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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 28, Number 5 May 2018 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Science Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Fishing Shelf Business Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Self-Help Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Civil War Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Computer Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Photography Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Fiction Shelf Biography Shelf
Poetry Shelf Coloring Book Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Education Shelf Parenting Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Political Science Shelf Art Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Mythology Shelf Travel Shelf
Economic Studies Shelf Anthropology Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Sports Shelf Aviation Shelf Technology Shelf
Military Shelf Philosophy Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Agriculture Shelf Holocaust Studies Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Fighting Fake News!
Brian C. Housand
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618217288, $29.95, PB, 156pp, www.amazon.com

Brian C. Housand is an Associate Professor at East Carolina University. Professor Housand earned his Ph.D at the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in gifted education and instructional technology. Professor Housand works to translate research and theory into practice while meaningfully integrating technology with a purpose. Educators have long struggled to teach students to be critical consumers of the information that they encounter. This struggle is exacerbated by the amount of information available thanks to the Internet and mobile devices. Students must learn how to determine whether or not the information they are accessing is reputable. Professor draws upon his research, expertise, and experience in "Fighting Fake News!: Teaching Critical Thinking and Media Literacy in a Digital Age" to focus on applying critical thinking skills in digital environments while also helping students, teachers, and members of the general public to avoid information overload. According to a 2016 Pew Research report, we are now living in a world where 62% of people report that they get their "news" from social media. With the lessons and activities in this instructional guide and manual, readers will be challenged to look at the media they encounter daily (including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and more) to learn to deepen and extend their media literacy and critical thinking skills. Now more than ever, the American public require instruction in identifying and countering what has come to be known as Fake News. Professor Housand's "Fighting Fake News!" is ideal for teaching students and members of the public how to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate information in this age of Fox News and Russian interference in our American democracy via a politically weaponized social media. Simply stated, a copy of "Fighting Fake News!: Teaching Critical Thinking and Media Literacy in a Digital Age" should be a part of every community, highschool, college, and university library Media Studies and Contemporary Political Science collection and supplemental studies reading list.

Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability, ninth edition
David A. Morton III, M.D.
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com
9781413324846, $39.99, PB, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and expanded ninth edition, "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits" is a comprehensive and compassionate instructional reference and guide that covers both SSDI and SSI, showing the non-specialist general reader how to prove a disability, and explains how age, education, and work experience affect an applicant's chances. Parents will find special information about benefits available to children with a disability. "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" shows how to: Find the disability criteria for a medical condition; Prove the severity of a disability; Appeal if denied benefits; Work part time while keeping benefits; Prepare for a Continuing Disability Review; and so much more. Plus, this new edition of "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is packed with filled-in samples of all the forms you'll need, including the SSDI and SSI disability applications. This edition also covers recent major changes, including: Updated disability listings for over 65 medical conditions; New rules concerning hearings and evidence; Changes in how Social Security considers evidence from treating doctors and other medical providers. Thoroughly and impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community and academic library Social Security reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.49).

Courageous Women of the Vietnam War
Kathryn J. Atwood
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613730744 $19.99 hc / $12.99 Kindle amazon.com

Part of the "Women of Action" biography series written to be thoroughly accessible to young adults and adults alike, Courageous Women of the Vietnam War: Medics, Journalists, Survivors, and More describes the complexities of the Vietnam War in a succession of true-life stories of brave women who were involved in it. Some lost their lives; others endured the effects of post- traumatic stress disorder from the horrors they witnessed. Courageous Women of the Vietnam war portrays women on both sides of the conflict, including Northern and Southern Vietnamese, French, Australian, and American women. Spanning the full length of conflict from Ho Chi Minh's revolution after World War II, to President Richard Nixon's "Peace" and beyond, Courageous Women of the Vietnam War is fascinating, educational, inspiring, and highly recommended for both school and public library collections.

The Warrior's Manifesto
Daniel Modell
YMAA
9781594395987 $12.95 www.ymaa.com

The Warrior's Manifesto: Ideals for Those Who Protect and Defend belongs in martial arts collections but goes far beyond the usual focus on the arts themselves in providing a declaration of ideals that tell what it means to be a warrior. Lest one think that this survey is for martial arts collections alone, however, it should be mentioned that this thorough exploration of what it means to be a rational and reasoned fighter can apply far beyond martial arts, reaching into police work, military circles, and more. This survey, albeit brief, represents the first effort to blend philosophy, history, and the meaning of the choice of those who protect and defend others and society, making for a well-grounded discussion that will lend nicely to classroom debates and discourse as well as consultation by those who answer the call to duty.

How to Eat a Peach
Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley/Octopus Publishing
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781784724115 $34.99

How to Eat a Peach: Menus, Stories and Places pair personal essays from author Diana Henry with insights on how menus can change the nature of food choices and pairings. The title refers to how Italians end a meal in the summer (with peaches and chilled moscato), and considers the simplicity of both cooking and choosing foods that don't need much preparation but which benefit from fine pairings with other foods and weather. From a very simple recipe for said White Peaches in Chilled Moscato to a chocolate-coffee Piedmont drink Biccerin, or a autumn seasonal Fig and Honey Cake, full-page, lovely color photos of finished dishes compliment an appealing cookbook especially recommended for prior fans of Henry's style and food pairings that are exceptionally simple to replicate.

Wisconsin State Parks
Scott Spoolman
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
816 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
www.wisconsinhistory.org
9780870208492, $24.95, PB, 228pp, www.amazon.com

The impressive bluffs, valleys, waterfalls, and lakes of Wisconsin's state parks provide more than beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities. They are windows into the distant past, offering clues to the dramatic events that have shaped the land over billions of years. In "Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History", author and former DNR journalist Scott Spoolman takes readers with him to twenty-eight parks, forests, and natural areas where evidence of the state's striking geologic and natural history are on display. In an accessible storytelling style, Spoolman sheds light on the volcanoes that poured deep layers of lava rock over a vast area in the northwest, the glacial masses that flattened and molded the landscape of northern and eastern Wisconsin, mountain ranges that rose up and wore away over hundreds of millions of years, and many other bedrock-shaping phenomena. These stories connect geologic processes to the current landscape, as well as to the evolution of flora and fauna and development of human settlement and activities, for a deeper understanding of our state's natural history. "Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History" also includes a selection of detailed trail guides for each park, which hikers can take with them on the trail to view evidence of Wisconsin's geologic and natural history for themselves. Beautifully illustrated throughout in full color and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted that "Wisconsin State Parks: Extraordinary Stories of Geology and Natural History" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $15.99).

Excellences & Perfections
Amalia Ulman
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791384184, $29.95, HC, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Amalia Ulman is an Argentinean artist currently based in Los Angles, CA. Her work has been exhibited around the world at venues including the New Museum, the International Center of Photography, the 9th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Tate Modern, and Whitechapel Gallery. Ulman's performance "Excellences & Perfections", which unfolded on Instagram in 2014, follows an aspiring it-girl who undergoes a series of cosmetic surgeries and lifestyle changes to help jumpstart her career. For six months Ulman mesmerized her followers with nearly daily posts that documented a young woman trying on different personas in order to make her way in the world. Finally, the real Amalia Ulman revealed the fiction that she had created--a performance piece about identity, gender, class, sexuality, and lifestyle porn. The illustrations are presented in chronological order to give readers the experience of viewing the work as an uninterrupted stream, in the way her followers first saw them on social media. "Excellences & Perfections" is a forerunner of a new brand of performance art in which Ulman has made a significant statement about the intersection of life and art--one that couldn't be more timely or compelling. An inherently fascinating and visually impressive read from cover to cover, "Excellences & Perfections" is an especially recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library collections.

Prisoner of the Samurai
James Gee and Rosalie H. Smith, authors
Allyson Smith, editor
Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612005973 $32.95 hc / $17.99 Kindle amazon.com

Prisoner of the Samurai: Surviving the Sinking of the U.S.S. Houston and the Death Railway is the true-life story of James Gee, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1940, served on the U.S.S. Houston, and survived a grueling, multi-year ordeal as a Japanese P.O.W. after the Houston sank during the battle of Java Sea. He was initially held prisoner in Java and used as forced labor to unload enemy ships; later, he was transferred to Burma and worked on the notorious "death railway", followed by moves to Thailand, Singapore, and Japan. His time as a prisoner was one of starvation and suffering, yet the compassion and camaraderie of his fellow detainees was a ray of hope. Told in Gee's own words, and initially recorded with the aid of Rosalie Hamric Smith, an R.N. of the Guantanamo Bay Naval Hospital where Gee recovered from his ordeal, Prisoner of the Samurai remained hidden in an attic for thirty years before its rediscovery. Prisoner of the Samurai is a riveting and invaluable addition to military biography and world history collections, and highly recommended for both public and college libraries.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives
Aaron Mannion, Millicent Weber, Katherine Day, editors
Monash University Publishing
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781925523249, $29.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

The Australian publishing industry has transformed itself from a colonial outpost of British publishing to a central node in a truly global publishing industry. Despite challenges that included reduced government support for home-grown authors and the arts, Australian small presses thrive and the Australian general reading public have access to an unprecedented range of foreign and domestic titles. Social media, big data, print on demand, subscription, and new compensation models are subtly reshaping an industry that now also relies on more freelance labor than ever before. "Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives" examines the current state of this exciting and unpredictable industry, while also asking questions about the broader role of publishing within our culture. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Aaron Mannion, Millicent Weber, Katherine Day, "Publishing Means Business: Australian Perspectives" is comprised of nine erudite, insightful, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking articles, making it unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Publishing, Media Studies, Journalism collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Science Shelf

My Plastic Brain
Caroline Williams
Prometheus Books
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633883918 $24.00

My Plastic Brain: One Woman's Yearlong Journey to Discover if Science Can Improve Her Mind tells of the author's year-long effort to explore the idea of neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to make new neural pathways to change how it operates. As an experienced science journalist, Williams volunteered to be a test subject in changing how the brain performs and functions, seeking to improve upon weaknesses and limitations in her own brain operations. Her account of trying various techniques to improve her brain, from meditation and magnetic brain stimulation to retraining processes, makes for a vivid blend of scientific inquiry and experiment that covers the basics of how brains learn, adapt, and change. The personal autobiographical embellishments lend to a vivid read.

Mountains
Graham Park
Dunedin Academic Press Ltd.
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
www.isbs.com
9781780460666, $40.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Most mountains on Earth occur within relatively well-defined, narrow belts separated by wide expanses of much lower-lying ground. Their distribution is not random but is caused by the now well-understood geological processes of plate tectonics. Some mountains mark the site of a former plate collision where one continental plate has ridden up over another, resulting in a zone of highly deformed and elevated rocks. Others are essentially volcanic in origin. The most obvious mountain belts today (the Himalayas, the Alps and the Andes, for example) are situated at currently active plate boundaries. Others, such as the Caledonian mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia, are the product of a plate collision that happened far in the geological past and have no present relationship to a plate boundary. These are much lower, with a generally gentler relief, worn down through millennia of erosion. The presently active mountain belts are arranged in three separate systems: the Alpine-Himalayan ranges, the circum-Pacific belt and the mid-ocean ridges. Much of the Alpine-Himalayan belt is relatively well known, but large parts of the circum-Pacific and ocean-ridge systems are not nearly as familiar, but contain equally impressive mountain ranges despite large parts being partly or wholly submerged. "Mountains: The Origins of the Earth's Mountain Systems" by Graham Park (Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology, University of Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England) takes the reader along the active mountain systems, explaining how plate tectonic processes have shaped them before looking more briefly at some of the older mountain systems whose tectonic origins are more obscure. "Mountains: The Origins of the Earth's Mountain Systems" is an ideal introduction to the geological processes that create mountains and very highly recommended for both community and academic library Earth Science, Natural Sciences, Natural History, and Geology collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Lunchbox Salads
Naomi Twigden & Anna Pinder
Lifelong Books / Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9780738234878, $18.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Eating lunch at work or in school doesn't have to mean frozen burritos or pricey takeout. "Lunchbox Salads: More than 100 Fast, Fresh, Filling Salads for Every Weekday" shares easy, affordable, substantial, and vibrant salad inspiration for every workday (and for dinner and weekends, too!). "Lunchbox Salads" showcases creative recipes that use 10 or fewer easy-to-buy ingredients and take no more than 30 minutes to make; those that contain meat can be made vegetarian and always keep the focus on healthy veggie-strong eating. Each recipe yields 2 substantial portions to support energy throughout the afternoon, and everything will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge (with specific packing instructions to avoid soggy leaves at lunchtime). Each chapter focuses on a different hero vegetable (like squash, carrot, red pepper, beet, cabbage, and zucchini); the recipes are easy to customize for different dietary preferences and are suitable for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Beautifully illustrated throughout and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, "Lunchbox Salads" is an extraordinary, unique, and highly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Seriously Good Freezer Meals
Karrie Truman
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778805915, $24.95, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Compiled by Karrie Truman, "Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity" showcases palate pleasing and appetite satisfying recipes for dishes that will change the way moms will think about freezer cooking for their families with menu choices that range from Buttery Cinnamon French Toast Bake; Hazelnut Chicken Wild Rice Soup; Bacon Carbonara Pasta Pie; and BBQ Beef Brisket; to Lemon Dill Tilapia Tacos; Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pesto Quiche; Buffalo Ranch Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli; and Brown Butter Pecan Pie. Of special note is the section on Bases & Sauces, as well as a bulk-batch chart for ease in making large quantities of each freezer-meal recipe. "Seriously Good Freezer Meals" provides all the tools needed to become a expert at preparing a freezer-meal including: information on shopping, cooking, freezing, thawing and everything in between. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Seriously Good Freezer Meals" is a pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies
Gail L. Jenner
TwoDot
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493029709 $24.00

How did the early pioneers in the Old West put meals together without fresh ingredients, modern kitchen utensils, and a regular kitchen? Baking, in particular, can be a demanding task because inaccurate temperatures and timing can lead to failure. Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies shares baking secrets of Old West cooks, from chuck wagon chefs to Native Americans, and features over a hundred recipes which have been updated for modern kitchens. While one might expect recipes that are less appealing than their modern counterparts, it should be mentioned that such fare as Molasses Nut Bread, Eggnog Pie, Rhubarb Cream Custard Pie and Sourdough Waffles are appealing and easy to reproduce, and come with notes and tips that make it easy to assure baking success. Very highly recommended even for modern cooks who already have many baking books in their collections.

Comfort
Candice Brown
Trafalgar Square Publishing
www.trafalgarbooks.com
9781785037078 $34.95 www.ipgbook.com

Comfort: Delicious Bakes & Family Treats provides comfort food recipes and comes from the winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2016. Her first cookbook is all about home comfort baking and recipes range from baking with and for kids to afternoon teas, savory weeknight bakes, weekend cooking and more. These include dishes such as a Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chorizo, Pepper and Sweet Potato Tart, Port-Soaked Christmas Cake, and more: dishes that come from the heart of British fare and home. Introductions to each recipe offer keys as to its origin and applications in a solid presentation especially recommended for any who want to expand their baking repertoire.

