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California Bookwatch

Volume 7, Number 9 September 2012 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Women's Studies Shelf Economic Studies Shelf
Law/Justice Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Fiction Shelf Audiobook Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Travel Shelf Sports Shelf
Military Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Computer Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Art Shelf
Photography Shelf Education Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Economic Studies Shelf Literary Studies Shelf Biography Shelf
Business Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Music Shelf
Technology Shelf Crafts Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf American History Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Gardening Shelf Automotive Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Native American Shelf Library DVD Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Botany Shelf Psychology Shelf Biology Shelf
California Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Art of Intelligence
Henry A. Crumpton
The Penguin Press
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9781594203343, $27.95, www.penguingroup.com

The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service comes from an author who for a crucial period of time led the CIA's global covert operations against America's terrorist enemies, including al-Qaeda. He also led the Afghanistan campaign after 9/11 and was heavily involved with CIA operations from battlefield to the Presidency, and is the perfect insider the recount a campaign which would change how America wages war, blending CIA efforts with Special Forces operations. His book shows the importance of linking intelligence officers and their secret missions with overall military and political strategic planning, and offers a fine survey of Crumpton's career and the efforts of spies. The result is a powerful account recommended for military and political issues holdings alike.

X-Events: The Collapse of Everything
John L. Casti
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.williammorrow.com
9780062088284, $26.99, www.harpercollins.com

X-Events: The Collapse of Everything comes from a complexity scientist who reviews how complex our world has become - and how over-reliance on technology might lead to disaster. What kinds of disasters could cut the technology umbilical cord? X-Events outlines these, from a world-wide crash o the Internet or nano-plagues to electromagnetic pulses and pandemic viruses. Any general lending library interested in world-changing events will find this a compelling read certain to attract a wide audience, from those who generally read apocalypse fiction and nonfiction to readers concerned about technology's ability to withstand natural disaster.

The Empowerment Manual
Starhawk
New Society Publishers
Box 189
Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865716971, $24.95, www.newsociety.com

The Empowerment Manual provides a fine guide for collaborative groups and discusses issues of progressive leadership, decision-making and problem-solving and more. It documents the actions of collaborative, voluntary groups around the world and shows how organizations succeed and become forces for social change. Starhawk uses some forty years of personal experience to show how the collaborative process works and uses the story of RootBound, a fictional ecovillage filled with conflict - to discuss rules, norms, and related issues. A fine pick for social issues and new age holdings alike!

Fooling Houdini
Alex Stone
Harper
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
9780061766213, $26.99, www.harpercollins.com

FOOLING HOUDINI: MAGICIANS, MENTALISTS, MATH GEEKS, AND THE HIDDEN POWERS OF THE MIND tells of the author's complete wash-out at the 2006 Magic Olympics, when he crashed and burned so badly that he vowed never to do magic again. But he couldn't stay away from the art - and undertook a journey of self-improvement that led him around the world investigating human nature, the underground magic community, and meets and practices among musicians. The sociology and psychology behind magic are explored in a fine survey blending humor with riveting insights into the world of magicians and performers. Any general lending library will find this a winner.

Tasteful Nudes
Dave Hill
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9781250002037, $24.99, www.stmartins.com

Tasteful Nudes: ...and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation offers up essays that are fun, whimsical and pointed observations on just about everything from rock 'n roll to animal attacks, romance, prison and more. Seventeen short autobiographical essays poke fun at many things, reflect on some sadnesses - such as the death of his mother - and generally packs in wry, funny observations that are well worth reading. Any general-interest library strong in comedy and humor will find this a solid addition.

Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City
Leslie Day
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421401522, $24.95, www.press.jhu.edu

Trudy Smoke's illustrations for Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City compliments Leslie Day's fine survey and helps explain the City's species of trees to natives, residents and visitors alike. Detailed maps of the five boroughs identify all of the city's neighborhoods and notes provide specifics on where to find each street tree, while lovely photos reach out to naturalists and apartment residents alike, inviting them to take a closer look at the City's nature. Any interested in New York City's nature will find this a specific, lively handbook.

