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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 23, Number 12 December 2013 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Christmas Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Photography Shelf Sports Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Social Issues Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf
Science Shelf Psychology Shelf Music Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Education Shelf
American History Shelf World History Shelf Civil War Shelf
Biography Shelf Computer Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Music CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf Multimedia Shelf
Agriculture Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Interior Design Shelf Geography Shelf Technology Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Poetry Shelf Crafts Shelf
Architecture Shelf International Studies Shelf Military Shelf
Business Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Travel Shelf Nautical Shelf Wine Shelf
Gaming Shelf Parenting Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Automotive Shelf Hobby Shelf Memoir Shelf
Gardening Shelf Art Shelf Fiction Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Economic Studies Shelf Library Science Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Language Studies Shelf Biology Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Journalism Shelf Calendar Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

The Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit
James Ballou
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
www.paladin-press.com
9781610048606, $15.00, www.amazon.com

Whether an intentional trip into the wilderness for recreation or an unintentional foray due to natural or man-made catastrophe, in order to survival men and women will need a fundamental foundation of basic knowledge in order to survive for a night, a week, a month, or even longer. That's why Jame Ballou's "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" will prove to be invaluable. This 170 page compendium is packed from cover to cover with practical information, instruction, commentary and advice for assembling what is needed to live safely in the wilderness. From finding standard survival kit components at the lowest prices; to utilizing common household items as part of a survival kit; to collecting or creating edged tools, water containers, cookwear, fire and shelter materials, and even firearms, everything is covered. "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" shows that it is even possible to assemble a complete kit of new gear for under ten dollars! Profusely illustrated throughout, "Poor Man's Wilderness Survival Kit: Assembling Your Emergency Gear for Little or No Money" may just be the best investment any householder can make for themselves and their families.

We Are What We Pretend To Be
Kurt Vonnegut, author
With special commentary from Nanette Vonnegut
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
9780306822780 $12.99 www.perseusbooksgroup.com

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) is one of the quintessential twentieth-century American writers, perhaps best known for his classic novels "Slaughterhouse Five" and "Breakfast of Champions". We Are What We Pretend To Be presents two of Vonnegut's little-known works: his unpublished first novella, "Basic Training" (a quasi-autobiographical story about a young man struggling to adapt to life on an Indiana farm, despite unrequited love and an oppressive patriarchal hierarchy), and his unfinished last novel, "If God Were Alive Today" (a sharply satirical work in which dependence on fossil fuels has provoked an apocalypse of Biblical proportions). An introduction by Vonnegut's daughter rounds out this "must-read" for fans, connoisseurs, and literary students of Vonnegut's classic works. Highly recommended for personal, public library, and college literature library collections.

Money of the Bible, third edition
Kenneth Bressett
Whitman Publishing
4001 Helton Drive, Florence, Alabama, 35630
079483955X, $29.95, www.whitmanbooks.com

The expanded third edition of Money of the Bible provides a fine exploration not only of the coins and customs of ancient times, but packages its information in an oversized 120-page coffee-table hardcover to attract collectors and general readers alike. The first edition in 2006 won awards and acclaim for its lovely illustrations and this expanded version adds more biblical events, explanations of artifacts from the times, and will appeal to church libraries as well as coin collectors. It considers how the Bible was written and the nature of commerce and coin evolution from Old and New Testament times, discusses coins mentioned in Jesus' parables, and considers how coins evolved as Christianity spread. The result is a delightful history that pairs essays with illustrations on money of the times, and will appeal to spiritual and general-interest collections as well as collectors.

Thames & Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

James Oles's ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN MEXICO (9780500204061, $26.95) provides a fine new interpretive history of Mexican art and architecture from the Spanish Conquest to the early decades of this century, and provides one of the most wide-ranging considerations in print, key to any collection strong in Mexican art and culture. It provides new readings on paintings, sculptures, buildings and photos, interprets works by both major and minor artist, and packs rich historical reference with fine artistic analysis. The inclusion of examinations of social issues affecting Mexican art makes this a winning survey for any Mexican art collection. Sylvie Aubenas and Quentin Bajac's BRASSAI: PARIS NOCTURNE (9780500544259, $85.00) provides a fine survey of photographer Brassai, the first to capture Paris after dark. His focus on the streets of the city and the social atmosphere of Paris was revolutionary and revealing, and this book brings together some of his best-known images from two prior books, presenting them with previously unpublished photos and archived work and analyzing the nature of his creations. The result is a fine catalog essential for not only arts and photography collections, but any strong in representations of Paris.


The Christmas Shelf

Savor Sweet Chrismas
Ann Cogswell
Sweetgrass Books
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.sweetgrassbooks.com
9781591521204, $17.95, www.amazon.com

"Savor Sweet Christmas: A Collection Of Poems For The Season" is a 48 page compendium showcasing thirty-one superbly crafted poems by Ann Cogswell honoring a great many aspects of the Christmas season. A perfect 'stocking stuffer', "Savor Sweet Christmas" is enthusiastically recommended for family and community library poetry collection. Rose* : Crimson beams broke the morning sky / and stretched gossamer fingers / across the dry plain. // They came to rest on a cattle shed / warmed the splintered straw / and lingered over // The Christmas Rose (*from Isaiah 11-1).

Decorating Christmas Cakes
Paul Bradford & David Brice
Search Press USA
1338 Ross Street, Petaluma, CA, 94954-1117
www.searchpress.com
9781844488834, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Created and compiled by the team of Paul Bradford and David Brice, "Decorating Christmas Cakes" is a wonderfully illustrated, 144 page compendium comprised of thoroughly 'user friendly' instructions on creating fourteen spectacular cakes with distinctive Christmas motifs and designs. Templates for each design is provided, along with clear, simple techniques, and step-by-step photographically illustrated instructions. Inspiring to browse through and kitchen cook friendly to create, "Decorating Christmas Cakes" is a welcome addition to any personal, professional, family, or community library holiday cookbook collection.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Stop Motion Animation
Melvyn Ternan
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, NY 11788
9781438002552 $23.99 www.barronseduc.com

Illustrated with full-color photography on virtually every page, Stop Motion Animation: How to Make and Share Creative Videos lives up to its title as a hands-on, how-to guide for everyone from media students and professionals to amateurs seeking to craft memorable stop-motion internet videos. Chapters cover the basics of equipment, setup, storyboards, editing, and postproduction, as well as techniques specific to claymation, puppet animation, chalkboard/whiteboard animation, cutout and silhouette animation, Lego(R) animation, Post-It Note animation, and smartphone animation. An easy-to-follow, absolute must-have reference and resource for anyone intrigued by the field, whether as a hobby or a full-time career!

A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Film Noir
John Grant
Limelight Editions
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
www.halleonard.com
9781557838315, $49.99, www.limelighteditions.com

Any fan of film noir style who wants more than a casual survey will find this a key reference packing in over 3,500 movie entries that include both classic U.S. noirs from the 1940s through the 50s to modern noir take-offs such as erotic thrillers. Films from around the world pack an encyclopedia whose entries include information on cast and crew, plots, photo inserts, and filmographies. With its in-depth discussions, this reference will be a fine choice for any film buff seeking a lavish and in-depth survey.

Once Upon a Time - Behind the Magic
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9781782760290, $16.99, www.titanbooks.com

Once Upon a Time - Behind the Magic includes interviews with all the key cast and crew of the ABC TV series, now appearing in its third season, and is a pick for any collection strong in TV show analysis. The series revolves around a modern take on fairytales and Season Two's ratings were consistently high, making this celebration of the series of particular interest to general-interest audiences as well as those involved in TV or theater. Add color photos and plenty of behind-the-scenes insights and you have a true celebration of what is becoming a very popular show indeed!

Infographic Guide to the Movies
Karen Krizanovich
Cassell
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781844037520, $14.99, www.octopuspublishing.com

Infographic Guide to the Movies provides a fun series of facts about every film genre, from horror to crime, science fiction to cult, and blends movie facts with legends as it tells of the evolution of world cinematic trends and underground and indie films. It pairs charts and graphs with designs and over 100 original artworks and facts covering all major movie genres and it provides a lively format revealing industry secrets and behind-the-scenes events. Any interested in the film industry will find this a fun read!


The Photography Shelf

Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash
Chuck Forsman
George F. Thompson Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.internationalpubmarket.com
9781938086113, $45.00, www.gftbooks.com

"Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" is a 136 page compendium showcasing the black-and-white photography of Chuck Forsman. Enhanced with an informative introduction by Eric Paddock, "Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" presents visual imagery focused on what a dog sees, smells, and is drawn by canine curiosity to investigate. The premise of the project was quite simple, take a camera along when Chuck Forsman walked his dog in the neighborhood and surrounding hills near where they live, along with adventures in other parts of the country ranging from Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada, to Florida, Ohio, and New York City. The result is a compilation of truly impressive and occasionally meditative images. "Walking Magpie: On and Off the Leash" is a highly recommended photographic study.

The Way of the Digital Photographer
Harold Davis
Peachpit Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780321943071, $34.99, www.peachpit.com

The Way of the Digital Photographer adopts a Zen-like perspective on photography and offers an inspirational guide from a master photographer who shows how to improve digital photography skills. Basic photography skills are assumed for a readership that is looking to improve their art. Techniques such as pre-visualization, using basic Photoshop features to improve results, and creating startling and compelling images makes for a well-rounded lesson plan packed with image examples accompanying step-by-step tutorials. The result is a top pick for photographers who have the basics down, but want to move up to the next level of artistic results.

Learning to Photograph V. 1
Cora Banek and Georg Banek
Rocky Nook
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
9781937538200, $39.95, www.rockynook.com

Learning to Photograph V. 1 covers the basics of camera, equipment and basic photography techniques and is a fine guide for any amateur who would learn the basics about camera choices and new technology. It reviews all the technical elements of photography from exposure to lighting, it offers numerous sample photos and graphics to illustrate all the ideas, and it packs in details on shutter priority, SLR camera advantages and disadvantages, sensors, and much more. A 'must' for any newcomer to photography, this is a colorful and specific introduction.

Commercial Photographer's Master Lighting Guide, second edition
Robert Morrissey
Amherst Media
175 Rano Street, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14207-2176
9781608956333, $27.95, www.amherstmedia.com

Commercial Photographer's Master Lighting Guide appears in its second updated edition to pack in over 125 lighting diagrams and discussions on how to capture texture, image, and design creative lighting setups. From food photography and house interiors to jewelry and models, this compiles artistic techniques and pairs them with basic commercial photography objectives, presenting a series of step-by-step lessons to translate professional skills into accessible photography strategies. The result is a top pick for any commercial photographer who wants to learn more about lighting basics.


The Sports Shelf

The Ghosts of NASCAR
John Havick
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House
119 West Park Road
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781609381974 $19.95 www.uiowapress.org

The Ghosts of NASCAR: The Harlan Boys and the First Daytona 500 explores a legendary mystery in the world of sports. Who truly won the first Daytona 500 race - Johnny Beauchamp, the declared winner at the finish line, or NASCAR veteran Lee Petty, who was announced to be the winner a few days later? Author John Havick, who has had a lifetime fascination with racing since his grandfather sold a car to Johnny Beauchamp, reconstructs what happened and the most likely outcome from historical records, scores of interviews, film of the race, and newspaper accounts. The Ghosts of NASCAR also gives a close-up insight into how racers of the day worked together, and particularly how Jonny Beauchamp, mechanic Dale Swanson, and driver Tiny Lund acted as a team. As much as a racing lover's trip down memory lane as it is a serious-minded, heavily-researched contribution to sports history, The Ghosts of NASCAR is highly recommended.

Packers Pride
LeRoy Butler and Rob Reischel
Triumph Books LLC
814 North Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60610
www.triumphbooks.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
9781600788802 $25.95 www.ipgbook.com

Packers Pride: Green Bay Greats Share Their Favorite Memories is compiles a wealth of amazing true anecdotes about the Green Bay Packers team - from the mouths of the players themselves! Dozens of Packers professionals speak out, telling stories of practice, rivalries, and high-stakes Superbowl tension. Occasional black-and-white photographs embellish this fascinating and thoroughly accessible primary source of Packers history, sure to intrigue casual browsers and sports historians alike. An excellent giftbook for Wisconsin's football fans!

Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.humankinetics.com

Kimberly Mueller and Josh Hingst's THE ATHLETE'S GUIDE TO SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS (9780736093699, $18.95) covers the most popular supplements used in the sports world, assessing their contributions to performance, their drawbacks, and how they work. The latest research captures specifics on the kinds of studies used to assess sports supplements, including manufactured and natural substances, and arranges all this in an alphabetic presentation that makes it a snap to use this as a quick look-up reference. The result is a guide that assesses the latest health information surrounding sports supplements and provides a fine guide to the pros and cons of choosing one over another: perfect for any sports library. Sports collections will also find important Donald A. Chu and Gregory D. Myer's POLYMETRICS (9780736079600), a fine survey of science-based drills and exercises to ensure optimal athlete results for all levels in any sport. It provides coaches and players with specific instruction on assessment and exercises, offers sport-specific training regimens, and tells how to provide the best tools for achieving strength and competitive edge. With its black and white illustrations throughout, this is a fine pick for any athlete's collection!


The Cookbook Shelf

Chef Del's Better Than Vegan
Del Sroufe
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Ste 400
Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781939529428, $19.95, www.amazon.com

A vegan is one who abstains from the use of animal products, particularly in their diet. Compiled by vegetarian expert Del Sroufe, "Better Than Vegan: 101 Favorite Low-Fat, Plant-Based Recipes That Helped Me Lose Over 200 Pounds" is a 304 page compendium showcasing a culinary wealth of vegan recipes that will please palates, satisfy appetites, and adhere to vegan principles in both their preparation and their consumption. The recipes range from Chili Gravy; Turkish Red Lentil Soup; Sweet Potato-Black Bean Enchiladas; and Chocolate Pudding; to Spinach-Wasabi Hummus; Smoky Black Bean Flatbread; and Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts. "Better Than Vegan: 101 Favorite Low-Fat, Plant-Based Recipes That Helped Me Lose Over 200 Pounds" is strongly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library Vegetarian and Vegan cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Better Than Vegan: 101 Favorite Low-Fat, Plant-Based Recipes That Helped Me Lose Over 200 Pounds" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

My Vietnamese Kitchen
Uyen Luu
Cico Books
c/o Ryland Peters & Small
519 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY 10012
www.rylandpeters.com
9781849754439, $24.95, www.amazon.com

"My Vietnamese Kitchen: Recipes and Stories to Bring Vietnamese Food to Life on Your Plate" is a wonderfully illustrated, 144 page compendium compiled by Uylen Luu to showcase authentic Vietnamese recipes passed down through generations of her family. After an opening section on Ingredients, the recipes themselves are nicely organized and presented in six thematic chapters (Breakfast; Soups; Snacks; Noodles; Lunch & Dinner; Sweets. From Canh Chua Ca (Hot and Sour Fish Soup); to Bo La Lot (Lemongrass Beef in Betel Leaves); to Com Tam Suon Nuong Trung Hap (Pork, Egg Pudding and Broken Rice); to Kem Bo (Avocado Ice Cream), these elegant and exotic dishes are palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, and will turn any dining occasion into something extra special -- making "My Vietnamese Kitchen" a highly valued addition to family and community library Ethnic Cookbook collections.

The Sardinian Cookbook
Viktorija Todorovska
Surrey Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street
Evanston, IL 60202
9781572841475 $22.95 www.agatepublishing.com

Illustrated with full-color photography of its mouth-watering dishes throughout, The Sardinian Cookbook: The Cooking and Culture of a Mediterranean Island is a showcase of the culinary traditions of the Italian island of Sardinia - which draws upon the legacy of Spanish, French, and Moorish as well as Italian cuisine. An extensive introduction offers an overview of enduring traditions of Sardinian cuisine - including some that were grounded in practical necessity (such as crunchy sheet bread that wouldn't spoil for shepherds who spent months out at pasture, or the proud local tradition of letting nothing edible go to waste). The Sardinian Cookbook is as much about communicating and reveling tradition and camaraderie as it is about creating sumptuous regional delights such as Malloreddus alla Campidanese (with Sausage), Lamb with Fennel and Sundried Tomatoes, Foccacia Sarda, Artichoke Heart Soup, and much more. A superb treasury or gift cookbook for any connoisseur of international cuisine!

The New Southwest
Megan Micozzi
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
www.hippocrenebooks.com
9780781813150, $35.00, www.amazon.com

Best known in culinary circles for her popular blog 'Scarletta Bakes', Megan Micozzi has compiled a 232 page and beautifully illustrated compendium celebrating America's southwestern cuisine with "The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist". The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from a Roasted Garlic Guacamole, to a Sonoran Honey Streusel Coffee Cake, to a Fancified Frito Pie. These are superbly presented recipes for regional dishes that will please any palate and satisfy any appetite. "The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections!

Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2
Stephanie Manley
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781612431819, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Featuring 312 pages packed from cover to cover with palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly recipes drawn from popular American restaurants from around the country, "Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2" will make an outstanding addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections. Nicely organized into nine specific sections (Drinks; Appetizers; Soups; Main Dishes; Sides; Dessert; Breakfast; Sauces and Dressings; and Favorites), the recipes range from Caramel Frappe; Fried Mushrooms; Tomato Basil Soup; and Grilled Sausage Pepper Rustica; to Lemon Greek Penne Pasta; Eggnog Shake; Smart Choice Omelet; and Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Enhanced with the inclusion of two Conversion Charts, a Recipe Index, and a Recipe Index by Restaurant, "Copykat.com's Dining Out At Home Cookbook 2" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

365 Comfort Foods
Better Homes and Gardens
c/o Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10003
9781118629123 $19.99 www.hmhpub.com

365 Comfort Foods is a softcover cookbook packed with recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, sides, salads, slow cookers, desserts, and more. All of have been evaluated in the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen, and have the flavorful, down-to-earth quality of traditional home cooking. In addition to easy-to-follow instructions, each recipe also has basic nutrition facts (with regard to calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, and protein per serving), and sometimes suggested variants. Recipes also span cultural traditions; the common thread is food that hearkens to the hearth. From Florida Crab Cakes, to Pacific Northwest Paella, Potluck Chicken Tetrazzini, Vegetable Egg Salad Wraps, Golden Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing, and more, 365 Comfort Foods is a treasury of dishes to savor.

A Taste of Montana
Seabring Davis
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
9781560375623, $29.95, www.amazon.com

A beautifully illustrated, 152 page compendium of authentic Montana recipes compiled and presented by food journalist Seabring Davis, "A Taste of Montana: Favorite Recipes from Big Sky Country" offers a cornucopia of thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that range from Oatmeal Pie; Pheasant Emanada; Roasted Acorn Squash Soup; and Buffalo hash Parmentier; to Russet Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Mushroom Veloute; Huckleberry-Lemon Bread Pudding; Rustic Flathead Cherry Tart; and Shenandoah Apple Cake. Of special note are the recipe instructions for Bistro Seasoning Salt; Black Peeper Vinaigreete; and Honey-Butter Cechamel Sauce. "A Taste of Montana: Favorite Recipes from Big Sky Country" is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections!

Sweet
Levi Roots
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue
New York NY 10017
9781845336653 $29.99 www.octopusbooksusa.com

Sweet: Irresistible Desserts and Drinks, Cakes and Bakes lives up to its title as a hardcover compendium of delectible desserts. Author and Caribbean culinary master Levi Roots, of "Caribbean Food Made Easy" primetime BBC fame, applies a unique regional twist to many of these indulgent delights. Unforgettable confections include Coconut Biscuits, Pear Cake with Crunchy Pecan Topping, Elderflower Jelly Trifle, Rum & Raisin Fudge, and much more. Frequent color photographs intersperse this sumptuous collection, highly recommended for any chef with a sweet tooth!

Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth
Lily "Vanilli" Jones
www.lilyvanilli.com
Canongate Books Ltd.
c/o Trafalgar Square Publishing
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, IL 60610
9780857864413 $29.95 www.ipgbook.com

Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth: Recipes and Tips from a Modern Artisan Bakery is a compendium of creative and delicious baked desserts. Peppered with full-color photography on almost every other page, Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth is thoroughly accessible to bakers of all skill and experience levels. An introduction as well as in-depth recipes for core dessert baking "components" such as coulis, buttercream, frangipane, custard, and ganache supplement the easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to create such delights as Cherry and Seed Madeira Cake, Biscuit Brownies, Cocoa Meringues with Dark Chocolate and Pistachio, Whisky Salt Caramel Popcorn, and much more. Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth is a treasury for any cook who wishes to create professional-quality baked delicacies at home!

Couture Chocolate
William Curley
Photography by Jose Lasheras
Jacqui Small, LLC
c/o Aurum Press Ltd.
c/o Dalyn Miller Public Relations
9781909342453 $29.95

William Curley, four-time winner of the Academy of Chocolate's award, presents Couture Chocolate - a guide for intermediate to advanced dessert chefs and chocolatiers to creating the finest gourmet delicacies. Professional restaurateurs and chocolate hobbyists alike will find the wealth of methodical instructions and full-color illustrations invaluable. Extraordinary chocolate creations include Chocolate & Pistachio Cake, Chocolate Mont Blanc, Dark Chocolate & Sesame Parfait Sandwiched with Chocolate Galettes, and of course, an immense array of couture (designer) chocolates, from fruity to herb-touched to caramel-filled and more bite-sized chocolate delicacies. Highly recommended for chocolate lovers!

Around the World in a Dutch Oven
Mark Hansen
www.marksblackpot.com
Hobble Creek Press
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781599559728 $16.99 www.cedarfort.com

Mark Hansen (family cook and creator of the Dutch Oven blog marksblackpot.com) presents Around the World in a Dutch Oven, an anthology of easy-to-follow, user-friendly Dutch Oven recipes from all over the world. Although basic familiarity with Dutch Oven cooking is presumed, all the recipes are designed so that even novice Dutch Oven users will be able to perform them with success. The text thoughtfully discusses the origins and artistry of each dish, in addition to the practical and straightforward preparation instructions! Recipes include international culinary delights such as Philly Steak Sandwiches, Red Pork Tamales, Mongolian Stir-Fry, Spaetzle with Onions, and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this "must-have" for anyone intrigued by the delicious possibilities of Dutch Oven cooking!

Mac & Cheese
Ellen Brown
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
www.runningpress.com
9780762446599, $20.00, www.amazon.com

Mac & Cheese is a favorite of children everywhere and one of the ultimate 'comfort foods' for adults. Most of the time it's an 'out of the box' kitchen quicky, but now with Ellen Brown's "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" this family staple has been elevated to high cuisine with recipes taken from elegant restaurants from around the country. Beautifully illustrated with full color photography and featuring thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' step-by-step recipes, the featured dishes range from Cheddar and Jack Mac and Cheese (T. W. Martin's Public House, Waupaka, Wisconsin); to Parisian Mac and Cheese with Shiitake Mushrooms and Figs (S'MAC, New York, New York); to Mayan Chipotle Chicken Mac and Cheese (Macbar, New York, New York); to Aged Gouda mac and Cheese with Country Ham (Jasper's, Austin, Texas). A superb anthology of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes for any and all occasions from simple family dining to elegant catered affairs, "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" will prove to be a very popular addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Mac & Cheese: More than 80 Classic and Creative Versions of the Ultimate Comfort Food" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes, second edition
Debra Amrein-Boyes
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778804659, $27.95, www.amazon.com

There are hundreds more varieties and kinds of cheese that are to be found on the shelf of your local grocery store. But perhaps the best way to acquire truly flavorful cheeses is to make them yourself. Now in a thoroughly updated and expanded second edition, "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes: From Cheddar and Brie to Butter and Yogurt" by Debra Amrein-Boyes (one of the top Canadian artisanal cheese makers and owner of The Farm House Natural Cheeses), is a 400 page compendium that provides recipe instructions for making all manner of general and specialty cheeses including Fresh Cheeses (traditional Ricotta and fresh goat cheeses); Stretched-Curd Cheeses (Bocconcini, Provolone and Mozzarella); Mold-Ripened Cheeses (Brie, Camembert with Calvados); Blue-Veined Cheeses (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, White Stilton); Washed-Rind Cheeses (Muenster, Brick, Limburger); Washed-Curd and Semisoft Cheeses (Colby, Edam, Fontina); Semifirm and Hard Cheeses (Emmental, Jarlsberg, Cheddar); Ethnic & Regional Cheeses (Feta, Paneer, Domiati); Yogurt & Kefir (Bulgarian-Style Yogurt, Kefir Cheese); Butter, Buttermilk and CrŠme FraŒche (Orange Honey Butter, Clotted Cream). Of special note is a new 32 page troubleshooting section, a new inclusion of preparation times with each recipes, and new step-by-step illustrative photos. "200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes" truly lives up to its title and is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook
America's Test Kitchen
9781936493524, $45.00, www.americastestkitchen.com

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook offers a comprehensive guide to home cooking, packing over eight hundred pages with some 600 recipes and over two thousand photos in four-color. It gathers all the techniques and tips for better home cooking to pair with these foolproof recipes, and it evolved from an interactive, video-based online cooking school launched by the test kitchen team two years ago. The approach here is very visual, with oversized color photos illustrating over a hundred cooking lessons to allow home cooks step-by-step instruction. The result is a fine cooking school in a book, highly recommended for any novice and many with some cooking basics under their belts.

Modern Irish Food
Kevin Dundon
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781845338930, $24.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Modern Irish Food offers some 100 recipes that focus on easy Irish comfort food, comes from Kevin Dundon's popular TV cooking show, and features traditional dishes with modern twists. So here you'll find the usual lamb stew or Irish soda bread with variations such as oatmeal or seed additions to the bread. Roast Pork with Crunchy Crackling and White Pudding, Cheese and Caramelized Apple Tarts are only a few of the Irish dishes that sound complicated but in fact are quick, easy and impressive. As it accompanies a new 10-part series, it's a top pick that makes the most of Dundon's hotel and cookery school and opens up a world of Irish fare to newcomers.

Dutch Oven & Cast Iron Cooking
Peg Couch
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781565238176, $14.99, www.foxchapelpublishing.com

Dutch Oven & Cast Iron Cooking is packed with mouthwatering recipes designed for winter and cold weather pleasure, and only needs a classic Dutch oven to prove successful. Here are 50 recipes that include not only the anticipated stews and soups, but recipes for breads, side dishes and even breakfast. Tips do include seasoning, drying and storing cast iron cookware - which admittedly involves some extra steps - and they also include variations for indoor and outdoor cooking methods. Any who own a Dutch oven and other cast iron cookware will find this filled with basic recipes and ideas on using them!


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

The Heavens Rise
Christopher Rice
Gallery Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
9781476716084, $26.00, www.simonandschuster.com

The Heavens Rise is supernatural thriller writing at its best: set in a gloomy Louisiana bayou, three friends find themselves confronting the mystery of a vanished family, a sole survivor who ran away from her friends to avoid destroying them with her strange abilities, and an ancient parasite that can change mankind. Niquette is a reminder of what this new parasite can do - and as she and her friends search for hidden truths, they also discover a wider-ranging issue affecting everything they've known and loved. A powerful saga with many twists and turns, cemented by three winning personalities, gives this book solid drama and inviting intrigue.

Tempt the Stars
Karen Chance
Signet Eclipse
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780451419057, $7.99, www.penguin.com

Tempt the Stars provides the next installment in the Cassie Palmer series which revolves around a half-goddess whose powers are unreliable - especially when they're put to dubious use stealing from hell. Her new job as the chief seer of the supernatural involves a host of additional challenges, from saving a friend to handling a possessive vampire - and all this must fit into her 9-5 job. A satisfying blend of supernatural mystery and thriller makes for a strong story perfect for novel readers looking for a touch of fantasy in their reading.

Year of the Demon
Steve Bein
Roc
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451465191, $25.95, www.penguin.com

Year of the Demon: A Novel of the Fated Blades provides a fine story telling of a dangerous supernatural sword and a Tokyo detective who uncovers new dangers in the course of retrieving an ancient iron demon mask that was stolen during a raid. Mariko's ignorance of the mask's real powers places her in deadly danger - and conflict - with the Inazuma blade; for the mask existed hundreds of years before she was born and its power leans toward a destructive force that could end the world if it can't obtain Inazuma steel. Japanese culture blends with a fascinating saga to make for a different blend of science fiction and detective story.

1636: The Devil's Opera
Eric Flint and David Carrico
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
9781451639285, $25.00, www.baen.com

1636: The Devil's Opera continues the 1636 alternate history sagas and tells of the new nation the United States of Europe, which here is on the verge of civil war. Adolphus has been injured and is no longer in command, and a Swedish leader's new goal to assemble forces and end the revolution is involving the world in a bloodbath. Add a host of other plots and the figures of a crippled boy and a pair of policemen, and blend it all with detective work and killers, and you have a powerful and fast-paced story.

Lighthouse Island
Paulette Jiles
Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062232502, $26.99, www.williammorrow.com

Lighthouse Island is a powerful, positive story set in a future world where the earth is one big city, animals are nearly gone, and only television offers images of a better place. Into this world orphan Nadia is born with a dream of a vacation spot called Lighthouse Island in the Pacific Northwest where she dreams her lost parents must live. Lost herself in the world of old books and imagination, Nadia one day strikes out to find this better place - and finds her life changed, as a result. Lighthouse Island is a gripping saga packed with satisfying twists and turns, and is a highly recommended pick for science fiction and novel readers alike.


The Social Issues Shelf

The Right To Stay Home
David Bacon
Beacon Press
25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108-2892
www.beacon.org
9780807001615, $27.95, www.amazon.com

Mexican immigration into the United States continues to be a national 'hot button' political issue. "The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration" by photojournalist, author, and immigrant rights activist David Bacon is a 328 page compendium that focuses on the impact American domestic and foreign policies, as well as the status of the American economy have upon Mexican migrations to and from the continental United States. Of special note is the documented commentary in the section on 'Mass Firings: The Obama Administration's Workplace Enforcement Policy'. An impressive work of detailed research and cogently argued views, "The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration" is an informed, informative, and significant contribution to the national debate over Mexican immigration issues. Very highly recommended for both academic and community library Contemporary Social Issues reference collections, it should also be noted that "The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration" is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.37).

Walk in Their Shoes
Jim Ziolkowski with James S. Hirsch
Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
9781451683554, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com

Walk in Their Shoes: Can One Person Change the World pairs autobiography with social issues as it tells of the author, who abandoned lucrative career plans to embark on a lifelong quest to prove that he - or anyone - could change the world through action. His movement buildOn involves thousands of young people who are using the idea of service to change their lives and communities. The focus on lasting change, not just charity work, in helping villages build schools makes for an enlightening and inspirational read. After returning to the US the author moved to Harlem and spent three years living in a drug-charged neighborhood. His focus on breaking poverty at home and abroad makes for a powerful documentation of a movement that has successfully changed lives. Any social issues collection will find this positive and engrossing.

Smart Cities
Anthony Townsend
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393082876, $28.95, www.wwnorton.com

SMART CITIES: BIG DATA, CIVIC HACKERS, AND THE QUEST FOR A NEW UTOPIA explores the ongoing relationship between cities and information technology, considering how technology has changed urban culture and led to further digital technology expansions. Big businesses offer promises to link urban problems with technological solutions with everything from smart real-time traffic control systems to smarter command systems. This book considers efforts to build 'smart cities' and the software systems which go into them. While this book promotes the benefits of such systems, it also cautions about digital solutions to social issues - and considers glitches and problems that can invade an interconnected world. Readers of social and urban issues alike will find this a fascinating consideration of smart technology's changes.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Writer's Rehab
D.B. Gilles
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781615931569, $12.95, www.mwp.com

WRITER'S REHAB: A 12-STEP PROGRAM FOR WRITERS WHO CAN'T GET THEIR ACTS TOGETHER holds specific interest for the performing arts and film writer, and comes form a playwright and script consultant who uses his years of writing and teaching to help writers plan for periods of low production. This is a 12-step program containing humor and fun, packaged in a paperback nearly half the size of a trade paperback so it can be slipped into any back pocket or purse and consulted at any place. From putting aside fictional characters to work on yourself to moving from having a great idea to translating that into a killer script, this is a solid set of practical insights and exercises for any aspiring scriptwriter, from novices to neo-professionals who struggle with writer's block.

Shakespeare for Screenwriters
J.M. Evenson
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781615931415, $19.95, www.mwp.com

Shakespeare for Screenwriters: Timeless Writing Tips from the Master of Drama belongs in both creative writing and film collections and provides a powerful analysis linking Shakespeare's approaches to drama with screenwriting success. Chapters not only provide the usual consideration of elements that made the Bard's works so compelling and long-lasting, but link these insights to modern screenwriting efforts and requirements. Each chapter provides specific lessons based on a reading of Shakespeare, and each offers concrete tools screenwriters can employ for success today, making this a unique approach and a 'must' for any aspiring screenwriter who wants to use time-tested lessons from the Bard himself to achieve greater heights.

A Self Made of Words
Carl H. Klaus
University of Iowa Press
119 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781609381943, $18.00, www.uiowapress.org

A Self Made of Words: Crafting a Distinctive Persona in Nonfiction Writing is a pick for any collection strong in creative writing guides, and provides exercises and directions to help develop a persona of choice by understanding the effects of different writing approaches. Chapters come from the founder of the University of Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program and provide detailed discussion of how one's written persona evolves from decisions on what to say and how to say it. No creative writing collection should be without this specific and important guide.