The Lake Michigan Cottage Cookbook
Amelia Levin
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com
9781612127323, $19.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout, "The Lake Michigan Cottage Cookbook" is culinary collection showcasing 118 recipes that effectively captures the evocative food experiences of the Lake Michigan region, an ultimate vacation destination with hundreds of miles of shoreline and rich food traditions reflecting the bounty of the area's farms and the lake's daily catch. Featured recipes include Helen Suchy's Apple Cake from Door County, Homemade Sheboygan-Style Bratwurst, Chicago's HBFC Original Fried Chicken Sandwich, Beach House Cheesy Potatoes from Northwest Indiana, and The Cook's House Crispy Skinned Lake Trout from Traverse City. Delightful photographs of cottage life and classic destinations, along with profiles of favorite food purveyors, bring the lakeshore's flavors and charm to you year-round, wherever you are. Displaying authentic Wisconsin cuisine from Cherry Pies, to Beer-Battered Cheese Curds, to Homemade Sheboygan -Style Brats, "The Lake Michigan Cottage Cookbook" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections! It should be noted that "The Lake Michigan Cottage Cookbook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Fermentation Revolution
Sebastien Bureau & David Cote
Robert Rose Inc.
120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4P 1E2
www.robertrose.ca
9780778805939, $24.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Fermentation is a metabolic process that consumes sugar in the absence of oxygen. The products are organic acids, gases, or alcohol. It occurs in yeast and bacteria, and also in oxygen-starved muscle cells, as in the case of lactic acid fermentation. The science of fermentation is known as zymology. Basically, fermentation allows the culinary transformation of the ordinary to the extraordinary (think: delicious pickles, olives, and ginger beer). But more than that, fermented foods have enhanced nutritional value, aid in digestion, and regulate our immune systems. Fermentation is fun and it results in foods packed full of flavor and health benefits. The collaborative work of Sebastien Bureau (who is the president of MannaNova Solutions Inc, a food science consulting service that helps small producers in the fermented and non-fermented food and beverage industry) and David Cote (who is a living foods chef, nutrition expert, shiatsu therapist and is currently the President of Crudessence and VP of RISE), "The Fermentation Cookbook" provides 70 beautifully illustrated, easy, step-by-step, and cost-effective recipes for everything from fermented vegetables, fruits, sugars and honey to milks, cereals, grains and legumes. It also covers the science behind fermentation, different types of fermentation processes, and useful fermentation equipment. Featuring recipes that range from Bajan Hot Pepper Sauce; Cashew Lahneh with Za'atar; and Country-Style Miche; to Grape Leaves with Sorghum; Temph Omelet; and Wild Mushroom Salad with Kombycha Vinaigrette, "Fermentation Revolution" is a unique and very highly recommended addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies
Gail L. Jenner
TwoDot
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
246 Goose Lane, Suite 200, Guilford, CT 06437
www.globepequot.com
9781493029709, $24.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Living in the Old West required not only stamina, but innovation. Imagine putting a cake together without fresh supplies, measuring spoons, or a dedicated work area; imagine baking that cake without a thermometer, steady heat, or a timer. In "Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies: The Old West Baking Book" ranch wife Gail L. Jenner shares the baking secrets of Native American ranch house cooks, chuck wagon chefs, and wagon train homemakers, along with more than a hundred authentic Old West recipes, each of which is fully updated and kitchen tested. Classic Dutch-oven and cast-iron techniques are also included. With thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes ranging from Sourdough Biscuits, Apple Brown Betty, and Concord Grape Pie, to Kentucky Bran Muffins, Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, and Honey Cakes, "Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies" also features dozens of anecdotes and fun facts on how our ancestors were so successful with so little. Nicely illustrated throughout, "Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies" will prove to be a unique and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Sourdough Biscuits and Pioneer Pies" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.50).


The Fishing Shelf

True Tales from an Expert Fisherman
John Bailey
IMM Lifestyle Books
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781504800877, $19.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

"True Tales from an Expert Fisherman" by author, photographer, and dedicated angler John Bailey is comprised of ten hugely entertaining and well-illustrated fishing tales. Recounting some of the best and worst aspects of his worldwide pursuit of fish, Bailey shares his horrifying brushes with espionage and death in the world's most remote and inhospitable places, and introduces readers along the way to a motley array of characters, as well as an immense variety of fish! An inherently fascinating and reliably entertaining read from cover to cover, "True Tales from an Expert Fisherman" will have a special and particular appeal to all dedicated anglers and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both personal and community library Contemporary Fishing & Hunting collections.


The Business Shelf

How to Get a Meeting with Anyone
Stu Heinecke
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400, Dallas, TX 75204
www.benbellabooks.com
9781941631782, $24.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Stu Heinecke is the host and author of the How To Get A Meeting with Anyone podcast and blog, and founder and president of the Contact Marketing agency, and cofounder of Cartoonists.org, a coalition of famed cartoonists dedicated to raising funds for charity, while raising the profile of the cartooning art form. In "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone: The Untapped Selling Power of Contact Marketing", Heinecke explains how you can use your own creative Contact Campaigns to get those critical conversations so necessary to corporate success. He divulges methods he's developed after years of experience and from studying the secrets of others who've had similar breakthrough results -- results that other marketers considered impossible, with response rates as high as 100 percent. Through real-life success stories, Heinecke lays out 20 categories of Contact Campaigns that anyone can research and execute. Tactics range from running a contact letter as a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to unorthodox uses of the phone, social media, email, and snail mail to using personalized cartoons to make connections. He also packs in plenty of tips on how to determine your targets, develop pitches, and gain allies in your contact's circle of influence. "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is essentially a new toolkit that can be put to work right away, making the kinds of connections that are essential to success in business and in life. Exceptionally 'reader friendly' and 'real world practical', "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists that "How to Get a Meeting with Anyone" is also available in a paperback edition (9781946885135, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

From Last to First
Al Angrisani
Humanix Books
www.humanixbooks.com
9781630061012, $21.99, HC, 134pp, www.amazon.com

For more than twenty-five years Al Angrisani has been helping troubled and under-performing companies experience a "reversal of fortunes" and turn failure into success and new shareholder wealth. Along his journey, he has developed a proven business turnaround model that has created hundreds of millions of dollars of wealth over and over again. In his first book, "Win One for The Shareholders" (ELG Consulting, Inc., 9780615279718, $38.45, HC, 146pp), Al shared his model with the world and the book instantly became a must-read. In his new book, "In From Last to First: Ten Life-Changing Steps to Wealth and Success", Angrisani deftly examines the failure-breeding mistakes he has seen people make over and over again. He then offers his ten key steps proven to turn these failures into success. Exceptionally informative, impressively well written, organized and presented, "From Last to First" is an exceptional and 'real world practical' addition to personal and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted that "From Last to First" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.99).

Sales Talks
Greg Upah
Beaver's Pond Press
7108 Ohms Lane, Edina, MN 55439
www.BeaversPondPress.com
9781592988105, $19.95, PB, 184pp, www.amazon.com

After his first career as a college professor, Greg Upah joined Y&R Advertising New York. While helping create effective advertising for products like breath mints, mobile phone services and household cleansers, he was offered a position selling sophisticated investment management services for Merrill Lynch. In "Sales Talks: Six Secrets to Winning Presentations, Effective Closes, and Think-On-Your-Feet Tactics That Seal Deals", Greg draws upon his years of experience and expertise to create a compendium of practical and tactical solutions that particularly and especially well suited to the ongoing challenges and opportunities in financial services and similar industries. "Sales Talks" features a story-based format that will effectively impart insights to help any salesperson at any level make the sale for any product or service. Impressively well written and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Sales Talks" is very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as corporate, community, and academic library Business Management instructional reference collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Murder on Union Square
Victoria Thompson
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780399586606, $26.00, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Sarah and Frank Malloy are enjoying married life and looking to make their family official by adopting Catherine, the child whom Sarah rescued and has been raising as her daughter. The process seems fairly straightforward, but at the last minute, the newlyweds discover that Parnell Vaughn, Catherine's legal father, has a claim on the child, and his grasping fiancee is demanding a financial settlement to relinquish parental rights. Even though exchanging money for a child is illegal, Frank and Sarah's love for Catherine drives them to comply. When Frank returns with the money and finds Vaughn beaten to death, all evidence points to Frank as the culprit. A not-quite-famous actor with modest means, Vaughn seems an unlikely candidate for murder, particularly such a violent crime of passion. But Frank soon uncovers real-life intrigue as dramatic as any that appears on stage. Sarah and Frank enlist those closest to them to help hunt for Vaughn's killer as Frank's own life (and the future of their family) hang in the balance. Another deftly crafted 'Gaslight Mystery' from a master of the genre, Victoria Thompson's "Murder on Union Square" is very highly recommended and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Murder on Union Square" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Elementary Murder
A. J. Wright
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750545457, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 372pp, www.amazon.com

The year is 1894. The place is a small town named Wigan. Miss Dorothea Gadsworth is interviewed for a teaching vacancy at George Street Elementary, but is ultimately dismissed as a candidate. The following Monday morning, her body is discovered in a locked classroom with a note by her side. DS Michael Brennan is called in to investigate what appears to be a straightforward suicide, but his instincts tell him there is more to this case than meets the eye. With the door locked from the inside, staff members with plenty to hide and a student missing from the school, DS Brennan, aided by the scowling Constable Jaggery, wrestles with one of his most intricate investigations yet. Another deftly crafted historical mystery by a master of the genre, this large print edition of A. J. Wright's "Elementary Murder" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Queen Anne's Lace
Susan Wittig Albert
Berkeley Prime Crime
www.penguin.com
9780425280058 $27.00

Queen Anne's Lace provides the latest China Bayles mystery in a series encompassing nearly thirty books. This one tells of the herbal shop owner and former attorney's discovery of a box filled with old photos and antique trinkets. Her discovery leads to some odd sights and sounds and a venture into supernatural realms as China uncovers a creepy component to her beloved business and the inhabitants who once lived in her shop and may still claim ownership. As a ghost leads China on a discovery mission, a haunting mystery evolves which will delight both prior China Bayles fans and new readers who like a hauntingly different story line.

What You Want to See
Kristen Lepionka
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250120533, $26.99, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Marin Strasser has a secret. Her fiance thinks her secret is that she's having an affair, and he hires P.I. Roxane Weary to prove it. Then, just days into the case, Marin is shot to death on a side street in an apparent mugging. But soon enough the police begin to focus on Roxane's client for Marin's death, so she starts to dig deeper into Marin's life -- discovering that the elegant woman she's been following has a past and a half, including two previous marriages, an adult son fresh out of prison, and a criminal record of her own. The trail leads to a crew of con artists, an ugly real estate scam that defrauds unsuspecting elderly homeowners out of their property, and the suspicious accident of a wealthy older woman who lives just down the street from where Marin was killed. With Roxane's client facing a murder indictment, the scammers hit close to home to force Roxane to drop the case, and it becomes clear that the stakes are as high as the secrets run deep. The thrilling follow up to her novel "The Last Place You Look", and starring troubled and determined private investigator, Roxane Weary, Kristen Lepionka's "What You Want to See" continues to showcase the author's impressive mastery of the genre and is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "What You Want to See" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781538430491, $29.95, CD).

Death al Fresco
Leslie Karst
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781683315322, $26.99, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

It's early autumn in Santa Cruz and restaurateur Sally Solari decides an open-air painting class is the perfect way for her to learn more about Paul Gauguin, the inspiration for the restaurant she has recently inherited. But the beauty of the Monterey Bay coastline is shattered when Sally's dog Buster sniffs out a corpse tangled up in kelp. The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and a regular at Solaris' until he disappeared after dining there a few nights before. Witnesses claim he left reeling drunk, but his waitress swears the old man only had two beers with is meal. And then the fingers begin to point at Sally's dad for negligently allowing an inebriated customer to walk home alone at night. From a long menu of suspects, including a cast of colorful characters who frequent the historic Santa Cruz fisherman's wharf, Sally must serve up the tall order of clearing her father's name. "Death al Fresco", is Leslie Karst's third delectable Sally Solari mystery and reveals the author's complete mastery of the genre, While "Death al Fresco" is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all Leslie Karst fans that "Death al Fresco" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.80).

Damon Runyon's Boys
Michael Scott Cain
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781944520458, $15.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Damon Taylor, lead reporter for Crime Weekly, has returned from the war with a new-found cynicism. Writing is just a way to earn a living. When the leader of a swing dance group is murdered in plain sight at the Savoy Ballroom, Taylor is assigned the story. He may have been trained by the great newspaperman, Damon Runyon, but it's just a story to him. But as he covers the shooting, Taylor encounters a young cub reporter named Truman Capote, who offers to help. Then the story becomes complicated when one of Taylor's sources, Walter Winchell, learns that the five organized crime families might be involved. After Taylor is beaten up in the rest room at Ebbetts Field during a Dodgers game, it starts to become personal. Taylor discovers that the murder may be tied to the fashion industry. Mob leader Frank Costello may be involved. The FBI are definitely involved. The dance leader's mistress is stuck in the middle. And Capote keeps digging up new information that Taylor can't ignore. When someone takes a shot at him, Damon Taylor discovers he may have to grow a conscience just to survive. But can he solve the mystery before he becomes its next victim? A simply riveting novel from first page to last, "Damon Runyon's Boys" showcases author Michael Scott Cain's complete mastery of the genre. Replete with unexpected twists and turns, "Damon Runyon's Boys" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs, as well as community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Only Skein Deep
Maggie Sefton
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
9780425282526, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Kelly Flynn and her boyfriend, Steve, couldn't be happier as they await the birth of their bouncing baby boy. Kelly's got a built-in group of fiber arts specialists, the Lambspun Knitters, who are working away on blankets and booties. As they sit around the table crafting their keepsakes, the story of Giselle Callahan is a popular topic of conversation. Giselle is the young wife of Henry Callahan, a Fort Connor banking scion, who traded in his previous wife of forty years for a newer model. Giselle's prowess as a skilled country club golfer and social climber puts her on someone's hit list. When she is found dead on the greens at the golf club, Kelly and her Lambspun crew worry that a vicious killer is in their midst. They must work fast to bring an unhinged murderer to justice on the back nine before Kelly's very special delivery! Another deftly crafted and truly riveting read from beginning to end, "Only Skein Deep" is the latest addition to author Maggie Sefton's 'Knitting Mystery' series and even includes a recipe and a knitting pattern! Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated fans of knitting and mysteries that "Only Skein Deep" is also available in a paperback edition (9780425282533, $7.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781520077680, $29.95, CD).

The Dutton Girl
Stan Freeman
Coffeetown Press
PO Box 70515, Seattle, WA 98127
www.coffeetownpress.com
9781603817660, $16.95, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

In January, 1915, John Nolan's life is in a shambles. A recent immigrant from Ireland, he wants nothing more than to bring his fiancee over too, but he is only a poorly paid private detective living in New York City in a tenement flat without running water or a bathroom. When the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer is kidnapped from her Manhattan apartment, the police are baffled. A $50,000 ransom demand puts the girl's father in fear for her life, so he hires Nolan in hopes that he can find her quickly. Early in his investigation, Nolan realizes the missing girl's family members are the main suspects. Her father gave her a small fortune in jewelry to avoid losing the pieces in court when he divorced her mother. Everyone in the family needs money, and they all knew where she kept the jewels hidden in her apartment. The case will bring Nolan up against police corruption, the Black Hand, and racist stevedores on the waterfront. And before he uncovers the truth, he must survive a biplane pursuit, a gun battle in the Tenderloin, and finally a deadly chase on the tracks beneath Grand Central Terminal. With "The Dutton Girl", author Stan Freeman launches a new detective and deftly entertaining series featuring John Nolan that is certain to be an immediate and popular addition to both the personal reading list of dedicated mystery buffs and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

The Bishop's Pawn
Steve Berry
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250140227, $28.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

History notes that the ugly feud between J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King, Jr., marked by years of illegal surveillance and the accumulation of secret files, ended on April 4, 1968 when King was assassinated by James Earl Ray. But that may not have been the case. Now, fifty years later, former Justice Department agent, Cotton Malone, must reckon with the truth of what really happened that fateful day in Memphis. It all turns on an incident from eighteen years ago, when Malone, as a young Navy lawyer, is trying hard not to live up to his burgeoning reputation as a maverick. When Stephanie Nelle, a high-level Justice Department lawyer, enlists him to help with an investigation, he jumps at the opportunity. But he soon discovers that two opposing forces (the Justice Department and the FBI) are at war over a rare coin and a cadre of secret files containing explosive revelations about the King assassination, information that could ruin innocent lives and threaten the legacy of the civil rights movement's greatest martyr. Malone's decision to see it through to the end, from the raucous bars of Mexico, to the clear waters of the Dry Tortugas, and ultimately into the halls of power within Washington D.C. itself, not only changes his own life, but the course of history. A simply riveting novel by a master of narrative storytelling, "The Bishop's Pawn" by Steve Berry is an extraordinarily entertaining and deftly written read from first page to last, making it unreservedly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Bishop's Pawn" is also available in a trade paperback edition (9781250194060, $18.99), a mass market paperback edition (9781250140241, $9.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781427293176, $39.99, CD).