The War at the Shore
Richard D. "Skip" Bronson, Andrew Meisler, A.M. Silver
Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street, New York NY 10012
97815902000467, $26.00, www.overlookpress.com

THE WAR AT THE SHORE: DONALD TRUMP, STEVE WYNN, AND THE EPIC WAR TO SAVE ATLANTIC CITY provides a powerful and engrossing survey of a struggle between two real estate moguls over the revitalization of Atlantic City. It was a bloody five-year battle overseen by author Richard "Skip" Bronson, one of the gaming industry's most notable developers, who was involved in almost every clash between the titans. His insider's report of what went on behind the scenes offers pointed and often humorous observations of the power struggle and makes for gripping reading documenting the gambling industry's confrontations and battles. Any general lending library will find this a fine pick!

Why Does the World Exist?
Jim Holt
Liveright Publishing
c/o Publicity Department
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780871404091, $27.95, www.wwnorton.com

Why Does the World Exist? An Existential Detective Story will intrigue philosophy, science and spirituality holdings alike, offering a fine survey of ideas and arguments considering not so much 'how' the world was created, but 'why'. It comes from an essayist and critic who interviews philosophers, theologians, scientists and novelists alike to offer insights on our origins and the 'why' behind creation itself, offering fun anecdotes that are often surprising - such as how the Catholic Church, not Einstein, that initially supported the Big Bang Theory since it supported a cosmic act as the source of the universe. A fine narrative, this is a pick for a wide range of holdings.

All My Friends Are Still Dead
Avery Monsen and Jory John
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9781452106960, $9.95, www.chroniclebooks.com

All My Friends Are Still Dead looks like a children's picture book and appears in a paperback-sized hardcover, but is actually a read for adults. It's for any who feel alone and misunderstood and offers a set of humorous cartoons centering around the notion that friends always die at the worst times, are little more than worms and garbage, and more. It's a zany, fun take on friendship, highly recommended for any general interest collection.

The Gaggle
Jessica Massa
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
1451657528, $23.00, www.simonandschuster.com

THE GAGGLE: HOW THE GUYS YOU KNOW WILL HELP YOU FIND THE LOVE YOU WANT provides a fine guide to the modern 'post-dating' world, and offers dating advice based on the author's in-depth interviews with men and women across the country. Most women aren't actually dating: instead they are collecting a "gaggle" of guys who orbit around them filling different needs both romantic and platonic. This survey encourages women to see the possible romances around them and surveys the modern dating scene and what actually makes up a date versus a "non-date". Any collection strong in women's issues and modern dating standards will find this a powerful, positive assessment of possibilities.

10th Anniversary Edition Blue Book of Airguns
Dr. Robert Beeman, et.al.
Blue Book Publications
8009 34th Avenue South, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55425
9781936120239, $29.95, www.bluebookinc.com

10th Anniversary Edition Blue Book of Airguns surveys the most popular 2012 airguns and provides an essential blue book of values highly recommended for any gun collector. It covers vintage makes and models, packs in well over a thousand images covering makes, models and pricing, and offers expanded sections on vintage trademarks. It comes from a professor who is a noted air gun historian and Lewis and Clark Heritage Trails Foundation member (Robert Beeman) and is a reference item of choice for any gun collector's library.

The Upholsterer's Handbook
Nicole Fulton with Stuart Weston
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781845336790, $24.99, www.octopusbooksusa.com

The Upholsterer's Handbook packs in over four hundred color photos to clarify the basic step-by-step upholstery techniques herein, and profiles 18 lovely projects that feature various techniques and results. Here are technical illustrations that tech how to locate furniture, tools and fabrics, how to use them properly, and how to tell a successful upholstery project from an unsuccessful one. The result is a fine, highly recommended pick for any upholstery student and for collections catering to them!


The Women's Studies Shelf

Right Here I See My Own Books
Sarah Wadsworth & Wayne A. Wiegand
University of Massachusetts Press
Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558499287, $28.95, www.umass.edu.umpress

Right Here I See My Own Books: The Woman's Building Library at the World's Columbian Exposition tells of an 1893 Chicago exhibition that had, as one of the fair's attractions, the Woman's Building, an exhibit hall filled with over 8,000 volumes of writing by women. It represented the first effort to assemble a comprehensive collection of women's writings, and this history tells of the library's formation and the stories of books on display. It also considers the genre of women's writing and its connections to the women's movement as a whole, examining issues and the debates of the times and how they were reflected in women's works. Women's issues and general book history holdings will find this a lively and important read.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Dark Pools
Scott Patterson
Crown Business
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307887177, $27.00, www.crownbusiness.com

DARK POOLS: HIGH-SPEED TRADERS, A.I. BANDITS, AND THE THREAT TO THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM provides behind-the-scenes insights into the global stock market's operations and specifically charts the rise of "bots" - artificially intelligent systems that execute trades in milliseconds and who may be threatening the very system they were designed to enhance. It charts the work of Josh Levine, an idealistic programming genius who dreamed of taking control of the market from the big exchanges that favor big business over little people - and it tells how Levine created a computerized trading hub named Island for small traders which fostered a day-trading revolution. Global markets have been hijacked by trading robots - this identifies the problem and provides a gripping set of insights into the darker applications of artificial intelligence.