The Science Shelf

The Rational Animal
Douglas T. Kenrick and Vladas Griskevicius
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465032426, $26.99, www.basicbooks.com

The Rational Animal: How Evolution Made Us Smarter Than We Think comes from a psychologist and a business professor who here consider new models analyzing the thinking mind, considering how choices are driven by evolutionary goals and why our minds are actually divided into 'subselves' based on this evolutionary process. It considers how these selves govern different situations and how their actions underlay decision-making processes, and it connects modern behavior patterns to those of the past to create a dialogue on how behavior itself is evolutionary in nature. The result is an excellent survey recommended for any health or science collection concerned with the psychology and evolution of thought processes.


The Psychology Shelf

Life and Loss, third edition
Linda Goldman
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8
NY, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9780415630801, $39.95, www.amazon.com

Now in a completely updated and significantly expanded third edition, "Life and Loss: A Guide to Help Grieving Children" by grief counselor and therapist Linda Goldman is a 288 page compendium designed to provide psychology students and counseling professionals with a detailed instruction guide and manual for dealing with loss and grief in children. Revealing common myths concerning grief and providing four psychological tasks of grief, "Life and Loss: A Guide to Help Grieving Children" goes on to describe techniques for working with grieving children, preparing a child for a 'goodbye visit', dealing with the loss of a pet, the role communication technology now plays in the lives of grieving children, the impact of separation, and much more. Of special note is the chapter on 'Especially for Educators' and how teachers can make a substantial difference in the lives of grieving children and the concluding chapter 'Let's Explore Resources' including the Sesame Street Initiative and an annotated bibliography for children. "Life and Loss: A Guide to Help Grieving Children" continues to be a very highly recommended and respected resource and should be a part of every professional and academic library Child Psychology reference collection.

Schizophrenia
Ronald Chase
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421410913, $19.95, www.press.jhu.edu

SCHIZOPHRENIA: A BROTHER FINDS ANSWERS IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE is a fine addition to any mental health or general lending library and considers basic questions about schizophrenia, using clear language to explain the disorder and how it affects individuals and their families. It's more than a professor of biology's coverage: it blends his own family story of his brother's life and affliction with a review of the latest scientific literature on the issue, making for a guide especially user-friendly to families struggling with the results of a diagnosis.

Lament of the Dead
James Hillman & Sonu Shamdasani
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393088946, $27.95, www.wwnorton.com

LAMENT OF THE DEAD: PSYCHOLOGY AFTER JUNG'S RED BOOK reassesses psychology in light of religion and history and gathers a series of some fifteen conversations on the subject over a two-year time span, considering how the original Red Book discussions changed perspectives on Jung's works. This piece is transcribed for the first time here and presents conversations that analyze The Red Book and consider its impact on our perceptions of death and expression. Any psychology collection will find this controversial probe an essential acquisition and important for any discussion of Jung.

How Are You Feeling?
David Shrigley
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393240399, $19.95, www.wwnorton.com

HOW ARE YOU FEELING? AT THE INSIDE OF THE CENTRE OF THE HUMAN BRAIN'S MIND provides a fun and zany 'self-help' book that considers the human mind and uses handwritten text and small fun line drawings to provide a guide to human emotions. Shrigley is a British artist and humorist who provides caricatures of human tendencies and here provides thirteen fun chapters covering psychological problems and treatments. A sense of humor is key for enjoying his quirky approach: readers who meet this prerequisite will include those generally interested in British humor and caricature drawings, as well as any involved in science and psychology.

Believing
Michael McGuire
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616148294, $19.95, www.prometheusbooks.com

BELIEVING: THE NEUROSCIENCE OF FANTASIES, FEARS, AND CONVICTIONS is an examination of beliefs and comes from a leading neuroscientist in brain-behavior research. Without attention to lively examples this all too easily could have become a dry study: instead, it blends personal anecdotes with the latest brain research to provide a fine focus on brain systems and how they create and maintain patterns of belief. From how the brain is hotwired for belief creation to inherent physical biases and how it prefers favorable, rewarding belief systems, this provides an excellent survey of brain science and its link to belief, and is a pick for any science reader.


The Music Shelf

Schubert's Dances For Family, Friends, & Posterity
Martin Chusid
Pendragon Press
PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
www.pendragonpress.com
9781576472392, $48.00, www.amazon.com

Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 - 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer. In a short lifespan of less than 32 years, Schubert was a prolific composer, writing some 600 Lieder, ten complete or nearly complete symphonies (including the most famous of the incomplete ones, the "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and solo piano music. Appreciation of his music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades immediately after his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms, along with other lesser lights, discovered and championed his works through the remainder of the century. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the early Romantic era and, as such, is one of the most frequently performed composers of the early nineteenth century. Schubert composed some 500 dances, of which about 200 were published in his lifetime. "Schubert's Dances: For Family, Friends and Posterity" by Martin Chusid is a 294 page compendium that provides an informed, informative, and long overdue study of this aspect of Schubert's compositional career. Of special note is the epilogue "Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms on Schubert and His Dances". Enhanced with a glossary of terms, a list of Schuberts dances, an extensive bibliography, and indices, "Schubert's Dances: For Family, Friends and Posterity" is an impressive and seminal work of scholarship, making it an extraordinary addition to academic library and collegiate musical department reference collections in general and Schubert Studies supplemental study reading lists in particular.

Carl F. Schlak: A Life In Song
Nancy M. Raabe
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint Louis, MO 63118-3968
www.cph.org
9780758641540, $29.99, www.amazon.com

Dr. Carl Flentge Schalk (born 1929) is a noted Lutheran composer, author, and lecturer. Between 1965 and 2004 he taught church music at Concordia University Chicago. Schalk was a member of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, which produced Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978. He was also the editor of the journal Church Music from 1966 to 1980. Additionally, he is a member of the Music Advisory Committee of Concordia Publishing House and of the board of directors of Lutheran Music Program, the parent organization of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. Schalk is well known for his numerous choral compositions as well as his hymn tunes and carols, which number over one hundred. He had ongoing collaborations with poets Jaroslav Vajda and Herbert Brokering, producing tunes for several of their hymn texts. Schalk's hymn tunes may be found in modern Christian hymnals of various denominations. He is also the author of several books on Lutheran music and hymnody. "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" by classical music critic Nancy M. Raabe is a 208 page compendium providing readers with informative insight into the life and work of a master musician and devout Christian. Enhanced with an Index of titles of Hymns and Songs; an Index of Hymn Tunes; and a General Index, "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to academic library 20th Century Musician Biography collections. It should be noted that "Carl F. Schalk: A Life in Song" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Roger Waters: The Man Behind the Wall
Dave Thompson
Backbeat Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing
33 Plymouth St, Suite 302, Montclair, NJ 07042
9781617135644, $27.99, www.backbeatbooks.com

Roger Waters: The Man Behind the Wall provides the first biography of Waters and is a 'must' for any music history collection strong in rock music heritage. It traces Waters' life and stormy relationship with musicians, audiences and his own self, covering his participation in Pink Floyd, his aggressive style, and his contributions to rock music in general. The result is a solid, gripping title that belongs in either biography or music history libraries, filled with insights and rock music behind-the-scenes history.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Stretching Anatomy, second edition
Arnold G. Nelson and Jouko Kokkonen
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076
Champaign, IL 61820-5076
9781450438155 $19.95 www.HumanKinetics.com

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Stretching Anatomy is an in-depth, user-friendly guide to effective stretching. The tips, tricks, and techniques will prove invaluable to everyone, from practicing athletes who need to stay flexible, to those who suffer from arthritis and need a gentle, regular stretching regiment to maintain mobility. New chapters for the second edition focus on the best stretches for athletic warm-ups, customizing one's personal fitness program, and even coverage of passive static stretches that will help lower blood glucose. Filled with two-color illustrations revealing how the muscles behave in different types of stretches, Stretching Anatomy is an excellent addition to athletic, academic, and personal health collections, as well as public and college library shelves.

The IBD Healing Plan And Recipe Book
Christie A. Korth, CHC, AADP
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
www.hunterhouse.com
9780897936125, $16.95, www.amazon.com

In medicine, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Christie A. Korth is a Crohn's disease survivor, a certified health coach, and a holistic nutritionist who draws upon her years of experience and expertise to write "The IBD Healing Plan and Recipe Book: Using Whole Foods to Relieve Crohn's Disease and Colitis", a 264 page compendium that includes lists of 'flare-up friendly foods' to avoid; sample menus (including ideas for lunches while 'on the move'); quizzes for keeping track of food habits; and shopping substitution cards. Enhanced with the inclusion of 99 palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes suitable for anyone with IBD, "The IBD Healing Plan and Recipe Book: Using Whole Foods to Relieve Crohn's Disease and Colitis" should be considered a "must" culinary and health reference for IBD sufferers and is strongly recommended for community and academic library Health/Medicine reference collections. It should also be noted that "The IBD Healing Plan And Recipe Book" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Yoga For Emotional Trauma
Mary NurrieStearns & Rick NurrieStearns
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
9781608826421, $17.95, www.amazon.com

Yoga is the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace. A psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event. Psychological or emotional trauma can lead to serious long-term negative consequences that are often overlooked even by mental health professionals. Yoga can provide an invaluable approach to dealing with both the short term and the long term effects of emotional distress. "Yoga for Emotional Trauma: Meditations and Practices for Healing Pain and Suffering" by psychotherapist and yoga teacher Mary NurrieStearns and meditation teacher Rick NurrieStearns is a 216 page instructional guide organized into seven sections: Healing Involves Compassion; Trauma, Thoughts, and Healing; Emotional Trauma, Physiology, and Healing; Healing Trauma with a Physical Practice of Yoga; Paying Attention to Life in the Present Moment; Dealing with Physical and Emotional Pain; Trauma, Difficult Life Transitions, and the Spiritual Journey. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Yoga for Emotional Trauma: Meditations and Practices for Healing Pain and Suffering" is an extraordinary work and a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted that "Yoga For Emotional Trauma" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).

Never Feel Old Again
Raymond Francis
Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
www.hcibooks.com
Ascot Media Group (publicity)
9780757317323, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Age is both a physical thing that happens naturally and inevitably to the human body. Age is also very much a state of mind! "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" by Raymond Francis is a 336 page compendium showing how anyone can be biologically younger than their chronological age, and that the aging process is basically a cellular phenomena that underlies all manner of illnesses and disabilities typically associated with old age. Readers will learn about how some of the so-called 'healthy foods' can actually age the body faster; what toxins are embedded in our homes and how to remove them; how some supplements harm and the body's natural immune system; and perhaps most importantly -- how to be your own effective health advocate. Comprehensive, persuasive, nicely organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" is very highly recommended to readers of all ages! Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections, it should also be noted that "Never Feel Old Again: Aging Is a Mistake--Learn How to Avoid It" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

There Is a Cure for Diabetes, revised edition
Gabriel Cousens, MD
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781583945445, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger). There are three main types of diabetes mellitus (DM): Type 1 DM results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and currently requires the person to inject insulin or wear an insulin pump. This form was previously referred to as "insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus" (IDDM) or "juvenile diabetes". Type 2 DM results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. This form was previously referred to as non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or "adult-onset diabetes". The third main form, gestational diabetes, occurs when pregnant women without a previous diagnosis of diabetes develop a high blood glucose level. It may precede development of type 2 DM. Other forms of diabetes mellitus include congenital diabetes, which is due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes. Untreated, diabetes can cause many serious and potentially lethal complications. "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" by Dr. Gabriel Cousens is a 616 page compendium that provides the non-specialist general reader with a comprehensive program for containing diabetes, both in terms of treating the symptoms as well as their underlying causes. It is possible for diabetics to go into remission. "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" is highly recommended for personal and community library Health/Medicine instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The 21-Day+ Holistic Recovery Program" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).

Herbal Antivirals
Stephen Harrod Buhner
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612121604, $24.95, www.storey.com

Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections covers treatment protocols for viruses and pairs this with a guide to the most potent antiviral herbs, and is a fine pick for any looking for natural ways to combat illness. Chapters show how to build immunity with herbal treatments using a reference that details which plants have proven most effective in fighting viruses. Directions for preparing and applying formulations are arranged by herb and make for quick and easy consultation, while introductory chapters on natural treatments for major diseases make for a powerful survey recommended for any natural health library.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Guilt Trip
Laura Childs
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425252925, $25.95, www.penguin.com

Guilt Trip: A Scrapbooking Mystery tells of a Louisiana businessman who has served some of his time for a white collar crime when his wife throws a big party. When he is murdered, it's up to Carmela and friend Ava to find out which of his enemies wanted him dead. Add a scrapbooking group and clues based on investigators who are scrappy enthusiasts and you have a riveting mystery that's a fine read for any who like puzzles.

Medea
Kerry Greenwood
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781464201431, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com

MEDEA is the first novel in Kerry Greenwood's 'Delphic Woman' series and provides a fine historical novel based on the legend of Medea, who killed her children - or did she? Here Princess Medea is a priestess who protects the grove holding the Golden Fleece when she confronts Jason, who is determined to rule the land. The king sets up challenges to thwart Jason but Medea finds herself entranced by his good looks and wily ways - and when romance blossoms between them, the entire kingdom is in danger. A powerful blend of history and mystery makes this a winner!

Murder, She Wrote: Close-Up On Murder
Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
Obsidian
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780451240200, $23.95, www.penguin.com

Murder, She Wrote: Close-Up On Murder offers the fortieth installment of the best-selling series and tells how one of Jessica's novels is being made into a movie when murder strikes an actor and the entire crew and cast become suspects. Can a movie set imbed murder into its underlying plot and if so, how can Jessica uncover clues on who did it? Any fan of the prior books will find this continues a popular series with a new twist.

Never Come Back
David Bell
NAL
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780451417510, $15.00, www.penguin.com

NEVER COME BACK explores the impact of a devastating murder when Elizabeth's mother dies unexpectedly and leaves her in charge of her troubled brother. When Ronnie becomes the prime suspect in their mother's death, the stage is set for Elizabeth to conduct an investigation that will reveal dangerous family secrets and a truth that could not only answer questions about Ronnie, but place Elizabeth in danger herself. A fine saga of family relationships and murder evolves in this tense thriller.

The Diamond Deep
Brenda Cooper
Pyr
c/o Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781616148553, $18.00, www.pyrsf.com

THE DIAMOND DEEP represents Book Two of 'Ruby's Song' and tells Ruby Martin and her partner Joel, who must find a way to save their people. The ship Creative Fire was on its way home from its long voyages, but they've been away for generations and the world their return to has vastly changed. They are oppressed and are facing a life regulated to the bottom of society when Ruby and Joel decide to fight for their people's right to become more. A powerful saga, this follows The Creative Fire, Book One, and is especially recommended for fans of this former story.


The Education Shelf

Number Sense Interventions
Nancy C. Jordan & Nancy Dyson
Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
www.brookespublishing.com
9781598572919, $34.95, www.amazon.com

Designed specifically for use with kindergarten students, "Number Sense Interventions" is the collaborative work of Nancy C. Jordan (Professor of Education, University of Delaware) and Nancy Dyson (classroom teacher and parent cooperative school director). This spiral bound, 238 page compendium will help math impaired children learn to count to 100, recognize quantities and numerals, connect quantities to numerals, write numbers, solve story problems and written equations, perform number operations on fingers, and a great deal more! Comprised of 24 scripted lessons plus extension activities, "Number Sense Interventions" is an ideal, 'user friendly', and very highly recommended kindergarten level mathematics curriculum supplement.

Succeeding With Inquiry
Jeff C. Marshall
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org/books
9781416616085, $27.95, www.amazon.com

Along with mastering data and concepts in math and the sciences, students also need to be able to think critically, communicate effectively, and collaborate productively if they are to succeed in their chosen disciplines over the course of their careers. That is the focus of "Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms" by Jeff C. Marshall (Associate Professor, Science Education, Clemson university). This 162 page compendium is organized into three major sections: Need for Inquiry in Your Classroom; Details of Inquiry Instruction; and Succeeding with Inquiry Instruction. Enhanced with the inclusion of an appendix (EQUIP), references, and an index, "Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms" is a model instruction guide and highly recommended, practical, 'user friendly' reading for anyone charged with the responsibility of educating future generations of mathematicians and scientists. It should be noted that "Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms" is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.37).

6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards
Bree Jimenez, PhD, Ginevra Courtade, PhD, and Diane Browder, PhD
Attainment Company, Inc.
PO Box 930160, Verona, WI 53593-0160
1578618363 $79.00 www.AttainmentCompany.com

Spiral-bound for ease of use, 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards to Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities is hands-on resource created especially for classroom teachers. Chapters detail six invaluable strategies: "Apply Universal Design for Learning for ALL Students", "Facilitate Student-Directed Learning", "Use Assistive Technology and Peer Supports", "Use Systematic Instruction", "Apply Research to Practice", and "Train to Generalize". Packed with specific instructions, sample lessons, personal testimonies, and much more, 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards will prove useful to teachers responsible for instructing students of all backgrounds - not just those with disabilities. "To increase the likelihood students will make the desired response again in the future, it is important to reinforce their best performance. For example, if a students begins to get an answer without prompting, only praise unprompted correct responses." 6 Successful Strategies for Teaching Common Core State Standards comes with a K-12 Classroom License with a PDF on Win/Mac CD, granting permission to print PDF pages for personal classroom use/email pages to parents or professionals associated with one's class/post pages on a classroom-only website. Highly recommended.