The Self-Help Shelf

Anxiety Happens
John P. Forsyth & Georg H. Eifert
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
9781684031108, $14.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

We live in an age of anxiety, and studies show that it's only getting worse. Anxiety forces itself into our awareness and can deplete our energy, resources, and resolve. We may confront it the moment we wake up in the morning, and it can even keep us from getting to sleep at night. In short, it can run our lives. But it doesn't have to be this way. "Anxiety Happens: 52 Ways to Find Peace of Mind" is the collaborative work of John P. Forsyth (Professor of Psychology and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the University at Albany, SUNY) and Georg H. Eifert Professor Emeritus of Psychology and former Associate Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences at Chapman University in Orange, California). This quick reference guide offers fifty-two simple tools and strategies (one for each week of the year) based in proven-effective acceptance and commitment therapy to help you break free from worry, fear, and panic. In addition to "in-the-moment" tools for staying calm, you'll learn about the underlying causes of your anxiety, why avoidance just doesn't work, how to move past your negative inner voice, and how focusing on your values can help you move past anxiety and live a rich, meaningful life. While very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections, it should be noted for the non-specialist general readers that "Anxiety Happens" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.35).

Organised
Sarah Reynolds
Gill Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9780717175567, $29.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

From an early age, Sarah Reynolds loved organizing. Unlike most kids, she would happily rearrange her bedroom or sort the family bookcase. But it wasn't until watching the Oprah Winfrey Show that Sarah had her own A-HA moment: seeing Professional Organizer Julie Morgenstern made Sarah realize that she could have a career doing what she loved. In "Organised" she draws upon her many years of experience and expertise to share a wealth of simple, practical, effective says to declutter a home and/or a personal schedule. A potentially life-changing instructional guide, "Organised" can dramatically transform our approach to clutter and tidying-up so that getting and staying organized is easy and we can achieve the maximum space, functionality and joy out of our homes. Readers will discover: Why clutter builds up and the psychological blocks stopping them from tackling it; Where and how to start on our journey to an organized home; The art of throwing things away without regret. An organized home will give us the energy and motivation to create the life we want and move on from whatever is holding us back. Step by step, room by room, "Organised" reveals the art and science of creating a home for stress-free living. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Organised" is a very highly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library collections.

The Abundance Project
Derek Rydall
Atria Books / Beyond Words
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781582706528, $24.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

A step-by-step guide to design and create abundance in any area of life, including money, time, love, creativity, and more, "The Abundance Project: 40 Days to More Wealth, Health, Love, and Happiness" by international life coach and integrative therapist Derek Rydall is about having more than enough in every area of your life including more than enough money, time, love, creativity, and happiness, regardless of the circumstances you've been through or are currently facing. This may sound like wishful thinking, but once you understand what you're really made of, and what the source of real abundance is, you will increase your capacity and unleash your divine inheritance. Built on universal, proven principles, "The Abundance Project" breaks you out of the unsustainable buying/consuming loop created by the mind set that fulfillment comes from outside ourselves. Instead, "The Abundance Project" shows how the infinite-sum reserve that's already in you will provide all that you need. A truly transformational read that is exceptionally informative and impressively well written, organized and presented, "The Abundance Project" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Abundance Project" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Graphic Novel Shelf

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain
Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Illustrated by Kuma Chan
Udon Entertainment
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808027 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the Manga Classics series of black-and-white graphic novel adaptations of timeless literature, featuring manga-style art and the utmost respect for the original works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer brings Mark Twain's novel about a silver-tongued young man in the antebellum South to life with a whole new work. This adaptation deliberately keeps the tone and word choices from the source material intact, since Mark Twain's gift for language and satire were a crucial element of his stories. Thoroughly engaging for readers of all ages, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a "must" for public and school library graphic novel collections. Also highly recommended is the Manga Classics adaptation of Mark Twain's sequel, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (9781772940176, $17.99).

Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan
Art by Julien Choy
Udon Entertainment
www.mangaclassics.com
9781947808041 $17.99 amazon.com

Part of the Manga Classics series of black-and-white graphic novel adaptations of timeless literature, featuring manga-style art and the utmost respect for the original works, Romeo and Juliet brings to life the tragic romance of a star-crossed couple from William Shakespeare's unforgettable play. The complete, unaltered text of the original play is used, and the striking artwork makes the tangled saga of love, blood feuds, and death crystal clear to modern-day readers. Manga Classics Romeo and Juliet is a "must-have" for school and public library collections, highly recommended!

Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster
George O'Connor
First Second
175 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.firstsecondbooks.com
9781626725249, $18.99, HC, 80pp, www.amazon.com

In volume ten of his simply outstanding 'Olympians' graphic novel series, George O'Connor delves into the myth of Hermes, the trickster god. From his infancy, when he just one day old he steals a herd of 50 of Apollo's prize cattle by bewitching the animals and bending them to his will (even making them walk backwards!), to his adolescence and adulthood when he becomes father to the equally mischievous Pan, the ancient stories of Hermes assuming new wildly entertaining life as he brings a little bit of chaos to everything he touches or creates. This superbly presented and inherently entertaining is told with O'Connor's own special wit, charm, and storytelling skills. While very highly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all graphic novel fans ages 9 to 90 -- and anyone else who is interested in Greek mythology -- that "Olympians: Hermes: Tales of the Trickster" is also available in a paperback edition (9781626725256, $10.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.80).

Robotech Archives: The Macross Saga Volume 1
Carl Macek & Jack Herman, writers
Svea Stauch, Neil Vokes, Reggie Byers, Dave Johnson, Mike Leeke, artists
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785862946 $24.99 amazon.com

Robotech Archives: The Macross Saga Volume 1 is a full-color graphic novel, first in a series collecting premier comic renditions of Carl Macek's English adaptation of the classic anime sci-fi television series. DC Comics was the first publisher to adapt all 85 episodes of the television series; now, Titan Comics is making these long out-of-print gems available, on quality paper that brings out the best in the artwork. Volume 1 begins with the "Robotech" graphic novel originally published in 1986 (along with Carl Macek's original introduction), which serves as a prologue, followed by the first eleven comics of "The Macross Saga". Connoisseurs of this complex epic about alien invasion, war, death, and culture shock will find "Robotech Archives" an absolute "must-have". Highly recommended!

Sherlock: The Great Game
Mark Gatiss, writer and co-creator
Steven Moffat, co-creator
Jay, artist
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785859168 $12.99 amazon.com

Sherlock: The Great Game is a black-and-white graphic novel continuing a series that re- imagines the legendary detective and his loyal assistant Watson in a modern-day setting. In this interpretation, Sherlock Holmes is, in his own words, a "high-functioning sociopath", who solves crimes and murders with little care for the well-being of the victims. But when people's lives are on the line, compassion is not what they need the most; they need the genius mind of Holmes to help them! In Sherlock: The Great Game, a mastermind that may be Holmes' equal - or at least, equally motivated by boredom and high-functioning sociopathy - embarks on a lethal bombing spree. The nemesis challenges Holmes with a series of grisly games; if Holmes solves the mysteries within a time limit, then the victims of the next bombing may be spared... but can the promise of a cold-blooded killer truly be trusted? Tense, complex, and brought to life with superb and expressive artwork, Sherlock: The Great Game is a "must-read" for connoisseurs of both classic and modern mysteries. Also highly recommended are the first two graphic novels in the series, "Sherlock: A Study in Pink" and "Sherlock: The Blind Banker".

Quake Champions
Ram V, author
Alan Quah, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785863424, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Ram V is an author and comic book writer from Mumbai, India. Alan Quah is an artist from Malaysia. Together they have impressively collaborated to produce the graphic novel "Quake Champions", featuring a string of linked science fiction stories hallmarked with hellish landscapes, brutal violence and arcane Elder God's colliding. Based on Bethesda's cult first-person shooter videogame franchise, "Quake Champions" takes place in a time/space continuum where the Earth burns in a war without end, grim fighters from the far reaches of the hellverse battle through nightmare dimensions in search subsistence and salvation. Trained to kill, scavenge, survive and locked in a never-ending gauntlet of bullets and bloodshed, only one of these Champions shall prevail. Another timeless classic from Titan Comics, "Quake Champions" is unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy graphic novel collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that "Quake Champions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99).

The Red Prince
Jean-Claude Bartoll, author
Renaud Garreta, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183871, $13.95, PB, 52pp, www.amazon.com

Sam Nachez, boss of bosses of the global mafia, and the man that Najah is both supposed to protect and betray to the authorities, is on the run after a coup by one of his rivals. Hunted by killers from the Russian, Chinese and American intelligence services, the two of them are rapidly running out of allies. Will Najah be able to reconcile her various loyalties? In order to survive, she will have to take the biggest gamble of her life. The seventh and concluding volume of Bartoll and Garreta's riveting graphic novel series 'Insiders', "The Red Prince" is a truly riveting read from first page to last. Laced throughout with unexpected plot twists and an amazingly unanticipated conclusion, "The Red Prince" is a 'must' for all graphic novel action/adventure fans!

The Survivors: Episode 5
Leo
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183703, $11.95, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

The final and concluding title in the five volume 'Quantum Anomalies' graphic novel series by writer and artist Leo, "The Survivors: Episode 5" is a simply riveting read from first page to last. Throughout a series of tragic events and temporal distortions that resulted in the marooning of several humans who have been scattered, regrouped, lost to each other, and found each other again, despite the constant violence and death two of them, Marie and Alex, have managed to survive and stay together - and even found themselves accepting a strange blue pill from a mysterious structure in the middle of the ocean. The arrival of an alien, Sven, will present them with a possible escape plan. An unfailingly entertaining conclusion to an unfailingly entertaining series, "The Survivors: Episode 5" is unreservedly recommended for individual science fiction graphic novel fans, and the entire five volume series would prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library graphic novel collections.

The Barbarian
Jean Van Hamme, author
Grzegorz Rosinski, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849183994, $11.95, PB, 48pp, www.amazon.com

The 19th volume of the Thorgal the Barbarian graphic novel series by the team of author Jean Van Hamme and illustrating artist Grzegorz Rosinski, "The Barbarian" finds that Thorgal, his family, and his new friends Tiago and Ileniya have been captured by slavers while attempting to cross the desert. The two adult men are sold to the local governor as fodder for a cruel blood game, where young nobles in chariots practice their archery skills on fleeing slaves. Turning the tables on them, Thorgal earns his and Tiago's freedom, but not the women's - and he has made a mortal enemy in the governor's son. Nonstop action, tragedy, and heroism, this outstanding series is unfailingly entertaining and will leave the readership looking eagerly toward the next (and 20th) title in this exceptionally impressive series. While all the previous issues are still in print, "The Barbarian" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library graphic novel collections.

Manfried the Man
Caitlin Major, author
Kelly Bastow, illustrator
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781683690153, $14.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Set in a world where cats own humans as pets, Manfried is a stray taken in by Steve Catson, a slacker with a dead-end job and nonexistent love life. Soon Manfried becomes the Garfield to Steve's Jon Arbuckle: lazy, selfish, and sometimes maddening in his weird human behavior. Yet the pair depends on each other to get through life's troubles. When Manfried runs away, Steve musters his meager resources to find his best man-friend and bring him home safe. Ultimately, both Steve and Manfried realize they're capable of so much more than they thought. An inherently fascinating and thoroughly entertaining graphic novel, "Manfried the Man" will have a very special appeal for anyone who has every had a feline companion of their own! Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections, "Manfried the Man" is very highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Secret of Our Success
Written by Joseph Henrich
Read by Jonathan Yen
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781977303738 $49.99 amazon.com

The Secret of Our Success: How Culture is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a thoughtful nonfiction treatise about a basic conundrum - why do humans struggle to survive in the wild individually when collectively they have dominated environments all over the globe? Author Joseph Henrich (professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University) suggests that the answer lies in human culture - the ability to socially interconnect and learn from one another across generations, as well as the ability to organize and put generations of knowledge to practical use. Chapters draw connections between neuroscientific findings, the human genome, observations of chimpanzees, research into hunter-gatherers and more to reveal how collective culture has shaped human biology over thousands of years. Thoroughly accessible to lay people and scientists alike, The Secret of Our Success is fascinating and highly recommended for public and college library audiobook collections. Bonus material includes figures and tables in printable PDF format. 14 CDs, 17.5 hours.

Travel as a Political Act, revised edition
Rick Steves
Hachette Audio
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
www.HachetteAudio.com
9781549197550, $30.00, CD, www.amazon.com

Richard Steves is an American travel writer, author, activist and television personality. Since 2000, he has hosted Rick Steves' Europe, a travel series on PBS. Steves also has a public radio travel show called Travel with Rick Steves (2005 present) and has authored numerous travel guides. Part memoir, part travelog, part advocacy, in "Travel as a Political Act" Rick touches upon a myriad of travel-relevant topics ranging from Trump, Brexit, and Erdogan, to climate change, nativism, and populism. Rick believes the risks of travel are widely exaggerated, and that fear is for people who don't get out much. After years of living out of a suitcase, he still marvels at how different cultures find different truths to be self-evident. By sharing his experiences from Europe, Central America, Asia, and the Middle East, Rick shows how we can learn more about own country by viewing it from afar. With gripping stories from Rick's decades of exploration, this fully revised edition of "Travel as a Political Act" is an antidote to the current climate of xenophobia. Rick clearly and persuasively argues that when we travel thoughtfully, we bring back the most beautiful souvenir of all: a broader perspective on the world that we all call home. Very highly recommended for personal, community, and academic library audio book collections, it should be noted that all royalties from the sale of "Travel as a Political Act" are being donated to support the work of Bread for the World, a non-partisan organization working to end hunger at home and abroad.

The Accelerating Universe
Mario Livio, author
Performed by Tom Parks
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781543656206 $24.99

The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Mario Livio's introduction to cosmology. Livio particularly notes how the discovery that the universe's expansion is accelerating dramatically changed popular cosmology theories, and forced scientists and laypeople alike to rethink long- held notions. Thoroughly accessible to listeners of all backgrounds, The Accelerating Universe presents amazing scientific ideas in plain terms, and is especially recommended for public and college library audiobook collections. 8 CDs, 10 hours 11 min.

Blind Punch
Andrei Livadny, author
Aaron Shedlock, narrator
Tantor Media, Inc.
6 Business Park Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
www.tantor.com
9781541466722, $24.99, CD, www.amazon.com

In the year 2197, the Earth is suffering from the consequences of an environmental catastrophe. Cities the size of continents are drowning in a toxic industrial fog. Max Bourne is a typical teenager. Like billions of other people, he is forced to live in the protective shell of the individual life support module. His habitat is the virtual reality called the Layer. But one day, circumstances force the young man to leave the in-mode. He has no idea that fate will lead him through unimaginable hardships, bring him face to face with military AIs, and teach him to survive in the distant solar system Outlands. He will come to understand that the sum of all technologies, possessed by the four leading corporations of Earth, can either open the way to the stars or destroy human civilization. Ably narrated by Aaron Shedlock, "Blind Punch" by Andrei Livadny is an extraordinary work of imaginatively extrapolated science fiction and this superbly produced, complete and unabridged audio book is unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections. (8 CDs, 3 Hours).


The Library CD Shelf

Eirlandia
Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning
Ark Records
$14.99 CD / $7.92 MP3 amazon.com

Acclaimed contemporary Celtic music duo Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning present Eirlandia, a music album inspired by author Stephen R. Lawhead's Celtic fantasy novel "In the Region of the Summer Stars: Book 1 of the Eirlandia Series" (9780765383440, $25.99). Jeff Johnson performs on keyboards and percussion instruments, while Brian Dunning plays flutes and penny whistles. Eirlandia blends traditional Irish musical elements with modern instrumentation, crafting a uniquely magical fantasy soundtrack that sparks the imagination and entices the spirit. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Eirlandia", "Tir na nOg", "Oran Mor", "A Wonder Voyage", "House of Llyr", "Under the Summer Stars", "Tara Hill", and "The Kingdom of All Tomorrows".

Passion Reverence Transcendence
Benito Gonzalez, Gerry Gibbs, & Essiet Okon Essiet
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos of America, Inc. (dist.)
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
$13.99 amazon.com

Passion Reverence Transcendence is an exuberant album celebrating the music of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. Pianist Benito Gonzalez, drummer Gerry Gibbs, and bass player Essiet Okon Essiet have poured their hearts and souls into a charged, emotionally stirring rendition of Tyner's beloved classics. Passion Reverence Transcendence is a treat for connoisseurs of the genre, and highly recommended for public library music collections. The tracks are "Fly with the Wind", "Just Feelin'", "Rotunda", "Festival in Baha", "Blues on the Corner", "The Greeting", "You Taught My Heart to Sing", "Atlantis", "Inner Glimpse", "Naima", "Tyner Trane Express", "Between Friends", and "Brazilian Girls".

