Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / Wisconsin Bookwatch

Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 16, Number 7 July 2021 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Art Shelf Parenting Shelf
Biography Shelf Political Science Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Music CD Shelf Computer Shelf Aviation Shelf
General Fiction Shelf Literary Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Business Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Cookbook Shelf Automotive Shelf
Education Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Travel Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Gardening Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Dance Shelf American History Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed
Jill Henry & Dave Henry, authors
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781510759091, $16.99, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-College-Health-Guide-Needed/dp/1510759093

Synopsis: Every fall, millions of young adults crash into college fired up for the best four years of their lives, ready to experience campus life, take classes about things they're interested in, and meet people from all over the world. Most of these new-to-college students, however, are better prepared to pick their major or talk to strangers than they are to take care of themselves in the college setting. College students today are more depressed, anxious, and stressed than previous waves of students; they're also more sedentary, not really exercising, and living in a meal-plan limbo supplemented with ramen and coffee.

"The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus" by high school coaches Jill and Dave Henry is comprehensive field guild that deftly break down the facts and deliver doable, no-BS strategies for managing physical and mental health on campus. In addition to helpful, interactive graphics, the coaches share their relatable true stories (ranging from the ridiculous to the serious) to discuss the five biggest health obstacles students face in college. On top of research-backed tips, "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed" also features raw and personal advice from current students on college campuses across the country.

While simply figuring out what to eat and how to exercise can be completely overwhelming, this guide goes beyond a basic crash course on how to be healthy. Jill and Dave cover everything from crucial time-management skills to the complex sensitivity of self-doubt, sexual assault, and depression with humor, humility, and heart. "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed" is a complete road map for how to take care of your mind and body that will not only set students up to crush the next four years, but will also provide a foundation they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, comprehensively informative, impressively well organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus" should be on the reading list of every graduating highschool senior about to enter college. This amazingly useful compendium of tips, tricks, insights, strategies, and alerts would also prove invaluable to anyone returning to college or university after an absence. It should also be noted that "The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed: How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).


The Art Shelf

Fresh Paint
Flora Bowley, author
Lynzee Lynx, author
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9780760370681, $24.99, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Paint-Discover-Mixed-Media-Paintings/dp/0760370680

Synopsis: In "Fresh Paint: Discover Your Unique Creative Style Through 100 Small Mixed-Media Paintings", Flora Bowley (an internationally celebrated painter, workshop facilitator, author, visionary, and inspirationalist), and her collaborator and fellow artist, Lynzee Lynx (who enjoys creating in many mediums, including paint, beads, metal, and fabric), offer transformational, accessible, and lasting ways to infuse more meaning and authenticity into your artwork.

"Fresh Paint" readily enables even the most novice of artists to fully explore how finding their creative voice can translate into a more courageous, inspired, empowered, nourishing, and world-changing way of living and making art.

"Fresh Paint" uses mixed-media art projects along with prompts for movement, meditation, and writing to explore personal experience, individual preference, ancestry, intuition, and body wisdom. Through the process of creating 100 small mixed-media paintings based on these inquiries, your style will reveal itself to you, and your artmaking will be more satisfying and fun.

Critique: Profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Fresh Paint: Discover Your Unique Creative Style Through 100 Small Mixed-Media Paintings" offers a complete course of DIY instruction that makes it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, art school, college, and university library Mixed Media Painting & Creativity instructional reference collections.

Pinch Your Pottery
Jacqui Atkin
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
9781589239746, $24.99, HC, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/Pinch-Your-Pottery-Beautiful-Hand-form/dp/1589239741

Synopsis: When it comes to pottery making, Pinching is a wonderfully direct method of interacting with clay that allows for making a range of forms and styles. The DIY projects comprising "Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects to Hand-form from Clay" by Jacqui Atkin are simple and small and require only a few tools and your own hands.

Begin a new adventure with fabulous pinched ceramics and learn everything from choosing clay and a style of decoration, to firing and beyond: Ranging from functional wares to purely decorative sculptural forms, each project is explained with step-by-step sequences and plenty of options for surface decoration; Fully cross-referenced throughout, there is a wealth of choice and styles to mix and match to make each project truly unique: A gallery of makers provides added inspiration and shows the potential of this underrated making method.

"Pinch Your Pottery" proves that pinching is a way of working equal to all other methods and that it can produce items of refinement and sophistication.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects to Hand-form from Clay" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended DIY instructional guide and manual for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Pottery & Ceramic Craft collections.

Editorial Note: Jacqui Atkin is a professional studio ceramicist, author, and gallery owner living in rural Shropshire, England. She is currently working as editorial consultant and project editor for ClayCraft magazine. Her previous books include 250 Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets for Potters, Handbuilt Pottery Techniques Revealed, Pottery Basics, Troubleshooting for Potters, and most recently Pottery You Can Use.


The Parenting Shelf

Raising Other People's Children
Debbie Ausburn
www.otherpeopleschildren.org
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268993, $15.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Other-Peoples-Children-Parenting/dp/1578268990

Synopsis: Drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise with every facet and aspect of the foster care system, "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together A Blended Family" was written by Debbie Ausburn to help foster parents, step-parents, and other care givers navigate the complicated world of foster and step-parenting with better awareness and greater empathy, providing real-life solutions for forging strong relationships in extraordinary circumstances.

The responsibility and complexity involved in raising someone else's child can seem overwhelming. Regardless of whether you're a stepparent, foster parent or adoptive parent, it is on you to take on the challenge of caring for them, helping them to move forward while also meeting their unique emotional needs -- and the first step to accomplishing all this is a careful reading of "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together A Blended Family".

Critique: An impressively informative and 'real world' practical compendium of experienced based instruction, advice, and insight, "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together A Blended Family" is unreservedly recommended reading for anyone charged with the responsibilities of being a foster parent, a step-parent, a nannie, or any other kind of child service caregiver. While highly recommended for community, college, and university library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together A Blended Family" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Debbie Ausburn is a social worker, foster parent, criminal prosecutor, and civil trial attorney. That diverse background has given her unique insights into defending child care centers, camps, schools, and mentoring organizations. She has volunteered with and defended youth-serving organizations throughout the United States in matters as diverse as personal injury cases, intrusive government regulations, libel and slander issues, and claims of sexual abuse. She blogs about legal topics at www.youthserviceslaw.com, and parenting issues at www.otherpeopleschildren.org

8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids
Dr. Kevin Leman
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800734695, $19.99, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Raising-Successful-Kids-Nurturing/dp/0800734696

Synopsis: "8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids: Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning Attitude" was written by Dr. Kevin Leman specifically for parents who want their children growing up to be patient, kind, humble, thankful, and respectful to others. Children who have a good work ethic, strong character, and a healthy self-image. Children who succeed personally, professionally, and relationally in all areas of life to the best of their ability.

You can't force your kids to be grateful for everything you do, but you can raise successful, responsible kids who grow into adults you can be proud of. With his signature wit and wisdom, parenting expert Dr. Kevin Leman draws upon his years of experience and expertise to reveal eight no-nonsense strategies that build on the foundations of character, good behavior, respect, discipline, and a winning attitude.

"8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids" shows how to: Expect the best to get the best; Minimize friction and optimize solutions; Put your relationship first -- and so much more! It is possible to raise a successful child in a "whatever" generation and in the pages of "8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids" Dr. Leman shows you just how simple it can be.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented for the benefit of the non-specialist general reader wanting to effectively and successful parent their children at all ages and in all stages of physical, mental, and emotional growth, "8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids: Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning Attitude" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Parenting & Child Development collections. It should be noted for parental reading lists that that ""8 Secrets to Raising Successful Kids: Nurturing Character, Respect, and a Winning Attitude" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, speaker, educator, and humorist who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. Co-host of the popular Have a New Kid by Friday podcast, he has appeared on FOX & Friends, The List, Hallmark Channel's Home & Family, The View, Today, The 700 Club, CBS's The Early Show, CNN, Huckabee, and Focus on the Family, and served as a contributing family psychologist to Good Morning America.


The Biography Shelf

Little and Often
Trent Preszler
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com
9780062976642 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Often-Memoir-Trent-Preszler/dp/0062976648

Synopsis: Trent Preszler thought he was living the life he always wanted, with a job at a winery and a seaside Long Island home, when he was called back to the life he left behind. After years of estrangement, his cancer-stricken father had invited him to South Dakota for Thanksgiving. It would be the last time he saw his father alive.

Preszler's only inheritance was a beat-up wooden toolbox that had belonged to his father, who was a cattle rancher, rodeo champion, and Vietnam War Bronze Star Medal recipient. This family heirloom befuddled Preszler. He did not work with his hands - but maybe that was the point. In his grief, he wondered if there was still a way to understand his father, and with that came an epiphany: he would make something with his inheritance. Having no experience or training in woodcraft, driven only by blind will, he decided to build a wooden canoe, and he would aim to paddle it on the first anniversary of his father's death.

While Preszler taught himself how to use his father's tools, he confronted unexpected revelations about his father's secret history and his own struggle for self-respect. The grueling challenges of boatbuilding tested his limits, but the canoe became his sole consolation. Gradually, Preszler learned what working with his hands offered: a different perspective on life, and the means to change it.

Little and Often is an unflinching account of bereavement and a stirring reflection on the complexities of inheritance. Between his past and his present, and between America's heartland and its coasts, Preszler shows how one can achieve reconciliation through the healing power of creativity.

Critique: A powerful true-life memoir, Little and Often: A Memoir tells of author Trent Preszler's connection to his father. After Trent's father passed away from cancer, Trent resolved to make use of his only inheritance - a wooden toolbox. He taught himself to build a wooden canoe, with the goal of paddling it on the anniversary of his father's death. The difficult challenge opened the way to fresh insights about the pain and beauty of life itself. A saga of working through grief, and the transformative power of craftsmanship, Little and Often is highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Little and Often is available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).

Cherish - A Memoir
Tony Albano
Park Place Publications
https://parkplacepublications.com
9781953120342, $18.95, PB, 302pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cherish-Memoir-Truth-About-Where/dp/1953120342

Synopsis: A naturally gifted storyteller and a keeper of memories, in the pages of Cherish - A Memoir: The Truth About Where I Came From and Who I Loved", Anthony (Tony) Albano tells stories that will help his readers to notice and appreciate the magical moments of their own lives that they might have forgotten or may not think were significant.

"Cherish" is a memoir describing Tony's life from birth to the age of eighteen, the years that shaped who he is today comprised of stories that with the passing of time and, hopefully, having gained some maturity and wisdom, he has learned to appreciate, love, and hold close the colorful characters that made up my early life -- including their struggles and contradictions, their joys and celebrations, their street wisdom and unique moral codes in addition to their sometimes questionable relationship with the law, as well as their passion for baseball and love for animals.

Critique: An inherently interesting life inhabited by interesting people, times and events, "Cherish - A Memoir: The Truth About Where I Came From and Who I Loved" is an extraordinarily thought-provoking read with themes and observations that are both unique to the author and yet universal for the reader. With a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that fully engages and entertains the reader, "Cherish - A Memoir: The Truth About Where I Came From and Who I Loved" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary American Biography collections.