The Comprehensive Guide to Special Education Law
George A. Giuliani
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publicity Department
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849058827, $39.95, www.jkp.com

The Comprehensive Guide to Special Education Law is an invaluable reference for any professional in the field of special education, and covers the laws in place to protect special ed kids. It probes federal laws as they apply to rights and uses a Q&A format to cover all key areas of special education law, from parental rights to legal rights to education and issues of discipline. Educators receive a coverage of both history and requirements under laws that impact their disciplines, and will find this an invaluable reference.

Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com

Renee Hobbs and David Cooper Moore's DISCOVERING MEDIA LITERACY: TEACHING DIGITAL MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (9781452205632, $36.95) provides a series of lesson plans that are geared to students of all backgrounds and which use a range of technology tools in the teaching process, from mobile apps to Internet. Teachers of children ages 5-12 will find this a fine place to consider the entire range that comprises 'digital', from TV to computers and mobile phones, and will appreciate the inclusion of materials for teacher development and building social connections. There are plenty of books promoting media literacy: this one provides the nuts and bolts of 'how'. Bruce M. Whitehead, et.al.'s PLANNING FOR TECHNOLOGY: A GUIDE FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, TECHNOLOGY COORDINATORS, AND CURRICULUM LEADERS (9781452268262, $33.00) is a pick for any education collection concerned with technology and its classroom and school applications, and appears in a second revised edition to help teachers prepare for the fast pace of technological change and its influence on core methods. Revisions cover key digital developments of the past decade, adding new content surveying guidelines for Common Core Standards and adult learning, and a new chapter is added on how to create a 'culture of technology'. The result is a study guaranteeing success for any school leader who wants specific approaches to teaching and learning with technology. ReLeah Cossett Lent and Barry Gilmore's COMMON CORE CPR (9781452291369, $34.95) considers the promise and reality of the concept of Common Core applications, pointing out that some 1.3 million students fail to graduate high school each year despite educational ideals and pointing out the failure of a system that insists all students meet the same/impossible (for some) expectations. It combines classroom strategies and daily teaching challenges to help teachers decide how to plan assignments for student comprehension and ability as well as Common Core standards, and it shows how incremental growth is more important than insistence on standards that lead kids to decline. Teachers will find this a powerful guide to more effective Common Core classroom applications!

Teaching Twos and Threes
Deborah Falasco
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781605541327, $34.95, www.redleafpress.com

Teaching Twos and Threes: A Comprehensive Curriculum provides classroom teachers of this age group with a key to tested, effective early learning practices, and is a solid reference plan for hands-on art, science, cooking, and play teaching approaches. It comes from the experiences of a lead teacher at a nursery school and it packs in creative activity ideas which have been literally tested on the playground. From strategies to build programs to keys to working with young children, this is a solid reference for any early learning collection.


The American History Shelf

Emigrants In Chains
Peter Wilson Coldham
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260
Baltimore, MD 21211
www.genealogical.com
9780806317786, $18.95, www.amazon.com

One of the little known facets of American colonial history is that those colonies weren't all populated by people fleeing England in search of religious freedom and economic opportunity. The need for labor was so intense that England's jails, workhouses, brothels, and 'houses of correction' were emptied out and their inhabitants forcibly shipped to America to work out their sentences as indentured servants and convicted felons. "Emigrants in Chains. a Social History of the Forced Emigration to the Americas of Felons, Destitute Children, Political and Religious Non-Conformists, Vagabonds, Beggars and Other Undesirables: 1607-1776" by Peter Wilson Coldham is a 198 page compendium that provides an informed and informative history of how this came about and the impact it had on colonial society. Enhanced with eight appendices and a select bibliography, "Emigrants In Chains" is a seminal study of impressively detailed scholarship and an important contribution to both community and academic library American Colonial Studies reference collections and supplemental studies lists.

Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an
Denise A. Spellberg
Alfred A. Knopf
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
Gulotta Communications (publicity)
341 Lexinton Street, Newton, MA 02466
www.randomhouse.com
9780307268228, $27.95, www.amazon.com

One of our country's 'Founding Fathers' and the third president of the United States (1801-1809), Thomas Jefferson was also a renowned bibliophile who bought his English translation of the Qur'an in 1765, some eleven years before he wrote the Declaration of Independence (1776). It was his study of Islam that helped to confirm his insistence that America should be a country of religious freedom with no state imposed or sanctioned Christianity holding sway over any other religious belief systems. "Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders" by Denise A. Spellberg (Associate Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas, Austin) is a 416 page compendium that is an extraordinarily well written, researched, and seminal work that should be considered mandatory reading for anyone who believes America was founded to be a Christian nation to the denigration or exclusion of all other belief systems including Islam. Informed and informative, "Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders" is a strongly recommended addition to both community and academic library American History collections, and is a unique and invaluable contribution to Jeffersonian Studies supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.47).

Death Valley National Park
Hal K. Rothman and Char Miller
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166
Reno, NV, 89557-0166
9780874179255 $24.95 www.unpress.nevada.edu

Death Valley National Park: A History chronicles the environmental and modern-day history of America's most notoriously named desert, including the tangled tale of its preservation. From the numerous debates over how big the park should be; to the conflicting interests of miners, farmers, the military, and conservationists; to its tourism value; and how it eventually became a national park in 1994, Death Valley National Park is a remarkable, in-depth saga. Notes and an index round out this superb, accessible addition to American and environmental history shelves.

Remembering the Revolution
Michael A. McDonnell, Clare Corbould, Frances M. Clarke, and W. Fitzhugh Brundage, editors
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429
Amherst, MA 01004
9781625340337 $27.95 www.umass.edu/umpress

Remembering the Revolution: Memory, History, and Nation Making from Independence to the Civil War is an anthology of essays by learned authors about the Revolutionary War as interpreted by the first three generations of American citizens. The history and memory of the Revolution quickly became thoroughly politicized; different and often conflicting interests sought to tap into popular reverence for the nation's founding to serve their own goals. No single faction gained complete dominance over the Revolutionary War narrative; indeed, America remained sharply divided as a whole, heralding the rift of the Civil War. Individual writings in "Remembering the Revolution" include "Plagiarism in Pursuit of Historical Truth", "Martyred Blood and Avenging Spirits: Revolutionary Martyers and Heroes as Inspiration for the U.S. Civil War", "Forgotten Founder: Revolutionary Memory and John Dickenson's Reputation", and much more. A welcome contribution to public and college library American History shelves.

The Long Shadow of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Jared Peatman
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive
SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
9780809333103 $34.50 www.siupress.com

The Long Shadow of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address commemorates the sesquicentennial anniversary of President Licoln's historic Civil War speech with an examination of its legacy - not only the words themselves, but how people chose to interpret them at the time, and in the decades that followed. Lincoln's speech placed eloquent emphasis on the indissoulable connection between equality and democracy, yet his words were often selectively quoted to conveniently leave that message out. Chapters draw upon historical records to examine responses to the Gettysburg Address in 1863, wartime usages of the Gettysburg Address, its relevance to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's and much more. The Long Shadow of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is an excellent and welcome addition to public and college library American History shelves.

Concise Lincoln Library series
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive
SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
www.conciselincolnlibrary.com
$24.95 www.siupress.com

Two books in the Concise Lincoln Library series examine how America's President during the Civil War shaped the course of national history. John David Smith's "Lincoln and the Colored Troops" (9780809332908) examines President Lincoln's invitation to feed slaves and free persons of color to join the U.S. Army as part of the U.S. Colored Troops - the first systematic effort of the American government to arm African-Americans for the sake of national defense. Lincoln's bold decision was nothing less than revolutionary for the era, though African-Americans who served will still plagued by discrimination. Racial prejudice also played a key role in notorious massacres on both sides, when Confederate soldiers executed African-American troops rather than honor prisoner of war conventions - and African-American troops responded in kind. 2012 Lincoln Prize winner William C. Harris' "Lincoln and the Union Governors" (9780809332885) studies the fine balancing act Lincoln followed between accommodating the different needs of various Union governors, and maintaining a concentrated war effort. Of particular note is the historic Altoona Conference, also called The Loyal War Governors' Conference, in which thirteen Union governors discussed state troop quotas, the Emancipations Proclamation, and ultimate support for the President. Yet as the war dragged on, it placed ever greater strains on the President's relationship with the Union governors, and the Union's eventual triumph ultimately heralded even greater political challenges. Both volumes are aptly researched and eloquently presented, and choice picks for public or college library American History collections.

Wisdom From The Oval Office
Pierce Word
History Publishing Company, LLC
PO Box 700, 15 Heyhoe Woods Road
Palisades, New York 10964-0700
www.historypublishing.com
9781933909493, $18.95, www.amazon.com

"Wisdom from the Oval Office" is a 323 page compendium comprised of quotations from American presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama and on forty different subject areas ranging from America, Education, Happiness, and Leadership, to Politics, Religion, War, and Wisdom. "The name 'American' must always exalt the just pride of patriotism." (George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796). "Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads, and terrible storms devastate our lands." (Barack Obama, Speech in Berlin, Germany, July 24, 2008). Wonderful for browsing, informed, informative, and occasionally inspiring, "Wisdom from the Oval Office" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, academic, and community library American History reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should also be noted that "Wisdom From The Oval Office" is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.49).


The World History Shelf

With Commodore Perry to Japan
John A. Wolter, David A. Ranzan, and John J. McDonough, editors
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612512389 $39.95 www.nip.org

Enhanced with an extensive introduction, illuminating notes, a bibliography, and more, With Commodore Perry to Japan: The Journal of William Speiden Jr., 1852-1855 collects the personal journal writings of William Speiden Jr., the sixteen-year-old purser's clerk of the USS Mississippi as he accompanied Commodore Perry on his historic voyage to force an end to Japan's centuries of isolationism. Black-and-white reproductions of the hand-drawn, pen-and-ink scenes of daily life that Speiden and other crew members sketched, as well as pith paintings by Chinese artists, intersperse this invaluable primary testimony. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library world history collections.

The Lost World of Bletchley Park
Sinclair McKay
Aurum Publishing Group
c/o Quayside Publishing Group (distribution)
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1721
9781781311912 $29.95 www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com

Featuring vintage black-and-white as well as full-color photography throughout - over 200 photographs total, including many previously unpublished images from Bletchley Park's archives - The Lost World of Bletchley Park: An Illustrated History of the Wartime Codebreaking Centre lives up to its title as the definitive history of the Buckinghamshire codebreaking centre that achieved the nigh-unimaginable accomplishment of cracking the German Enigma codes. Their achievement had a crucial, possibly even decisive impact on the course of World War Two. Even before the war, Bletchley Park was a fashionable location for intellectuals, engineers, and the noblest of aristocratic traditions, as the holding of Liberal MP Sir Herbert Leon. After the war, Bletchley Park was first abandoned, then eventually transformed into a thriving museum and testament to British ingenuity and resilience. The Lost World of Bletchley Park not only covers the famous personages and codebreakers of the park, but also day-to-day life in Bletchley as a wartime town. An extensively researched visual as well as informational treasury, The Lost World of Bletchley Park is highly recommended, particularly for public and college library world history collections.

Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War
Max Hastings
Alfred A. Knopf
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9780307597052, $35.00, www.aaknopf.com

Max Hastings has written military histories that cross over well into general history holdings, and Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War is no exception to his formula for success as it documents the outbreak of World War I and traces the influences that led to it. From initial clashes and why Germany and Austria-Hungary were the key players in early conflicts to extraordinary battles, the actions of political leaders, and the political sentiments that led nations into battle, this is as much a social and political survey as it is a military account of battles, and thus deserves recommendation for any general history collection.

Churchill's Bomb
Graham Farmelo
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780465021956, $29.99, www.basicbooks.com

Churchill's Bomb: How the United States Overtook Britain in the First Nuclear Arms Race comes from a science historian who reveals how the British began research into nuclear physics man years before Americans and Germans realized the importance and applications of such studies. Still, Churchill failed to understand the weapon's real potential, and never utilized the opportunity British nuclear scientists gave him. This history documents the world run on nuclear physics applications and considers the work of three scientists which provided Britain with an edge on nuclear research - an edge ultimately thwarted by Churchill, who was unconvinced of its applications. The result was an apathy that led to America's development of the bomb instead - and prompted a nuclear arms race during the Cold War. Any history of the times isn't complete without this close inspection of missed opportunities and world politics.

The Spanish Holocaust
Paul Preston
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393345916, $19.95, www.wwnorton.com

The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain comes from an economics professor and historian on the era who considers the memories repressed by Franco's regime and more. The Spanish Holocaust has been a historical fact neatly repressed by Spain and only recently has come to full light, and this book is the first comprehensive study of the violence of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship. From stories of individual actions and rebel opposition to key events during the war, this provides an engrossing history of the times and considers the social and political elements of Franco's regime. The result is a powerful survey recommended for any college-level collection strong in Spanish history.

Mistaking Africa
Curtis Keim
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813348940, $36.00, www.westviewpress.com

Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind provides a fine exploration of African stereotypes and history and has been completely revised and updated with new examples and new discussions. Any college-level collection strong in African history will find this delves into all kinds of perceptions about the continent perpetuated by media and popular culture. It exposes myths, discusses realities, and provides ethical and theoretical issues in a manner that requires no strong familiarity with African history or culture. The result is a fine discussion for any high school to college student of African affairs.


The Civil War Shelf

Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men, second edition
Jeffrey Rogers Hummel
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60601
9780812698435 $29.95 www.opencourtbooks.com

Now in a second edition with a new introduction by author Jeffrey Rogers Hummel (Professor of Economics, San Jose State University) and a foreword by Civil War historian John Majewski, Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War offers an exhaustive overview of the American Civil War as well as a close examination of the war's impact upon American society. Chapters address the political economy of slavery - including the "deadweight loss" the South inflicted upon itself, by mandating a system that conscripted virtually every able-bodied white man (the majority of whom were poor people who owned no slaves) into "slave patrols" that enforced slavery laws, and devalued the productive ability of the slaves themselves through overwork, maltreatment, and laws that forbid slaves to read or write. The overview continues with the emergence of the Republican party, the beginnings of conflict, the horrific cost of total war, the politics of Reconstruction, and much more. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men is highly recommended not only for public and college library collections, but also for any lay reader interested in gaining a solid understanding of the Civil War from economic, political, social, and military perspectives.


The Biography Shelf

Brigham Young
Ed Breslin
Regnery Publishing, Inc.
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.regnery.com
9781621570400, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 - August 29, 1877) was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He succeded Mormonism's founder Joseph Smith as the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877. He founded Salt Lake City and he served as the first governor of the Utah Territory, United States. Young was a polygamist and was involved in controversies regarding black people and the Priesthood, the Utah War, and the Mountain Meadows massacre. A man of great accomplishment and great controversy, Brigham Young was a profound influence upon the people and the politics of his day. "Brigham Young: A Concise Biography of the Mormon Moses" by Ed Breslin is a 208 page biographical study that is a work of impeccable scholarship and attention to historical accuracy. Of special note is the concluding chapter 'Legacy' on Brigham Young's enduring influences long after his passing. Enhanced with an extended bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Brigham Young: A Concise Biography of the Mormon Moses" is informed, informative, and a welcome addition to personal, community, and academic library 20th Century American Biography reference collections and Mormon Studies supplemental reading lists. It should also be noted that "Brigham Young: A Concise history of the Mormon Moses" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).


The Computer Shelf

Practical Programming, second edition
Paul Gries, et.al.
Pragmatic Programmers
2831 Eldorado Parkway, #103-381
Frisco, TX 75033-7438
9781937785451, $38.00, www.pragprog.com

Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python 3 appears in its second updated edition edited by Lynn Beighley and teaches the basics of programming using design, algorithms, debugging and other methods of producing quality code, and is a fine pick not just for experienced users, but from those new to programming. It provides instructions which assume no prior knowledge and teaches the basics of what happens when programs work, don't work, and how to program for big data sets, large files, number and text combinations, and more. From charts and graphs to exercises, this is filled with everything needed to better understand the finer art of programming, and should be in any computer library.