Melodic Voyage
Mark Dunn
markdunnmusic.net
Music For The New Age Records
$9.98 CD amazon.com

Pianist Mark Dunn presents Melodic Voyage, his latest album of beautiful, solo piano songs that transport the listener to faraway realms of dream and imagination. Rapturous and inspirational, Melodic Voyage is a wellspring of creative harmony perfect for meditation or relaxation. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. The tracks are "Tegucigalpa", "The Truth", "Dunn's Dream", "Return to Peace", "Children's Waltz", "Fool's Dance", "Freedom's Debt", "Sitting", "Gafieira", "The Moon Represents My Heart", "Don't Cry Paola", and "It's You".

Home Again
Loren Evarts
www.lorenevarts.com
Otter Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Home Again is a beautiful, instrumental album of contemporary solo piano music by talented composer and performer Loren Evarts. Smooth, stylish, and evocative, Home Again perfectly captures the sense of returning to the beloved and familiar after a long journey. The tracks are "A Day on the Concord River", "Dugong Dance", "Far and Away", "Ktaadn", "Sunset Island", "Evensong", "Home Again", "Outermost House", "Wedding at Sunrise", "Baker Lake", "Nine Mile Bridge", and "The Good Life". Also highly recommended for connoisseurs of new age solo piano music is Jon Dahlander's "Songs for Smiler McGee" ($15.98 CD / $9.49 MP3).

Progress
Brother Jerome
Privately Published
www.brotherjeromeband.com
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Progress is the debut album of newly formed band Brother Jerome, founded by singer-songwriter Ryan Bria as an homage to his late brother Jerome "Drew" Bria. Featuring eleven original songs, Progress speaks openly of injustice and oppression, with a few love songs interspersed throughout. Heavily influenced by the modern civil rights movement in America, Progress is profound and leaves a lasting impression on the listener. Highly recommended. The tracks are "Keep It Burning", "Progress", "Hustle", "Roots", "Soul Shine", "Mind Over Matter", "Macho Man", "What It's Like", "Gold", "Change It All", and "Cookie".

Songs from the Deluge
Western Centuries
westerncenturies.com
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$11.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Songwriters Cahalen Morrison, Ethan Lawton, and Jim Miller combine their talents for the honkey-tonk group Western Centuries in the album Songs from the Deluge, a compilation or original songs performed with all-out gusto. Featuring refreshing new takes on common country music themes, Songs from the Deluge is a "must" for fans of the genre! The tracks are "Far from Home", "Earthly Justice", "Wild Birds", "Wild You Run", "Rocks and Flame", "Own Private Honkey Tonk", "Cloud of Woes", "Borrow Time", "How Many More Miles to Babylon", "Time Does the Rest", "Three Swallows", and "Warm Guns". Lyrics to all songs are printed inside of the case holding the physical CD.

Front and Center
Sideline
Mountain Home Music Company
mountainhomemusiccompany.com
$10.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

The fourth album by southern bluegrass band Sideline, Front and Center is brimming with energy, harmony, and celebration. Sideline consists of award-winning banjo player Steve Dilling, bass player Jason Moore, guitarist Skip Cherryholmes, fiddle player Nathan Aldridge, mandolin player Troy Boone and guitarist Bailey Coe. Together they provide a treat for fans of the genre! Highly recommended. The tracks are "Thunder Dan", "Frozen in Time", "Old Time Way", Song for a Winter's Night", "Bluefield WV Mtn. Girl", "I Long To See His Face", "Lysander Hayes", "Memories That We Shared", "Something Out of Nothing", "All Because of Me", "Satan's Chains", and "Cotton Eyed Joe".

Top of the Mountain
Patricia Vonne
patriciavonne.com
Bandolera Records
$TBA CD

Top of the Mountain is the seventh album by supremely talented Tex-Mex musician, actress, and award-winning filmmaker Patricia Vonne. Showcasing her mastery of Texas musical styles, the original songs are works of beautiful creativity and passionate drive. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Citadel", "City is Alive", "Illuminaria", "Top of the Mountain", "Lil Lobo", "Madre de Perla", "Tidal Wave", "Graceland Trip", "Western Blood", "Cancion de la Boda", "Lekker Ding", and "God's Hands".

Auriga To Orion
Majestica
Heart Dance Records
https://www.heartdancerecords.com/home
B07C53ZZTK, $14.99, CD, www.amazon.com

Majestica is back, bigger and bolder than ever with their scintillating and captivating follow up to "In the Midst of Stars". Their new album, "Auriga to Orion", features Sherry Finzer on a variety of flutes, and Cass Anawaty on guitar, bass, synths, drum and percussion. Together this two impressively gifted musicians have created a memorable soundtrack. Flawlessly produced, "Auriga to Orion" succeeds in delivering a truly memorable electronic chill-out, ambient and new age music that will inspire, energize and invite listeners to get out of their space capsules and set their bodies in motion! Comprised of seven unforgettable tracks 9Alpha Orions; Kesil's Light; Monte Alban; Dark Years Away; Chasing The Leonids; Flaming Star; and the title piece, Aurica To Orion, this outstanding CD has a total running time of 34:49 and is unreservedly recommended for both personal and community library New Age music collections.


The Library DVD Shelf

Acadia National Park & Historic New England
Bennet Watt HD Productions, Inc.
13021 - 244th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98027
9781604902143 $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com

Part of the Discoveries... America National Park series of high-definition video essays, Acadia National Park & Historic New England is an amazing tour featuring Acadia National Park in Maine, a beautiful set of islands and the oldest designated U.S. park east of the Mississippi River. A wealth of other historic parks and sites in New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York are also portrayed, offering the opportunity to appreciate the genius of Thomas Edison, the dedication of American conservationists, the accomplishments of champions of women's rights, natural wonders such as Patterson Great Falls, and much more. As gorgeous as it is educational, Acadia National Park & Historic New England is a treasure for armchair travelers, and highly recommended especially for public library DVD collections. 56 min.

Dear Murderer, series 1
Starring Mark Mitchinson
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

Dear Murderer, series 1 is a drama based on the true-life story of one of New Zealand's most controversial defense lawyers, Mike Bungay (played by Mark Mitchinson). Bungay suffered an unhappy childhood and decided to attend law school on a coin toss; his prolific career spanned decades from the 1960s onward. He represented alleged murderers, spies, gang members, and more with unconventional methods, yet despite his many legal victories, his private life was plagued with bad habits including a personal affection for fast cars, married women, and whiskey. A saga brimming with dark humor and moral quandaries, Dear Murderer is utterly unforgettable and highly recommended. It should be noted that Dear Murderer is intended for mature viewers due to the presence of strong language, sexual situations, nudity and violence. 5 episodes on 2 DVDs, 233 min., widescreen, SDH subtitles.

Ackley Bridge, series 1
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 www.acornonline.com

Ackley Bridge, series 1 is a drama set in small Yorkshire town, where two high schools integrate white and Pakistani students by combining into Ackley Bridge College. The change is not easy for teachers or students. Troublemaker Jordan (played by Samuel Bottomley) openly disparages the school, and best friends Missy (Poppy Lee Friar) and Nasreen (Amy-Leigh Hickman) argue fiercely because Missy doesn't fit in with Nasreen's conservative Muslim friends. Ackley Bridge confronts serious modern-day issues including racism, homophobia, religious discrimination and more with a balanced, compassionate perspective, and is both thoroughly engrossing and highly recommended. It should be noted that Ackley Bridge is recommended for mature viewers due to the presence of strong language, sexual situations, nudity, and violence. 5 episodes on 2 DVDs, 233 min., SDH subtitles.

Tai Chi Fit: 24 Form
David-Dorian Ross
taijifit.net
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
$29.99 www.ymaa.com

Hosted by David-Dorian Ross (who has built the first free online tai chi class/training community at taijifit.net), Tai Chi Fit: 24 Form is a fitness DVD and an excellent introduction to tai chi for beginners. The program involves 24 easy-to-learn movements, and the presentation is designed so that viewers do not need to memorize anything beforehand. Newcomers to tai chi can simply follow the movements without analyzing them, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity that refreshes the body and mind. Tai Chi Fit: 24 Form is an excellent addition to personal fitness DVD libraries, highly recommended! 60 min.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Introducing the Old Testament
Robert L. Hubbard Jr. & J. Andrew Dearman
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.eerdmans.com
9780802867902, $40.00, HC, 480pp, www.amazon.com

In an up-to-date and thoroughly student-friendly text, Robert Hubbard (who is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Literature at North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, as well as the general editor of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series, and author of the award-winning NICOT volume on Ruth) and J. Andrew Dearman (who is Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, the Associate Dean at Fuller's regional campus in Houston, Texas, and the author of the NICOT volume on Hosea) bring decades of scholarly study and classroom experience to bear as they introduce readers to the context, composition, and message of the books comprising Old Testament in "Introducing the Old Testament". Each individual chapter orients readers to the Old Testament book or books under consideration, outlining historical and cultural background, literary features, main characters, and structure. Throughout these discussions of the Torah, the historical books, the prophets, and the poetry, Professors Hubbard and Dearman also identify and trace key theological themes. Replete with maps, illustrations, sidebars, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, Introducing the Old Testament will equip students to read, wrestle with, and personally engage these ancient sacred texts. An ideal introductory textbook, "Introducing the Old Testament" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, seminary, and academic library Old Testament Studies collections.

Saint James the Greater in History, Art and Culture
William Farina
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476669175, $55.00, PB, 254pp, www.amazon.com

Among the 12 disciples of Jesus, perhaps none has inspired more magnificent art (as well as political upheaval) than Saint James the Greater. Portrayed in the New Testament as part of Jesus' inner circle, he was the first apostle to be martyred. Eight centuries later, Saint James, or Santiago, became the de facto patron saint of Spain, and was believed by the faithful to be a supernatural warrior who led the victorious Christian armies during the Iberian Reconquista. After 1492, the Santiago cult found its way to the New World, where it continued to exert influence. Today, he remains the patron saint of pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. His legacy has bequeathed a magnificent tradition of Western art over nearly two millennia. Impressively informative and exceptionally well written, organized and presented by William Farina, "Saint James the Greater in History, Art and Culture" is an extraordinary contribution to Christian History and very highly recommended for personal, community, seminary, church, and academic library collections.

The Fragility of Order
George Weigel
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
www.ignatius.com
9781621642374, $24.95, HC, 223pp, www.amazon.com

"The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times" is a collection of bracing essays in which George Weigel (who is the Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies) reads such events as the First World War, the collapse of Communism, and the Obama and Trump presidencies through a distinctive cultural and moral lens, even as he offers new insights into Pope Francis and his challenging pontificate. Throughout, two of Weigel's key convictions (that ideas have consequences for good and ill, and that the deepest currents of history flow through culture) illuminate political and economic life, and the life of the Catholic Church, in ways not often appreciated or understood. Many of the chapters comprising "The Fragility of Order" originated in George Weigel's annual William E. Simon Lecture, which since 2001 has become a major event in Washington, D.C. They are unique in their application of philosophical and theological perspectives to the issues of history and politics, enabling the reader to see current events in a deeper way. While very highly recommended, especially for church, seminary, community, and academic library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Fragility of Order" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.25).

The Strength of Mercy
Sr. M. Veronika Hausler
New City Press
202 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538
www.newcitypress.com
9781565486232, $12.95, PB, 115pp, www.amazon.com

Louise de Marillac (August 12, 1591 - March 15, 1660), was born out of wedlock into an aristocratic family, she grew up to become a young widow and the mother of a son. She fully committed her life to all those who were suffering, regardless of who they were. In Paris together with St. Vincent de Paul she founded a community of Sisters, who dedicated themselves to care for the sick and for the poor. The Daughters of Charity, one of the largest Catholic women religious communities are active today in more than 100 countries. "The Strength of Mercy : Four weeks with Louise de Marillac" by Sr. M. Veronika Hausler, D.C. (who is a Caritas theologian, a spiritual director, and a Daughter of Charity) is an inherently inspired and inspiring instructional guide and study that is very highly recommended for church and seminary collections, as well as the personal reading lists of all members of the Roman Catholic community.

Mere Science and Christian Faith
Greg Cootsona
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
www.ivpress.com
9780830838141, $17.00, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Many Christians have been brought up under the assumption that mainstream science is incompatible with genuine Christian faith -- so when they see compelling evidence for biological evolution, for example, they feel forced to choose between science and their faith. The devastating effects of this dilemma are plain to see, as emerging adults either leave the faith or shut themselves off to the findings of the scientific community. But it's a false dilemma. In "Mere Science and Christian Faith: Bridging the Divide with Emerging Adults", by former pastor Greg Cootsona (who currently directs Science and Theology for Emerging Adult Ministries at Fuller Theological Seminary, and who teaches Religious Studies and Humanities at California State University at Chico) argues against the idea that science and faith are inherently antagonistic. We don't have to keep them scrupulously separated -- instead, we can bring them into dialogue with one another. "Mere Science and Christian Faith" brings this integration to a number of current topics in science and faith conversations, including hermeneutics, the historical Adam and Eve, cognitive science, and the future of technology. His insights are enhanced by his work with Fuller Seminary's STEAM research project. Emerging adults want to believe that science and faith can coexist peacefully. "Mere Science and Christian Faith" holds out a vision for how that integration is possible and how it can lead us more deeply into the conversations around science and faith that confront the church today. An extraordinarily informative and exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking study, "Mere Science and Christian Faith" is very highly recommended for personal, church, community, and academic library collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Growing Kids with Character
Hettie Brittz
David C. Cook
c/o Cook Communications
4050 Lee Vance Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918
https://davidccook.org
9781434712530, $18.99, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Hettie Brittz is a South African - born author, international speaker, and a foremost voice in parenting advice and personality styles.. In "Growing Kids with Character: Nurturing Your Child's Potential, Purpose, and Passion", she draws upon her years of experience and expertise to help parents identify their child's natural bent and how that affects their own parenting journey. Hettie's famous tree metaphors show ways to let kids excel at being who they naturally are. Learn how to: Cultivate your child's unique way of encountering, following, and worshiping God; Disciple and discipline based on your child's very own blueprint; Recognize your child's strongest characteristics and apply that knowledge to everyday life; Speak your child's unique dialect (or "tree language") to foster effective communication; Help your child recognize and celebrate God's individualized design for others. In the pages of "Growing Kids with Character", Christian parents will discover how to use kids' God-given personalities to guide them on their spiritual journeys and firmly establish their identity and purpose in Christ, and thereby finding the joy of parenting by a child's natural bent and God's supernatural wisdom! While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.21), it should be noted that the paperback edition of Growing Kids with Character also includes a code for a free child profile report.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Walking the Exodus
Margaret Malka Rawicz
Urim Publications
c/o KTAV (distribution)
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9789655242485, $29.95, HC, 526pp, www.amazon.com

Leading biblical scholars and archaeologists have long argued about the actual route of the biblical Exodus from Egypt for decades. Margaret Malka Rawicz has developed and refined lectures on the Exodus for many years after extensively traveling through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. In "Walking the Exodus: My Journey in the Footsteps of Moses" she draws upon her experience, research, and expertise to reveal the route Moses and the Israelites took as they fled Egypt three and a half millennia ago. Along with her Bedouin guide, Rabia, Margaret treks through treacherous deserts and areas in order to recover and identify the sites of the first fifteen known Israelite encampments. She then explores another eighteen encampments in the Sinai Desert and the final nine in Jordan. Including photographs and personal stories, "Walking the Exodus" is not only a discovery, but also a transformation of one's life. Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Walking the Exodus" is an inherently fascinating and educative read from cover to cover, making it unreservedly recommended for personal, synagogue, community, and academic library collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Destiny
Ken Shipiro
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789652299093, $21.95, PB, 239pp, www.amazon.com

"Destiny" by Rabbi Ken Spiro (who is an historian and a dynamic speaker who lectures throughout the world on Jewish history and values) walks the reader through the central themes in Jewish history: the impact of Jewish values on civilization, Jewish drive and the disproportionate impact of the Jewish people, antisemitism and its message, the Jewish view of history and conception of time and the End of Days. These themes allow the reader to see the striking parallel between the reality of Jewish history and the universal plot of these epic movies that everyone loves. The metaphor is enhanced with striking fold-out movie storyboards depicting Jewish history in movie form. The reader will come away with an understanding of the unique role and mission of the Jewish people in history and its very special destiny. An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented read from beginning to end, "Destiny" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies collections.