From Czernowitz to China and Beyond: A 20th Century Life
Ethel Liebman Wiesinger, author
Margot W. Smith, editor
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
www.regentpress.net
9781587905537, $20.00, PB, 282pp

https://www.amazon.com/Czernowitz-China-Beyond-20th-Century/dp/1587905531

Synopsis: Deftly edited by Margot W. Smith, "From Czernowitz to China and Beyond: A 20th Century Life" is the personal account of Ethel Liebman Wiesinger who was an extraordinary woman born of Jewish parents in 1890 in Czernowitz, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She describes her life in Czernowitz as a child, China in 1910 at age 20, New York in 1912 and Shanghai again in 1924.

Ethel Liebman Wiesinger also tells of being married to a German entrepreneur in pre-revolutionary China and how politics affected her life. Her husband Otto Wiesinger, a lifelong German, fought in Tsingtau, China during WWI and later sought to import arms to support warlord Chang Tso-lin. In the 1930s, they had an Asian arts store in San Francisco that went bankrupt during the Great Depression.

In 1938 Otto returned to Nazi Germany to support Hitler.

Now on her own, Ethel opened the Beverly Hills Hotel Gift Shop and knew many celebrities. After retirement she lived in Charlevoix, Michigan, until her death in 1984. Additional stories of the family's life in the 20th century are written by her daughters: Edith Gilbert (My Shanghai - At Age Seven) and Margot Smith (Growing Up In Beverly Hills).

Critique: An inherently fascinating and compelling read throughout, "From Czernowitz to China and Beyond: A 20th Century Life" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college and university library 20th Century Biography & Memoir collections.

Sand and Steel
Dorit Sasson
www.DoritSasson.com
Mascot Books
620 Herndon Parkway, #320, Herndon, VA 20170
http://mascotbooks.com
9781684018857, $16.95, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sand-Steel-Memoir-Longing-Finding/dp/1684018854

Synopsis: What's it like to be lost between two worlds, only to find a home in neither? "Sand and Steel: A Memoir of Longing and Finding Home" is new memoir from Israeli-American author Dorit Sasson who draws on the narrative she began in her first autobiography, "Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces" in which she detailed her journey to understanding what it means to exist between two different worlds.

When Sasson, a native New Yorker, returns to her kibbutz in Israel following the second Israeli-Lebanese war, she is confronted with the shocking reality of a country altered by an economic depression and social change. Faced with an uncertain economic future, Sasson convinces her husband to leave the country and kibbutz that have turned their backs on them and emigrate to the United States in search of a brighter future. In order to welcome the American dream of professional freedom that awaits her, she must leave the land she loved and fought for as an Israel Defense Forces soldier. But when she arrives, she finds herself more torn between two worlds than ever, changed by her time away from the United States and out of place in a country that is not all she remembered it to be.

Critique: An inherently absorbing and deftly written memoir that will hold the reader's rapt attention from cover to cover, "Sand and Steel: A Memoir of Longing and Finding Home" is the extraordinary account of a remarkable life lived out in equally remarkable times and highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Contemporary Biography & Memoir collections.

Editorial Note: Dorit Sasson is an Israeli-American writer and the award-winning author of Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces. Following her military service and graduate studies in English literature in Israel, Dorit taught English before returning to the United States in 2007 with her family. Her work has been featured in The Writer, Kveller, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ravishly, The Wisdom Daily, SheKnows, and, most recently, HuffPost. She is also an Author SEO Specialist with Author Branding Solutions. She supports small businesses, companies, and organizations with their SEO copywriting needs. She teaches for Writer's Digest University and does training on SEO for companies, non-profits, and small businesses. Those interested in becoming part of Dorit's community can sign up for her monthly ezine at www.DoritSasson.com

Haunted by Slavery
Gwendolyn Midlo Hall
Haymarket Books
haymarketbooks.org
9781642592740 $21.95 pbk / $10.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Slavery-Southern-Freedom-Struggle/dp/1642592749

Synopsis: The memoir of Gwendolyn Midlo Hall offers today's activists and readers an accessible and intimate examination of a crucial era in American radical history.

Born in 1929 New Orleans to left-wing Jewish parents, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall's life has spanned nearly a century of engagement in anti-racist, internationalist political activism. In this moving and instructive chronicle of her remarkable life, Midlo Hall recounts her experiences as an anti-racist activist, a Communist Party militant, and a scholar of slavery in the Americas, as well as the wife and collaborator of the renowned African-American author and Communist leader Harry Haywood. Telling the story of her life against the backdrop of the important political and social developments of the 20th century, Midlo Hall offers new insights about a critical period in the history of labor and civil rights movements in the United States.

Detailing everything from Midlo Hall's co-founding of the only inter-racial youth organization in the South when she was 16-years-old, to her pioneering work establishing digital slave databases, to her own struggles against cruel and pervasive sexism, Haunted by Slavery is a gripping account of a life defined by profound dedication to a cause.

Critique: Illustrated with a handful of vintage black-and-white photographs, Haunted by Slavery: A Southern White Woman in the Freedom Struggle is the true-life memoir of a woman who spent her nearly century-long life engaging in political activism. Author Gwendolyn Midlo Hall crusaded against racism, was a staunch supporter of the Communist Party, and became a scholar of slavery in the Americas. She married African-American author and Communist leader Harry Haywood, and took part in labor and civil rights movements in the United States. Notes and an index round out this astonishing, first-person testimony of one woman's work for systemic change. Haunted by Slavery is a fascinating page-turner from cover to cover, and highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Haunted by Slavery is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).


The Political Science Shelf

Profiles in Achievement
William Hershey
The University of Akron Press
120 E. Mill Street, Suite 415, Akron, OH 44308
www.uakron.edu/uapress
9781629221373, $24.95, PB, 252pp

https://www.amazon.com/Profiles-Achievement-Foibles-Politicians-Institute/dp/1629221376

Synopsis: "Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" by political journalist William Hershey is collection of profiles highlights the careers of Ohio political trailblazers and high achievers covering nearly a century ranging from Republican Ray Bliss' humble start as an errand boy in Akron's 1931 mayoral race, to Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine today.

Bliss worked quietly behind the scenes as Republican party chairman to elect mayors, governors and presidents.

While Democrat Howard Metzenbaum earned a reputation as a high-profile political battler in the U.S. Senate, his fellow Democrat John Glenn, already a world hero as the first American to orbit the earth, preferred a nose-to-the-grindstone approach in four U.S. Senate terms.

Democrats Eddie Davis from Akron and Louis Stokes from Cleveland made history -- Davis as Akron's first black city councilman and Stokes as Ohio's first black U.S. House member.

Summit County's Maureen was a history-maker too. In 2010 she became the first woman elected chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Akron Democrat John Seiberling, the grandson of Goodyear founder F.A. Seiberling, was a cerebral U.S. House member who could relate to rubber workers and match up intellectually with expert witnesses.

Republican Jim Rhodes, a coal miner's son from southern Ohio, captured the governor's office four times with his unique earthiness.

Their styles and beliefs differed but all had the discipline, patience and courage to take on challenges with no guarantees of success. They also had resilience, the ability to rebound from defeat, none more than DeWine and Brown who have become Ohio's political long-distance runners.

Critique: An impressively informative study of Ohio politics and politicians, "Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" could well serve as a template for similar state political histories. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Profiles in Achievement: The Gifts, Quirks, and Foibles of Ohio's Best Politicians" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Political Science collections.

Editorial Note: William Hershey spent more than 40 years reporting on Ohio government and politics at the local, state and national levels. He was the Akron Beacon Journal's Washington correspondent and Columbus Bureau Chief for the Beacon Journal and the Dayton Daily News. He is also the co-author with John C. Green of Mr. Chairman: The Life and Times of Ray C. Bliss and author of Quick & Quotable, a collection of columns he wrote as the Beacon Journal's Washington correspondent.


The Audiobook Shelf

Daughter of Darkness & Light
Shannon Drake, author
Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713593683, $14.99, MP3-CD (7 hours, 59 minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Darkness-Light-Shannon-Drake/dp/1713593688

Synopsis: The Romans left Briton years before. The great King Arthur has been gone two decades as well. There were scattered invasions, of course, but in one village, those of Celtic, Frisian, Angle, Saxon, Jutes, and even descendants of the Roman legion lived in peace.

Kyleigh grew up there. Though she had been a foundling, she'd been taken in by a kind and learned couple and allowed all the learning she might enjoy with Father Peter. The greatest difficulty she had to deal with day by day was gently rejecting a dear friend who longed for marriage.

Then everything changes when the self-proclaimed Lord Brogan, set on killing the population of the island, arrives with his hordes from the mainland. On that day, Kyleigh discovers that she is different. There is a voice that speaks to Kyleigh about magic. A magic within her.

Lord Rowan of Kenzie needs her, as does his ally, Padraic, Laird of the Northern Celts. Though their first encounters are contentious, Kyleigh discovers she is strangely drawn to both men. Together, they will fight the dreaded Brogan, a battle compounded when they realize that a traitor walks within their ranks, a magical being as well.

As Kyleigh discovers the truth about herself, she will face sorcery, trickery, and bitter battles for survival before there can be any hope for a truly magical future.

Critique: A superbly crafted historical action/adventure fantasy by an author with a genuine flair for originality and a fully entertaining narrative storytelling style, "Daughter of Darkness & Light" by Shannon Drake is presented in as a true 'theatre of the mind' experience with the expert narrative skills of Elizabeth Knowelden. This complete and unabridged audio book from Brilliance Audio will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library audio book collections and a 'must listen' acquisition for all dedicated fantasy fans.

Bacchanal
Veronica G. Henry, author
Robin Miles, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713561385, $24.95, CD (12 Hours, 8 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Bacchanal-Veronica-G-Henry/dp/1713561387

Synopsis: Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It's a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she's a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she's a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza's ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.

Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she's met her match in Eliza, who's only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.

Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.

Critique: In this complete and unabridged audio book edition of author Veronica G. Henry's superbly crafted fantasy novel, skilled narrator Robin Miles provides the listener with a true 'theatre of the mind' experience -- making "Bacchanal" a welcome and enduringly appreciated addition to personal and community library Fantasy Audio Book collections.

The Ice Lion
Kathleen O'Neal Gear, author
Shaun Taylor-Corbett, narrator
Sisi Aisha Johnson, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781713562528, $24.99, MP3-CD (9 Hours, 37 Minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Lion-Kathleen-ONeal-Gear/dp/1713562529

Synopsis: One thousand years in the future a thick blanket of luminous green slime called the zyme covers the oceans. Glaciers three-miles-high rise over the continents. The old stories say that when the Jemen, godlike beings from the past, realized their efforts to halt global warming had gone terribly wrong, they made a desperate gamble to save life on earth and recreated species that had survived the worst of the earth's Ice Ages.

Sixteen-summers-old Lynx and his best friend Quiller are members of the Sealion People -- archaic humans known as Denisovans. They live in a world growing colder, a world filled with monstrous predators that hunt them for food. When they flee to a new land, they meet a strange old man who impossibly seems to be the last of the Jemen. He tells Lynx the only way he can save his world is by sacrificing himself to the last true god, a quantum computer named Quancee.

Critique: A blend of post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction with a coming-of-age story, "The Ice Lion" by Kathleen O'Neal Gear is an inherently compelling and entertaining read that showcases the author's genuine flair for imaginative originality. Ably narrated by the team of Shaun Taylor-Corbet and Sisi Aisha Johnson, this complete and unabridged audio book edition from Brilliance Audio is very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction audio book collections.