Testing Cloud Services
Kees Blokland, Jeroen Mengerink, Martin Pol
Rocky Nook
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93103
9781937538385, $36.95, www.rockynook.com

Testing Cloud Services: How to test SaaS, PaaS and IaaS is for developers working with cloud computing and offers an in-depth assessment of risks that are inherent in the cloud computing environment, from traditional risks to new ones. Each risk is connected to test measures both traditional and new, and each risk assessment begins with the starting point of selecting cloud services. The result is a fine computer guide key to any successful cloud migration or deployment, and is a recommended approach for any working in cloud development.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Everything Store
Brad Stone, author
Pete Larkin, narrator
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
9781619690295 $30.00 www.HachetteAudio.com

Also available in print or as an ebook, The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon is the audiobook biography of a revolutionary businessman. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, achieved success as an online bookseller, but dreamed of more. He wanted Amazon to become a go-to marketplace for limitless goods and competitive low prices - the "everything store". The logistic and technical marvels continued, as Bezos boldly dared to take risks on unproven ventures such as Kindle and cloud computing. Amazon would ultimately spur a retail revolution that continues to this day. The Everything Store is an unforgettable tour of the life and business accomplishments of a modern-day Henry Ford, and is highly recommended for both personal and public library audiobook shelves. 11 CDs, 13 hours.

The Birth of Tragedy
Friedrich Nietzsche, author
Ian Johnston, translator
Duncan Steen, narrator
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28
Franklin, TN 37064
9781843797272 $34.98 www.naxosaudiobooks.com

The Birth of Tragedy is the unabridged audiobook rendition of the classic treatise by famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), first published in 1872 as "The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music". It was Nietzsche's first notable publication, yet poorly received by his contemporaries. At the time, Nietzsche was a professor of classical philology (the study of language in written historical sources); in The Birth of Tragedy, he contemplated the Apollonian and Dionysian elements of classical Athenian tragedy, viewing ancient plays as an art form that rose above the fundamental hopelessness, meaninglessness, and nihilism that surrounds life. Nietzsche saw the Greeks as battling with eternal pessimism, and saw an opportunity to recreate the emotional catharsis of their great works through current art forms such as Richard Wagner's operas. Now in a new translations by Ian Johnston, The Birth of Tragedy includes Nietzsche's 1871 "Preface to Richard Wagner" as well as the original book. The Birth of Tragedy remains a fascinating contribution to philosophy shelves, and is especially recommended for public and college library audiobook collections. 5 CDs, 6 hours 5 min.

Dracula's Guest And Other Stories
Bram Stoker
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781843795636, $34.98, www.amazon.com

Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 - 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned. Although his novel "Dracula" is his best known work today, Stoker was a prolific writer who wrote a number of other chilling tales of suspense. Under the expert readership of Rupert Degas, nine of those stories have been collected in a 5 CD audio book edition. These anthologized stories include The Judge's house; The Squaw; The Secret of the Growing Gold; The Gypsy Prophecy; The Coming of Abel Behenna; The Burial of the Rats; A Dream of Red hands and Crooked Sands; and the title piece, Dracula's Guest. With its superb production values and total running time of 5 hours, 41 minutes, 36 seconds, "Dracula's Guest and other Stories" is pure entertainment and a highly recommended addition to personal and community library audio book collections!

Candlelight Christmas
Susan Wiggs, author
Joyce Bean, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887
Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781455836895 $19.99 www.brillianceaudio.com

Candlelight Christmas is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a holiday love story, set in the wooded Catskills. Logan O'Donnell is a single father who wants his son Charlie to enjoy a special Christmas with the whole family. He and the O'Donnell clan have arranged the spend the Christmas season in the quiet town of Avalon on the shores of Willow Lake. A new person has also come to Willow Lake - Darcy Fitzgerald, a keenly intelligent, independent woman. Neither Logan nor Darcy were intending to have a Christmas romance, but the indefinable magic of the season connects them, allowing them to experience the joy of togetherness, friendship, and eventually love. Candlelight Christmas is a heartwarming, gentle story, perfect for lifting one's spirits to while savoring a cup of hot chocolate! 6 CDs, 6 hours 49 min.

The Dogs of Christmas
W. Bruce Cameron, author
Kirby Heyborne, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
2 Business Park Road, Unit 2
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
9781452614526 $34.99 www.tantor.com

The Dogs of Christmas is a heartwarming holiday story, now available as an unabridged audiobook. Josh Michaels is still recovering from a broken heart when his neighbor abandons a pregnant dog named Lucy. Josh tries to care for the unfortunate canine, but looking after a litter of puppies is more than one man can handle! A call to the animal shelter enlists the help of the beautiful and compassionate Kerri, an animal lover at heart, who teaches Josh how to care for the puppies and prepare them for adoption in the shelter's "Dogs of Christmas" program. As Christmas and the adoption date come closer, Josh wonders if he can bear to be separated from Kerri, or even from the litter of adorable puppies. Can he find a way to tell her his true feelings, let alone sort out the complexities of looking after a surprise puppy litter? Dog lovers everywhere will thoroughly enjoy this heartwarming holiday romance! 6 CDs, 6.5 hours.

Dust: A Scarpetta Novel
Patricia Cornwell, author
Kate Reading, narrator
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
9781611761979 $39.95 http://us.penguingroup.com

Dust: A Scarpetta Novel is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a gripping, brutal crime thriller. Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta has been working on a grisly mass murder, when she becomes informed of a suspicious homicide. The body of a woman who was about to bring a $100 million lawsuit has appeared on the MIT campus. The corpse is covered with a fine mineral dust that shines brilliantly in ultraviolet light. Could Scarpetta's computer genius niece Lucy be connected to the case? Could the death be the work of the Capital Murderer, who has been raping and killing victims in Washington, D.C.? Scarpetta uncovers evidence of organized crime, corrupt government officials, and designer drug dealers cooperating to horrific ends, in this shocking mystery with a strong grounding in forensic science. 12 CDs, 14 hours.

Random House Audio
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouseaudio.com

Bill Bryson's ONE SUMMER AMERICA, 1927 (9780739315293, $45.00) appears in an unabridged audio and provides a lively history of the summer of 1927, when Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, when Babe Ruth made his record, and when floods, murders, and gangs became headline news. This covers the events that comprised a monumental summer, moving from headlines to daily lives, tracing exciting events and bringing to life a wealth of amazing circumstances that changed lives and made that summer pivotal and powerful. Any who enjoy popular culture and history will find this a captivating listen. Brian Jay Jones' JIM HENSON: THE BIOGRAPHY (9780804128643, $55.00) receives a fine reading by Kirby Heyborne, who has starred in many feature films, and provides a fine biography of a visionary who created the Muppets and thrilled the world. This biography was written with the Henson family's cooperation and covers the life and times of Henson using new interviews with his family, friends and collaborators. With insights into his person life, religion and Muppet origins, this is a lovely and revealing story that comes to life in audio. Jo Nesbo's POLICE (978080416388, $45.00) provides a new Harry Hole novel narrated by playwright John Lee and telling of the anniversary of the gruesome death of a police officer. Within months two more officers are killed in the same way, sparking a frenzy of fear and suspicion that the fear is being spread purposefully to find more victims. There are too many suspects - even for detective Harry Hole - if he had not gone missing. A vivid plot and plenty of intrigue keeps even seasoned mystery readers guessing to the end. Sue Grafton's W IS FOR WASTED: A KINSEY MILLHONE MYSTERY (9780307704290, $32.00) provides a wonderful audio mystery set in 1988 and revolving around P.I. Kinsey, whose slow business allows her to investigate some old cases. Unfortunately her digging brings these dead cases back to life, ultimately threatens her personal world, and links an obvious murder to an unexplained death. Kinsey must be getting old despite her 38 years: she's having some movement troubles and some of her perceptions seem not as sharp as they could be. Despite this, fans who enjoy solid mysteries will find Judy Kaye's smooth and evocative voice successfully brings out intrigue and adventure in another satisfying 'alphabet mystery' especially recommended for prior Kinsey fans. Anne Rice's THE WOLVES OF MIDWINTER (9780804148542, $45.00) receives a powerful reading by award-winning narrator and actor Ron McLarty who brings to life a vivid story set at the beginning of winter and telling of Reuben Golding, infused with the Wolf Gift and facing a much-changed holiday season. The Man Wolves hold the season as sacred as humans, and they have their own rituals which soon will introduce Reuben to ghosts, secrets, and a strange world of spirits. Set in the ghostly scenery that is the Northern California coast, THE WOLVES OF MIDWINTER is steeped in mystery and supernatural encounters recommended for any fan of Anne Rice or fantasy sagas.


The Music CD Shelf

The Flood and the Mercy
Ed Kowalczyk
Harbour Records
c/o Missing Piece Group (publicity)
45 Academy Street, Suite 307, Newark, NJ 07102
missingpiecegroup.com
$11.74 www.amazon.com

The Flood and the Mercy is the second (mostly) solo album by singer/songwriter/guitarist Ed Kowalczyk, formerly of the popular band Live. (Peter Buck and Rachel Yamagata are featured in some tracks). Lyrically and musically, The Flood and the Mercy is emblematic of humanity's eternal quest to comprehend the Divine. The search for answers is itself an experience of revelation and wonder, in this extraordinary, niche-defying embodiment of the pure emotional power of music. Highly recommended. The tracks are "The One", "Seven", "Angels on a Razor", "Parasite", "All That I Wanted", "Take Me Back", "Holy Water Tears", "Supernatural Fire", "Bottle of Anything", "The Watchman's Lament", and "Cornerstone".

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

Canyon Records continues their tradition of sharing music by skilled and talented Native American performers, with four new CDs for the winter season. Randall Paskemin's "Christmas Cheer" is a collection of Plains Cree Round Dance and original Christmas songs, brimming with the joy and celebration. Grammy nominee Cheevers Toppah's "A Good Day, A Better Tomorrow" is an anthology of original Native American Church songs, performed in loving memory of those who taught Toppah about the beauty and exuberation of singing. Nitanis "Kit" Largo's "Serenity", featuring collaborations with Alex E. Smith, Algin Scabby Robe, Randall Paskemin and Wayne Silas Jr., is a debut solo recording; Largo's cadance and grace shines through her songs about Native womanhood and the magical dreams of winter. Grammy-nominated Ojibwe drum group Bear Creek's "Kaagige - 'Forever'" collects pow-wow songs recorded live in Rocky Bay. Upbeat and energetic, Kaagige is an excellent addition to pow-wow and round dance music collections. All four CDs make excellent gifts for connoisseurs of Native American music.


The Library DVD Shelf

Masters of Money
Stephanie Flanders, writer and editor
Athena Learning
c/o Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
RLJ Entertainment (publicity)
9781621720669 $39.99 www.acornonline.com

BBC economics editor and senior advisor to the U.S. Treasury secretary Setphanie Flanders presents Masters of Money, a documentary examining the lives and ideas of three prominent economic theorists, whose concepts (and reactions against them) have had a profound effect on modern history: John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Karl Marx. Each man held sharply disparate, often flatly contradicting beliefs. At the close of World War I, Keynes resigned a prestigious position in disgust when the Allies opted to economically punish Germany with burdensome reparations. Keynes correctly predicted that nothing good would come of the vengeful reparation demands, which caused runaway German hyperinflation, and ultimately kindled a crisis that fueled Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Furthermore, Keynes evaluated the Great Depression as a negative spiral - as more workers lost their jobs, they had less money to spend, which lowered demand, which caused more layoffs, and so on - that only government spending and/or job creation could reverse. Austrian-born Friedrich Hayek held a much more conservative view, believing that government attempts to alleviate recessions and depressions would only make them worse. In particular, he warned against artificially keeping interest rates low via the Federal Reserve, arguing that such a distortion would only fuel artificial bubbles and make their busts even more painful. (However, Hayek did believe in the need for safety nets). Karl Marx is remembered as the economist who inspired Communism; what is less known is that he had many good things to say about capitalism. However, Marx predicted that capitalism was ultimately doomed because bosses always forced the wages of workers ever lower, meaning that the workers could afford to buy less, eventually prompting recessions and depressions until widespread misery sparked revolution. What would each of these great thinkers say today, in response to the global economic crisis of 2009? And what lessons can be drawn from how their ideas shaped history, for good or for ill? Enlightening, accessible, and abstaining from blatant value judgments - the viewer is left to ponder the political and moral dimensions of each economic philosophy for themselves - Masters of Money is highly recommended, especially for public and college library DVD collections. 3 DVDs, 149 min. plus bonus shorts and 12-page viewer's guide, SDH subtitles, widescreen.

Photo: A History from Behind the Lens
Athena
c/o Acorn Media Group
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 620
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3403
9781621720652 $49.99 www.acornonline.com

Photo: A History from Behind the Lens is a twelve-episode DVD documentary that explores the history and development of photography up to recent times. From examining the discoveries of European and American photography, to how advances in technology created new ways to manipulate images, to the artistry of an evolving discipline - photographs created to interpret rather than simply freeze-frame capture the timeless moment - Photo: A History from Behind the Lens is sure to intrigue viewers of all backgrounds. An accompanying 12-page booklet rounds out this excellent choice for public library DVD collections. 12 episodes on 2 DVDs, 312 min., widescreen, SDH subtitles, contains nudity and sexual content.

Hot Coffee
A film by Susan Saladoff
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1937772926 $350.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Licensed for public performance, Hot Coffee: Is Justice Being Served? is a cautionary documentary about the notorious legal case that supposedly embodied "frivolous" lawsuits - or did it? Just why did the case of spilled hot coffee from a McDonald's drive-through - which caused the plaintiff severe burns, excruciating pain, and an expensive hospital stay - spark so much media scrutiny and anti-lawsuit hostility? Who benefits most from "tort reform"? Hot Coffee follows four people embroiled in four different court cases, and questions whether "jackpot justice" is truly as great a threat as the power wielded by corporate entities with access to the best lawyers that money can buy. Bonus material includes five short extra segments, and a discussion guide on the DVD-ROM part of the disc. Both the 86 and 50-minute versions are on one DVD, with SDH captions.

La Camioneta
A film by Mark Kendall
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
www.bullfrogfilms.com
1937772845 $295.00 www.lacamionetafilm.com

Licensed for public performance, La Camioneta is a true-life documentary about transportation, hardships, and criminal gangs in Guatemala. Decommissioned American school buses are regularly sent to Guatemala, where they are repaired, painted bright colors, and used as "camionetas" to carry the majority of Guatemalans to work. But operating a camioneta is dangerous business; local Guatemalan gangs ruthlessly extort protection money, and nearly 1,000 camioneta drivers and fare collectors have been murdered since 2006 for being unwilling or unable to pay. La Camioneta follows a single bus on the journey from serving American schoolchildren to serving the Guatemalan workforce, and offers an unforgettable glimpse into humanity's daily struggles. Highly recommended. Both a 72-minute and a 52-minute classroom version are present on the same DVD; English & Spanish languages; closed captioned.

Future Food series
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
$695.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Future Food is a six-part DVD series that grapples with a pressing question - how is the world to feed a global population projected to be nine billion by the year 2050? The search for answers takes the viewer worldwide, to six different nations. "Old or New?" surveys Peru, a land gradually recovering from the murderous depredations of the Shining Path terrorist organization. Great chefs and agricultural scientists warn against neglecting old wisdom and traditional methods of agriculture, since modern agriculture is dependent on fossil fuels that will eventually run out. "Food or Fuel?" is set in Kenya, a land with a history of famine; can cultivating biofuels be justified when the nation cannot grow enough food for its own people? Perhaps so, if the biofuels are grown specifically on "marginal lands" that are hostile to traditional food crops. Could the biofuel plant jatropha, which thrives in arid conditions, bring a better life to subsistence farmers on marginal lands? "Big or Small?" explores how agribusiness has come to dominate the USA; is "going big" truly the best way to farm food for the next generation? "Fat or Skinny?" confronts a dilemma facing India - as Western-style fast food diets spread, so does obesity, and the health problems such diets are linked to. The best answers may lie in healthy, indigenous alternatives to food selection and preparation. "Near or Far?" examines why the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture wants Nigerians to eat locally grown food, and the economic, social, and health ramifications. "Stay or Go?" travels to China, where young people are leaving the countryside for the allure of the cities; as more and more of them migrate, who will stay and grow food? All programs are thought-provoking and educational, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, and excellent choices for high school, college, and public library DVD collections. 6 DVDs, approx. 29 min. each.

The Citizen
A film by Sam Kadi
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569943724 $26.95 www.montereymedia.com

Inspired by true events, The Citizen is a captivating movie about pursuing the American dream in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks. Ibrahim Jarrah has led a life of unhappiness and misfortune in the Middle East; at first, winning the U.S. Green Card Lottery seemed like a dream come true. Ibrahim arrives in New York a day before the September 11 attacks, which have severe repercussions on his efforts to earn a stable life as the citizen of a new country. Complex, emotional, and highlighting the human qualities of courage and perseverance, The Citizen is highly recommended. 99 min., PG-13 (bonus features not rated), widescreen, closed captioned.