The Law/Justice Shelf

Patent, Copyright & Trademark, 12th edition
Attorney Richard Stim
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413316803, $44.99, www.nolo.com

Patent, Copyright & Trademark: An Intellectual Property Desk Reference covers the recent "America Invents Act" and explains all the basics of the latest patent, copyright and trademark laws, appearing in its 12th updated edition to provide any reference library with an outstanding survey of legal rights and work. From explanations of the scope and intent of copyright protection laws to the latest intellectual laws, this goes beyond definition and offers through insights on legal applications, from protecting trade secrets to trademark laws and applications. Any general or legal lending library should consider this a 'must have' reference.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Needles and Notions
Jaynette Huff
Martingale & Company
19021 Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011
9781564772893, $24.99, www.shopmartingale.com

NEEDLES AND NOTIONS: PAPER-PIECED PATTERNS WITH A SEWING ROOM THEME offers 12 pictorial sewing-room blocks in 4" and 6" sizes, plus a larger block of Sunbonnet Sue quilting. The result is paired with eight quilt patterns for either small wall quilts or samplers that use all 13 block designs and teach the basics of accents, stitching, and sewing block motifs representing the sewing experience. Easy step-by-step instructions and full-size paper piecing templates for each block make this a fine choice for any needlework collection!

Knit Socks for All Seasons
Stephanie van der Linden
Trafalgar Square Publishing
PO Box 257, Howe Hill Road
North Pomfret, VT 05033
9781570765261, $24.95, www.trafalgarbooks.com

Knit Socks for All Seasons: Fabulous, Fun Footwear for Any Time of Year comes packed with designs for over twenty new socks, and will provide knitters with an enchanting collection. All levels of knitter will find this attractive: a volume that includes using lace, texture and beads and seasonal themes in footwear. All the socks are textured or multi-colored, and a section on basics makes it easy for knitting or sock knitter novices to get up to speed quickly. With the fine color photos and step-by-step instructions plus the unusual seasonal arrangement, Knit Socks for All Seasons is a fabulous pick for any sock knitter's library.

Needleturn Applique
Angela Lawrence
Landauer Publishing
3100 - 101st St., Suite A, Urbandale, IA 50322
9781935726173, $27.95, www.landauercorp.com

NEEDLETURN APPLIQUE: THE BASICS AND BEYOND offers a fine step-by-step survey of needleturn applique techniques and is an exceptional presentation packed with large photos, clear directions, and step-by-step demonstrations of each technique. Ten easy, fun projects are accompanied by keys to selecting fabric, photos of stitch and applique techniques, and embellishing and finishing techniques. Any who want to learn needleturn applique will find this a solid discussion!

Learn to Spin with Anne Field
Anne Field
Search Press USA
1338 Ross Street, Petaluma, CA 94954-1117
9781844487660, $22.76, www.searchpressusa.com

Learn to Spin with Anne Field covers all the basics of spinning a wide range of fibers and covers everything from preparing fabrics to working with fleece, worsted spinning methods, drafting, and more, and is a pick for any needlework collection. Chapters discuss the characteristics, pros and cons of different fibers, show how to develop different spinning techniques for each of them, and offer projects based on using the newly spun yarn. The result is a fine presentation packed with insights into versatile spinning methods.