The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook
Rabbi Ari Zeev Schwartz, translator
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789652299130, $21.95, PB, 287pp, www.amazon.com

Rabbi Ari Ze'ev Schwartz is the cofounder and dean of the Society of Independent Spirituality, a learning center in Jerusalem that combines Jewish spirituality and Zionism. In addition, he teaches at several yeshivot and midrashot in Jerusalem. Rav Kook (1865-1935) was one of the most influential thinkers in Jewish history, but his revolutionary writings are mostly unknown to the general public. Ably translated into English by Rabbi Schwartz for an American readership, "The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook" contains many new and accessible translations, as well as an in-depth spiritual biography. Each individual chapter is introduced and broken up into a variety of topics, including the individual, Torah, God, teshuvah, prayer, creativity, Zionism, science, and vegetarianism. While a very highly recommended addition to personal, synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies collections, it should be note for personal reading lists that "The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.89).


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The Second Buddha: Master of Time
Elena Pakhoutova, editor
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791357539, $49.95, HC, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Padmasambhava, a legendary Buddhist master believed to be instrumental in bringing Buddhism to Tibet, is often known as "The Second Buddha". According to popular legend, Padmasambhava miraculously appeared as a boy in a lotus blossom floating on a lake. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Elena Pakhoutova (Curator of Himalayan Art at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York), "The Second Buddha: Master of Time" informatively explores visual expressions of Padmasambhava's legends in sculptures, textiles, paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and a portable shrine that date from the 13th to the 19th century. Beautifully illustrated with 90, the erudite essays comprising "The Second Buddha: Master of Time" present new scholarship on Padmasambhava and reveals a central and multidimensional character with an enduring place in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist cultures. Published in association with the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art, this Prestel Publishing edition of "The Second Buddha: Master of Time" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Buddhism collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Civil War Shelf

"Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At"
George N. Bliss, author
William C. Emerson, editor
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476673912, $49.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Captain George N. Bliss of the First Rhode Island Cavalry survived some 27 actions during the Civil War. Midway through the war, he served nine months at a conscript training camp in Connecticut, where he sat on several courts-martial. In September 1864, in a skirmish at Waynesboro, Virginia, he single-handedly charged into the 4th Virginia "Black Horse" Cavalry. Badly injured and taken prisoner, he was consigned to the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond. A colorful correspondent, Bliss detailed his experiences in letters to a close friend and sent dispatches to a Providence newspaper. His candid writings composing "Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At: The Civil War Letters of Captain George N. Bliss, First Rhode Island Cavalry" and edited by William C. Emerson (who is the great-grandson of George N. Bliss) with the assistance of Elizabeth C. Stevens are rich with details of the war and his own opinions. The editors describe how, following the war, Bliss sought out the Confederates who almost killed him and formed friendships with them that lasted for decades. A valued and unique addition to the growing library of American Civil War literature, "Don't Tell Father I Have Been Shot At" is an extraordinary and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover and is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library American Civil War collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The American History Shelf

A Crooked River
Michael L. Collins
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806160085 $29.95 hc / $24.71 Kindle amazon.com

A Crooked River: Rustlers, Rangers, and Regulars on the Lower Rio Grande, 1861-1877 chronicles an era of lawless violence that engulfed the Nueces Strip and the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. Cattle rustlers, troops, Texas Rangers, and Civil War deserters fought with Mexicans, Germans, and Indians over race, livestock, land, and national sovereignty. A Crooked River studies the era from a cross-cultural perspective, closely scrutinizing such infamous episodes as the "skinning wars", raids on El Remolino and Las Cuevas, and the attack on Nuecestown. Extensive notes and an index round out this studious, balanced, and highly recommended contribution to public and college library American History collections.

The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas
James D. Ross Jr.
The University of Tennessee Press
110 Conference Center UT, Knoxville, TN 37996
www.utpress.org
9781621903529, $49.00, HC, 277pp, www.amazon.com

Founded in eastern Arkansas during the Great Depression, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union has long fascinated historians, who have emphasized its biracial membership and the socialist convictions of its leaders, while attributing its demise to external factors, such as the mechanization of agriculture, the repression of wealthy planters, and the indifference of New Dealers. However, as James Ross (who is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a specialist in the interaction of race, class, and religion in twentieth-century United States history) notes in his compelling revisionist history, "The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas", such accounts have largely ignored the perspective of the actual sharecroppers and other tenant farmers who made up the union's rank and file. An impeccable work of seminal scholarship that is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of twenty-two pages of Notes, a ten page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "The Rise and Fall of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Arkansas" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library American Agricultural History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Montana's Hot Springs
Jeff Birkby
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781540228031, $28.99, HC, 130pp, www.amazon.com

Montana's hot springs and hot water resorts bubble with fascinating histories of medical cures, Native American legends, glittering spas, and isolated wilderness soaks. These Montana hot springs provided soothing cures for the aches and pains of Native Americans and early Montana pioneers. A few of the crude bathhouses built by miners and settlers gave way to ornate bathing resorts, replete with some of the most elegant furnishings and facilities available between Minneapolis and San Francisco, from the 1890s through the 1920s. Grand hot springs resorts (including Corwin Hot Springs, Boulder Hot Springs, Hunter's Hot Springs, and Broadwater Hot Springs) flourished and then faded from Montana's landscape. Through photographs, "Images of America: Montana's Hot Springs" by Jeff Birkby (who has spent over 30 years researching the fascinating history of hot springs in the Western United States) visually explores the stories and legends of hot-water bathing resorts in Montana with captioned period photography. An inherently fascinating and informative browse from first page to last, "Montana's Hot Springs" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American History & Photography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Montana's Hot Springs" is also available in a paperback edition (9781467127691, $21.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).


The World History Shelf

Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169
Matthew Stout
Wordwell Books
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, 124 Byers Road, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
www.dufoureditions.com
9781999790905, $60.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Ireland looms large in European history just after the fall of the Roman Empire. "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" by Matthew Stout (Lecturer on Medieval History, School of History and Geography, St. Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University). provides an 'entry-level' narrative to this period in Irish history. At the same time, it contextualizes the artistic, literary, and architectural achievements of the age. The tradition in Early Medieval Irish studies has been to examine the past in thematic rather than chronological terms; the sources almost demand this. As such, existing publications neglect a holistic approach in favor of specific themes. Politics is rarely incorporated with church history; art and archaeology remain distinct; law and literature remain un-contextualized either in time or place. So especially recommended for both community and academic library collections, "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" offers an original and unique approach to the era and contains extracts from primary sources and illustrations that make this golden age glow for its readers. Profusely illustrated with colorful maps and photographs, deploying a historical synthesis in the spirit of the Annales School, "Early Medieval Ireland 431-1169" is an exceptionally informative and highly recommended history of Early Medieval Ireland for both students and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject.

To the Ends of the Earth
John V.H. Dippel
Prometheus Books
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633884113 $28.00

To the Ends of the Earth: The Truth Behind the Glory of Polar Exploration offers a startling revelation to anyone who has read a few accounts of polar explorers that dozens of polar expeditions were driven by personal ambition and national interests more than ideals of discovery. Society's need for viewing them as heroes has produced a one-sided image of these events and the men who took great risks to venture into polar regions. This book goes further than most in not just detailing explorer exploits and dangers, but closely examining what promoted them to lay their lives on the line and head into the unknown. The result is a vivid, critical survey highly recommended for any history reader.


The Computer Shelf

Software Testing
R. Chopra
Mercury Learning
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
www.merclearning.com
9781683921660 $54.95 www.merclearning.com

Software Testing: A Self-Teaching Introduction provides a fine overview of software testing in a self-study workbook that offers chapters of tips and a review of basic concepts surrounding software testing. Each chapter concludes with questions with answers to encourage self-study and testing, while features include examples packed with case studies and material on video game testing and other pursuits. Each chapter opens with an introduction, case study, survey of methodology, and keys to understanding different forms of software testing and when and how to apply them. The result is a solid overview of a range of software testing options and possibilities.

Fuzzing for Software Security Testing and Quality Assurance, second edition
Ari Takanen, et.al.
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781608078509 $149.00 www.artechhouse.com

The second updated edition of Fuzzing for Software Security Testing and Quality Assurance covers the latest information on how and why to integrating fuzzing into software development, and considers the process of fuzzing, tools, and the latest automation systems. Software engineers and testers receive specific details on how to integrate fuzzing into other development approaches, examining and contrasting systems, the latest developments, and the newest resources. From code and file examples to models for system development, charts, and screen shots, Fuzzing for Software Security Testing and Quality Assurance is a 'must' for any software engineer who wants the latest details on the process.

Data-Driven Storytelling
Nathalie Henry Riche, et al.
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781138482258, $129.95, HC, 314pp, www.amazon.com

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Dr. Nathalie Henry Riche (a researcher at Microsoft Research since December 2008); Dr. Christophe Hurter (Professor at the Interactive Data Visualization group (part of the DEVI team) of the French Civil Aviation University in Toulouse, France); Dr. Nicholas Diakopoulos (Assistant Professor at the Northwestern University School of Communication where he directs the Computational Journalism Lab); and Dr. Sheelagh Carpendale (Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary where she holds a Canada Research Chair in Information Visualization, the NSERC/AITF/SMART Technologies Industrial Research Chair in Interactive Technologies and leads the Innovations in Visualization (InnoVis) research group), "Data-Driven Storytelling" presents an accessible and informative introduction to data-driven storytelling. Resulting from unique discussions between data visualization researchers and data journalists, "Data-Driven Storytelling" offers an integrated definition of the topic, presents vivid examples and patterns for data storytelling, and calls out key challenges and new opportunities for researchers and practitioners. The newest addition to the simply outstanding CRC Press 'A K Peters Visualization Series', "Data-Driven Storytelling" is unreservedly recommended for professional, corporate, college, and university library Computer Science & Engineering collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Data-Driven Storytelling" is also available in a paperback edition (9781138197107, $49.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $39.46).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear
Danielle Ofri, MD
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807062630, $24.95, HC, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Despite modern medicine's infatuation with high-tech gadgetry, the single most powerful diagnostic tool is the doctor-patient conversation, which can uncover the lion's share of illnesses. However, what patients say and what doctors hear are often two vastly different things. Patients, anxious to convey their symptoms, feel an urgency to "make their case" to their doctors. Doctors, under pressure to be efficient, multitask while patients speak and often miss the key elements. Add in stereotypes, unconscious bias, conflicting agendas, and fear of lawsuits and the risk of misdiagnosis and medical errors multiplies dangerously. Though the gulf between what patients say and what doctors hear is often wide, In "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" Dr. Danielle Ofri (Associate Professor of Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine) proves that it doesn't have to be. Through the powerfully resonant human stories that Dr. Ofri's writing is renowned for, she explores the high-stakes world of doctor-patient communication that we all must navigate. Reporting on the latest research studies and interviewing scholars, doctors, and patients, Dr. Ofri reveals how better communication can lead to better health for all of us. Thoroughly accessible reading for the non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" will prove to be a valued and appreciated addition to both community and academic library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear" is also available in a paperback edition (9780807087497, $16.00), in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781520090375, $24.99, CD).

The Cancer Survivor's Guide, updated edition
Neal De. Barnard, MD, author
Jennifer K. Reilly, RD, author
Susan M. Levin, MS, RD, author
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
www.BookPubCo.com
9781570673559, $19.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Neal Barnard is the founder of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D., a dietitian in the Washington, DC area, and developed the Food for Life: Nutrition and Cooking Class Series for Cancer Prevention and Survival while with the Cancer Project. Susan Levin, MS, RD, is director of nutritional education for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In "The Cancer Survivor's Guide: Foods That Help You Fight Back" they collaborate to present how food choices can help prevent cancer and, when cancer has been diagnosed, how nutrition can improve survival. This updated new edition of "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" contains the latest food values, as well as breaking scientific research. Neal Barnard explains how foods influence hormones that can fuel cancer growth and how changing to a low-fat, plant-based diet can be beneficial to anyone diagnosed with cancer. Susan Levin presents the latest scientific research, including the effects of diets high in animal protein on rates of colon cancer and the relationship of soy foods to breast cancer. It also includes new information on the effects of diets high in animal protein on rates of colon cancer and the relationship of soy foods to breast cancer. Jennifer Reilly provides over 130 delicious, low-fat, plant-based recipes will be beneficial and satisfying to anyone diagnosed with cancer and their families. An absolutely, unreservedly, 'must have' recommendation for anyone having to deal with cancer, "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" is a critically important addition to community library Health/Medicine collections regarding cancer. "Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Cancer Survivor's Guide" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The PMA Method
Faisal Abdalla
Aster
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781912023370, $19.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Faisal Abdalla, is a Nike master trainer, a master trainer at Barry's Bootcamp and Ellie Goulding's personal trainer. Faisal believes that there are three golden rules to looking and feeling great: diet, fitness and, most importantly, a Positive Mental Attitude. Faisal's Body Transformation Program is not a magic wand but offers an effective do-it-yourself approach to working hard so you can achieve the body you want and a positive mindset in life to go with it. "The PMA Method" is about understanding how the smallest of steps can have huge results and add up to a better you. Featuring structured exercise routines for the body and mind, delicious and healthy versions of your favorite food to fuel your fitness (wake up to a hearty breakfast of Kicking scrambled eggs, followed by a post-workout lunch of Itsa pizza pitta and finish your day with nutritious Fish & chips) "The PMA Method" will help you unlock your own positive mental attitude and motivate you to smash those goals. Profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The PMA Method" is a complete self-health improvement course and curriculum under one cover. While very highly recommended for personal and community library collections, it should be noted that "The PMA Method" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).


The Photography Shelf

Another Kind of Life
Alona Pardo, editor
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791384276, $50.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

At a political age when individual rights are being contested and when those on the fringes of society feel deeply threatened, "Another Kind of Life" is powerful photographic compilation by Alona Pardo (Curator at the Barbican Art Gallery in London) that delivers a visual message of humanity and inclusiveness that transcends geopolitical and cultural boundaries. Works by critically acclaimed photographers including Bruce Davidson, Paz Errazuriz, Jim Goldberg, Danny Lyon, Mary Ellen Mark, Boris Mikhailov, Daido Moriyama, and Dayanita Singh cast a compassionate, unflinching eye on the worlds inhabited by transsexuals, hookers, hustlers, bikers, junkies, circus performers, gang members, survivalists, petty criminals, and others who live in the shadows, on the streets, and out of the public eye. Grouped by photographer and ranging in genre from portraiture to photojournalism, these images were selected for their authentic and humane perspective, as well as for their artistic brilliance. An important testament to photography's power to both expose injustice and provide affirmation for those outside the norm, this collection bears witness to the ways social attitudes change across time and space, and how visual representation can promote understanding and dialogue. An extraordinary volume showcasing memorable and thought provoking images, "Another Kind of Life" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary American Photography collections.


The Woodworking Shelf

Wood Pallet DIY Project
Stephen Fitzberger & Diane Fitzberger
Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781565239302, $19.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Steve Fitzberger is the founder of Abba Woodworks, an inner city Baltimore organization dedicated to reclaiming wood and reclaiming lives. Abba Woodworks' mission is to create great local jobs and create opportunity for those who may struggle to find one. Steve and his associates make one-of-a-kind beautiful, useful products for the home and garden out of reclaimed wood from shipping pallets, all from local businesses. In collaboration with Diane Fitzberger, he draws upon his years of experience and expertise in ""Wood Pallet DIY Project" to showcases 20 do-it-yourself woodworking projects to enrich your home and garden by making one-of-a-kind useful items from reclaimed wood. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, "Wood Pallet DIY Project" also provides practical advice on where to find pallets, how to process them into usable lumber, fasteners, sanding, and the best finishes (if any) to use. Of special note are the safety tips relevant to working with pallets. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Wood Pallet DIY Project" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Woodworking instructional guides and manuals.