Zetman: The Complete Series
Based on the manga by Masakazu Katsura
Viz Media LLC
295 Bay Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
$44.98 www.viz.com

Also available in a Blu-ray version ($54.98), Zetman: The Complete Series collects the entire thirteen-episode anime series based on the manga (Japanese comics) by Masakazu Katsura. An intense saga not for the faint of heart - it's rated TV MA, for viewers age 18+ due to graphic violence - Zetman is a dark deconstruction of the traditional superhero narrative. Jin and Kouga are two young men with sharply contrasting personalities. Jin lives an impoverished but normal life until chance reveals his inborn, superhuman powers; Kouga is the heir of a wealthy family, driven by his own convictions to fight for justice. A nefarious conspiracy manipulating artificial humans for unknown goals surrounds both of them, and innocent people's lives are endangered. Neither Jin nor Kouga has reason to trust the other, but each will need all the help he can get to simply survive, let alone unmask the scheming puppet master pulling the strings! A thrilling odyssey from beginning to end, sure to satisfy fans of no-holds-barred action! 2 DVDs, English & Japanese audio, English subtitles, widscreeen.

Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781598288346 $19.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Expert yoga instructor Shiva Rea presents Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece, a DVD that guides the viewer through a multitude of calming yoga poses against the captivating beauty of a Greece - a hillside town, a volcanic crater, or sunset at the water's edge. Designed to let the viewer mix or match seven different 20-minute segments, Shiva Rea: Yoga in Greece promotes fitness and body sculpting as well as balance and flexibility. An excellent resource for yoga practitioners of all skill and experience levels! 140 min. plus 83 min. of meditations and bonus (including a 26-min. interview with Shiva Rea), widescreen.

Escape Your Shape: 21-Day Body Makeover
Based on the fitness system by Edward Jackowski, PhD
Acacia
8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
9781621721222 $16.99 www.acacialifestyle.com

Escape Your Shape: 21-Day Body Makeover is more than just a fitness DVD; it's a 21-day workout plan based on the patented system by Edward Jackowski, PhD. Featuring exercises tailored to one's personal physique (whether that resembles an hourglass, ruler, or spoon), Escape Your Shape offers two 20-minute circuit workouts for each type. Bonus exercise tips for each body type round out the solid self-improvement program, which utilizes no equipment other than light hand weights and a mat. A vigorous collection ideal for targeting one's problem areas, Escape Your Shape is a highly recommended addition to personal fitness DVD libraries. 120 min. (40 min. for each body type), widescreen.

Shazzy Fitness series
www.shazzyfitness.com
c/o 411 Video Information (publicity)
PO Box 1223
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.99 each www.411videoinfo.com

Two dance exercise DVDs from Shazzy Fitness encourage people to move to Christian hip-hop! "Shazzy Fitness: In the Beginning" (37 min.) introduces the viewer to a beginner-friendly dance party chock full of cardio music, led by energetic choreographers. "Shazzy Fitness: A Time to Dance" (37 min.) kicks the movement up a notch with an especially high-energy dance workout, overflowing with vigor and enthusiasm. Step-by-step instructions and 10-minute workout options enhance these excellent fitness DVDs, which feature only Christian music throughout, plus a handful of inspirational messages! Both are excellent additions to Christian fitness collections, encouraging the viewer to exercise their soul as surely as the body.

10 Minute Solution: Butt Lift
Christine Bullock
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
www.collagevideo.com.fordummies
013132607511, $14.98, www.anchorbayenterainment.com

10 Minute Solution: Butt Lift provides creative approaches to a min-workout that focuses on the butt, includes a bonus abdominal workout, and is designed to target the glutes, hamstrings and lower back. From squats and kicks to an all-standing workout, this uses no special equipment and comes from an instructor who holds certifications in Pilates, yoga and Barre and who teaches group fitness in Los Angeles. The five complete 10-minute workouts she features can be customized or incorporated into any busy day, making this a top pick for any home exerciser.


The Multimedia Shelf

Home for Christmas: Live from Dubin
Celtic Woman
celticwoman.com
c/o Missing Piece Group (publicity)
45 Academy Street, Suite 307, Newark, NJ 07102
missingpiecegroup.com
$15.88 www.amazon.com

Also available in Blu-ray format, Home for Christmas: Live from Dublin is a deluxe CD and DVD combo package; the CD is a music album and the DVD is of a live concert, in which the Celtic Woman band performs classic Christmas carols and joyful songs. Festive, beautiful, and respectful of the true meaning of the holiday, Home for Christmas is perfect for family get-togethers and a wonderful choice for personal listening pleasure. Highly recommended. The CD tracks are "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Silent Night", "We Three Kings", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "What Child Is This", "Adeste Fideles", "Winter Wonderland", "Mary's Boy Child", "Auld Lang Syne", and "Joy to the World". The DVD songs are "Winter Wonderland", "What Child Is This", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "We Three Kings", "Carol of the Bells", "O Tannenbaum", "Silent Night", "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas", "The Light of Christmas Morn", "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", "Auld Lang Syne", and "Joy to the World", with special features "Away in a Manger", "The Christmas Song", "In the Bleak Midwinter", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".


The Agriculture Shelf

Harvest Heritage
Richard D. Scheuerman and Alexander C. McGregor
WSU Press
PO Box 645910
Pullman, WA 99164-5910
9780874223163 $32.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu

Harvest Heritage: Agricultural Origins and Heirloom Crops of the Pacific Northwest chronicles the origins and history of agricultural crops in the region from the colonial era to the green revolution. Heirloom crops transformed the Pacific Northwest's economy, and innovations such as mechanization, improved seed quality, and sustainable dramatically impacted agriculture in the 1800's, even before the rise and dominance of agribusiness. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this extraordinary chronicle of the people, plants, and great agricultural events that helped keep America fed. Highly recommended, especially for college library Agricultural Studies collections.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Contemporary Spirituality for an Evolving World
Nicolya Christi
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
9781591431664, $18.00, www.bearandcompanybooks.com

Contemporary Spirituality for an Evolving World: A Handbook for Conscious Evolution is recommended for general spirituality holdings as well as new age collections, offering a set of psychological and spiritual keys to achieve global evolution and a new consciousness for the new year. It reviews old and new paradigms of religion and spirituality, examining how elements of the newly evolving world differ from old habits and paths that hinder spiritual growth, and it provides a strong collection of psychological exercises designed to heal psychological and spiritual wounds. The result is an outstanding survey, highly recommended for any interested in uncovering differences between new spiritual thinking patterns and hold habits.

On the Edge of Reality
Colin Andrews with Synthia Andrews
New Page Books
c/o Career Press Inc.
220 West Parkway, Unit 12, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
99781601632555, $17.99, www.newpagebooks.com

On the Edge of Reality: Hidden Technology, Powers of the Mind, Quantum Physics, Paranormal phenomena, Orbs, UFOs, harmonic Transmissions, and Crop Circles covers new evidence of alien intelligence and posits that said intelligence is challenging people to a higher level of consciousness; an idea supported by the 2012 Mayan Prophecy. Chapters discuss this visionary idea, offering new concepts about parallel cases of unusual paranormal activities and linking the unexplained in a different manner. By connecting global consciousness and its evolution to alien intelligence, this provides a whole different perspective in a treatment new age readers will find thought-provoking and intriguing.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Introduction to the History of Christianity, second edition
Tim Dowley, editor
Fortress Press
P.O. Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
http://fortresspress.com
9780800699697, $55.00, www.amazon.com

Compiled, organized and edited by historian Tim Dowley, and now presented in a significantly expanded and updated second edition, "Introduction to the History of Christianity" is a 688 page, nicely illustrated, 2100 year history of the Christian movement beginning with the birth, life and ministry of Jesus (1-325 AD), to the acceptance and conquest based expansion of Christianity (325-600 AD), to the emergence and evolution of Christian society (600-1500 AD); to the age of reform and renewal of the Christian churches (1500-1650 AD); to the age of reason, revival and revolution with the Christian world (1650-1789 AD), to the time of the Christian cities and empires (1789-1914 AD), to a century of continuing conflict with respect to Christianity (1914-2001 AD). Of special note is the concluding epilogue 'A New Millennium'. A work of impeccable historical scholarship from first page to last, "Introduction to the History of Christianity" is enhanced with the inclusion of maps, time charts, photographs, a list of resources on the history of Christianity, a glossary, and a comprehensive index. "Introduction to the History of Christianity" is very strongly recommended for personal, family, seminary, church, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental Christian Studies reading lists.

Spirituality In Hospice Palliative Care
Paul Bramadat, Harold Coward, Kelli I. Stajduhar
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438447780, $24.95, www.amazon.com

Hospice care is a type and philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill or seriously ill patient's pain and symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs. The concept of hospice has been evolving since the 11th century. Then, and for centuries thereafter, hospices were places of hospitality for the sick, wounded, or dying, as well as those for travelers and pilgrims. The modern concept of hospice includes palliative care for the incurably ill given in such institutions as hospitals or nursing homes, but also care provided to those who would rather spend their last months and days of life in their own homes. Compiled by editorial team of Paul Bramadat (Director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria), Harold Coward Professor Emeritus of History, University of Victoria), and Kelli I. Stajduhar (Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Centre on Aging, University of Victoria), "Spirituality in Hospice Palliative Care" is a 214 page compendium comprised of eight seminal contributions from diverse academic disciplines and perspectives on the spiritual aspects of hospice care for those who do not easily fit within the traditional religious beliefs and categories. as informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Spirituality In Hospice Palliative Care" is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to professional and academic library Religious/Spirituality Studies and Health/Medicine Hospice Care reference collections and supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "Spirituality In Hospice Palliative Care" is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.72).

Hear Me, See Me
Marybeth Christie Redmond & Sarah W. Bartlett
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781626980396, $20.00, www.orbisbooks.com

HEAR ME, SEE ME: INCARCERATED WOMEN WRITE provides prose and poetry from women imprisoned in Vermont, is compiled with Writing Inside VT's founders and activists, and provides a series of first-person stories of women who examine the various challenges to their spiritual lives and faith. Chapters are filled with social and spiritual insights in the course of relating these women's perspectives and experiences, and provide a strong collection of prison writing recommended for not just spirituality holdings, but for literary collections and those containing women's writings in general.


The Interior Design Shelf

Reflections on Swedish Interiors
Rhonda Eleish & Edie van Breems, authors
Neil Landino, photography
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423625285 $50.00 www.gibbs-smith.com

Reflections on Swedish Interiors is an oversized hardcover packed with full-color, photographic portraits of the interiors of Swedish homes, with an eye for elegant, graceful, and coordinated designs. Thumbnail descriptions of each photograph and the occasional text essay enrich the experience, but in Reflections on Swedish Interiors, it is the images themselves that are the most eloquent. Some pictures also step outside the hearth, to glimpse the beauty of quality of landscaping or balanced architecture, but most show aesthetically pleasing living spaces. Highly recommended not just for interior designers, but also for anyone in search of ideas to beautify their home.

Professional Practice for Interior Designers, fifth edition
Christine M. Piotrowski, FASID, IIDA
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118090794, $90.00, www.wiley.com

Professional Practice for Interior Designers appears in its fifth updated edition, includes website support, and provides students of architecture and interior design with a solid coverage of business practices considering legal, financial, ethical and business challenges faced by modern interior designers. Any studying for the exam will find this new edition provides a revised chapter organization lending to quick reference, new and updated coverage of professional practices, considerations of social media and other marketing practices, case studies, and much more. Sample forms and further information are presented on a supporting website. A 'must' for any serious interior design collection!


The Geography Shelf

Cracking the AP Human Geography Exam, 2014
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview
9780804124201, $18.00, www.amazon.com

The 2014 edition of Cracking the AP Human Geography Exam packs in two full-length practice tests and reviews of all AP Human Geography terms, includes charts, maps and tables, and is packed with detailed answers for exams and explanations that go beyond rote memorization. The format is designed to both mimic and support the exam: step-by-step test-taking strategies in each chapter accompany clear explanations of answers and also provide guidelines for writing good essays. With its in-depth focus on actual test structure and intentions, this is a powerful pick for any interested in pursuing the AP Human Geography Exam, and a strong recommendation for collections catering to these students.


The Technology Shelf

Handbook of Distributed Feedback Laser Diodes, second edition
Geert Morthier and Patrick Vankwikelberge
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608077014, $179.00, www.artechhouse.com

Handbook of Distributed Feedback Laser Diodes appears in its second updated edition - the first since 1997 - to cover the many changes in the industry and the changed role of DFB laser diodes. Engineers receive descriptions of the different effects that encompass a DFB laser diode, provides professionals with two new appendices, and updates everything involved in the theory, commercial applications and design of this technology. There have been so many changes in the industry since the 1997 publication, it's safe to say any library seeing popularity with the prior reference should consider this an indispensable replacement.


The Literary Studies Shelf

The African
J.M.G. Le Clezio
David R. Godine, Publisher
PO Box 450, Jaffrey, NH 03452
9781567924602, $22.95, www.godine.com

THE AFRICAN is more than one man's biography: it moves into the realm of unforgettable literature as it provide the author's story of race in a memoir beginning in 1948, when a young boy leaves Europe with his family to join his military doctor father in Nigeria after they have been separated by war. Le Clezio's new life in Nigeria is a far cry from his first eight years in France: there is beauty, there is a dictatorial father, and there's a world and culture very different from all he's known. THE AFRICAN is a powerful saga packed with satisfying reflections that move beyond the personal into the social and political realms: it's reviewed here as a literary recommendation for any college-level collection strong in African culture, literature, and literary memoirs alike.

William Ellery Leonard
Neale Reinitz
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781611475883, $75.00, www.rowman.com

William Ellery Leonard was an eccentric poet and professor and critic who produced poems based on his life experiences and whose translations of Lucretius and Beowulf became accepted classics of literature: it's fitting that a biography of his life and works should incorporate the influences that molded his literary expertise. College-level students of his works will find this an outstanding critical coverage adding much to any collection in 20th century literary figures, with chapters offering footnotes of reference, plenty of analysis of his works with liberal quotes throughout, and all the tools needed to understand Leonard's ongoing influence.

Constellation of Genius: 1922: Modernism Year One
Kevin Jackson
Farrar, Straus, Giroux
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780374128982, $30.00, www.fsgbooks.com

Constellation of Genius: 1922: Modernism Year One comes from Ezra Pound's referral to 1922 as the beginning year of creative genius, as reflected by the concurrent publications of James Joyce's 'Ulysses' and T.S. Eliot's 'The Wasteland' - two works that serves as the foundation for the modernist literature movement that would follow. Chapters place the appearance of these works in context of the world in which they were published, providing a wider-ranging view of the society which birthed these two literary achievements. While the result also will strongly appeal to history and social science collections, it's featured here as an important addition to any literary history holding, as well.


The Poetry Shelf

Throw the Damn Ball
R.D. Rosen, et.al.
Plume
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780142180853, $15.00, www.penguin.com

Throw the Damn Ball: Classic Poetry by Dogs provides fun animal-based verse from 'poetic pooch' perspectives and is a fun collection of canine humor perfect for animal and literary collections alike. A dog's perspective is presented in poems which also adopt the styles of some of the most famous poets of our times, from Emily Dickinson (in 'There is No Frigate Like a Pavement') to Dylan Thomas. Here are adaptations of classic poet writings - but reflecting dog concerns over love, friendship and meals. Color photos of dogs round out this fun quasi-literary collection.


The Crafts Shelf

Project: Necklaces
Bead&Button Magazine
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871167514, $17.99, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Project: Necklaces provides a fine collection of some 30 designs from Bead&Button Magazine, and is a pick for any jewelry worker who wants new ideas for necklaces. From pendants to chains, this shows how to stitch, string, and use metal wireworking to create lovely results, from a vintage autumn garland of flowers necklace to using lampworked glass and pearls. Any jewelry maker will find this a gorgeous presentation of winning designs, with full color photos and step-by-step instructions throughout.


The Architecture Shelf

Louis I. Kahn, Architect
Charles E. Dagit, Jr.
Transaction Publishers
10 Corporate Place South, Piscataway, NJ 08854
9781412851794, $39.95, www.transactionpub.com

Arts collections strong in architectural history will welcome this first-person survey of Louis I. Kahn, who built a new breed of modern architecture and taught about his designs at the University of Pennsylvania. Author Dagit was an undergraduate there and a member of Kahn's one-year master's studio, so was in a great position to absorb firsthand Kahn's perspective. This covers Kahn's methods of teaching architecture, his building philosophy, and accounts of those he influenced in the field. Any college-level collection strong in architectural history will find this a fine addition.