The Music CD Shelf

Auroral Magic
Chakuna Machi Asa
www.chakuna.com
4 Directions Records
$14.99 CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Auroral-Magic-Chakuna-Machi-Asa/dp/B092H42WNF

Inspired by the auroral lights, Auroral Magic is a beautiful, relaxing music CD that blends piano, soothing chants, and gentle wilderness sounds. Inspirational, emotionally moving, and evoking a sense of harmony with the natural world, Auroral Magic is a welcome and highly recommended addition to New Age music collections. The tracks are "Blood of Our Ghost", "Elven Magic", "Planet Xeron", "Dancing Reflections", "The Wind", "Time Womb", "Blue Moon", "Space Shift", "Our Escape", "The Whale Song", "John", and "Auroral Magic".

Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble
Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble
Flowfish Records
$22.75 CD / $11.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Helsinki-Cotonou-Ensemble/dp/B093BZD6Q5

Finnish-Beninese-Tanzanian funk band Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble presents their self-titled fifth album, showcasing their extraordinary blend of Finnish funk, Afrobeat rhythms, and vivacious lyrics sung in the Goun language. Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble is utterly entrancing, and highly recommended for international music collections. The tracks are "The One Who Sees Today", "The Craft (feat. Synik)", "A Little Support", "The Transition", "Happiness For All", "For the One Who Invited Me", "The Palm Lines", "You'll Return Without a Thing", and "Stay Strong".

Music Is What I See
Rhonda Vincent
www.rhondavincent.com
Upper Management Music
$TBA CD / $11.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Music-What-See-Rhonda-Vincent/dp/B091WJBNF7

Rhonda Vincent presents Music Is What I See, an album draws upon both elements of bluegrass, power ballads, gospel music, and country classics. The profound, powerful music showcases her superb talent, her deeply held faith, and her passion for performance. Music Is What I See is a treasure for connoisseurs and also makes an excellent gift. The tracks are "What Ain't To Be Just Might Happen", "False Hearted Love", "Music's What I See", "Like I Could", "I'd Like To Be A Train", "I'm Still Not Over You", "It's Me Again", "Slowly", "I Ain't Been Nowhere", "Unchained Melody", "Everybody Will Be Happy Over There", and "There's A Record Book".

Don't You Marry No Railroad Man
J.P. Harris' Dreadful Wind & Rain
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$14.44 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Dont-You-Marry-Railroad-Man/dp/B09244W19G

J.P. Harris' Don't You Marry No Railroad Man showcases his mastery of the banjo and his old- school country singing. Don't You Marry No Railroad Man provides his sprightly rendition of beloved classics, and is a treasure especially recommended for connoisseurs of Americana and Appalachian roots music. Highly recommended! The tracks are "House Carpenter", "Closer to the Mill", "Mole in the Ground", "Country Blues", "Last Chance", "Old Bangum", "Barbry Ellen", "The Little Carpenter", "Otto Wood", and "Wild Bill Jones".


The Computer Shelf

Murach's Python Programming, second edition
Michael Urban & Joel Murach, authors
Mike Murach & Associates
www.murach.com
9781943872749, $59.50, PB, 564pp

https://www.amazon.com/Murachs-Python-Programming-Joel-Murach/dp/1943872740

Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Murach's Python Programming" is the ideal DIY instruction manual for learning how to program with Python -- the best language ever for learning how to program a computer because of its simplicity and breadth.

Section 1 presents an 8-chapter course that will get anyone off to a great start with Python. Section 2 builds on that base by presenting the other essential skills that every Python programmer should have. Section 3 shows you how to develop object-oriented programs, a critical skillset in today's world. And section 4 shows you how to apply all of the skills that you've already learned as you build database and GUI programs for the real world.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this new second edition of "Murach's Python Programming" is an ideal curriculum textbook and is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Object-Oriented Software Design, Data Mining, and Database Storage Design collections and supplemental studies curriculum reading lists.

Computer Graphics from Scratch
Gabriel Gambetta
No Starch Press
245 - 8th Street, San Francisco, CO 94103-3910
www.nostarch.com
9781718500761, $49.99, PB, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Graphics-Scratch-Gabriel-Gambetta/dp/1718500769

Synopsis: Computer graphics programming books are often math-heavy and intimidating for newcomers. But not "Computer Graphics from Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D Rendering" as author and professional programmer Gabriel Gambetta takes a simpler approach by keeping the math to a minimum and focusing on only one aspect of computer graphics, 3D rendering.

"Computer Graphics from Scratch" shows how to build two complete, fully functional renderers: a raytracer, which simulates rays of light as they bounce off objects, and a rasterizer, which converts 3D models into 2D pixels. As the reader progress they will learn how to create realistic reflections and shadows, and how to render a scene from any point of view.

"Computer Graphics from Scratch" shows how to: Use perspective projection to draw 3D objects on a 2D plane; Simulate the way rays of light interact with surfaces; Add mirror-like reflections and cast shadows to objects; Render a scene from any camera position using clipping planes; Use flat, Gouraud, and Phong shading to mimic real surface lighting; Paint texture details onto basic shapes to create realistic-looking objects.

Whether an aspiring graphics engineer or a novice programmer curious about how graphics algorithms work, Gabriel Gambetta's simple, clear explanations will quickly put computer graphics concepts and rendering techniques within reach. All that is needed is basic coding knowledge and high school math. "Computer Graphics from Scratch" will cover the rest.

Critique: An ideal textbook on DIY computer graphic creation, "Computer Graphics from Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D Rendering" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, school, college, and university library Computer Programming collections and supplemental studies curriculums. It should be noted that "Computer Graphics from Scratch: A Programmer's Introduction to 3D Rendering" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99).

Editorial Note: Gabriel Gambetta started coding games around the age of 5 on a ZX Spectrum. After studying Computer Science and working at a respectable local company in his native Uruguay, he started a game development company and ran it for 10 years while teaching Computer Graphics at his alma mater. More recently, Gambetta has been working at Google Zurich, where he's been since 2011 except for a stint as an early engineer in the London-based multiplayer game tech unicorn Improbable.


The Aviation Shelf

Building the B-17 Flying Fortress
Bill Yenne
Specialty Press
838 Lake Street S, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.specialtypress.com
9781580072717, $34.95, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Building-B-17-Flying-Fortress-Manufacturing/dp/1580072712

Synopsis: "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress: A Detailed Look at Manufacturing Boeing's Legendary World War II Bomber in Original Photos" by Bill Yenne reveals rare original photos and full manufacturing details of America's greatest multi-engine combat aircraft flown in World War II.

"Building the B-17 Flying Fortress" covers building the Flying Fortress from wingtip to wingtip and from the bombardier's Perspex nose to the tail-gunner's twin-Browning cannons. Significant aspects of B-17 production include exterior views of each model variant from various angles, all crew stations in each B-17 type (including the entire flight deck), defensive gun turrets used in every B-17 model, fuselage interiors, exteriors, engines, nacelles, and even control surfaces.

Factory-original color cutaway drawings as well as reproductions of original specifications sheets and other information-packed documents created by manufacturers during the 1940s are also included for the reader. As a research asset, the appendices feature a detailed survey of every production block of the 12,731 B-17 bombers produced during the war in an unbelievable time span of only three-and-a-half year -- an industrial phenomenon unlike any the world had ever seen.

What sets "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress" apart from all others in the crowded B-17 field is literally hundreds of factory-original close-up detailed photographs and illustrations accompanied by comprehensive high-resolution reproductions of original Boeing drawings, and all are explained in detailed yet easy to understand descriptive text. "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress" provides valuable data for the serious Boeing B-17 aficionado as well as a compelling story of America's aircraft manufacturing prowess for the dedicated aviation enthusiast.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, "Building the B-17 Flying Fortress: A Detailed Look at Manufacturing Boeing's Legendary World War II Bomber in Original Photos" is an inherently fascinating and comprehensive historical study and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library 20th Century American Military Aviation collections in general, and B-17 Flying Fortress reading lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Bill Yenne the author/photographer of more than 75 non-fiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from history, to popular culture, to transportation.


The General Fiction Shelf

All the World's a Stage Fright
Bob Abelman
Gray & Company, Publishers
www.grayco.com
9781938441974, $14.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/All-Worlds-Stage-Fright-Misadventures/dp/1938441974

Synopsis: "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a Clandestine Critic" by Bob Abelman is a novella about what happens when a local critic takes an acting role with a top-tier theater company in order to write about the experience -- and gets more of a story than he bargained for.

"An irrational, overriding, mind-numbing fear." is how Asher Kaufman describes his relationship with Shakespeare -- that's not what you might expect from a veteran theater critic. So when Asher learns he'll be trying out for As You Like It, he realizes this assignment will be a very bumpy ride.

What starts out as a stunt to increase readership for the Cleveland Jewish Chronicle becomes one man's personal battle with the Bard and ends up a laugh-out-loud tale full of twists and turns, endearing characters, and behind-the-curtain action.

How will this clandestine critic overcome his lifelong fear -- all while sharing the stage with actors whose past performances he panned (and without getting panned himself by his fellow critics)? It's enough to give anyone opening night jitters!

Critique: "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a Clandestine Critic" is a delightful entertaining and impressively well crafted fictional memoir by novelist Bab Abelman and one that will delight theater fans who have ever wondered what might be going on backstage during a performance -- or in the mind of a theater critic! While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All the World's a Stage Fright: Misadventures of a Clandestine Critic" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Literary Fiction Shelf

The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan
Tanguy Viel, author
Clayton McKee, translator
Dalkey Archive
www.dalkeyarchive.com
9781628973716 $13.95 pbk / $9.95 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Disappearance-Jim-Sullivan-French-Literature/dp/1628973714

Synopsis: In The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan, disappearance is both a theme and a stylistic device. Indeed, this publication narrates the disappearance of Dwayne Koster, who, fascinated by the story of Jim Sullivan, commits suicide in the New Mexico desert which was the setting of the rocker's disappearance in 1975. But this novel is for the most part set in the metanarrative tale of its own genesis, and, as a result, is partially eclipsed: its -fictitious- author doesn't relate it in its entirety and keeps adding bits and pieces of first drafts and preliminary sketches to his text, thus blurring its boundaries. Tanguy Viel's work can therefore be perceived as a double response, existential and aesthetic, to the question of the end.

Critique: First published in French in 2013, The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is a thought- provoking work of literature skillfully translated into English. The existential story tells an ordinary man's collapse into alcoholism, crime, and insanity; his thoughts are shadowed by the unsolved disappearance of a singer-songwriter and UFO enthusiast who vanished without a trace in 1975. The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is compelling to the last page, and highly recommended for public and community library Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.95).

Among the Hedges
Sara Mesa
Open Letter Books
c/o University of Rochester
Lattimore Hall 411, Box 270082, Rochester, NY 14627
www.openletterbooks.org
9781948830393, $14.95, PB, 120pp

https://www.amazon.com/Among-Hedges-Sara-Mesa/dp/1948830396

Synopsis: Casi, who is almost fourteen years old, has been skipping school and spending her days hidden among the hedges in a local park, listening to music and reading women's magazines. One day, Viejo, a fifty-year-old man, stumbles upon her hiding place, and the two strike up a friendship. He tells her about birds and Nina Simone, buys her soda and chips, and spends almost every day talking with her.

