavy dose of realism, Pathways To Career Nirvana is highly recommended for all members of the working world.

Employer Secrets
Phil Baker
DreamCatcher Publishing, Inc.
1050 St. Francois, Florissant, MO 63031
0975592505 $16.95

Employer Secrets is an expose revealing the secret hiring tactics of employers. Experienced business and executive consultant Phil Baker presents the "Seven A's of Persuasion" (Announce, Arouse, Align, Affirm, Assure, Assist, Adjouorn) and "Seven New Laws of Job Negotiating" (Old Law: The strongest negotiation tool is the ability to walk away from the table. New Law: Before you walk away from their table, make sure you have food on your table!) along with a plethora of tips, tricks, and techniques. Emphasizing the importance of empathy, confidence, a realistic attitude, taking job applications seriously (errors, mistakes or blank spaces on applications are the number one reason why candidates are swiftly rejected) and much more, Employer Secrets is an absolute "must-have" for job-seekers everywhere.


The Fiction Shelf

The Gingerbread House
James Richard
Vantage Press Inc.
419 Park Avenue South, 18th floor, New York, NY 10016
0533148847 $13.95 1-212-736-1767

Set in a small town during the 1900's, The Gingerbread House is a story grounded in nostalgia, mirth, and true love. When a journalist comes home from Europe to take over the town newspaper from his sister, he becomes infatuated with the local people and their stories. From an orphaned young girl to a threatening politician to the town madman, each individual has a tale to tell in this anthology of brief yet captivating fictional viginettes, each of which rings all too familiar. The Gingerbread House is very much like gingerbread itself - just as tasty whether one delves into it a bit at a time or all at once.

Banking, Beer & Robert the Bruce
T. Ian Fleming-Wade
Triple T Productions, Inc.
PO Box 61192, Park City, UT 84068
0976117010 $27.95 www.triple-t-productions.com

Volume I of the Tollan Trilogy, Banking, Beer & Robert the Bruce is the debut novel of globe-trotting ski instructor, insurance company worker, windsurfer, and restauranteur T. Ian Fleming-Wade. An action adventure which is laced through out with sharp-tongued wit and side-splitting humor, chronicles the (mis)adventures of the fictional Tollan family, who goes out and makes things happen worldwide. Stories span from 1779 to the present day, all rollicking with can-do determination and world-shaking happenings. A treat to read cover to cover.

The Champion Maker
Kevin Joseph
Unlimited Publishing
c/o 8003 Algarve Street, McLean, VA 22102
1588321177 $15.99 www.unlimitedpublishing.com www.kevin-joseph.com

Nick Vance is a world-class runner whose Olympic dreams were simply shattered by the Moscow boycott and his wife's suicide. Years later, Nick is working as a sports writer in a job with no future when he discovers Stanley "Bullet" Gardener, a high school runner with boundless raw talent. Nick becomes the young man's coach. But when his adolescent protege unexpectedly fails a drug test, Nick sets out to restore his runner's eligibility for the Olympic Games. Helped along by a Senator, a sports lawyer, and a psychic teenager, Nick uncovers a shocking conspiracy having to do with the new science of genetic manipulation that has implications far beyond the sports arena! Gene enhancements is a very real possibility in the relatively short term future, and with the sport's industry's problems with steroids and other chemical enhancements, can gene therapy based enhancements be far behind? In The Champion Maker, author Kevin Joseph has created a genuine thriller whose basic concept could well be tomorrow's headlines. Highly recommended reading, especially for sports enthusiasts!

Who Were The Red Ball People?
Dedalus Wildroot
Bora Publishing
153 Vierra Way, Hercules, CA 94547
0976309939 $16.95 www.RedBallPeople.com

Who Were The Red Ball People? is an amusing novel written especially for golf fans who grow impatient with the rules. Inviting the reader to follow Chief Tit and the Red Ball People, Who Were The Red Ball People? offers a skewed, hilarious, yet all-too-recognizable varient of golf that is subject to amendment based on Einstein's theory of relativity, Presocratic philosophy, and much more. Moments of the bizarre including the interplay between the tribe's "dream foursome" of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and Donald Rumsfeld, and a fast-talking dolphin in the U.S. military who accumulated five precent of the U.S. defense budget. Topsy-turvy, always entertaining, Who Were The Red Ball People? combines tongue-in-cheek golf humor with just plain fun and satire for pure entertainment.