The International Studies Shelf

Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
www.westviewpress.com

The second updated edition of Robert D. Lee's RELIGION AND POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST: IDENTITY, IDEOLOGY, INSTITUTIONS, AND ATTITUDES provides college-level students with a comparative analysis of politics and religion and how they worked to affect the evolution of democracy in five Middle Eastern countries, and is a pick for any studying the region's history and development. By considering the interrelated progress of religion and politics in the region and supplying discussions of ideology, institutions and changing attitudes in both arenas, this blends analysis with discussions suitable for classrooms, and is a solid reference including chapter-length country studies. The fifth edition of John McCormick and Jonathan Olsen's THE EUROPEAN UNION: POLITICS AND POLICIES (9780813348988, $42.00) is a recommendation for college-level collections strong in international politics and political science, and has been extensively revised and updated to include recent developments in EU studies and analysis. One needn't have a thorough grounding in EU issues to appreciate this title, which is directed to the U.S. market and covers details Americans may not know. Two professors cover all the basics of EU processes and problems, and provide a strong study that will enhance any understanding of the history and current state of affairs of the EU.


The Military Shelf

The Lucky Few
Jan K. Herman
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9780870210396 $39.95 www.nip.org

Navy Medical Department historian Jan K. Herman presents The Lucky Few: The Fall of Saigon and the Rescue Mission of the USS Kirk, a heavily researched accounting of one U.S. Navy warship, the USS Kirk, that worked with a task force of U.S. Navy ships to aid the evacuation of not only American embassy personnel, but also 32,000 South Vietnamese refugees at the close of the Vietnam War. Amid the chaos of a crumbling defeat, the USS Kirk and other ships like her underwent a stunning transformation to carry out a large-scale humanitarian mission, including giving medical care, accommodating infants, and calming people's fears. Notes and an index round out this highly recommended contribution to American military and naval history shelves, particularly those with a focus on the Vietnam War. (Jan K. Herman has also produced an hour-long documentary in 2010 titled "The Lucky Few", but his book is innately capable exploring the USS Kirk's story in far more detail).

Proceed to Peshawar
George J. Hill
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612512808 $36.95 www.nip.org

Proceed to Peshawar: The Story of a U.S. Navy Intelligence Mission of the Afghan Border, 1943 is the exciting, true-life chronicle of the World War II mission of two U.S. military intelligence officers. They trekked through rugged terrain (sometimes by jeep) and navigated the deadly tension of cultural clashes, political infighting, and ethnic tensions. The meticulous notes and papers of one of the officers forms the core of the fascinating, close-up analysis of an extraordinarily difficult task, offering a glimpse into the historic complexities of a region that American foreign and military policy continue to wrestle with to this day. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library Military History shelves.

Osprey
4301 21st St, Suite 220B
Long Island City, NY 11101
www.ospreypublishing.com

Brian J. Ford's SECRET WEAPONS: DEATH RAYS, DOODLEBUGS AND CHURCHILL'S GOLDEN GOOSE (9781780967219, $15.95) covers the history of secret weapons technology and development over the decades and comes from a scientist who considers technological influences on weapons concepts and development. Scientists and engineers worked hard during World War II to win the technology war evolving on the battlefield, and some of their weapons ideas became reality. This documents both achievements and the bulk of ideas that never made it off the drawing board, surveying secret weapons development by all major powers during the war. Military and general-interest collections alike will find this a revealing, solid guide! Gavin Mortimer's THE SBS IN WORLD WAR II: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY (9781782001898, $25.95) covers the development of the Special Boat Squadron that was Britain's most exclusive Special Forces unit during World War II, and is a fine guide to its establishment, operations, and impact on launching hit and run raids on the Germans. The squadron served across Europe yet after the war was over, their deeds went largely unacknowledged. This book provides an important focus and includes many vintage black and white photos throughout. Martyn Chorlton's MARTIN B-26 MARAUDER (9781780966052, $18.95) provides an in-depth coverage of one of the medium bombers of World War II and considers its design, development, operations during the war, and its many achievements. The Maurauder served with the RAF, SAAF and other units and its special abilities led to many unexpected successes. Chapters consider its design, how it came to have a less than stellar reputation, and how and why it was scrapped at war's end. Any military collection strong in equipment will find this a winning history of a little-covered plane. Thomas McKelvey Cleaver's ACES OF THE 78TH FIGHTER GROUP (9781780967158, $22.95) joins others in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series and provides a history of a group that was the only fighter unit in the 'Mighty Eighth' to fly the P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang planes. It provides a fine history of battle operations, fighters, and those who flew planes that were military successes. Vintage black and white photos throughout accompany researched statistics and history in a vivid coverage recommended for any military or aviation history holding. Another new addition to the popular 'Bolt Action' war games series is ARMIES OF FRANCE AND THE ALLIES (9781780960920, $24.95) a narrowed focus on the battles and forces that involves the armies of France, Belgium, Norway, Poland, and more. Army lists, discussions of teams, armored vehicles and transportation, and special rules accompany color illustrations throughout, providing model gamers with a fine series of parameters for engagement. Any Bolt Action participant must have this specific guide. Mike Loades' THE LONGBOW (9781782000853, $18.95) provides a fine survey from a medieval weapons expert with years of experience in warbows. Here he blends a history of overall combat archery on land and sea with technical details on the making and history of the longbow, discussing what gave it such a strong reputation in medieval times, and how its use impacted the world. Any interested in medieval warfare will find this a fine contribution.


The Business Shelf

The Financial Menu, fourth edition
Klaus Theyer, CCC
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
4050 Westmark Drive
Dubuque, IA 52002
9781465231864 $47.00 www.kendallhunt.com

Now in an updated fourth edition, The Financial Menu: A Chef's Companion to Cost Control is a no-nonsense reference created especially for professional chefs, food and beverage managers, and college students. Packed with charts, tables, and even lists of things such as common acronyms of the hospitality industry, The Financial Menu is primarily a resource devoted to cost control - filled with ways to track and monitor expenses, the most commonly used methods to determine a "selling price", labor cost control and scheduling techniques, and much more. Access to web support with updated materials and examples that can be used to practice the instructed techniques round out this "must-have" for any food-related business owner or manager.

The Nature of Business
Giles Hutchins
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865717374, $21.95, www.newsociety.com

The Nature of Business: Redesign for Resilience offers important keys to understanding the natural structure business by providing a title linking the two, and is a refreshing difference from the majority of books that seem to consider business as separate from any natural process. Chapters consider transformational change, systems integration, and new paradigms for organizational structure based on natural processes to be found in basic principles of biomimicry, and provide keys to understanding underlying behaviors and organizations found in nature. The result is a powerful survey with an alternate viewpoint, recommended for any business collection.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Simple Sewing
Katie Lewis
Plain Sight Publishing
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
2373 West 700 South
Springville, Utah 84663
9781462112883 $18.99 www.cedarfort.com

Full color photography on every page enhances Simple Sewing: 30 Fast and Easy Projects for Beginners, an excellent starter guide to creating functional, handcrafted sewing projects for personal use or gift-giving. Sewing templates are included! The projects range from a basic tote bag to reversible place mats, stockings, a swaddling blanket, pocket hand warmers, simple cloth toys and more. Step-by-step discussion of basic sewing terms and techniques, as well as meticulous instructions for the projects themselves, make Simple Sewing as novice-friendly as can be!

First-Time Machine Applique
Janet Pittman
Landauer Corporation
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
9781935726340 $24.95 www.landauercorp.com

First-Time Machine Applique: Learning to Applique in Nine Easy Lessons lives up to its title as a step-by-step, how-to guide to creating wonderful needlecraft decorations with machine applique. Full-color photography illustrating nearly every action, reproducible patterns for hands-on practice, and step-by-step instructions fill this user-friendly guide. Highly recommended, especially for needlecrafters seeking to take their hobby to the next level!

Creative Makers: Simple Knitting
Ros Badger
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781845336967, $19.99, www.octopuspublishing.com

Creative Makers: Simple Knitting packs in over 20 knit projects for accessories and comes from a knitter who focuses on very simple accessories from globes and socks to bags and knitted jewelry. Any new to knitting receive basic instructions, a survey of yarn choices and terms, and step-by-step instructions on how to knit, while those with the basics 'down' will find this packed with projects that can be made with just two stitches and using simple squares, oblongs or tubes. Color photos of completed projects by photographer Yuki Sugiura make for a fine recommendation for any new to knitting - or knitters seeking quick projects.

Landauer Publishing
3100 NW 101st Street, Suite A
Urbandale, Iowa 50322
www.landauerpub.com

Penny Haren's QUILT BLOCK FUSION: COMBINING INNOVATIVE PIECING TECHNIQUES TO CREATE PERFECT BLOCKS (9781935726333, $24.95) blends the author's pieced applique technique with paper piecing strategies to create blocks that look complicated, but are easy productions. Ten techniques included here range from new ways to sew traditional blocks to basic paper-piecing and more. All projects include six-inch blocks that are easy to blend into other projects beyond this book, and each offer step-by-step photos and techniques which are foolproof. Quilters will find this a top pick! Also highly recommended is Janet Houts and Jean Ann Wright's QUILTING A CIRCLE OF NINE (9781935726449, $24.95), a solution to a common quilt pattern project involving a new method of setting blocks. Spacer suggestions pull together the nine blocks in a Circle of Nine quilt and provide innovative new ideas reflected in some 12 new patchwork tips for designing quilts. The result is a lovely collection of quilt ideas perfect for any who have struggled with Circle of Nine complexities.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Penguin Planet, second edition
Kevin Schafer
Taylor Trade Publishing
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
c/o National Book Network (distribution)
4270 Boston Way, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781589797918 $24.95 www.nbnbooks.com

Now in an eye-catching second edition with even more striking, full-color photography as well as up-to-date information, Penguin Planet: Their World, Our World is a captivating softcover coffee table book pairing on-location photography with insightful essays about the harsh daily lives of penguins. Showcasing a multitude of species at all stages of life, Penguin Planet tells of the natural history that prompted penguin evolution (only a lack of land-based predators made their reproduction cycle possible), the hazards they endure from natural predators to the depredations of man, their extreme perseverance when raising chicks (some species literally go for months without food while incubating eggs), and much more. The next best thing to traveling to the southern hemisphere to observe wild penguins in person, Penguin Planet is highly recommended!

What the Dog Knows
Cat Warren
Touchstone Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
9781451667318, $26.99, www.simonandschuster.com

WHAT THE DOG KNOWS: THE SCIENCE AND WONDER OF WORKING DOGS comes from a professor and former journalist who works with a cadaver dog who searches for missing, presumed-dead people. But it evolves beyond the author's interactions with Solo to cover the world of working scent-detection dogs, their training, and their work, and provides readers with a captivating look at the dogs and their place in forensics. Chapters explore dog cognition and its applications and provides a mix of case histories, science, and personal insight into training. The result is a powerful survey recommended for any dog lover.

The Perfect Dog
Dr. Roger Mugford
Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780600623601, $14.99, www.octopuspublishing.com

The Perfect Dog: Raise and Train Your Dog the Mugford Way provides a new approach to dog training and comes from an animal psychologist and inventor of the HALTI Headcollar. It debunks common perceptions of dogs as related to wolves, requiring owners to become 'pack leaders', and it also maintains there's no such thing as an untrainable dog. Basic training techniques are covered here, from basic commands to clicker, leash and retrieval training. From modifying behaviors to teaching commands, this provides dog owners with plenty of step-by-step directions.

Radiography of the Dog and Cat
M.C. Muhlbauer & S.K. Kneller
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9781118547472, $99.99, www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Radiography of the Dog and Cat: Guide to Making and Interpreting Radiographs is a fine guide for any professional looking for detailed specifics for dog and cat care, and provides a key to evaluating radiographic findings. From describing how to make high-quality radiographs and interpretations of abnormalities to figures, line drawings, and lists of diagnoses, this is written as both a quick reference and as a comprehensive new approach to radiography which blends physiology, pathology and physics. From making and interpreting quality radiographs to evaluation checklists and different radiography systems, this is packed with the latest technical details and comes with a companion website featuring review questions, positioning guide, and more. With its many specific details, Radiography of the Dog and Cat is a 'must have' reference for any veterinary collection and for libraries appealing to technicians.


The Travel Shelf

Great Escapes
Lonely Planet Editors
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781743217078, $39.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

GREAT ESCAPES packs in discussions and oversized color photos of over seventy getaways around the world for all seasons, and is a fine coffee table addition or armchair traveler's guide for any travel collection. It pairs stories with experiences arranged by theme, explores urban and rural delights alike, and contains simply stunning color photos throughout. Also included, for those who would do more than read about it, is practical information for planning the getaway and taking side trips. The getaways are both filled with action and interest and sometimes are quiet places for solitude and contemplation. Either way - they're winners for all who appreciate exciting destinations, and a perfect holiday recommendation!

1000 Ultimate Adventures
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781743217191, $22.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

1000 Ultimate Adventures gathers a fine collection of 1,000 ideas and activities to inspire readers to see the world, and provides a fine collection of opportunities ranging form jungles and caves to family-friendly adventuring, rafting, cycling and more. The focus is on top experiences that require a minimum of expertise and offer maximum return by way of adventure and excitement, with chapters including color photos, sidebars of information, and tips on what to see where. From atmospheric wonders to zip lining, this is filled with excitement and will attract independent travelers and armchair readers alike.


The Nautical Shelf

Legacy in Wood
Ryan Wahl
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
9781550175981, $24.95, www.harbourpublishing.com

Legacy in Wood: The Wahl Family Boat Builders is the story of a family who built wooden fishing boats for three generations, and whose boatyard in British Columbia became known as the standard by which commercial fisher boats were assessed. Over sixty years went into their boat building industry: this charts its evolution, and began as a personal family research history project. What began as an interview with his grandfather evolved into an in-depth survey involving documents and oral histories from Wahl employees, making for a lively and involving guide recommended for any nautical library.


The Wine Shelf

The World Atlas of Wine, seventh edition
Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781845336899, $55.00, www.octopuspublishing.com

The World Atlas of Wine first appeared in 1971 to much acclaim: today it's been published in fifteen languages and sells around the world. The last edition of the Atlas was in 2007, and many changes in the wine world are reflected in this latest edition, which covers major worldwide wine trends, changes in winemaking techniques, and new considerations of wine-growing regions around the world. This seventh edition packs in over two hundred unique wine maps covering regions even in China, and provides an authoritative text with so many revisions that any collector strong in wine information must have this. It serves as a coffee table addition and a fine holiday gift, as well!


The Gaming Shelf

Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand
Annie Duke, Vanessa Rousso, Josh Doody
Cardoza Publishing
5473 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
www.cardozapub.com
9781580423205, $34.95, www.amazon.com

'Heads Up' play in poker means the last two players of a tournament battling it out for who will finish in first place and who will get second place. Often in professional poker tournaments like those of the World Poker Tour (WPT) and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) it is as much a matter of personal pride and bragging rights as it is of prize pool winnings. Drawing upon their many years of experience and expertise, three outstanding players, Annie Duke, Vanessa Rousso, and Josh Doody, have collaborated to write "Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand", a 386 page compendium that takes the reader through more than 600 hands as played out in the annual NBC Heads'Up Championship. Showcases is the players decision making with respect to how each hand was played. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand" is a 'must read' for any poker player who aspires to win a tournament when it all boils down to just two players left!


The Parenting Shelf

Get Your Kids Hiking
Jeff Alt
Beaufort Books
27 West 20th Street, Suite 1102, NY, NY 10011
www.beaufortbooks.com
9780825306914, $13.95, www.amazon.com

Hiking in a natural wilderness is good for the body, the mind, and the human soul. "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep It Fun!" by hiking expert and naturalist Jeff Alt is a 240 page, pocket sized instructional reference guide and manual that parents can utilize to introduce and educate their children of all ages into the joys and benefits of a hiking trip. Parents are shown age-appropriate ways to include a child in all aspects of the hike. "Get Your Kids Hiking" also features checklists of what to pack for any type of hike, kid-friendly menus of what to take along on a hike, and a wealth of practical advice for hiking with a child who has special needs. Thoroughly 'user friendly' from beginning to end, "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep it Fun!" is confidently recommended for family and community library Parenting Skills reference collections. It should be noted that "Get Your Kids Hiking: How to Start Them Young and Keep it Fun!" is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.59).

Cure Your Child With Food
Kelly Dorfman
Workman Publishing Company
225 Varick Street, NY, NY 10014-4381
www.workman.com
9780761175834, $13.95, www.amazon.com

The quality of children's diets has a profound impact upon their physical, mental, and even emotional development. "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" by nutrition expert and dietician Kelly Dorfman is a 386 page compendium packed from cover to cover with sound, practical, documented information revealing the connections between nutrition and chronic childhood ailments and habits ranging from stomach aches, rashes, and sleep problems, to ear infections, hyperactivity, and constipation. There is even a nutritional link to picky eating!. Deftly written, comprehensive, and 'reader friendly', "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" is especially appropriate for non-specialist general readers seeking to improve their child's health through nutritional approaches to common ailments. Also available in Kindle ($9.39) and audio book ($22.08) editions, "Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments" is a very strongly commended addition to community library Health & Medicine as well as Parenting Studies reference collections. It should be noted that "Cure Your Child With Food" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).