Despite their age gap, there's something childlike about Viejo that leads Casi to believe that he's not like the other men she's encountered, the "dangerous ones." But Viejo has a number of secrets in his past -- all of which would be of grave concern to Casi's parents or any other adult who witnessed one of their rendezvous. As these secrets rise to the surface, the clock is ticking, the weather is growing cold and the school is untangling Casi's set of lies, setting up a moment where something has to give.

Critique: With spare, direct prose, and effective narrative storytelling style, "Among the Hedges" by novelist Sara Mesa deftly and effectively invests two outcasts, an adolescent girl and a middle aged man, with a great deal of warmth, in the face of cultural prejudices and societal assumptions regarding what would be commonly ascribed to as an inappropriate relationship. A masterpiece of literary fiction that is ably translated from Spanish into English for an American readership by Megan McDowell, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Among the Hedges" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Lady in Attendance
Rachel Fordham
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800740078, $29.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Attendance-Rachel-Fordham/dp/0800740076

Synopsis: Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel's real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts's lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can't help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Critique: An extraordinarily entertaining, impressively original, and compelling engaging read from first page to last, with "A Lady in Attendance", novelist Rachel Fordham has deftly penned a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose (expunging the record of someone society deemed beyond saving) and perhaps find love along the way. While strongly recommended for community library Historical Romance collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Lady in Attendance" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800739737, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Come Back to Me
Jody Hedlund
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800740047, $29.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Back-Me-Waters-Time/dp/0800740041

Synopsis: The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? A seemingly crazy idea. But that's exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father's dedicated quest -- even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them.

But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He's left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising.

William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection -- as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to?

Critique: A unique and compelling time-travel romance, in the pages of "Come Back To Me", novelist Jody Hedlund is deftly guides her readers down the twisting waters of time to a volatile era of superstition, revolts, and chivalry in this suspenseful story replete with elements of mystery and suspense. While highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Come Back To Me" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800738433, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

A Duke in Time: The Widow Rules
Janna MacGregor
St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250761590, $7.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Time-Widow-Rules/dp/125076159X

Synopsis: Katherine Vareck is in for the shock of her life when she learns upon her husband Meri's accidental death that he had married two other women. Her entire business, along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a royal supplier, is everything she's been working for and now could be destroyed if word leaks about the three wives.

Meri's far more upstanding brother, Christian, Duke of Randford has no earthly clue how to be of assistance. He spent the better part of his adult years avoiding Meri and the rest of his good-for-nothing family, so to be dragged back into the fold is problematic. Even more so is the intrepid and beautiful Katherine, whom he cannot be falling for because she's Meri's widow. Or can he?

With a textile business to run and a strong friendship forming with Meri's two other wives, Katherine doesn't have time for much else. But there's something about the warm, but compellingly taciturn Christian that draws her to him. When an opportunity to partner in a business venture brings them even closer, they'll have to face their pasts if they want to share each other's hearts and futures.

Critique: A deftly crafted Regency era romance novel by an author who is a true master of the genre, "A Duke In Time" by Janna MacGregor is the first of a trilogy and will prove to be an enormously popular addition to community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Regency romance fans that "A Duke In Time" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Warn Me When It's Time
Cheryl A. Head
Bywater Books
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612942070 $16.95 pbk / $9.49 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Warn-When-Charlie-Motown-Mystery/dp/1612942075

Synopsis: A hate group operating in Oakland County, Michigan has claimed responsibility for a six-month-long string of arson fires and robberies at mosques, temples, and black churches around Detroit, eluding police and federal agencies. The most recent fire, at a mosque in Dearborn, kills a respected imam. His children suspicious of law enforcement's treatment of Muslims and afraid of reprisal hires Charlie Mack and her team of investigators to find their father's murderers.

The Mack team begins to hunt down the clues in this local hate crime, but they aren't prepared when they realize that those clues are pointing to a widespread conspiracy that runs through elected state officials and up to the highest levels of national leadership. FBI agent, James Saleh, returns to help the Mack Agency infiltrate and take down a homegrown militia hell-bent on starting a race war in America.

Critique: Part of the "Charlie Mack Motown" mystery series, Warn Me When It's Time is a suspenseful novel in which Charlie Mack and his team are drawn into the machinations of a hate group with deep hooks in the government. Charlie Mack is in a race against time to stop arsonists, murderers, and worse from escalating hate crimes against mosques, temples, and black churches into an all-out race war! Warn Me When It's Time is riveting to the last page, and enthusiastically recommended especially to connoisseurs of the genre. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Warn Me When It's Time is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.49).

A Rogue's Company
Allison Montclair
Minotaur Books
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250750327 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Company-Sparks-Bainbridge-Mystery/dp/1250750326

Synopsis: In Allison Monclair's A Rogue's Company, business becomes personal for the Right Sort Marriage Bureau when a new client, a brutal murder, two kidnappings, and the recently returned from Africa Lord Bainbridge threatens everything that one of the principals holds dear.

In London, 1946, the Right Sort Marriage Bureau is getting on its feet and expanding. Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge are making a go of it. That is until Lord Bainbridge the widowed Gwen's father-in-law and legal guardian returns from a business trip to Africa and threatens to undo everything important to her, even sending her six-year-old son away to a boarding school.

But there's more going on than that. A new client shows up at the agency, one whom Sparks and Bainbridge begin to suspect really has a secret agenda, somehow involving the Bainbridge family. A murder and a subsequent kidnapping sends Sparks to seek help from a dangerous quarter and now their very survival is at stake.

Critique: The latest novel in the "Sparks & Bainbridge" mystery series, A Rogue's Company follows an intrepid female duo confronted with a deadly dilemma in 1946 London... as well as a family dilemma, when Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge's father-in-law and legal guardian uses his authority against her, even sending her six-year-old son to a boarding school. Dark comedy and edge-of-seat suspense intertwine in this saga of murder, kidnapping, and legal double standards! A Rogue's Company is highly recommended for connoisseurs of the genre, and sure to be a popular lending library pick. It should be noted for personal reading lists that A Rogue's Company is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).

Runner
Tracy Clark
Kensington
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
www.highbridgeaudio.com
9781496732019, $26.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Runner-Chicago-Mystery-Tracy-Clark/dp/1496732014

Synopsis: Chicago in the dead of winter can be brutal, especially when you're scouring the frigid streets for a missing girl. Fifteen-year-old Ramona Titus has run away from her foster home. Her biological mother, Leesa Evans, is a recovering addict who admits she failed Ramona often in the past. But now she's clean. And she's determined to make up for her mistakes -- if Cass can only help her find her daughter.

Cass visits Ramona's foster mother, Deloris Poole, who is also desperate to bring the girl home. Ramona came to Deloris six months ago, angry and distrustful, but was slowly opening up. The police are on the search, but Cass has sources closer to the streets, and a network of savvy allies. Yet it seems Ramona doesn't want to be found. And Cass soon begins to understand why.

Ramona is holding secrets dark enough to kill for, and anyone who helps her may be fair game. And if Ramona can't run fast enough and hide well enough to keep the truth safe, she and Cass may both be out of time.

Critique: A ripping great read, "Runner" is a gritty and compulsive page turner of a read with many an unexpected plot twist right up until the grand finale of an ending. Clearly author Tracy Clark has a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that grips the reader's total attention and just won't let go! While very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated mystery buffs that "Runner" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (HighBridge Audio, 9781696603669, $29.99, CD).

The Legal Killer
Elliot Mason
Page Publishing Inc.
101 Tyrellan Avenue Suite 100 New York, NY 10309
www.pagepublishing.com
9781662425097, $20.95, PB, 310pp

https://www.amazon.com/Legal-Killer-Elliot-Mason/dp/1662425090

Synopsis: An hour north of Los Angeles, a gruesome discovery is made. Displayed in a very unusual manner is the body of a young promising assistant US attorney. Left next to her corpse is a cryptic note, "Find Des Cook, University of Georgia. He has the answers."

Two thousand miles away, unassuming graduate student Desmond Cook receives an unexpected visit from the FBI. They pepper him with questions. Bewildered, he has no answers.

Soon afterward, the killer contacts him with a task -- he must figure out a series of historical riddles and get to the locations they designate. Failure to do so will result in more victims. Demanding to know why he is made the focus of such a game, the killer has just one response: "You have the answers. It's all in the presentation."

Thus begins a deadly chase, as Des teams with FBI profiler Amanda Hertzel in a desperate attempt to solve the baffling clues and put a halt to the carnage. And in this race against time, as each layer of the mystery is peeled away, the killer's motivation becomes clearer, finally exposing a far more deadly conspiracy than they could have ever imagined.

Critique: A deftly crafted, imaginative, and compelling suspense thriller of a read from beginning to end, "The Legal Killer" showcases author Elliot Mason as a particularly gifted novelist with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling skills that will hold the reader's total and rapt attention through many an unexpected plot twist. While very highly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of crime fiction fans that "The Legal Killer" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

At the End of the Journey
Charles E. Gannon
Baen
https://www.baen.com
9781982125226 $25.00 hc / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/End-Journey-Black-Tide-Rising/dp/1982125225

Synopsis: It was supposed to be fun. Six teenagers and their British captain aboard the ketch Crosscurrent Voyager, headed on a senior year summer cruise to excitement and adventure. Then the world as they knew it ended.

A plague spread throughout the globe, killing millions and turning the survivors into cannibalistic rage monsters - zombies, in so many words. Only by putting aside their differences were the young crew able to survive.

Now, they seek others like them, those fortunate souls who have made it through the zombie apocalypse. After all, maybe it's not the end of the world so long as GPS can help survivors navigate deadly terrain, to link up, and maybe - just maybe - ensure the continuation of the human race.

But the Earth's GPS systems are failing. It falls to those aboard the Crosscurrent Voyager to keep the unthinkable from happening. In order to do so, they must traverse dangerous seas to a European Space Agency complex in French Guiana. And thousands of infected stand in the way.

If they succeed, humankind has a chance of rebuilding. If they fail, humanity may well be at the end of its journey.

Critique: Award-winning author Charles Gannon presents At the End of the Journey, a novel of John Ringo's "Black Tide Rising" series about a worldwide zombie apocalypse. Six teenagers and a British captain seek to survive amid a plague that transforms human beings into maddened, cannibalistic monsters! Their desperate flight will take them across deadly seas, with little more than their wits, their bravery, and a tenuously functional GPS receiver. Thrilling, action-packed, and edge-of-seat suspenseful, At the End of the Journey is highly recommended especially for zombie fans and connoisseurs of post-apocalyptic sagas. It should be noted for personal reading lists that At the End of the Journey is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Star Eater
Kerstin Hall
Tordotcom
c/o Tom Doherty Associates
www.tor.com
9781250625311 $26.99 hc / $13.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Eater-Kerstin-Hall/dp/1250625319

Synopsis: Elfreda Raughn will avoid pregnancy if it kills her, and one way or another, it will kill her. Though she's able to stomach her gruesome day-to-day duties, the reality of preserving the Sisterhood of Aytrium's magical bloodline horrifies her. She wants out, whatever the cost.

So when a shadowy faction approaches Elfreda with an offer of escape, she leaps at the opportunity. As their spy, she gains access to the highest reaches of the Sisterhood, and enters a glittering world of opulent parties, subtle deceptions, and unexpected bloodshed.

A phantasmagorical indictment of hereditary power, Star Eater takes readers deep into a perilous and uncanny world where even the most powerful women are forced to choose what sacrifices they will make, so that they might have any choice at all.