Plowin' Newground
Jerry W. Brown
Dry Bayou Press
161 Linda Marie Lane, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
0970557523 $21.95 1-580-230-5905 drybayoupress@aol.com

Set in rural 1950s Louisiana, Jerry Brown's debut novel Plowin' Newground chronicles the life of George "Jickie" Jennings, a civilian physicist with NORAD who returns to his family roots to nurse his estranged ailing father with whom he has not spoken for the past seventeen years. This is a striking saga of racial, familial, and personal relationships in the South during a time when things were on the cusp of change including a drive civil rights with the inevitable backlash by the Ku Klux Klan. Plowin' Newground tells how two families and a love affair are destroyed by racial hatred. But in the end, this is a story of reconciliation, change, and renewal. A deftly written and historically backgrounded novel that will remain with the reader long after it is finished, Plowin' Newground is confidently recommended for public library collections.

The Return Of The Hummingbird Wizard
Robert Joseph Ahola
Bookman Publishing & Marketing
35 Industrial Drive, Suite 104, Martinsville, IN 46151
1594534799 $19.95 1-800-342-6068 www.bookmanmarketing.com

The Return Of The Hummingbird Wizard is the story of Jonathan Vieren, a middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter and producer whose professional career is going into decline, and who has just received news from his doctor that his last medical checkup revealed what looks to be a terminal cancer. What Jonathan needs is some kind of crash course in how to come to grips with what has become of his life. That's when he encounters a male hummingbird on his hillside home in Malibu. This feathered guide whom Jonathan believes is a kind of angelic messenger proceeds to give him an instructive course in spiritual awareness that just might save his life. In The Return Of The Hummingbird Wizard, author Robert Joseph Ahola has crafted a work of spiritually inspiring fiction that is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is entertaining and engaging.


The Education Shelf

Professional Learning Communities At Work
Richard DuFour & Robert Eaker
National Educational Service
304 West Kirkwood Avenue, Suite 2, Bloomington, IN 47404-5132
1879639602 $24.95 1-800-733-6786 www.nesonline.com

The collaborative work of Richard DuFour (Superintendent of Adlai Stevenson High School District 125, Lincolnshire, Illinois) and Robert Eaker (Dean of the College of Education, Middle Tennessee State University), Professional Learning Communities At Work: Best Practices For Enhancing Student Achievement offers the reader informed and informative information on how to transform any private or public school into a results-oriented "professional learning community" based upon practices from some of the best schools in the country. Professional Learning Communities At Work covers curriculum development, teacher preparation, school leadership, professional development programs, school-parent partnerships, and assessment practices. Of vital interest to education professionals, Professional Learning Communities At Work is completely accessible and highly recommended reading for parents and other non-specialist general readers with an interest in improving their community schools and school systems.

Public Schools, Public Menace
Joel Turtel
Liberty Books
700 Victory Blvd., Suite 14F, Staten Island, NY 10301
0964569329 $17.95 www.mykidsdeservebetter.com

In Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents And Betray Our Children by education policy analyst Joel Turtel, parents and anyone else with an interest in the state of public education today will discover how ordinary middle-class parents can see that their children receive effective, quality, low-cost education without having to rely on the public school system of their community. Of special interest are Turtel's 22 danger signals that children are being failed by the public education system, and how public schools routinely indoctrinate children with anti-parent, anti-American, and anti-Judeo/Christian values, as well as the problems with peer pressures arising from the influences of a child-exploitive, media driven, secular culture. After revealing why public schools are failing to adequately and properly education students with inadequate curriculums, facilities, or instructional staffs, Turtel presents a variety of practical strategies and educational resources any parent can take advantage of, including Internet schools, home-schooling, and other practical, effective educational alternatives. The message of Public Schools, Public Menace is quite clear, the public school systems are failing the children and failing the communities that finances them. This is critically important reading and a welcome contribution to the national dialogue about America's approach to public education.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Color of Demons
Stephen Hawley Martin and David Nathan Martin
The Oaklea Press
6912 Three Chopt Road, Suite B, Richmond, Virginia 23226
1892538482 $22.95

The Color of Demons: A Martin Brothers Thriller is a novel that dares to postulate a future in which Condoleeza Rice and Hilary Clinton ran for president against one another, amidst a stepped-up war on terror and the shadowy threat of spiritual possession. The result is a frightening thrill ride of a tale, serving the best icy excitement to be had from the only two-time winner of the Writer's Digest Book Award for Fiction and his best-selling brother. A wildly tension-filled novel right up to the suspenseful end.