The Fiction Shelf

Fugitive Lawman
Jethro Kyle
Lindford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444835236, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Down on his luck in Chicago, young Dale Carnak ends up applying for work with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Spotted by an old acquaintance that was part of his unit during the Civil War, he is swiftly hired, and agrees to the risky assignment of infiltrating the Fraser Gang - even to the point of participating in a train robbery. But a series of misunderstandings sees Carnak become a fugitive, on the run with the rest of the outlaws. Then the bandits begin to suspect that their newest recruit is not who he claims to be! Another deftly crafted gem of a western novel by an author with a complete mastery of the genre, Jethro Kyle's "Fugitive Lawman" is a riveting story of unexpected twists and turns right down to a thrilling climax. The large print edition from the Lindford Western Library will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections and the personal reading lists of dedicated western novel fans.

Bandit's Gold
Alex Frew
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444835205, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 296pp, www.amazon.com

When Joe Flint meets Matt Harper and Pete Brogan, he is enticed by their tales of gold and mystery. They tell of a legendary Mexican leader who funded his reign during the Civil War through a criminal network. But when Brogan attempts to compel Flint into the deal guns it doesn't go well for him. Drawn in by the promise of fortune, and in the company of a new trail companion, Ty Landis and a surly Matt Harper, he decides to make a play for the legendary fortune. But along the way, they are attacked. Flint learns too late that he has put himself in the hands of madmen. Will he find his fortune? Will he even get out alive? Another carefully crafted and original western action/adventure novel by a master of the genre, "Bandit's Gold" is especially recommended reading for dedicated western buffs who enjoy a tale of hazard, intrigue, and unexpected plot twists and turns leading to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion!

The Geraldi Trail
Max Brand
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785413971, $29.99, PB, 324pp, www.amazon.com

James Geraldi thought he was finally getting his life in order -- he was square with the law and ready to settle down with his beautiful fiancee, Mary. Yet the thief who only stole from other thieves finds himself in trouble again when an old friend rides into town with a posse hot on his tail. Without hesitation, Geraldi takes off to lead the posse astray. Now wanted both by the law and the hardcases he's robbed, he must appease his distraught bride-to-be while evading a deadly trap set by his most dangerous enemy, all while finding himself running from the law once again! Another classic Max Brand action/adventure western with all manner of unexpected plot twists and turns, "The Geraldi Trail" is a riveting read from cover to cover. This large print edition of "The Geraldi Trail" is unreservedly recommended, especially to community library Western Fiction collections.

The Atomic City Girls
Janet Beard
janetbeard.com
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062666710, $15.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn't officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months - a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders. The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists, and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government's plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with June's search for answers. When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself. "The Atomic City Girls" by Janet Beard is an extraordinary novel that clearly showcases the author's impressive gift for original and narrative storytelling. A compelling and unfailingly entertaining read, "The Atomic City Girls" is an unreservedly recommended addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Atomic City Girls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) and in a complete and unabridged audio book edition (Blackstone Audio, 9781538496879, $34.99, CD).

The Devil's Waltz
Ethan J. Hale
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432837365, $25.95, HC, 263pp, www.amazon.com

Likeable but deadly outlaw Jack Posey is serving a long stretch of hard labor at Yuma Prison in Arizona. But his fortunes take a turn for the better when his older brother Dale pays him a visit. Dale is a United States Marshal and his visit isn't sociable. Dale is there to offer Jack a deal approved by the governor. Jack's old gang now led by Jack's former number two man Tom Spooner who has become the most wanted outlaws in the west. Dale is authorized by the governor to offer Jack a full pardon in exchange for helping to bring Spooner and the gang to justice. But it isn't going to be easy, safe, or certain of success! Another deftly crafted and immensely entertaining western novel by a master of the genre, Ethan Hale's "The Devil's Waltz" is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated western fans that "The Devil's Waltz" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Native
Mike Sparrow
Five Star Books
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432835903, $25.95, HC, 494pp, www.amazon.com

The first volume in a dramatic fictional 'Manifest Destiny' trilogy set in the old west by Mike Sparrow. "Native" is the story of Takoda, a young Lakota warrior who is compelled to fight for his life after his father is killed in a hunting accident, who must deal with murderous beaver trappers and brutal treatment at the hands of a ruthless band of buffalo hunters. However, his future is to become defined by the dark influence of Theodore Winthrop, a Minnesotan senator who wants to rid the plains of the native tribes. Takoda's survival depends on a chance encounter with a wagon train, where he meets Carla Kopp, with whom he is destined to unveil the scope of Winthrop's political and military subterfuge, a plan to steal four hundred million dollars in gold, and strategies designed to challenge the Lakota's very existence. With meticulous attention to historical detail, "Native" is a compelling and impressively entertaining read from cover to cover by an author with an original and natural flair for storytelling. While unreservedly recommended for community library Western Historical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Native" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Hooligan
Philipp Winkler
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781628728675, $25.99, HC, 203pp, www.amazon.com

We've all got two families: the one we're born with, and the one we choose ourselves. Heiko hasn't finished high school. His father is an alcoholic. His mother left. His housemate organizes illegal dogfights. He works in his uncle's gym, one frequented by bikers and skinheads. He definitely isn't one of society's winners, but he has his chosen family, the pack of soccer hooligans he's grown up with. His uncle is the leader, and gradually Heiko has risen in the ranks, until he's recognized in the stands of his home team and beyond the stadium walls, where, after the game, he and his gang represent their city in brutal organized brawls with hooligans from other localities. All the more impressive when considering that "Hooligan" is author Philipp Winkler's debut as a novelist, this compelling story offers an intimate, devastating portrait of working-class, post-industrial urban life on the fringes and a universal story about masculinity in the twenty-first century, with a protagonist whose fear of being left behind has driven him to extremes. Narrated with lyrical authenticity by Heiko himself, it captures the desperation and violence that permeate his world, along with the yearning for brotherhood. While unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Hooligan" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.33) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781543680157, $24.99, MP3 CD).

Across the Blue
Carrie Turansky
Multnomah Books
c/o Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
c/o Center Point Publishing
600 Brooks Road, Thorndike, ME 04986
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com
9781601429421, $14.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Isabella Grayson, the eldest daughter of a wealthy, English newspaper magnate, longs to become a journalist, but her parents don't approve. They want her to marry well and help them gain a higher standing in society. After she writes an anonymous letter to the editor that impresses her father, her parents reluctantly agree she can write a series of articles about aviation and the race to fly across the English Channel, but only if she promises to accept a marriage proposal within the year. When James Drake, an aspiring aviator, crashes his flying machine at the Grayson's new estate, Bella is intrigued. James is determined to be the first to fly across the Channel and win the prize Mr. Grayson's newspaper is offering. He hopes it will help him secure a government contract to build airplanes and redeem a terrible family secret. James wants to win Bella's heart, but his background and lack of social standing make it unlikely her parents would approve. If he fails to achieve his dream, how will he win the love and respect he is seeking? Will Bella's faith and support help him find the strength and courage he needs when unexpected events turn their world upside down? Another deftly crafted and consistently entertaining read by a master of the genre, Carrie Turansky's "Across the Blue" is unhesitatingly and unreservedly recommended for community library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Carrie Turansky fans that "Across the Blue" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99). Librarians should note that "Across the Blue" is also available in a large print hardcover edition from Center Point Publishing (9781683247838, $36.95, 500pp).

Beautiful Music
Michael Zadoorian
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781617756177, $28.95, HC, 340pp, www.amazon.com

Danny Yzemski is a husky, pop radio - loving loner balancing a dysfunctional homelife with the sudden harsh realities of freshman year at a high school marked by racial turbulence. But after tragedy strikes the family, Danny's mother becomes increasingly erratic and angry about the seismic cultural shifts unfolding in her city and the world. As she tries to hold it together with the help of Librium, highballs, and breakfast cereal, Danny finds his own reason to carry on: rock and roll. In particular, the drum and guitar - heavy songs of local legends like the MC5 and Iggy Pop. A touching story about the power of music and its ability to save one's soul, "Beautiful Music" by novelist Michael Zadoorian is set in early 1970s Detroit, a divided city still reeling from its violent race riot of 1967, and is the compelling story of one young man's transformation through music. An exceptional, engaging, and compelling read from first page to last, "Beautiful Music" is certain to be a well received addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Beautiful Music" is also available in a paperback edition (9781617756276, $16.95), in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.10); as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media; 9781974904211, $29.99, CD).


The Biography Shelf

Hamilton: An American Biography
Tony Williams
Rowman & Littlefield
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538100172, $19.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

"Hamilton: An American Biography" by Tony Williams provides readers with a concise and succinct biography that traces the events and values that enabled Alexander Hamilton to rise from his youth as a dispossessed orphan to Revolutionary War hero and Founding Father, in an account of a life uniquely shaped by America and who, in turn, contributed to the creation of the American regime of liberty and self-government. Hamilton was one of key leaders in the American Revolution, a chief architect of America's constitutional order of self-government, and the key figure in Washington's administration creating the institutions that govern America to this very day. In "Hamilton: An American Biography" Williams expertly weaves together biography with historical events to place Hamilton as one of the most important founding fathers. For readers just discovering Hamilton for the first time or those with an insatiable appetite for books on the Founders and the American Founding, "Hamilton: An American Biography" will shed new light on this American icon now experiencing a remarkable second act. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Biography collections and Alexander Hamilton supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Hamilton: An American Biography" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.95) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977360335, $24.99, CD).

Lewis Hine
Timothy J. Duerden
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476673349 $39.95 pbk / $19.99 Kindle amazon.com

Thoroughly accessible to historians and lay readers alike, Lewis Hine: Photographer and American Progressive is the true-life biography of Lewis Hine (1874-1940), whose intrepid photojournalism highlighted the labor grievances of his time and helped spark the reforms of the Progressive Era. In particular, his disturbing photographs of children at work in cotton mills and coal mines added momentum to the movement to end child labor, and the adoption of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. 62 of Hine's black-and-white photographs are included in this expertly researched and engagingly presented biography. Lewis Hine: Photographer and American Progressive is highly recommended especially for public and college library biography collections.

Double Agent Celery
Carolinda Witt
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
c/o Casemate
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781526716149 $50.00 hc / $30.00 Kindle amazon.com

Written by Walter Dicketts' granddaughter, Double Agent Celery: MI5's Crooked Hero is the amazing, true-life story of the WW II British double agent Walter Dicketts (codenamed Celery), a talented con man tasked with the daunting mission of persuading the Germans that he had turned traitor so he could obtain critical military intelligence. Although Dicketts was betrayed as an M15 plant before his initial trip to Germany, his mental agility and persuasive charisma allowed him to outwit his interrogators in Hamburg and Berlin, and successfully return to Britain. Celery successfully persuaded an Abwehr Officer to defect, and was undercover in Brazil for nine months. Dicketts' penchant for deception enveloped his private life as well as his military service; his swindles oscillated between making him wealthy and leaving him impoverished, and his family life was even more tangled. Double Agent Celery is the fascinating portrait of a man who was both hero and crook, fully capable of conning his way out of the most extraordinary situations, and highly recommended.

Paintbrush for Hire
Frederick C. Moffatt
The University of Tennessee Press
110 Conference Center UT, Knoxville, TN 37996
www.utpress.org
9781621903659, $58.00, HC, 367pp, www.amazon.com

"Paintbrush for Hire: The Travels of James and Emma Cameron, 1840 - 1900" by Frederick C. Moffatt (Emeritus Professor of Art History, School of Art, University of Tennessee) aptly chronicles the interesting lives of the nineteenth-century painter James Cameron (1817-1882) and his wife, Emma (1825-1907). James Cameron's remaining known oeuvre contains about twenty paintings, including some from the time he lived in Knoxville, Tennessee. But he and his wife traveled extensively (including to revolutionary Italy, when Cameron studied the classical and renaissance masters) as Cameron became a working artist, mainly in several places throughout the South. Based on their lives, Professor Moffatt sketches out the life of an itinerant, mainly southern painter in the middle to late decades of the nineteenth century. While Cameron was perhaps of moderate talent, the value of this work should lie in illuminating the day-to-day life of American painters, including the challenges they faced to make a living in the nineteenth century. In researching for this historical and biographical study, Professor Moffatt as considerably aided by his discovery of a large collection of Cameron papers housed at Mills College in Oakland, California. The most voluminous source material was comprised diaries written by Emma who was a keen observer of their situation and an energetic writer. An impeccable work of extraordinary scholarship, "Paintbrush for Hire" is an inherently fascinating and particularly well organized and presented biographical history that is unreservedly recommended, especially for community and academic library collections.

The Life of Mark Twain: The Early Years 1835-1871
Gary Scharnhorst
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Bldg., 201 S. 7th Street, Columbia, MO 65211
www.umsystem.edu/upress
9780826221445 $36.95 hc / $24.74 amazon.com

The Life of Mark Twain: The Early Years 1835-1871 is the first volume of an immense, scholarly, in-depth biography of the famous American author Samuel Clemens, best known by his pen name of Mark Twain. Exhaustive in its scrutiny of Clemens' life from his Missouri boyhood to his work in printshops, his career as a Mississippi pilot, his trip to Europe and the Holy Land, and his move to Buffalo, New York. Extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this welcome contribution to public and college library biography shelves.

The Cowboy and the Senorita
Howard Kazanjian & Chris Enss
TwoDot/Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493027958 $16.95

The Cowboy and the Senorita: A Biography of Roy Rogers & Dale Evans belongs in biography and performing arts libraries alike, and provides an updated, expanded biography named for their first feature film as a couple. From how each got into movies to their relationship, the evolution of their productions, and their tour in Sons of the Pioneers and other efforts, this is a vivid "you are there" recreation of the highlights and moments of Roy and Dale that reveals many details about their lives and makes for an engrossing expose with a lively flair that even those relatively unfamiliar with the duo will find intriguing.

Coco Chanel
Susan Goldman Rubin
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10011
www.abramsbooks.com
9781419725449, $18.99, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

In "Coco Chanel: Pearls, Perfume, and the Little Black Dress", author and biographer Susan Goldman Rubin introduces readers to the most well-known fashion designer in the world -- Coco Chanel. Beginning with the difficult years Chanel spent in an orphanage, Rubin traces Coco's development as a designer and demonstrates how her determination to be independent helped her gain worldwide recognition. "Coco Chanel" focuses on the obstacles Chanel faced as a financially independent woman in an era when women were expected to marry; as well as her fierce competition with the Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli; and some of her most memorable firsts for the fashion industry, including the little black dress, the quilted purse with gold chain, and the perfume Chanel No. 5. Enhanced with the inclusion of a bibliography, a list of where to see her work, and an index, "Coco Chanel" is an extraordinary, informative, and inherently fascinating read that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Coco Chanel" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Poetry Shelf

Terrible Blooms
Melissa Stein
Copper Canyon Press
PO Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.coppercanyonpress.org
9781556595295, $16.00, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com

A freelance editor in San Francisco, Melissa Stein's debut collection Rough Honey won the APR/Honickman First Book Prize, selected by Mark Doty. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Tin House, American Poetry Review, Harvard Review, New England Review, Best New Poets, and others. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony. Now in a new collection of her distinctive verse, "Terrible Blooms" she once again showcases her genuine flair for deftly crafted poetry that will linger in the mind and memory of her readers long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections. Quarry: As you slept / I was thinking about the quarry. / about light going deeper / into earth, into rock, the hurt / of light hitting layers / that should be hidden. / that should be buried. / and how when it rained / for a long time that absence filled / with suffering, and we swam.


The Coloring Book Shelf

Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
19018 NE Portal Way, Portland, OR 97230
www.pomegranate.com

"The Fairy Tale Art of Walter Crane Colouring Book" (9780764981449, $7.95) by illustrator Walter Crane features 22 black and white full page illustrations from the Walter Crane (English, 1845-1915) originals at the collection at the British Library. The cover and inside from and back covers contain miniature portraits in full color for reference. The intricate detail, graceful ornamentation, and courtly style of all the portrait characters is enchanting and unforgettable. Adult coloring fans will love spending hours with this book and some pencils or pens. Beloved scenes from childhood fairy tales are beautifully embellished with these classic turn of the century illustrations. Additionally highly recommended and from the same publisher is an adult coloring book titled "Shakespeare: A Colouring Book" (9780764981241, $16.95) filled with 50 black and white prints from "A Collection of prints, from pictures painted for the purpose of illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakespeare, by the Artists of Great Britain (London: J & J Boydell, 1803)". Each individual print fills a full page and is paired with the play and scene it illustrates in the title index page. The result is a cavalcade of stunning black and white prints of dramatic Shakespeare scenes invites the amateur colorist to display all their artistic skills.

Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
19018 NE Portal Way, Portland, OR 97230
www.pomegranate.com

"Japanese Decorative Designs" (9780764981432, $7.95, PB, 48pp) is an adult coloring book from the Pomegranate collection and features 22 Japanese floral images to color. "Intricate Ink: Animals in Detail" (9780764981210, $14.95, 56pp, HC) is the third volume of artist Tim Jeffs series of adult coloring books and is comprised of 25 original and intricately detailed animal drawings to color. Offering hours of quite, contemplative, creative, and entertaining activity, "Japanese Decorative Designs" and "Intricate Ink: Animals in Detail" are very highly recommended for personal coloring book collections.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Harmonic Origins of the World
Richard Heath
Inner Traditions
www.innertraditions.com
9781620556122 $18.99

The Harmonic Origins of the World: Sacred Number at the Source of Creation explores the numerical ratios that define not just religious beliefs, but notions of the universe, and considers the simple math relationships that are connected to the science of the solar system. From a history of how Neolithic astronomers discovered these ratios to how the orbits of the planets relate to time and lead to the rise of intelligent life on Earth, this blend of science and new age thinking should be in any serious new age collection.

Spirit Clans
David Carson
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Ste. 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.hrpub.com
9781571748409, $16.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

For millennia, Native American tradition has taught that we all carry within us an ancient blessing, a spirit clan that connects us to the earth. Our spirit clan may be an animal, or a plant, a stone, or some special object that has taken on spiritual power. Your clan is a reservoir of powerful energy. It helps carry you through troubled times and protects you from danger. The wisdom of their teachings shows the way to true peace and prosperity and to live in harmony with all that is. In "Spirit Clans: Native Wisdom for Personal Power and Guidance" by David Carson (who is an official member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. and the coauthor of Medicine Cards, which draws on the healing power of animals), you will learn how to discover your own spirit clan using dreams and visions as a guide and by contemplating the stories, traditions, and descriptions of the 75 clans gathered here. In-depth descriptions of the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of spirit clans and their modern-day manifestations lift these ancient teachings off the page and bring them to life. An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from first page to last, "Spirit Clans" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Native American Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Spirit Clans" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.10).


The Needlecraft Shelf

Kenneth D. King's Smart Fitting Solutions
Kenneth D. King
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
www.taunton.com
9781631868566, $34.95, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

No matter your size or shape, "Kenneth D. King's Smart Fitting Solutions: Foolproof Techniques to Fit Any Figure" will teach even the most novice needlecrafter how to make perfect-fitting garments every time. A comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference and resource, "Kenneth D. King's Smart Fitting Solutions" shows the home sewer how to understand her shape and fitting options, as well as how to identify bad fit by reading the wrinkles in the garment. From there, it explains 'Smart Fitting' methods including net gain (add fabric), net loss (remove fabric), or no net gain or loss (move fabric around) in order to make the necessary corrections to the pattern. Needlecraft expert Kenneth King draws on his 30+ years of patternmaking and couturier experience to: Help the sewer understand proportion, wearing ease, and design ease; Learn how to measure correctly; Learn about fitting and alteration methods; Learn how to make a muslin the gold standard of test garments; and learn how to alter patterns for 35 upper body part issues. The home sewer will also be privy to garment construction tips picked up during Kenneth's years of couture sewing -- exactly the things that make complex details a breeze. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library needlecraft instructional collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Kenneth D. King's Smart Fitting Solutions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

That Patchwork Place titles
Martingale
www.shopmartingale.com

Four new titles are highly recommended picks for quilters seeking solid discussions of techniques and versatile approaches to quilting. Kathy Cardiff's A Cottage Garden: Stitch and Enjoy a Bounty of Beautiful Blossoms (9781604686498, $28.99) combines a gardener's eye for flowers and color with a stitcher's interest in reproducing these in needlework, and mixes wool and cotton with a focus on flowers as Cardiff brings backyard garden designs into projects that range from pillows to wall quilts. Artistic approaches include plenty of colorful panels as discussions revolve around creating and displaying needlework based on flowers and color. Kate Henderson's Scrappy & Happy Quilts: Limited Palette, Tons of Fun! (9781604686627, $25.99) shows how to pick several colors and combine them into two- and three-color patterns. While one might think this would involve expenditures of precise colors and patterns, Henderson shows how to apply this technique with precuts or scraps, and how to make versatile blends of color and style. Sue Pfau's Easy Quilts from Precut Fabrics (9781604688665, $19.99) covers precuts that include small cuts of all kinds of fabric that can be made into layer cake slices, jelly roll strips, and fat quarters. Just a few precut bundles lend to beautiful results that are economical and striking. Carol Hopkins's Civil War Legacies IV: 14 Time-Honored Quilts for Reproduction Fabrics (9781604688801, $25.99) covers fabrics inspired by the Civil War era and will prove especially attractive to those who have scraps based on this. This is the fourth book in her 'Civil War Legacies' series and features small quilts that use scraps to best advantage. All are appealing, winning quilt approaches accessible to all levels of quilter.


The Education Shelf

Key to the SAT
Kallis Edu
www.kallisedu.com
9780998482576, $29.95, PB, 512pp, www.amazon.com

With "Key to the SAT: With 6 New Practice Tests: Quick Prep for the Exam and Strategies for Solving Each Question Type" from Kallis Edu, highschool students can learn how to master each SAT-tested concept using the Kallis Key Points system to review crucial concepts. These comprehensive Key Strategies provide step-by-step question-solving methods, and the six full-length practice tests in "Key to the SAT" give students plenty of opportunities to refine their skills. Finally, detailed answers and explanations provide thorough procedures for solving each question. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in composition, organization, and presentation, "Key to the SAT" is unreservedly recommended for any student wanting to successfully pass an SAT examination with their highest scores possible.

Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.sagepub.com

Carolyn Banuelos, Danielle James and Elise Lund's Puzzle Piece Phonics Teacher's Guide: Word Story for the Balanced Literacy Classroom (9781506364568, $33.95) covers a program developed by three teachers interested in helping first graders become readers. Their research-supported program of daily lessons is designed to build student knowledge of sounds and letters through a fun puzzle piece approach, which interests students in the process. From guided instruction to independent practice, this approach pairs over a hundred puzzle pieces on sturdy card stock with teacher instructions for management and online resources for backup. This teacher's guide is accompanied by the book of puzzle pieces themselves, Puzzle Piece Phonics: The Puzzle Pieces (9781506364711, $15.95), designed to be used in conjunction with the teacher's resource kit. First graders will also benefit from a daily lesson wall display of the puzzle pieces which illustrate phonics concepts and back up the eleven phonics concepts that build upon the basics.


The Parenting Shelf

Not So Fast
Tim Hollister & Pam Shadel Fischer
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613748725, $12.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Most driving literature for parents of adolescent children focuses on how to teach a teen to drive, without explaining why teen driving is so dangerous in the first place or giving parents a plan to preempt the hazards teens face. By contrast, "Not So Fast: Parenting Your Teen Through the Dangers of Driving" by the collaborative team of Tim Hollister (who became a national authority and spokesperson for safer teen driving after losing his 17-year-old son Reid in a car crash in 2006) and Pam Shadel Fischer (who is the executive director for National Organizations for Youth Safety, a coalition of national organizations that promote youth empowerment and leadership and work to build partnerships that save lives, prevent injuries, and enhance safe and healthy lifestyles among all youth) empowers and guides parents to understand the causes and situations that most often lead to teen crashes and to take specific, proactive steps both before and each time a teen driver gets behind the wheel in order to counteract them. an authoritative and practical guide that tackles hot button issues such as texting and distracted driving, parenting attitudes (conscious and unconscious), and teen impairment and fatigue, "Not So Fast" also includes a combination of topics not found in other teen driving guides, such as: How brain development affects driving; Why driver's ed does not produce safe drivers; How and why to prepare a "flight plan" for each drive before handing over the keys; How and when to say no. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Not So Fast" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Effective Parenting collections and supplemental studies reading lists for anyone with a teenager who wants to drive.

Little Walks, Big Adventures
Erin Buhr, MEd
Gryphon House, Inc.
PO Box 10, 6848 Leon's Way, Lewisville, NC 27023
www.gryphonhouse.com
9780876597576, $19.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

While most activity books for raising toddlers encourage indoor explorations, there are countless adventures and learning opportunities outside the house or apartment! Going for a walk or exploring the local community with your toddler can bring about much more than just exercise. "Little Walks, Big Adventures: 50+ Ideas for Exploring With Toddlers" by Early Childhood Educator Erin Buhr will help a parent teach their toddler about his/her surroundings through fun and adventurous local explorations, outdoor games and activities that promote and enhance learning. Parents and caregivers will help their toddlers enhance their: Vocabulary; Language skills; Cognitive skills; Motor Skills; and so much more! Profusely illustrated, 'real world practical', thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Little Walks, Big Adventures " is unhesitatingly and unreservedly recommended for both family and community library Parenting instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Little Walks, Big Adventures" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

1-2-3 Workbook for Parenting with Heart
Thomas W. Phelan, author
Chris Webb, author
Sourcebooks Inc.
1935 Brookdale Road, #139, Naperville, IL 60563
www.sourcebooks.com
9781492653059, $17.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Through the 1-2-3 Magic program, Dr. Thomas W. Phelan and pastor Chris Webb teach parents to take charge while refraining from any harsh discipline or yelling, leading to better behaved children, happier parents, and a more peaceful home environment. In the "1-2-3 Workbook for Parenting with Heart", the program's simple steps are explained in greater detail, and each workbook chapter contains a summary, questions about the content, case studies, troubleshooting exercises, and wrap-up bullets. This workbook provides extra content and resources for parents looking to engage more deeply with the Christian-focused 1-2-3 Magic program. Updated packaging and content along with a refreshed internal design make this parenting classic even more relatable to today's parenting community. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "1-2-3 Workbook for Parenting with Heart" is particularly recommended to the attention of those parents wanting an especially Christian oriented approach to their parenting.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Steven Spielberg FAQ
Barry Monush
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
www.applausebooks.com
9781495064739 $19.99 amazon.com

Steven Spielberg FAQ is an in-depth guide to the films of one of Hollywood's most popular directors and producers, whose moviemaking career spans five decades. Chapters include a timeline of Spielberg's career, the literary and real-life origins of some of Spielberg's movies, information about Spielberg's work for television shows, Spielberg's occasions in front of the camera as an "actor" or guest starring himself, how Spielberg's films have performed at the box office, and much more. Interspersed by black-and-white photographs throughout, and enhanced with an index, Steven Spielberg FAQ is the "go-to" resource for anyone interested in learning more about this talented professional and his memorable movies. Highly recommended.


The Political Science Shelf

LBJ's 1968
Kyle Longley
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781107193031, $29.99, HC, 374pp, www.amazon.com

1968 was an unprecedented year in terms of upheaval on numerous scales: political, military, economic, social, cultural. In the United States, perhaps no one was more undone by the events of 1968 than President Lyndon Baines Johnson. In "LBJ's 1968: Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval", Kyle Longley (Snell Vamily Dean's Distinguished Professor of History and Political Science, Arizona State university) leads his readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of what President Johnson characterized as the 'year of a continuous nightmare'. Professor Longley also explores how LBJ perceived the most significant events of 1968, including the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy, and the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His responses to the crises were sometimes effective but often tragic, and LBJ's refusal to seek re-election underscores his recognition of the challenges facing the country in 1968. As much a biography of a single year as it is of an American president in a year of crisis, "LBJ's 1968" vividly captures the tumult that dominated the headlines on a local and global level. Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "LBJ's 1968" is an impressively informative work of outstanding scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library 20th Century American History and Political Science collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "LBJ's 1968" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.60).

Partner to Power
K. Ward Cummings
Prometheus Books
www.prometheusbooks.com
9781633883154 $24.00

Partner to Power: The Secret World of Presidents and Their Most Trusted Advisors examines the relationship between US presidents and their advisors from different viewpoints, considering their personal and professional interactions and how presidents have used these relationships over the decades. Stories of men and women who have served as chiefs of staff and advisors to various presidents offer a vivid portrait of their roles and changing influences on Presidential policies.


The Art Shelf

In the Fields of Empty Days
Linda Komaroff
Prestel Publishing
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York, NY 10003
www.prestel.com
9783791357386, $60.00, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

The past is a continuous and inescapable part of Iranian art and culture. "In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art" by Linda Komaroff (Curator and Department Head of Art of the Middle East at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. ) and eight contributing artists beautifully demonstrates this notion with examples dating from the 1970s to the present -- a time of turmoil and political upheaval. Featuring a dizzying variety of works ranging from paintings and photography to political cartoons and posters, "In the Fields of Empty Days" shows how contemporary artists appropriate and recontextualize myth and history to tell powerful new stories about life in Iran. "In the Fields of Empty Days" also explores how pre-Modern artists first began to manipulate time by visually shifting the past into the present as demonstrated by Persian miniature painting, in particular illustrated versions of the Shahnama, or Book of Kings, the Iranian national epic. Statements from prominent contemporary artists consider the creative means by which they evoke the past to address present-day social and political concerns. Designed to promote fluid movement between historical and modern, "In the Fields of Empty Days" is wide-ranging and profusely illustrated volume that offers a unique and important exploration of a country with a rich and complicated heritage, making it an ideal and very highly recommended addition to personal, community and academic library Art History collections in general, and in particular, Iranian Art supplemental studies reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Frescoes by the Bay: Volumes 1 & 2
Karen Norton-Sinell
https://www.frescoesbythebay.com
Tayen Lane Publishing
http://www.tayenlane.com
Volume 1, 9780999080702, $39.99, 238pp
Volume 2, 9781944505301, $39.99, 274pp

"Frescoes by the Bay" by professional photographer and award-winning Karen Norton-Sinell is a beautifully crafted two volume coffee table style art book set that photographically illustrates the various murals that were painted in various parts of San Francisco during the historic WPA period from the 1930s. Featured are the works of Victor Amantoff, Diego Rivera, Frieda Kahlo, and Bernard Zakheim. The works depicted in volumes 1 and 2 are separated by date of completion and geographic location. They are sophisticated visual works carefully planned to describe the many facets of history, and feature tore-to-life stories of a by-gone era in California. Impressively informed and informative, the two-volume "Frescoes by the Bay" would be especially appropriate and unreservedly recommended for both personal, community, and academic library American Art History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Black Elk, Lakota Visionary
Harry Oldmeadow
World Wisdom
www.worldwisdom.com
9781936597604 $19.95

Anyone familiar with Native American history and culture knows Black Elk Speaks, a key piece central to understanding American Indians; but Black Elk, Lakota Visionary takes a different approach in re-assessing Black Elk's life and work, exploring his mystical visions, encounters with Catholicism, and his testament to spiritual realities as they relate to ancestral Sioux belief systems. From interpretations of Black Elk Speaks to how to study his spiritual perspective, Black Elk, Lakota Visionary would best be used as a companion to the classic, offering many viewpoints and insights key to appreciating Black Elk's philosophy and spiritual wisdom.

Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice
Peter Kulchyski
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
9780887558139 $27.95 www.uofmpress.ca

Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice: Begade Shutagot'ine and the Sahtu Treaty is the story of how a community of a few hundred people living in and around Tulita (formerly Fort Norman) on the Mackenzie River in Canada's Northwest Territories had their rights stripped by the Sahtu Treaty, a land claims agreement negotiated between the Government of Canada and the Sahtu Tribal Council. Author Peter Kulchyski documents the negotiation and implementation of the Sahtu Treaty; how the lands of the Begade Shutagot'ine were included in the treaty despite their formal objections and boycott of the agreement; and evidence that the Begade Shutagot'ine should be the rightful owners of the land by law. A handful of inset black-and-white photographs and an extensive bibliography round out this meticulous account of a two-decade long struggle for land rights. Report of an Inquiry into an Injustice is highly recommended especially for public and college library collections.