Critique: Star Eater is a dark fantasy novel about ruthless power dynamics. Elfreda Raughn lives among the Sisterhood of Aytrium, whose magical bloodline comes at a gruesome price. Elfreda seizes her chance to escape. She becomes a spy and gains access to the highest echelons of the Sisterhood. Her hereditary power continues has a role to play amid insidious deceptions, betrayal, and worse in this profound and suspenseful saga. Highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Star Eater is also available in a Kindle edition ($13.99).


The Business Shelf

Choosing Courage
Jim Detert
Harvard Business Review Press
https://hbr.org/hbrpress
9781647820084 $30.00 hc / $21.59 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Courage-Everyday-Guide-Being/dp/1647820081

Synopsis: Have you ever wanted to disagree with your boss? Speak up about your company's lack of diversity or unequal pay practices? Make a tough decision you knew would be unpopular?

We all have opportunities to be courageous at work. But since courage requires risk - to our reputations, our social standing, and, in some cases, our jobs - we often fail to act, which leaves us feeling powerless and regretful for not doing what we know is right. There's a better way to handle these crucial moments - and Choosing Courage provides the moral imperative and research-based tactics to help you become more competently courageous at work.

Doing for courage what Angela Duckworth has done for grit and Brene Brown for vulnerability, Jim Detert, the world's foremost expert on workplace courage, explains that courage isn't a character trait that only a few possess; it's a virtue developed through practice. And with the right attitude and approach, you can learn to hone it like any other skill and incorporate it into your everyday life.

Full of stories of ordinary people who've acted courageously, Choosing Courage will give you a fresh perspective on the power of voicing your authentic ideas and opinions. Whether you're looking to make a mark, stay true to your values, act with more integrity, or simply grow as a professional, this is the guide you need to achieve greater impact at work.

Critique: Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work is a combination business and self-help guide to mustering the strength of will to take a stand in the workplace - even if one's position is unpopular or risky. Chapters discuss the importance of choosing the right time and setting to make one's case, how to carefully manage one's message, how to cultivate courage, and much more. For example, one passage about voicing a problem that involves another employee (or management) warns "Focus on the behavior only. Keep it specific. And, one last suggestion: do it in person. It seems by now that this should go without saying, but people continue to use email or other online forums to address challenging situations. The wisdom of "Choosing Courage" is fully applicable to practicing career professionals in all fields, and highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Choosing Courage" is also available in a Kindle edition ($21.59).

Make It, Don't Fake It
Sabrina Horn
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
www.bkconnection.com
9781523091492 $18.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Dont-Fake-Authenticity-Business/dp/1523091495

Synopsis: An award-winning CEO and communications expert shows how authentic leadership eliminates the need for the shortcuts that sabotage success. "Fake it till you make it" just doesn't work - at least not long enough to build a sustainable business.

Driven to succeed under constant pressure, entrepreneurs and business leaders alike can be tempted to exaggerate their strengths, minimize weaknesses, and bend the truth. Through the twin lenses of running her own national public relations firm and advising thousands of executives for a quarter-century, Sabrina Horn revisits the core of leadership; defines authentic, reality-based business integrity; and shows readers how to attain and maintain it.

With firsthand accounts of sticky situations and painful mistakes, Horn lays out workable strategies, frameworks, and mental maps to help leaders gain the clarity of thought necessary to make sound business decisions, even when there are no right answers. In her straightforward, no-nonsense style, she shares the power of humility and empathy, mentorship and self-assessment, and a strong core value system to build a leader's confidence and resilience. Horn's fake-free advice will empower readers to disarm fear, organize risk, manage setbacks and crises, deal with losing and loneliness, and create a culture and brand designed for long-term success.

Critique: Award-winning CEO Sabrina Horn presents Make It, Don't Fake It, a serious-minded business leadership guide. chapters address how to manage risk, overcome setbacks and crises, create positive culture and a lasting brand, and more. "Avoid shortcuts that promise to reduce costs or that masquerade as 'efficiency'. Any shortcut that compromises thoroughness or quality erodes values, culture, and, inevitably, brand. Listen to what your people tell you, but make sure you are clear on the benefits and even clearer on the downsides to any proposed shortcut." Make It, Don't Fake It is candid, accessible, and a welcome contribution to business and leadership collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Make It, Don't Fake It is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Taking the Lead
Dave Alpern
Tyndale Momentum
c/o Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496444578, $17.99, PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Lead-Winning-Business-Principles/dp/1496444574

Synopsis: In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity.

Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern who started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Nearly three decades later, he's now the president of JGR, a multimillion-dollar elite, record-setting racing team with more than 500 employees.

In the pages of "Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing", Dave shares the wisdom he's learned along the way: key principles that will equip you with what you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose -- whatever team you're on!

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing" is a motivationally inspiring, reader friendly, and potentially life-enhancing read that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, college, and university library Self-Help and Business Management collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of automotive racing fans, MBA students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Taking the Lead" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders
Daniel Harkavy
Baker Books
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540900029, $26.99, HC, 188pp

https://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Effective-Leaders-Framework-Increasing/dp/1540900029

Synopsis: According to CEO and executive coach Daniel Harkavy, effective leadership boils down to just two things: your decisions and influence. Good decisions lead to strong results, which in turn increase your influence. If you get these two things right, your leadership effectiveness improves.

But as all leaders know, it's not that easy, especially in today's fast-paced, complex, and connected environment. To make the best decisions and have maximum impact, you need to see your business from seven perspectives: current reality, long-term vision, strategic bets, the team, the customer, your role, and the outsider.

In the pages of "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving Decisions and Increasing Your Influence", drawing upon his twenty-five years of experience as a successful CEO and executive coach, and including conversations and thinking from more than twenty well-known business and organizational leaders, Daniel Harkavy unpacks a proven framework you can implement for immediate results in your own organization's culture and performance. If you're looking to improve your leadership, "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders" will give you a straightforward framework to do so.

Critique: With experience based efficacious practicality and competent productiveness, "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leaders: A Proven Framework for Improving Decisions and Increasing Your Influence" should be mandated reading for every corporate executive and a part of every community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management and Leadership Self- Help collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists MBA students, academia, corporate leaders, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The 7 Perspectives of Effective Leadership" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781540901095, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.57), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Mission Audio, 9798200531097, $15.99, CD).


The Needlecraft Shelf

Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures
Emma Yarnam
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946036, $19.95, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cute-Crocheted-Woodland-Creatures-Varnam/dp/1784946036

Synopsis: With "Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures" by crochet expert Emma Yarnam, aspirng needlecrafters can simply immerse themselves in a magical woodland with these exciting crocheted critters! The 10 charming animals to be crocheted range from a mischievous raccoon to a friendly fox and a wise owl. These individual projects will make ideal gifts and also include crocheted accessories that can be shared between the woodland friends.

Of special note is the inclusion of a comprehensive techniques section, accompanied by detailed patterns will provide all the information needed for a successful project. The stylish photography will inspire you to create your own woodland menagerie!

Critique: Profusely illustrated with throughly 'user friendly' step-by-step instructions, "Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures" will prove to be a wonderfully welcome addition to personal, professional, and community library DIY Needlecraft instructional reference collections for the crochet enthusiast. It should be noted that "Cute Crocheted Woodland Creatures" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Inspired by the imagination of children, Emma Varnam likes to make items that bring a smile. Currently residing in Greater Manchester, UK, Emma has written a number of popular crochet books including Granny Squares Home, Crocheted Keyrings & Charms, Cute Crocheted Animals and How to Crochet, all published by GMC Publications.

Crocheted Animal Rugs
Vanessa Mooncie
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945855, $23.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/Crocheted-Animal-Rugs-Vanessa-Mooncie/dp/1784945854

Synopsis: All ages from 3 to 93 will go wild for the gorgeous crocheted animal rugs whose projects comprise "Crocheted Animal Rugs" by expert crochet authority Vanessa Mooncie. Adults and children alike will adore these beautiful rugs, which make wonderful gifts and stylish additions to any home. Each individual DIY project includes detailed patterns, stunning photographs and helpful hand-drawn charts. There is also an extensive techniques section explaining all the stitches and techniques you'll need to make your flat friend.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout and with thoroughly 'novice friendly' step-by-step instructions, "Crocheted Animal Rugs" is an ideal and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be noted for all crochet enthusiasts and practitioners that "Crocheted Animal Rugs" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in a rural village located in the South of England, Vanessa Mooncie spent many happy hours as a child sitting with her mother and grandmother learning to knit and crochet. She went on to study fashion and textile design and became a children's wear designer, illustrator and interior designer. Vanessa now specializes in silkscreen work (www.vanessamooncie.com) and designing crochet jewelry through her company Kissy Suzuki (www.kissysuzuki.com). Vanessa has written many successful books for GMC Publications, including Animal Hats, Crocheted Wild Animals, Sew Adorable, And Sew to Bed and Crocheted Sea Creatures. She is also a regular contributor to other craft books and magazines.

Knitted Space
Sarah Keen
GMC Books
c/o The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784946050, $19.95, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Knitted-Space-Sarah-Keen/dp/1784946052

Synopsis: "Knitted Space" by Sarah Keen is comprised of an array of cosmos-themed knitting projects ready for any interplanetary adventure! Profusely illustrated throughout and with deftly presented step-by-step instructions, "Knitted Space" is comprised 20 projects that include an astronaut, space rocket, flying saucer and shooting star. As well as the projects themselves, "Knitted Space" also includes a comprehensive techniques section which makes it readily accessible to those new to knitting. The projects make ideal gifts for any space-loving child, providing hours of constructive needlecraft based fun.

Critique: Delightful, whimsical, and fun, "Knitted Space" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, and community library DIY Needlecraft instructional reference collections. It should be noted for dedicated knitters that "Knitted Space" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Ceredigion, Wales, UK, experienced needlecrafter Sarah Keen works as a freelance pattern designer and finds calculating rows and stitches challenging, but fascinating. She is experienced in designing knitted toys for children and also enjoys writing patterns for charity. This is Sarah's tenth book for GMC Publications.

Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories
Pamela Parmal, Jennifer M. Swope, Lauren D. Whitley, editors
MFA Publications
c/o Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
www.mfa-publications.org
9780878468768, $45.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Nation-American-Quilt-Stories/dp/0878468765

Synopsis: A mother stitches a few lines of prayer into a bedcover for her son serving in the Union army during the Civil War. A formerly enslaved African American woman creates a quilt populated by Biblical figures alongside celestial events. A quilted Lady Liberty, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln mark the resignation of Richard Nixon. These are just a few of the diverse and sometimes hidden stories of the American experience told by quilts and bedcovers from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Compiled and co-edited by the team of Pamela Parmal, Jennifer M. Swope, and Lauren D. Whitley, and spanning more than 400 years, the 58 works of illustrated textile art in the pages of "Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories" express the personal narratives of their makers and owners and connect to broader stories of global trade, immigration, industry, marginalization, and territorial and cultural expansion.

Made by Americans of European, African, Native and Hispanic heritage, these quilts and bedcovers range from family heirlooms to acts of political protest, each with its own story to tell. The needlecraft artists include: Faith Ringgold, Sanford Biggers, Irene Williams, Bisa Butler, Harry Tyler, Harriet Powers, Marie D. Webster, Marguerite Zorach, Dorothy Phillips Haagensen, Rachel Cary George, Florence Peto, Creola Pettway, Susan Hoffman, Molly Upton, Nancy Crasco, Agusta Agustsson, Edward Larson, Michael James, Virginia Jacobs and Carla Hemlock.