The Christian Studies Shelf

Becoming Human
John Behr
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
575 Scarsdale, Road, Crestwood, NY 10707-1699
www.svspress.com
9780881414394, $26.00, www.amazon.com

"Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" by John Behr (Dean of St. Vladimire's Orthodox Theological Seminary and Professor of Patristics) is a 136 page compendium of reflections and commentaries offering an Orthodox Christian framework to our roles in our respective journeys thoroughly life, concluding with our inevitable experience of death. A meditative compilation of texts and illustrations, "Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" is a book that is ideal for browsing, contemplation, deliberation, musings, reverie and rumination -- rather than a straight read from beginning to end in a single sitting. Inspired and inspiring, "Becoming Human: Meditations on Christian Anthropology in Word and Image" is highly recommended for all Christians regardless of their denominational affiliations.

The Way of the Cross
Joan Chittister
Art by Janet McKenzie
Orbis Books
PO Box 308
Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781626980440 $25.00 www.orbisbooks.com

"National Catholic Reporter" columnist Joan Chittister presents The Way of the Cross, a collection of inspirational meditations inspired by the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Beautiful, full-color illustrations by award-winning artist Janet McKenzie, perhaps best known for her powerful "Jesus of the People" image, enhance this invitation to share in the redemption that Jesus Christ freely offers to all of humanity. Divided into sections corresponding to "stations" or phases of Jesus Christ's path to crucifixion, The Way of the Cross is spiritually moving and insightful. "The spiritual life is not a walk in the breeze. It is the solemn sacred effort to make life count, to make good on what we set out to make of ourselves, to become the wholeness of our spiritual selves. And the energy it takes is exhausting. But the spirit it takes to keep going on past the physical, psychological, spiritual ability to go on is of the essence of greatness. The call to holiness, to witness, to commitment is undeniable now: The Jesus who falls a second time gets up a second time determined to see this cross through to the end." Highly recommended.


The Automotive Shelf

How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982
Walt Thurn
CarTech Inc.
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613250372, $29.95, www.amazon.com

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the type of small, maneuverable warship called a corvette. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, the Corvette is currently manufactured in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the official sports car of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" by Corvette enthusiast and automotive historian Walt Thurn is a profusely illustrated, 176 page restoration instruction guide that begins with a succinct history of the C3 Corvette and then covers every aspect of restoring the vehicle to showroom condition ranging from bodywork and painting, to frames, suspensions, differentials, brakes, engines, transmissions, wiring, and more. Of special note is the Source guide which will prove invaluable to C3 Corvette enthusiasts. Informed, informative, practical, authoritative, "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" will prove to be enduringly popular and a 'must' for anyone planning a C3 Corvette restoration. It should be noted that "How to Restore Your C3 Corvette: 1968-1982" is also available in a Kindle edition ($16.49).


The Hobby Shelf

Realistic Modern Railroad Operation, second edition
Tony Koester
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle
Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890249390 $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com

Now in an updated second edition, Realistic Modern Railroad Operation is a hobbyist's guide to applying real-life timetable and train-order principles in order to make one's model railroad layout operate as realistically as possible. Author and hobbyist Tony Koester, a contributing editor for "Model Railroader" magazine, covers the workings of signal system, controlling the purposeful movement of both passenger trains and cars, easy-to-use waybills that mimic the real thing, and much more. Full color photography on virtually every page enhances this excellent guide for the model railroading enthusiast interested in taking their hobby to the next level.


The Memoir Shelf

The Hoggs of Texas
Virginia Bernhard, editor
Texas State Historical Association
1155 Union Circle #311580
Denton, TX 76203-5017
9781625110015 $35.00 www.TSHAonline.org

The Hoggs of Texas: Letters and Memoirs of an Extraordinary Family, 1887-1906 gathers the heretofore unpublished correspondence of one of Texas' most prominent families. Editor Virginia Bernhard places the writings in full historic context of local events, as well as the titanic technological and cultural shifts of the dawn of the twentieth century. Interleaved with portions of Ima Hogg's personal memoir, The Hoggs of Texas is thoroughly accessible to lay readers, yet also a valuable primary testimony for Texas historians. Highly recommended.


The Gardening Shelf

The Edibile Garden
Alys Fowler
Viva Editions
2246 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
9781936740543 $19.95 www.vivaeditions.com

Expert gardener and BBC television celebrity Alys Fowler presents The Edible Garden: How to Have Your Garden and Eat It, Too, a practical-minded guide to gardening, pickling, and preserving one's own vegetables, as well as brewing teas and being a responsible steward of the environment. Colorful photography intersperses the accessible, user-friendly instructions and wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques. Highly recommended for any gardener who wishes to truly savor the fruits (and veggies) of their labor!


The Art Shelf

Charles A.A. Dellschau
Marquand Books
www.marquand.com
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10013-1507
9781935202905 $55.00 www.artbook.com

"Charles A.A. Dellschau" is an extraordinary, oversized hardcover artbook showcasing the works of Prussian-American, self-taught visionary artist Charles Dellschau (1830-1923) in full color. Dellschau's personal project of creating an illustrated manuscript about his experience in the California Gold Rush evolved into a collection of twelve, hard-bound books filled with more than 2,500 drawings imagining airships and the development of flight, before such things were reality. After Dellschau's death, the books were nearly destroyed by a fire, and saved from the garbage heap almost by chance when a junk dealer discovered them. Some have been displayed by museums, others kept by private collectors; this captivating artbook is the first monograph of Dellschau's life work, enhanced with essays from art writers, scholars, curators, and Tom D. Crouch of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Air and Space. An absolute "must-have" for anyone intrigued by the inspirational artworks of the American counterpart to Jules Verne (who wrote science fiction about submarines decades before they were invented), "Charles A.A. Dellschau" is highly recommended, especially for public library artbook collections.

Fernando Botero: Celebration
La Fabrica
c/o Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10013-1507
9788415303947 $50.00 www.artbook.com

Fernando Botero: Celebration is a softcover, full-color artbook retrospective in tribute to the eightieth birthday of Fernando Botero, one of Colombia's best-known artists. Botero and his daughter Lina were personally involved in the selection of 79 paintings that encapsulate Botero's storied career of 60+ years. All of the text and essays about Botero's books is bilingual, presented in both English and Spanish. Botero's unique, unmistakable style - typically showing chubby to morbidly obese people engaged in various activities - immediately seizes the viewer's attention. Subject matters range from still life, picnics, and dancing, to grim massacres, and the depictions of the scandal of Abu Ghraib (in these artworks, a nude male subject is restrained and subjected to state-sponsored tortures). A vividly memorable showcase and tribute, Fernando Botero: Celebration is a choice pick for artbook shelves.


The Fiction Shelf

Badlands: A Collection of Stories
Thomas Biel
www.thomasbiel.com
Three Towers Press
c/o HenschelHaus Publishing
2625 S. Greeley St., Suite 201, Milwaukee, WI 53207
9781595982308 $14.95 pbk. / $9.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Badlands: A Collection of Stories is an original anthology set in 1960's small town Montana. The stories are linked together, weaving a vivid chronicle about daily life amid rabbit hunts, dry grass, and muddled whispers about the oversea horrors of the Vietnam War. A soulful coming-of-age narrative threads its way through the tales of ordinary people earning an honest, if sometimes strained living. Badlands evokes strong memories of the countryside baby-boom generation, and is a choice pick for casual browsing or book club reading lists.


The Woodworking Shelf

Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking, revised edition
Rick and Karen Longabaugh
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N.
East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781565237889 $16.99 www.FoxChapelPublishing.com

Now in a revised edition, Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking features 300 patterns ideal for creating unique, handmade Christmas tree ornaments. A brief text introduction with demonstrative color photographs offers novice woodworkers tips, tricks, and techniques for securely setting up a workspace, copying patterns, and using a scroll saw, especially on thin pieces of wood. However, most of the book is devoted entirely to holiday patterns, including those of angels, Santas, wildlife, vehicles, religious icons, wreaths, holiday greetings, and more. Christmas Ornaments for Woodworking is an excellent resource for creating distinctive and decorative Christmas gifts!


The Economic Studies Shelf

Defending The History Of Economic Thought
Steven Kates
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781848448209, $99.95, www.amazon.com

The principle focus of "Defending the History of Economic Thought" is the crucial importance of the history of economic thought in the study of economics itself; without its history at the core of the curriculum, academician and economist Steven Kates (School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia) persuasively contends that economics is "a lesser subject, less penetrating, less interesting and of much less social value". A 160 page treatise, "Defending The History Of Economic Thought" is organized and presented in five major chapters (Preliminary thoughts; Why study the history of economic thought; Debating the role of the history of economic thought; Teaching the history of economic thought; and Defending the history of economic thought. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Defending The History Of Economic Thought" is enhanced with an bibliography and a comprehensive index, making it an impressive contribution to professional and academic library Economic Studies collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Library Science Shelf

Beyond Book Sales
Susan Dowd, editor
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
9781555709129 $75.00 www.alastore.ala.org

Beyond Book Sales: The Complete Guide to Raising Real Money for Your Library lives up to its title as a how-to manual for library fundraising. As library use increases and government budgets squeeze ever tighter, fundraising skills become more and more essential for enabling the library's public service. Beyond Book Sales covers how to foster a culture of giving through annual and special appeals, effective use of membership programs, handling tribute and memorial gifts, how to solicit major gifts, developing a "planned giving" program (which provides benefits to a library long after a donor's death), special types of fundraising events, getting started with online giving, securing grants, capital campaigns, and more. Charts and some black-and-white illustrations, particularly of successful brochures, round out this absolute "must-have" for library professionals in today's rough economic times.

M-libraries 4
Mohamed Ally & Gill Needham, editors
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781856049443, $80.00, www.amazon.com

"M-libraries 4: From Margin to Mainstream - Mobile Technologies Transforming Lives and Libraries" is collaboratively compiled and jointly edited by the team of Mohamed Ally Professor, Centre for Distance Education, Althabasca University, Canada) and Gill Needham (Associate Director, Information Management and Innovation at the Open University Library and Learning Resources Centre, UK). "M-libraries 4" is a 224 page compendium that offers erudite and international contributions from the leading authorities in the field. Based on the proceedings of the Fourth International M-Libraries Conference held in Milton Keynes in 2012, "M-libraries 4" explores the variety of work that libraries are doing across the world to deliver resources to users via mobile and hand-held devices. "M-libraries 4" is a unique contribution and a highly recommended addition to Library Science reference collections will especially useful and of interest to students of library and information science, as well as academic and community librarians and library staff.


The Native American Studies Shelf

The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature
Karl S. Hele, editor
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
www.wlupress.wlu.ca
9781554583287, $85.00, www.amazon.com

The newest addition to the outstanding Wilfrid Laurier University Press 'Indigenous Studies' series, "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature: Indigenous Peoples and the Great Lakes Environment" is a 372 page compendium comprised of fifteen seminal articles offering Native American and Native American-influenced perspectives on the power of nature and the attempts by the United States, Canada, and Britain to control it in the region of the Great Lakes. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Karl S. Hele (Associate Profess and Director of First Peoples Studies, Concordia university and a member of the Garden River First Nation community of Anishinaabeg), "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature: Indigenous Peoples and the Great Lakes Environment" is enhanced with inclusion of an extensive bibliography, an identifying list of the contributors and their credentials, and a comprehensive index. Of special note is Johyn MacKenzie's introductory commentary 'A Meditation on Environmental History'. Very highly recommended for academic library Native American and Environmental Studies reference collections, it should also be noted that "The Nature of Empires and the Empires of Nature: Indigenous Peoples and the Great Lakes Environment" is also available in a Kindle edition ($39.96).


The Language Studies Shelf

A Roman Army Reader
Dexter Hoyos
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
www.bolchazy.com
9780865167155, $19.00, www.amazon.com

Compiled with commentary by Dexter Hoyos (Honorary Associate Professor and Research Affiliate, Sydney University, Australia), "A Roman Army Reader: Twenty-One Selections from Literary, Epigraphic, and Other Documents" is a 264 page compendium that includes an informative introduction to the Roman army; 858 lines of unadapted Latin text in 21 selections taken from 12 literary works of antiquity; extensive notations in the back of the book; a complete vocabulary; suggested 4readings; appendices of original texts and chronologies; two maps; and seven illustrations. A welcome addition to Latin Studies supplemental reading lists, "A Roman Army Reader: Twenty-One Selections from Literary, Epigraphic, and Other Documents" will prove to be an enduringly popular contribution to academic Latin Language Studies curriculums. For teachers and librarians seeking to build up Latin Language Instruction materials in their collections, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers is a primary source for such materials. Visit their web site at www.bolchazy.com for a complete listing of their extensive Latin Language Instruction titles.


The Biology Shelf

Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, second edition
Edward A. Greenfield, editor
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard
Woodbury NY 11797-2924
9781936113811 $175.00 www.cshlpress.com

Twenty-five years after its original publication, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual has now been revised and updated in a second edition, reflecting advances in understanding of the immune system and evolving methods of studying it. Chapters include "Immunizing Animals", "Antibody Purification and Storage", "Immunoblotting", "Cell Staining", "Electrophoresis", "Protein Techniques", and much more. Charts and some black-and-white photographs enhance this highly technical, in-depth, comprehensive reference and resource for advanced students, instructors, and professionals in the field, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual is an absolute "must-have" for hospital and college library medical bookshelves.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Ecosystem Services for Sustainability
Judith L. Bronstein, et al., authors
Ray C. Anderson, et al. editors
Berkshire Publishing Group
120-122 Castle Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230-1506
9781614729662 $29.95 www.berkshirepublishing.com

Also available in ebook format, Ecosystem Services for Sustainability examines different ways in which humankind can protect dwindling natural resources and ecosystem services - the bounty of nature that provides goods (such as drinking water from glaciers, or timber from forests), stabilize climate or water quality, offer recreational and aesthetic benefits (such as national parks), or natural processes that support the other services (such as photosynthesis and nutrient cycling). Since no one method for sustainability can cover all the needs of seven billion human beings, Ecosystem Services for Sustainability discusses a wealth of options: aquifers, the Clean Air Act, coastal management, permaculture, nutrient and biogeochemical cycling, and much more. "Using microorganisms to treat waste or pollution is called bioremediation, and understanding how microbial processes work is crucial to its success. For instance, certain organisms can be encouraged to grow by providing more or less oxygen, by adding nutrients, or by simply adding the desired organism to a contaminated soil." Economic as well as environmental impact is weighed at every turn, in this thoroughly accessible resource, written help students, professionals, and lay people alike understand the many options to maintain a flourishing, sustainable planet. Highly recommended!


The Journalism Shelf

Out of Print
George Brock
Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100
Philadelphia, PA 19102
9780749466510 $24.95 www.koganpageusa.com

Out of Print: Newspapers, Journalism and the Business of News in the Digital Age examines the past, present, and future of the journalism and periodical industry. A brief survey of journalism's history and evolution leads toward modern transformations that are forcing people to rethink how journalism can be accomplished, both ethically and profitably. As newspaper and magazine subscriptions crumble and website hits rise, the growing ubiquity of digital technology demands a change in business models. "This does not mean that 'print' will die. It means that the business model for daily newspapers is in trouble and that trouble is most acute for general-interest newspapers. What applies to the time-sensitive, advertising-dependent economics of newspapers does not automatically apply to books, directories or magazines. All supply different demands in different ways." Out of Print also examines multiple recent scandals that have been undermining journalistic credibility, notably the phone-hacking scandal that blackened the reputation of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The pros and cons of possible future revenue sources are also weighed, from digital "paywalls" (which tend to be effective only for online publications with specific data that people crave and that cannot be easily replicated, such as sports statistics), to advertising-dependent models, to philanthropic giving, to public funding or tacit governmental support. Out of Print is a "must-read" for anyone in today's journalism or periodical industries, and is worthy of the highest recommendation for public or college library Media Studies shelves.


The Calendar Shelf

Stoecklein Publishing, LLC
1730 Lear Lane, Unit A
Hailey, Idaho 83333
www.thestoeckleincollection.com

Stoecklein Publishing is a premier publisher of superbly produced photographic images so it is no wonder that their annual calendars are equally extraordinary. Their particular niche is Western Americana and six of the western themed calendars are especially recommended to grace the walls of homes and offices for 2014. These selected recommendations include: The Western Horse 2014 (9780922029419, $12.99); Cowgirls 2014 (9780922029365, $12.99); The Cowboy Classic 2014 (9780922029358, $12.99); Cowboy Gear 2014 (9780922029426, $12.99); Cattle 2014 (9780922029471, $12.99); and Sun Valley Images 2014 (9780922029464, $12.99). For a complete roster for all of their outstanding publications, visit the Stoecklein Publishing web site at www.thestoeckleincollection.com


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


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