Sacred Instructions
Sherri Mitchell
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623171957, $17.95, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Sherri Mitchell was born and raised on the Penobscot Indian reservation. She received her Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Indigenous People's Law and Policy from the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law. She is an alumna of the American Indian Ambassador program, and the Udall Native American Congressional Internship program. She is the Founding Director of the Land Peace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the global protection of indigenous rights and the preservation of the indigenous way of life. Drawing from ancestral knowledge, as well as her experience as an attorney and activist, Sherri addresses some of the most crucial issues of our day in "Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change", including environmental protection and human rights. Sharing the gifts she has received from elders around the world, Sherri urges us to decolonize our language and our stories. For those seeking change, "Sacred Instructions" offers a set of cultural values that will preserve our collective survival for future generations. Exceptionally well written, impressively thoughtful and thought-provoking, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Sacred Instructions" is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library Native American Studies collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Sacred Instructions" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).


The Mythology Shelf

Myths & Legends series, new editions
TwoDot/Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com

Two second editions of true myths and legends from two different states are recommended for leisure readers and those who like true-life mysteries. Diana Lambdin Meyer's Kansas Myths & Legends: The True Stories Behind History's Mysteries (9781493028405, $16.95) tells many lively, fun stories; from the influences on Carry Nation to undertake a vocal and historic mission to what happened when David Eisenhower's business partner left him holding the bag on a mountain of debt. From the murder of an Italian immigrant hermit to why people in Atchinson, Kansas believed that aviator Amelia Earhart returned to her family home after her disappearance in the Pacific, this collection makes for lively biographical and historical reading. Michael O'Reilly's Utah Myths & Legends (9781493028382, $16.95) achieves the same for Utah, gathering true tales from the state which range from a marooned grave robber to an underground alien community. The attention to oddities, ironies, and action through the state's colorful background blends biography and history in a manner that lends to its enjoyment both by local history buffs and leisure readers seeking true facts couched in the drama of fictional description.


The Travel Shelf

Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee
Martin J. Smith
TwoDot/Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493028443 $18.95

Mr. Las Vegas Has a Bad Knee and Other Tales of the People, Places, and Peculiarities of the Modern American Southwest offers travel essays laced with a healthy sense of humor in a presentation that excels in gifted descriptions and quirky, fun encounters. These essays about the modern American Southwest offer fun encounters, from the racket of Woofers on Wheels to becoming the Federal Duck Stamp Artist in a wild duck chase. The fun and whimsical stories will make for hours of hilarious armchair pursuit.


The Economic Studies Shelf

The Truth Machine
Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna
St. Martin's Press
www.stmartins.com
9781250114570 $26.99

The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything is a recommended read for anyone interested in global economic technology and interactions, and explains blockchain technology and how it can improve global connections and economies; especially among the disadvantaged. Chapters cover bitcoin's volatile ups and downs, the pros, cons and limitations of blockchain technology, its applications beyond economic circles, and how accounting and banking fields will change as blockchain enters the mainstream. The result is an important, wide-ranging survey of how blockchain is set to expand and influence world operations, and is a recommended pick for anyone interested in global economics and social issues.


The Anthropology Shelf

Thinking Big
Clive Gamble, Johnl Gowlett, Robin Dunbar
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500293829, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

When and how did the brains of our hominin ancestors become human minds? When and why did our capacity for language, art, music and dance evolve? "Thinking Big: How the Evolution of Social Life Shaped the Human Mind" by the collaborative team of Clive Gamble (Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton), John Gowlett (Professor of Archaeology, Liverpool University), and Robin Dunbar ( who is the head of the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience Research Group, University of Oxford) is path-breaking study proposing that it was the need for early humans to live in ever-larger social groups over greater distances (the ability to "think big") that drove the enlargement of the human brain and the development of the human mind. This social brain hypothesis can be tested against archaeological and fossil evidence. The conclusions, based on over seven years of research, build on the insight that modern humans live in effective social groups of about 150 (so-called "Dunbar's number"), some three times the size of those of apes and our early ancestors. We live in a world dominated by social networking. Yet our virtual contact lists, whether on Facebook or Twitter, are on average no bigger than Dunbar's number. An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking read from beginning to end, "Thinking Big" is an extraordinary and original work that is an especially recommended addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Thinking Big" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.34).


The Literary Studies Shelf

Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt
Susanna Ashton & Bill Hardwig, editor
Modern Language Association
26 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10004-1789
www.mla.org
9781603293310, $40.00, HC, 193ppp, www.amazon.com

Growing up in Cleveland after the Civil War and during the brutal rollback of Reconstruction and the onset of Jim Crow, Charles W. Chesnutt could have passed as white but chose to identify himself as black. An intellectual and activist involved with the NAACP who engaged in debate with Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, he wrote fiction and essays that addressed issues as various as segregation, class among both blacks and whites, Southern nostalgia, and the Wilmington coup d'etat of 1898. The portrayals of race, racial violence, and stereotyping in Chesnutt's works challenge teachers and students to contend with literature as both a social and an ethical practice. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Susanna Ashton (Professor of English at Clemson University) and Bill Hardwig (Associate Professor of English, University of Tennessee) "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt", in Part 1 of this volume, "Materials" the editors survey the critical reception of Chesnutt's works in his lifetime and after, along with the biographical, critical, and archival texts available to teachers and students. The essays in part 2, "Approaches", address such topics in teaching Chesnutt as his use of dialect, the role of intertextuality and genre in his writing, irony, and his treatment of race, economics, and social justice. An outstanding anthology of erudite and insightful articles by an impressive roster of contributors, "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt" is very highly recommended for both college and university library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt" is also available in a paperback edition (9781603293327, $24.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.80).


The Sports Shelf

Organizational Behavior in Sport Management
Eric W. MacIntosh & Laura J. Burton
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.HumanKinetics.com
9781492552383, $89.00, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

The collaborative project of Eric MacIntosh (Associate Professor of Sport Management at the University of Ottawa in Canada) and Laura J. Burton (Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Department of Educational Leadership within the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut), "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" covers all of the key organizational behavior topics and issues in sport organization settings including: diversity, ethics, values, behavior, leadership, and much more. "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" features: Learning objectives and discussion questions for each chapter that help students conceptualize, retain, and understand the content; Case studies with discussion questions to help students apply the concepts from each chapter; In the Boardroom sidebars that use real-life examples from organizations within the field to highlight key topics. The In the Boardroom sidebars reflect best practices for various levels of numerous sport organizations, affording readers a great range of applications in the sport management world. An ideal curriculum textbook for sports management courses, "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" is unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Sports Management collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, sports managers, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Organizational Behavior in Sport Management" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $67.00).


The Aviation Shelf

United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913
E. R. Johnson, author
Lloyd S. Jones, illustrator
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476663470, $49.95, PB, 590pp, www.amazon.com

Among the world's military air arms, United States Marine Corps Aviation occupies a unique tactical niche. As the air component of a combined-arms expeditionary force, it exists primarily to support Marine combat forces on the ground in their amphibious assault mission. From the "Banana Wars" of the 1920s to the present day "War on Terror," Marine aviation has undergone a lengthy fine-tuning process not only in terms of warfare doctrines and tactics, but also in the types of aircraft needed to accomplish the mission. In "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" E.R. Johnson (an attorney, has flown 25 different types of aircraft as a pilot-in-command and the author of seven books and more than 100 articles on aviation) and Lloyd S. Jones, (an aviation artist who researches, designs and writes for major airplane model companies and creates detailed aircraft illustrations) "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" is comprehensive survey that provides the history, technical specifications, drawings, and photographs of every type of fixed and rotary-wing aircraft used by Marine Air from its origins in 1913 prior to America's entry into World War I up to current operations around the world. Comprehensively informative and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "United States Marine Corps Aircraft Since 1913" is an ideal and core addition to personal, community, and academic library American Aviation History collections in general, and Military Aviation supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Technology Shelf

Electric Circuits: A Primer
J. C. Olivier
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630815493, $129.00, HC, 250pp, www.amazon.com

JC Olivier is currently a professor of engineering at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. He received his B.Eng, M. Eng, and his Ph.D. in electronics engineering from University of Pretoria, RSA. In "Electric Circuits: A Primer" Professor Olivier draws upon his years of experience and expertise to create an impressively informative, comprehensive, and extraordinarily well organized basic instruction textbook that covers Static Circuits and Kirchhoff's Laws; Dynamic Sources, Energy Storage, and Transients; and AC - Sinusoidal Voltage and Current Sources. Profusely illustrated throughout with formulas and diagrams, "Electric Circuits: A Primer" is unreservedly recommended for technical college and university library Technology Collections in general, and Electric Circuit supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

MIMO Radar: Theory and Application
Jamie Bergin & Joseph R. Guerci
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630813420, $159.00, HC, 230pp, www.amazon.com

Jamie Bergin currently a principal engineer at Information Systems Laboratories, Inc. He is the instructor of a popular tutorial on MIMO radar that has been presented many times at the IEEE Radar Conference. Joseph R. Guerci has 30 years of experience in advanced technology research and development in government, industrial, and academic settings including the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as Director of the Special Projects Office (SPO) where he led the inception, research, development, execution, and ultimately transition of next generation multidisciplinary defense technologies. In "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" the effectively collaborate to provide a comprehensive new resource that provides in-depth and timely coverage of the underpinnings and latest advances of MIMO radar. "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" provides a comprehensive introduction to MIMO radar and demonstrates its utility in real-world applications, then culminates with the latest advances in optimal and adaptive MIMO radar for enhanced detection and target ID in challenging environments. Signal processing prerequisites are explained, including radar signals, orthogonal waveforms, matched filtering, multi-channel beam forming, and Doppler processing. "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" discusses MIMO radar signal model, antenna properties, system modeling and waveform alternatives. MIMO implantation challenges are covered, including computational complexity, adaptive clutter mitigation, calibration and equalization, and hardware constraints. Profusely illustrated throughly, "MIMO Radar: Theory and Application" is an ideal and comprehensive textbook that is an especially recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library MIMO Radar instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Military Shelf

21st Century Power
Brent D. Ziarnick, editor
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781682473139, $21.95, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

"21st Century Power: Strategic Superiority for the Modern Era" by Maj. Brent D. Ziarnick, USAF, (who is an Assistant {Professor of National Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama) uses the Naval Institute Press's '21st Century Foundations' series format to re-introduce to the military community the writings of General Thomas S. Power, the third Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). His unappreciated works contain many insights into military topics such as technology and the arms race, the nature of deterrence, and the military utility of space. Unifying all of these writings was Power's quest to maintain nuclear superiority over the Soviet Union. Although General Power is considered a quintessential Cold Warrior, his ideas are timely considering today's challenges of re-energizing the morale and technology of U.S. strategic forces in the wake of foreign advances, discerning what deterrence means in the "Second Nuclear Age", as well as planning the future of space and cyber power. Enhanced with an especially informative introduction (The Second Nuclear Age), "21st Century Power" is deftly organized and presented in five major sections: Deterrence and Strategic Warfare; The Ultimate Weapon versus the ICBM in Strategic Warfare; A Strategic Commander Speaks to Congress; A Strategic Commander Speaks to Citizens; The Enduing Role of Strategic Warfare. This paperback edition of "21st Century Power" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Military History & Strategy instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Operation Medusa
Major General David Fraser and Brian Hanington
McClelland & Stewart
www.mcclelland.com
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguin.com
9780771039300 $24.00 amazon.com

Written by the Candian general who was in charge of the joint military command in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in 2006 when Operation Medusa took place, Operation Medusa: The Furious Battle That Saved Afghanistan is the extraordinary story of the military operation credited with preventing Afghanistan from falling under Taliban rule. Chapters lay bare previously classified information, including anticipated death tolls, the contribution of the Afghan police, discoveries of drugs, unreported civilian casualties, the strafing of Charles Company by an American A-10, and much more. Utterly riveting from cover to cover, Operation Medusa is a choice pick for public and college library Military History collections, highly recommended.


The Philosophy Shelf

Evolution of Desire
Cynthia L. Haven
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
http://msupress.org
9781611862836, $29.95, PB, 346pp, www.amazon.com

The late Rene Girard (1923 - 2015) was one of the leading thinkers of our era. A provocative sage who bypassed prevailing orthodoxies to offer a bold, sweeping vision of human nature, human history, and human destiny. His oeuvre, offering a "mimetic theory" of cultural origins and human behavior, inspired such writers as Milan Kundera and J. M. Coetzee, and earned him a place among the forty "immortals" of the Academie Francaise. Too often, however, his work is considered only within various academic specializations. "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard"is first-ever biographical study to take a wider view. Biographer Cynthia L. Haven traces the evolution of Girard's thought in parallel with his life and times. She recounts his formative years in France and his arrival in a country torn by racial division, and reveals his insights into the collective delusions of our technological world and the changing nature of warfare. Drawing on interviews with Girard and his colleagues, "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard" provides an essential introduction to one of the twentieth century's most controversial and original minds. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Evolution of Desire: A Life of Rene Girard" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.03).


The Money/Finance Shelf

You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement
Marc Lichtenfeld
Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
wileyfinance.com
9781119347149 $29.95 hc / $11.99 Kindle amazon.com

You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement: How to Maintain Your Lifestyle without Getting a Job or Cutting Corners lives up to its title as a thoroughly "reader-friendly" guide to financial planning for retirement. Chapters discuss the value of investing in "Perpetual Dividend Raisers", or stocks that raise their dividends every year; how one can use peer-to-peer lending sites to "be the bank" and lend money that earns interest; how to "become the IRS" by investing in tax lien certificates; how to benefit from Health Savings Accounts ("the 401k you've never heard of"), how to get the most out of Social Security; how to reduce the cost for medical expenses or investment expenses (do you really need to pay a financial advisor thousands of dollars to rebalance your portfolio once a year?) and much more. Of particular note are the warnings against financial strategies that are often a terrible idea. Annuities, most forms of life insurance, and reverse mortgages carry high costs and are usually a bad choice for the vast majority of people, although they can be useful to a few individuals in specific situations. For example, a reverse mortgage carries high fees and can leave one without the equity to get into a good nursing home; reverse mortgages should generally be avoided unless one is absolutely desperate for immediate cash, with no other available resources. Candid, sensible, and engaging, You Don't Have To Drive an Uber in Retirement is a "must-read", highly recommended for both personal and public library Money/Finance collections.


The Agriculture Shelf

How to Feed the World
Edited by Jessica Eise and Ken Foster
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610918848 $30.00 amazon.com

How to Feed the World is an anthology of essays by multidisciplinary experts concerning a pivotal problem: how can humanity effectively obtain global food security, when the total human population is expected to grow to ten billion by 2050? Individual essays discuss population, water resources, land conservation, climate change, technology, food systems, food waste and loss, social buy-in, the enormous obstacles to achieving equal access to food, and much more. How to Feed the World is absolutely invaluable, and highly recommended especially for public and college library agriculture and social issues shelves.


The Holocaust Studies Shelf

Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust
Lee B. Spitzer
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
www.judsonpress.com
9780817017828, $38.99, PB, 482pp, www.amazon.com

"Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust: The Hand of Sincere Friendship" by Lee B. Spitzer, (who is General Secretary of American Baptist Churches USA) offers a thorough narrative history exploring the previously unknown work of Baptists in the United States during the Second World War. How did US Baptists respond to Jews at home and abroad, especially as anti-Semitism grew and reports of the genocide overseas reached our shores? Rich with primary source material and covering the history of Northern (American) Baptists, Southern Baptists, and African American Baptists alike, this ground-breaking volume is a especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of church historians, Holocaust scholars, Baptist history buffs, and anyone interested in interfaith relations. While very highly recommended for church, community, and academic library Christian Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Baptists, Jews, and the Holocaust" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.99).

Journey through Genocide
Raffy Boudjikanian
The Dundurn Group
3 Church Street, Suite 500, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5E 1M2
9781459740754 $19.99 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Author Raffy Boudjikanian examines the depths of man's inhumanity to man in Journey through Genocide: Stories of Survivors and the Dead, a nonfiction accounting drawn from travels to and interviews with communities that have suffered mass extermination. In Chad, there are families who fled the massacres in the Darfur region of Sudan; in Rwanda, the road to justice and reconciliation is long and difficult; and in Turkey, the Armenian Genocide of 1915 - a mass slaughter that claimed the author's own ancestors - continues to inspire fear over a century later. Thought-provoking and candid, Journey through Genocide is a dark yet necessary contribution to public and college library World History and Holocaust Studies collections. Highly recommended.


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