Critique: A unique and inherently fascinating collections so beautifully showcased and supported by informed and informative commentaries, and enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a two page Further Reading bibliography, a five page List of Illustrations, and a four page Index, "Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Textile, Costume, and Quilting collections and supplemental studies curriculum reading lists.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Griddle Cookbook
Loic Hanno
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
www.ulyssespress.com
9781646041442, $24.95, HC, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Griddle-Cookbook-Delicious-Flavor-Packed-Flat-Top/dp/1646041445

Synopsis: Now with "The Griddle Cookbook: Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top Grilling" by culinary and grilling expert Loic Hanno, even the most novice of cooks can become a true grilling master with this culinary compendium of instructions and recipes that will teach everything needed to be known about flat-top grilling.

Indeed, "The Griddle Cookbook" offers more than forty beautifully illustrated and easy-to-follow recipes that can make on any griddle whether its cast iron, countertop, or outdoor!

"The Griddle Cookbook" covers indoor and outdoor griddle cooking by learning the different ways to prepare meats, which grilling utensils to use, and which grill times will achieve the perfect char. Whether you're preparing a fine dinner in your kitchen or having a backyard barbecue, you can do it all with a griddle and "The Griddle Cookbook".

Critique: Inspiring just to browse through one beautifully illustrated page at a time, "The Griddle Cookbook: Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top Grilling" is the perfect combination of instruction manual and DIY griddle recipes for any and all dining occasions. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library Barbecue & Grilling cookbook collections, it should be noted that "The Griddle Cookbook: Delicious, Flavor-Packed Recipes for Flat-Top Grilling" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).


The Automotive Shelf

Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years
Dave Friedman
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613255971, $38.95, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Miles-Shelby-American-Years/dp/1613255977

Synopsis: Ken Miles (1 November 1918 - 17 August 1966) was one of the most famous sports car racers in history, and his time at Shelby American was the pinnacle of his career.

In the illustrated pages of "Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years" his fans can ride along with Ken Miles through the twists and turns of Sebring, Laguna Seca, Riverside, and Le Mans as seen through the lens of Shelby American photographer Dave Friedman!

The hiring of Ken Miles by Carroll Shelby in February 1963 initiated arguably the greatest pairing of driver/owner partnerships in the history of motorsports. Not only did Shelby hire Competition Manager Ken Miles as an accomplished road racer but also Miles brought professionalism, innovation, and a keen attribute of being able to surround himself with budding, talented individuals.

The list of race cars that Ken piloted at Shelby American is nearly unrivaled: the Shelby 289 Cobra, 390 Cobra, 427 Cobra, King Cobra, Shelby Daytona, Mustang GT350R, and Ford GT. Ken dominated the 1964 United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) racing season by winning 8 of 10 races to secure the Manufacturers' Championship. However, it was at Le Mans where Ken Miles became a worldwide household name.

The robbery that was the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans is laid out in excruciatingly accurate detail as Ford royalty Carroll Shelby, Carroll Smith, Homer Perry, Leo Beebe, Charlie Agapiou, Bob Negstad, Carroll Smith, and Peter Miles recall the race and the tragedy that followed two months later.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with both black/white and full color photography, "Ken Miles: The Shelby American Years" is a 'must' for the legions of Ken Miles fans and will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, college and university library 20th Century American Automotive Racing collections.

Editorial Note: Dave Friedman was Shelby American's official photographer in the 1960s, accompanying the team to races all around the world. He is a longtime motorsports and film-still photographer and the author of several motor racing books, as well as a photography contributor to dozens more.


The Education Shelf

Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education
Benjamin M. Ogles, et al.
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398093624, $33.95, PB, 194pp

https://www.amazon.com/Motivational-Interviewing-Higher-Education-Professionals/dp/0398093628

Synopsis: The approach to motivational interviewing discussed in "Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education: A Primer for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals " will be especially useful to student affairs professionals and academic advisors working in a variety of higher education positions.

"Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education" begins in Chapter 1 by providing a description and a brief history of MI, noting some of its connections to counseling and social psychology.

Chapter 2 explores in more detail the spirit of MI, the key relational components that the professional using MI is attuned to. This interpersonal attitude can be summarized within four key principles: partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation.

Chapter 3 presents an overview of some contemporary models of academic advising and student affairs practice. Chapter 4 covers the basic MI skill set, which is referred to by the shorthand OARS. Chapter 5 discusses the four processes in MI conversations about change: engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning.

Chapter 6 elaborates on the evoking stage and provide an expanded discussion concerning change talk and sustain talk. Change talk refers to student statements that express a desire, need, or readiness to change, while sustain talk refers to student statements that indicate maintenance of the status quo or a reluctance to change. In addition to providing more in\\\-depth definitions of these concepts and examples of student statements, strategies are presented for increasing or evoking change talk and softening sustain talk.

In Chapter 7, intermediate to advanced MI skills are addressed to prepare the highly motivated staff member for higher\\\-level training that can be obtained through workshops, observation, and coaching.

Chapter 8 puts everything together in two case examples. While Chapter 9 provides some additional exercises that can be used to practice and develop MI basic and intermediate skills.

Lastly, some brief concluding remarks are provided in Chapter 10.

Critique: An ideal textbook and 'how to' handbook, "Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education: A Primer for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals" should be considered as an essential instructional reference guide and manual for professional, college and university library Educational Counseling collections and supplemental studies curriculum reading lists. It should be noted that "Motivational Interviewing in Higher Education: A Primer for Academic Advisors and Student Affairs Professionals" is also readily available from the publisher in a digital book format (9780398093631, $33.95).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Natural Dog
Gwen Bailey
Hamlyn
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780600636038, $24.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Healthy-Hound-wellness-friend/dp/0600636038

Synopsis: Offering a new approach to achieving a happy, healthy canine, "The Natural Dog" by Gwen Bailey focuses on three vital considerations: Physical health: Sticks, exercise games, vaccination and more; Dietary health: Hydration, diet, dental health, recipes and feeding; Mental health: Stimulation, socialization and canine interaction, addressing aggressive behavior and introducing other pets.

From understanding your dog's physiognomy and analyzing the perfect diet, to keeping your dog naturally alert, spirited and happy throughout its life, "The Natural Dog" offers a holistic approach to changing your dog's lifestyle to get the most out of life.

Critique: Gwen Bailey's bestselling dog guides have helped hundreds of thousands of owners throughout the world and her latest one, "The Natural Dog" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in tone, community, illustrations, organization and presentation. Ideal and unreservedly recommended reading for anyone who has (or who is contemplating having) a canine companion, "The Natural Dog' will prove a welcome and useful addition to personal, professional, and community library Pet Care instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: Gwen Bailey has written 15 books (including "The Perfect Puppy) on dog care, psychology books and training. She is also the founder of Puppy School, the UK's largest network of puppy training classes. Early in her career Gwen worked for a leading UK national animal welfare charity, and pioneered the use of canine behavior knowledge in the re-homing of unwanted animals. She was also the first person to be appointed by a national animal welfare charity as a full-time Animal Behaviourist.


The Travel Shelf

Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park
Brendan Leonard
Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512984 $16.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Hike-Parks-Mountain-National-Sights/dp/1680512986

Synopsis: Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses 415 square miles crowned by spectacular mountain environments. Its famed Trail Ridge Road crests at over 12,000 feet elevation and includes many overlooks onto subalpine and alpine worlds. The park also features hundreds of miles of hiking trails, stunning wildflower blooms, wildlife viewing including the iconic Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, crystal-clear starry nights, and the highest continuous paved road in the nation. Guide features include:

35 day hikes with detailed directions, photos, maps
Longs Peak summit route
Recommended 1- and 3-day itineraries
Park access and transportation options
Park history, geology, flora and fauna
Top 7 "must-see" sights and activities

Critique: A wealth of full-color trail maps and photographs intersperse Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park, a guide created for hikers of all skill and experience levels. Enhanced with trailhead GPS coordinates, suggested one-day and three-day itineraries, both US and metric measurements, information about park shuttles, campgrounds, and visitor centers, practical advice for high-altitude hiking, and much more, Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park is a superb, compact reference and resource for making the most out of one's excursion. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Hike The Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, third edition
Kevin Adams
Falcon Guides
falcon.com
c/o Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493040728 $24.95 pbk / $17.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National/dp/1493040723

Synopsis: Completely revised and updated for 2021, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 3rd Edition is the must-have guide to the best trails in America's most-visited national park.

Discover the 82 greatest hikes within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Everyone from the avid trekker to family day-hiker will find a new trail to enjoy in the Smokies. Each hike is covered by concise descriptions, detailed maps, and turn-by-turn directions. Set out confidently, and enjoy glorious views and peaceful wilderness.

Critique: Now in an updated third edition for 2021, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A Guide to the Park's Greatest Hiking Adventures lives up to its title as a thorough, reader- friendly guide for hikers of all skill and experience levels. Offering 82 hikes with difficulty ratings, a wealth of color maps and photographs, information about fees and permits, mile-by- mile directional cues, and more, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the definitive practical guide, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal hiking reference lists that Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, third edition is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

Scenic Driving the Ozarks
Don Kurz
Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493056316 $24.95 pbk / $17.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Scenic-Driving-Ozarks-Including-Mountains/dp/149305631X

Synopsis: Scenic Driving the Ozarks features thirty-three separate drives through Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, from the homestead of Daniel Boone and the 250-foot-deep Blue Spring in the north and central sections to the prairie landscapes and the restorative hot springs of the western and southern Ozarks. An indispensable highway companion, Scenic Driving the Ozarks includes route maps and in-depth descriptions of attractions.

Critique: Scenic Driving the Ozarks: Including the Ouachita Mountains lives up to its title as a user-friendly guide suggesting thirty-five different driving routes through beautiful landscapes of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Striking, full-color photographs, easy-to-read maps, detailed descriptions of memorable attractions and more make Scenic Driving the Ozarks an excellent guide for vacationers interested in seeing the Ozarks' natural wonders. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal travel reference that Scenic Driving the Ozarks is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.99).

Oldest St. Louis
Nini Harris
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062792, $20.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Oldest-St-Louis-Nini-Harris/dp/1681062798

Synopsis: St. Louis has thrived for over two hundred and fifty years from its beginnings as a French settlement in 1764 to its rapid growth in the mid-1800s to the modern metropolis we know today. While many great structures have been lost or demolished, much of this history still lives on.

Within the pages of "Oldest St. Louis" by Nini Harris, readers will get to know the history of the Mound City's most iconic buildings and the stories that bring their walls to life. Included are some of the businesses and buildings from the city's inception through the turn of the twentieth century that are examples of the living history of St. Louis like Eugene Field House (1854), Bissell Mansion (1820s), and homes in the historic Carondelet neighborhood that may date back to the late 1700s.

Critique: Nicely illustrated with black-and-white historical images, "Oldest St. Louis" is an impressively informative DIY guide to some of this city's remarkable history. An ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college and university library American Regional History collections in general, and St. Louis travel guides in particular, "Oldest St. Louis" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Author/historian Nini Harris has researched and written 14 books on St. Louis history and architecture. Her education began with her grandmother recalling tales of life in the old immigrant communities as she baked cakes and pies from scratch. Much of her time is spent digging through crumbling records, documenting the history of this great City. Her works have explored the stories of the waves of immigrants who built St. Louis' remarkable brick neighborhoods and great Gothic and Romanesque churches, along with the role St. Louis played in opening the American West and in the Union victory in the Civil War.