Family Ties
Cathy Pearson
Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, #200, Bloomington, IN 47403-5161
1418434965 $20.75 1-800-280-7715 www.authorhouse.com www.pearsonmysteries.com

In Family Ties, the life of Cassandra Grimes is totally disrupted when her brother, Nick, is attacked and her home is burglarized all within 24 hours. Even though her husband, Gene, is out of town, Cassie finds herself compelled to plunge into the mystery surrounding these seemingly related events. Cassie ignores warnings from police officer Donohoo to leave the investigation to the proper authorities, and in the company of her Bichon Fries dogs, recruits the officer's partner, Samantha Jones, to help her. This leads to a local redneck militia group and the kidnaping of Cassie's stepson Adam. Even then, Cassie doesn't back down, but tracks the thugs to their hideout and ultimately learns the truth behind all that has gone on. Cathy Pearson is a gifted story teller with a definite knack for mystery fiction. Highly entertaining and recommended reading (and also available in a paperback format 1418434957, $12.50), Family Ties will leave Pearson's readers eagerly looking forward to the next Cassie Grimes mystery!


The Travel Shelf

99 Days to Panama
Dr. John and Harriet Halkyard
Brindle Press
14121 Cardinal Lane, Houston, Texas 77079
0974908037 $24.95 www.BrindlePress.com

99 Days to Panama: An Exploration of Central America by Motorhome is an engaging travel memoir of one couple and their travels from a Mayan church to an off-the-cuff school presentation in El Salvador to paddling upstream in Belize. Beautiful full-color photographs on every page illustrate this absorbing account relating practical advice on everything from how to travel in a motorhome with a dog to clear directions for prime RV camping spots to staying safe on an extraordinary adventure. A vibrant travel essay and an especial treasure for armchair travelers.


The Business Shelf

Metaphorically Selling
Anne Miller
Chiron Associates, Inc.
PO Box 624, New York City, NY 10163
0976279401 $14.95

Metaphorically Selling is a guide to unleashing the powers of metaphors to sell, persuade, or explain anything to anyone. Chapters address why people's brains crave metaphors, and how to construct a metaphor with muscle and avoid bad metaphors (such as the dreaded mixed metaphors, and metaphors that attempt to connect two things that are too far away) and the important follow-up to drive the point home. Further advice covers how to use metaphors to sell, whether advertising a product or ingratiating oneself or driving a point home. An extremely valuable supplement to the personal library of anyone working in careers that involve sales, negotiation, or presentation - the trick is not just to begin with a solid argument, but to word one's case in a way that will have an immediate impact on the listener!


The Philosophy Shelf

Marxist Ethics
Willis H. Truitt
International Publishers Co.
239 West 23rd St., New York, NY 10011
0717807401 $7.50 www.intpubnyc.com

Written by a Professor of Philosophy of the University of South Florida, Tampa from 1968 to the present, Marxist Ethics: A Short Exposition is a brief yet scholarly examination of Marxism's moral tenets, from the question of determinism to the nexus of morality, politics, and arts to the needs and rights of the individual, why mainstream Anglo-American philosophy does not regard Marxism as a moral perspective worthy of note, and much more. A carefully thought out treatise, especially recommended for advanced political and philosophical studies, as grounded in and relevant to current events as it is in history.

Spam Wars
Danny Goodman
SelectBooks
2817 West End Avenue, Suite 126-274, Nashville, Tennessee 37203
1590790634 $17.95

Spam Wars is truly a computer book for the twenty-first century. Award-winning technology interpreter Danny Goodman teaches readers Spam 101 followed by an intermediate course in Spam, including how to recognize spam, the importance of firewalls, spam, virus, spyware and malware filters that should be installed on every computer, and much more. In a day and age where the worst possible spam can lead to identity theft and worse, Spam Wars is much-needed reading for every small business and household that relies heavily upon computers and the internet. The basics for protecting oneself from attack are presented in plain terms that even the technologically clueless can quickly grasp, and special attention is given to the exploitable flaws in Microsoft Windows and the Outlook email program. Highly recommended.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

A Cry From The Womb
Gwendolyn Awen Jones
Angels of Light and Healing
PO Box 311448, New Braunfels, Texas 78131-1448
0974073016 $18.95 www.angelsoflightandhealing.org

A Cry From The Womb: Healing the Heart of the World is a spiritual guide for connecting with and healing the souls of children lost to sudden death, miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. A disclaimer warns that A Cry From The Womb is strictly a spiritual book and does not offer any medical counsel, nor does it replace proper care from a physician. Chapters discuss the nature of the soul, the voice of the unborn, the power of prayer in fostering a healing journey, and case histories of individuals and couples rent apart by grief. A deeply moving and spiritual book; the authors wish to promote spiritual recovery and wellness shines through the pages. A Cry From The Womb cannot be neatly categorized as a pro-choice or pro-life book; though the author believes very strongly in the souls of the unborn and speaks of the negative impact abortion can have on both this life and the hereafter, the author also believes firmly that no woman should ever be forced to carry out a pregnancy. A Cry From The Womb is not about politics, but about spiritual healing from unbearable loss with the grace of God and His Angels.


James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
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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