The Self-Help Shelf

The Charisma Factor
Leesa Rowland
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268979, $15.95, PB, 244pp

https://www.amazon.com/Charisma-Factor-Magnetic-Personal-Influence/dp/1578268974

Synopsis: Charisma is the unique quality of confidence, natural ability and personal magnetism that exists within each and every one of us, just waiting to be unlocked. But while everyone is born with the capacity for charisma, few ever take full advantage of this amazing personal gift.

More than just another 'how-to' guide to becoming popular or charming, "The Charisma Factor: Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your Life" by author, actress, and animal advocate, Leesa Rowland is part mentor, part roadmap to embracing your individuality, discovering your authenticity and empowering yourself. By determining what we really want in life, we ignite the drive necessary to reach new heights and become our best possible self. This is the "it" factor (the charisma factor) that separates leaders from followers, students from teachers, and dreamers from doers.

Critique: As informative and practical as it is inspired and inspiring, "The Charisma Factor: Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your Life" is the ideal DIY instructional guide and manual to achieving useful and motivating self-esteem and leadership skills. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Charisma Factor: Unlock the Secrets of Magnetic Charm and Personal Influence in Your Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space
Eliza VanCort
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
www.bkconnection.com
9781523092734 $24.95 hc / $17.05 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Womans-Guide-Claiming-Space-Voice/dp/1523092734

Synopsis: For too long, women have been told to confine themselves--physically, socially, and emotionally. Eliza VanCort says now is the time for women to stand tall, raise their voices, and claim their space.

Women fight the pressure to make themselves small in private, professional, and public spaces. Eliza VanCort, a teacher, consultant, and speaker, provides the necessary tools for women to rewrite the rules and create the stories of their choosing safely and without apology.

VanCort identifies the five key behaviors of all "Space Claiming Queens": use your voice and posture to project confidence and power, end self-sabotage, forge connections, neutralize unsafe spaces, and unite across differences. Through personal narrative, research, and actionable strategies, VanCort provides how-tos on combating challenges like anti-mentors and microaggressions and gives advice for building up your "old girls" club, asking for what you're worth, and owning your space without apology.

Bold, fun, and enlightening, this book is birthed from VanCort's incredible story. Having a mother with schizophrenia forced VanCort to learn to be small and invisible at an early age, and suffering a traumatic brain injury as an adult required her to rethink communication from the ground up. Drawing on these experiences, and those of real women everywhere, VanCort empowers women to claim space for themselves and for their sisters with courage, empathy, and conviction because "when we rise together, we rise so much higher."

Critique: A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space: Stand Tall. Raise Your Voice. Be Heard. lives up to its title as a self-help guide especially for women, who are often culturally conditioned to stay quiet. Chapters discuss the importance of disconnecting from people who would hold one back; how to establish safety particularly from anger, bullying, or sexual harassment; and much more. Of particular interest is the examination of systemic racism, compared and contrasted to systemic sexism, including but not limited to the frustrating behaviors of white people who claim they're "woke" yet engage in extraordinarily annoying and thoughtless behaviors (such as touching a nonwhite person's hair without asking, or asking a nonwhite person questions as if they speak for their entire race). A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space is insightful, practical- minded, encouraging, and a "must-read" for women everywhere. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that A Woman's Guide to Claiming Space is also available in a Kindle edition ($17.05).


The Christian Studies Shelf

40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, second edition
Robert L. Plummer, author
Benjamin L. Merkle, series editor
Kregel Academic
https://www.kregel.com
9780825446665 $22.99 pbk / $19.66 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/40-Questions-About-Interpreting-Bible/dp/082544666X

Synopsis: 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, now in a revised second edition, probes the most pressing problems encountered by churchgoers and beginning Bible students when they try to read and understand the Bible. Using feedback received from pastors, professors, and Bible teachers, New Testament professor Robert L. Plummer includes updated information about Bible translations, biblical interpretation, and Bible study technology and streamlines previous portions to make room for a handful of new issues.

This second edition, updated regarding Bible translations, biblical interpretation trends, and Bible-related technology, will continue to serve professors, pastors, and Bible study leaders as a go-to guide or textbook. New Testament scholar Robert L. Plummer covers historical, interpretive, practical, and theological matters such as:

Were the ancient manuscripts of the Bible transmitted accurately?
Why can't people agree on what the Bible means?
How do we interpret the Psalms?
How can I use the Bible in daily devotions?
Does the Bible teach that God wants Christians to be healthy and wealthy?

40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible provides crucial assistance for students ready to engage with biblical scholarship and for teachers eager to lead Bible studies with confidence.

Critique: New testament scholar Robert Plummer presents 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, now in an updated second edition with new chapters about Bible translations, trends in interpreting the Bible, and technology related to the Bible. Acutely edifying and enhanced with a bibliography and index, 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is thoroughly accessible to lay readers and experienced scholars alike. Chapters focus on common yet vital questions such as "Were the Ancient Manuscripts of the bible Transmitted Accurately?", "Why Can't People Agree on What the Bible Means?", "How Can I Lead a Bible Study?" and much more. Many of the chapters focus on how to approach specific texts including historical narratives, prophecy, proverbs, poetry, and the psalms. 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is a "must" for personal, public library, and church library Christian Studies collections, highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.66).

God's Revolution
Eberhard Arnold
Plough Publishing House
www.plough.com
9781636080000 $20.00 hc / $8.49 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Revolution-Community-Eberhard-Centennial/dp/1636080006

Synopsis: A radical vision for a society transformed by the teachings and spirit of Jesus.

Do you feel powerless to change the injustice at every level of society? Are you tired of answers that ignore the root causes of human suffering? This selection of writings by Eberhard Arnold, who left a career and the established church in order to live out the gospel, calls us to a completely different way.

Be warned: Arnold doesn't approach discipleship as the route to some benign religious fulfillment, but as a revolution a transformation that begins within and spreads outward to encompass every aspect of life. Arnold writes in the same tradition of radical obedience to the gospel as his contemporaries Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Critique: God's Revolution: Justice, Community and the Coming Kingdom collects writings from author Eberhard Arnold, who departed a career and the established church in order to live more closely to the Gospel. Most of these writings are dated to years in the early 1930's; Arnold's philosophy of adherence to the Gospel is distilled into brief passages, and many of these passages are paired with a specific reference to Gospel scripture. For example, Arnold's paragraph explaining why "The Sword of the [Holy] Spirit Is Not the Sword of Wrath" has a reference to Eph. 6:17 and Rom. 13:4. Intensely reverent and thought-provoking, God's Revolution is highly recommended for theology studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that God's Revolution is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.49).


The Judaic Studies Shelf

The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave
Moshe Sokol
Maggid Books
www.maggidbooks.com
9781592645473 $24.95 hc

https://www.amazon.com/Snake-at-Mouth-Cave/dp/159264547X

Synopsis: The Talmud is well known for its complex legal discussions and halakhic discourse, yet the Talmud also contains a large amount of aggada, non-halalkhic teachings about theology, ethics, spirituality, psychology, health, and many other topics, interspersed throughout the text. This fascinating material has not merited the same amount of scholarly attention over the centuries as has the halakhic portion, and its riches are waiting to be mined.

The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol offers eye-opening studies of eight aggadic stories about sages. These narratives contain dramatic explorations of human nature revolving around a common theme: the cost of living a deeply principled life, and the complex ways in which human nature, past experiences, and future hopes shape difficult moral choices. Rabbi Sokol sheds light on these stories, drawing on classical rabbinic commentaries, contemporary scholarship, and insights from such diverse fields as psychology, literature, cultural studies, philosophy, history, and more.

The Talmud has endured for millennia, and despite predictions to the contrary, the study of Talmud flourishes. The talmudic conversation will continue long into the future, and aggadic narratives too, properly understood, have much to teach future generations.

Critique: The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave is a scholarly examination of eight aggadic (Talmud material not pertaining to legal matters) stories about sages in the sacred text of the Talmud. Meticulously written and expertly presented by Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave is an invaluable cross-examination, drawing interpretations on whether deathbed reconciliation is possible, conflicts between teachers and students, the excommunication of R. Eliezer, and much more. These narratives have not been as heavily studied as the legal material of the Talmud, making The Snake at the Mouth of the Cave an extremely welcome contribution to personal, public, and synagogue library Judaic Studies shelves. Highly recommended.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The World of the Axial Sages
John C. Stephens
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
www.cambridgescholars.com
9781527560819 $99.95

https://www.amazon.com/World-Axial-Sages-John-Stephens/dp/1527560813

Synopsis: This book presents an engaging analysis of the global spiritual changes of the first millennium BCE. Between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE, several new, revolutionary religious and philosophic movements were born throughout the world. Rather than using the well-known label Axial Age to refer to this time of religious change, the book argues that a better choice would be the Age of Awakening, since it places more emphasis upon the personal, internal dimension of religious experience lying at the core of these developments.

Earthshattering spiritual encounters with the sacred led the prophets and sages of the Age of Awakening to redirect peoples attention away from the stagnant traditions of the past towards new forms of dynamic spirituality. The era saw the emergence of a variety of innovative spiritual pathways in both the eastern and western worlds. In classical Greece, Pythagoras and Plato proposed new spiritual and intellectual alternatives to the outdated religious myths and rituals of the polis. The Middle East also played a significant role in the spiritual revolution of the first millennium BCE. As early as the sixth century BCE, the Persian prophet Zoroasters revelatory visions about the Truth and the Lie led to the birth of a new religious movement known as Zoroastrianism. At the time of the Babylonian Exile, ancient Judaism underwent a process of radical spiritual renewal largely due to the inspired teachings of the Hebrew prophets. In India, the writers of the Upanishads provided a spiritual reinterpretation of many of the old Vedic myths and rituals.

Sages including the Buddha and Mahavira rejected the old sacrificial system of the brahmins and asserted that liberation from the cycle of birth and death could only be found through the practice of asceticism and a general withdrawal from the illusory material world. As such, this book highlights the importance of the de-stabilizing influences of religious experience for understanding the revolutionary spiritual developments of the first millennium BCE.

Critique: The World of the Axial Sages: The Age of Awakening is a scholarly examination of humanity's spiritual evolution during the first millennium BCE. Chapters scrutinize the rise of Zoroastrianism, Hebrew prophets, Indian reinterpretation of Vedic beliefs, the dawn of Buddhism, the teachings of Chinese sages and more. Notes and an index round out this studious and thought-provoking cross-examination religious awakenings in cultures across the globe. Highly recommended especially for college library Religious Studies collections.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments
Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D.
YMAA Publication Center
www.ymaa.com
9781594397417 $24.95 pbk / $9.89 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Tai-Chi-Concepts-Experiments-Strength-ebook/dp/B08DDK3RWM

Synopsis: The Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments book clarifies and makes accessible critical aspects of the art that only a small number of high-level practitioners currently understand and manifest.

Numerous step-by-step experiments are provided for readers to experience and perfect these critical tai chi aspects. Contents include:

The meaning and importance of releasing tension in movement for stability, health, and spirituality.

The differences between contractive and expansive strength including a promising mechanism for the nature of expansive strength.

Numerous experiments for readers to recognize and experience expansive strength and to confirm that they have achieved it.

Elucidation of famous master's sayings on mind, strength, and chi.

Health and martial advantages of expansion over contraction in tai chi.

Protocols using expansion including those for helping an excess curvature of the upper and lower spine and for relieving plantar fasciitis.

Quotes from the classics and how they confirm the interpretations of the principles of tai chi.

How to achieve optimal balance through an understanding of physical, anatomical, physiological, and mental factors.

A detailed analysis of "rooting and redirecting" including physical and internal aspects.

Understanding natural movement from physical, philosophical, health, and martial points of view.

This interdisciplinary book utilizes, elementary physics, physiology, anatomy, psychology, and spirituality. It contains detailed analyses and explanations for achieving internal, expansive strength, known as nei jin, and for attaining optimal timing and natural movement.

Critique: Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments: Hidden Strength, Natural Movement, and Timing, is a studious guide written expressly for skilled Tai Chi practitioners, in order to fill a gap in existing literature and studies of the art. Chapters expressly focus upon cultivating "expansive strength", which is far more than simple muscle conditioning, and the optimal timing of Tai Chi movements. Black-and-white photographs and diagrams help illustrate the technical points described and step-by-step experiments, in this complex analysis of Tai Chi dynamics. Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments is highly recommended for advanced practitioners of Tai Chi seeking to take their understanding of the art to the next level. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Tai Chi Concepts and Experiments is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.89).

Editor's Note: Author Robert Chuckrow, Ph.D. (experimental physics NYU) has been practicing tai chi since 1970. He is certified as a master teacher of Kinetic Awareness(R) and has authored six books, notably The Tai Chi Book (YMAA, 1998). Dr. Chuckrow has studied tai chi, chi kung (qigong), and other movement and healing arts under masters such as Cheng Man-ch'ing, William C. C. Chen, Elaine Summers, Alice Holtman, Harvey I. Sober, Kevin Harrington, and Chin Fan-siong.


The Gardening Shelf

Grow Your Own Mushrooms
Folko Kullmann
Green Books
www.greenbooks.co.uk
c/o Independent Publishers Group (dist.)
https://www.ipgbook.com
9780857845252 $15.99 pbk / $15.19 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Grow-Your-Own-Mushrooms-choose/dp/085784525X

Synopsis: Grow delicious edible mushrooms indoors or outdoors, in your garden or on your balcony, and enjoy them fresh throughout the year. This practical book explains how to grow fungi, with easy-to-understand instructions:

Methods and growing-media for indoors and out
Getting your mushrooms started and caring for them
How to harvest, store, and preserve your mushrooms all year round
In-depth descriptions of the most popular varieties

This beautifully designed book is the perfect introduction to mushrooms. In it, Folko Kullmann explains what fungi are, how they grow, their history and medicinal properties. It outlines every step of how to grow mushrooms at home, with lots of photographs throughout.

Grow Your Own Mushrooms includes a 12-month plan and a list of the best mushrooms to grow at home. In the garden, mushrooms thrive in areas too shady for vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Whether you grow them on logs, straw bales, or ready-mixed growing media, with the right care you're sure of a rich crop of delicious and unusual mushrooms.

Mushrooms are completely at home on balconies, where you can grow them in the shade in pots or containers and many are in their element indoors - in the kitchen or bathroom, on a windowsill, in a dark corner, or in the basement. Best of all, indoors you can grow them all year round!

Critique: Grow Your Own Mushrooms lives up to its titles as a practical-minded, reader-friendly guide to growing edible mushrooms in one's own home, enhanced with tips and recipes for cooking them in delicious dishes. Full-color photographs on nearly every page and a handy index enhance this excellent guide for aspiring mushroom gardeners of all backgrounds and experience levels. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Grow Your Own Mushrooms is also available in a Kindle edition ($15.19).


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The True Nature of Tarot, tenth anniversary edition
Diane Wing, M.A.
www.DianeWingAuthor.com
Marvelous Spirit Press
www.MarvelousSpirit.com
c/o Loving Healing Press
www.LHPress.com
9781615995844 $27.95 pbk / $7.95 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/True-Nature-Tarot-Empowerment-Anniversary/dp/1615995846

Synopsis: Tarot empowers those who connect with its wisdom. As a tool of enlightenment, it guides, reveals hidden insights, and reflects the hopes, fears, and energies of the practitioner and seeker. Based in Universal Law, the cards form a book of metaphysics. Their interpretations change with your level of understanding to help you navigate your life path and generate alternatives. It is a boundless tool that allows you to tap into ancient wisdom that promotes deep transformation of the self and the way in which you experience interactions with the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental realms.

Develop your own style of reading tarot, from choosing your deck to pulling information from the cards.
Learn how a reading is experienced from the perspectives of both the reader and the inquirer.
Understand the variables that impact the accuracy of your reading.
Discover ways to increase the amount of information pulled from the tarot.
Become expert at grounding and centering to maximize your energetic stability on a daily basis.
Learn powerful spreads that give you ways to see interactions between the cards.
Increase your awareness of the ethics of imparting information

Critique: Now in a tenth anniversary edition, The True Nature of Tarot: Your Path to Personal Empowerment lives up to its title as a guide to using tarot as a tool to navigating one's life and connecting with timeless wisdom. Thoroughly accessible to beginner and advanced practitioners alike, The True Nature of Tarot discusses the basics of tarot reading, ethical considerations, the major and minor arcana and their combinations, and much more. A glossary, a bibliography, and an index round out this excellent, user-friendly reference and resource to the art of tarot reading. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The True Nature of Tarot is also available in a Kindle edition ($7.95).


The Dance Shelf

The Pointe Book, fourth edition
Janice Barringer and Sarah Schlesinger
Princeton Book Company, Publishers
www.dancehorizons.com
9780871273987 $45.00 pbk

https://www.amazon.com/Pointe-Book-Shoes-Training-Technique/dp/0871273985

Synopsis: New features of the fourth edition include:

updated pointe shoe size charts
new information about pointe shoe fitting
innovative ways to sew on ribbons
new shoes that compliment dark skin
the subject of touching and sexual harassment is addressed
new interviews with famous and highly respected teachers
an extensive list of colleges and universities that offer ballet and pointe classes
entirely new chapter on sample pointe classes
extensively updated medical section with surprising revelations about anti- inflammatories and ice
new flooring products to prevent harsh impact and slipping
expanded Men on Pointe section due to increased interest by male dancers
the section on Profiles of Pointe Shoemakers and Sellers is totally updated
ballerinas talk about their shoes, how they prepare them, and new products they can't live without

Critique: Now in an updated fourth edition with a wealth of new information and expanded subjects, The Pointe Book: Shoes, Training, Technique is the definitive, in-depth guide to the art form of pointe dancing - graceful dance poses that balance the entire body on the extreme tip of the toe, and a fundamental component of ballet. Immensely detailed, yet thoroughly accessible to readers of all skill and experience levels, The Pointe Book discusses the history and practice of pointe dancing, fitting and caring for pointe shoes, how pointe is taught, preventions and medical care for pointe-related injuries, and much more. The Pointe Book, fourth edition is an absolute "must-have" for anyone interested in teaching, practicing, or simply learning about this physically demanding yet strikingly beautiful dance art. Highly recommended.


The American History Shelf

Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier
Eoin Un Cathail, author
Patrick J. Mahoney, translator and editor
University of North Texas Press
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574418279 $24.95 hc

https://www.amazon.com/Recovering-Irish-Voice-American-Frontier/dp/1574418270

Synopsis: Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is a bilingual compilation of stories by Eoin Ua Cathail, an Irish emigrant, based loosely on his experiences in the West and Midwest.

The author draws on the popular American Dime Novel genre throughout to offer unique reflections on nineteenth-century American life. As a member of a government mule train accompanying the U.S. military during the Plains Indian Wars, Ua Cathail depicts fierce encounters with Native American tribes, while also subtly commenting on the hypocrisy of many famine-era Irish immigrants who failed to recognize the parallels between their own plight and that of dispossessed Native peoples. These views are further challenged by his stories set in the upper Midwest.

His writings are marked by the eccentricities and bloated claims characteristic of much American Western literature of the time, while also offering valuable transnational insights into Irish myth, history, and the Gaelic Revival movement. This bilingual volume, with facing Irish-English pages, marks the first publication of Ua Cathail's work in both the original Irish and in translation. It also includes a foreword from historian Richard White, a comprehensive introduction by Mahoney, and a host of previously unpublished historical images.

Critique: Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is a bilingual compilation of stories and prose writings by Eoin Ua Cathail, an Irish emigrant who came to America in 1863. Ua Cathail's stories, roughly based on his experiences in the American West and Midwest, are presented both in their original Irish language and in an adept English translation by scholar and award-winning author Patrick J. Mahoney. Ua Cathail's writings particularly focus upon violent conflicts with displaced Native Americans, drawn from his own witness of clashes during his time as a member of a government mule train accompanying the U.S. military during the Plains Indian Wars. The tragic parallel between Irish immigrants who fled famine in their former nation and dispossessed Native peoples is not lost on Ua Cathail, even as he notes how it seems to be lost on other Irish immigrants of his time. Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is a fascinating primary testimony, given to embellishments and eccentricities, yet also providing a unique window into the American frontier a century and a half in the past. Recovering an Irish Voice from the American Frontier is highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Last Wild Road
T. Edward Nickens
Lyons Press
LyonsPress.com
c/o Rowman & Littlefield
https://rowman.com
9781493059645 $27.95 hc / $19.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Stream-Last-Wild-Road/dp/1493059645

Synopsis: The Last Wild Road is a raucous, gripping, sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world. Collected from more than 20 years of hunting and fishing cover stories, columns, and adventure tales written by T. Edward Nickens for Field & Stream, this book is a road trip that takes in a huge sweep of the North American landscape - blackwater rivers in the wilds of eastern North Carolina, deserts and prairies of the American West, remote tundra of northern Canada, and the wildest rivers of Alaska. Along every rutted road and rough trail, with a rod, gun, and pen, Nickens meets unforgettable characters - old French-speaking Cajuns at Louisiana squirrel camps, a one-armed fly-tyer in the ancient Appalachians, Pennsylvania brothers who lost their father in a hunting accident decades ago and return to the scene for a powerful, poignant encounter with history. He explores remote wilderness waters to chase trout and ducks, but finds rich meaning, too, in the familiar and close-to-home: fishing with his children, plumbing the forests of local farms, and butchering deer in his basement as a thanksgiving for the gifts of the outdoors.

When it comes to hunting and fishing, writing often falls into the categories of where-to-go, the how-do-it, and the-what-to-bring. This book embarks on the question of "why." Why does the pursuit of game and fish, and the travel to the wild places where they thrive, bring meaning and clarity to living in the modern world? Why do we laugh more, and live more deeply, far from the sidewalk? If you've ever felt that way, you'll find yourself in The Last Wild Road.

Critique: Outdoorsman, columnist, and editor-at-large T. Edward Nickens presents The Last Wild Road: Adventures and Essays from a Sporting Life is an anthology of over 20 years of cover stories, columns, and true-life adventure tales about hunting and fishing for Field & Stream magazine. Outdoor enthusiasts and armchair travelers alike will thoroughly enjoy these adventurous stories, enhanced with an index for a quick and easy search of favorite topics. Highly recommended! It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Last Wild Road is also available in a Kindle edition ($19.99).


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


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design