American Quilters Society
P.O. Box 3290
Paducah, KY 42002-3290
www.americanquilters.com

Ann R. Holmes's NO SEWING UNTIL YOU QUILT IT (9781604600216, $24.95) includes a pattern CD along with a guide to making an entire quilt without any sewing. The CD holds one of seven master patterns that range from a wallhanging to a full-sized quilt, offering templates that can be used over and over. The 'new sewing' method involves glue and laying fusible backgrounds over master patterns, and presents a unique layering plan that makes it a snap for non-quilters to produce polished quilt results. A 'must' for any who long to create quality quilts without sewing skills. Linda Baxter Lasco edits BASKETS: NEW QUILTS FROM AN OLD FAVORITE (9781604600193, $26.95), packing nearly 20 quilts with quiltmaker stories and providing a fine set of winning designs. The 2012 contest centered around the 'baskets' theme and this excels with its first-person accounts by quiltmakers of how they took the theme and ran with it. Highly recommended for quilting libraries strong in compilations of contest results and insights into how they were done.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Murder on the Half Shelf
Lorna Barrett
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425247754, $24.95, www.penguin.com

Murder on the Half Shelf provides a fine Booktown Mystery, the latest in a series, and tells of bookshop owner Tricia who is looking forward to staying at an inn run by Pippa and Jon Comfort. When Pippa is found dead and Tricia discovers Jon is actually one Harry Tyler, a man she once loved and thought dead, intrigue and high drama begin as Tricia's investigations reveal a tangled web of lies and deceit that implicate Harry in nothing more than deception. Who, then, is the real murderer? Murder mystery holdings will find this a fine story.

Copycat Murders
Sofie Kelly
Obsidian Mystery
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451236623, $7.99, www.penguin.com

COPYCAT MURDERS: A MAGICAL CATS MYSTERY is the third addition to the cat mystery series featuring human and feline protagonists alike, and focuses on an effort to save artwork from flooding during rains. In the process of rescue Kathleen discovers a mask-maker drowned in their basement - and she and her cats embark on an investigation to discover of his death was actually murder. Fine action keeps this fast-paced mystery highly charged.

The 13th Target
Mark De Castrique
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781590586150, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com

THE 13TH TARGET provides readers with affine, satisfying mystery revolving around Russell Mullins, an ex-Secret Service member who is assigned to guard a Federal Reserve executive. A close friendship evolves, so when police call him with the news his friend has committed suicide, Russell won't believe it. His work with a colleague who uncovers a suspicious financial transaction instigated by his friend days before his death leads to dangerous territory in this powerful mystery of Federal Reserve shenanigans, perfect for any general mystery collection.


The Fiction Shelf

The World Without You
Joshua Henkin
Pantheon
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780375424366, $25.95, www.pantheonbooks.com

THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU tells of a family coming together at their Berkshire summer home to memorialize Leo, the youngest of four siblings killed a year earlier in Iraq. Each sibling and both parents have been affected by Leo's death, which has changed their personalities and led to anger, religion, and struggle. A powerful group of powerful personalities coming together to memorialize a loved one will find shared angst and possible new routes to healing in this powerful saga, recommended for any general lending library strong in emotionally-laden novels.

The Last Temple
Hank Hanegraaff & Sigmund Brouwer
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9780842384469, $13.99, www.tyndalehouse.com

THE LAST TEMPLE represents the third and final volume of 'The Last Disciple', a series set in the years just before one of the most terrible events in Jewish history, and concludes the trilogy of The Last Disciple and The Last Sacrifice. Here Vitas is reunited with his wife and retires to Alexandria - but becomes a key figure in a plot to overthrow Nero. As the prophecy of Jesus marches on, Vitas discovers his true mission and the real truth to the politics of Rome. This is an outstanding Christian historical fiction piece, and is especially recommended for holdings who have seen lending popularity from the prior volumes.

Hunt the Wolf
Don Mann with Ralph Pezzullo
Little, Brown & Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316209595, $25.99, www.hbgusa.com

HUNT DOWN THE WOLF provides a satisfying Seal Team Six novel and is a fine story especially recommended for lending libraries strong in thrillers. Author Don Mann's best-selling memoir INSIDE SEAL TEAM SIX shared his real-world experiences as a part of the fighting force: now HUNT THE WOLF: A SEAL TEAM SIX NOVEL continues the military fiction drama as it tells of one SEAL member Tom Crocker, who unearths a pocket of terrorism that leads him and his team to intense combat under extreme conditions.

Byzantium Endures
Michael Moorcock
PM Press
PO Box 23912, Oakland, CA 94623
9781604864915, $22.00, www.pmpress.org

Byzantium Endures: The First Volume of the Colonel Pyat Quartet provides a lively novel centered around Tsarist rebel Maxim Arturovitch Pyatnitski, known as Pyat. Maxim is a rebel and an antihero - and stars in the first book of a quartet that was published in 1981 to great acclaim - then vanished in the U.S. for some thirty years. Pyat is a sexual adventurer, addict, and anti-Semite who journeys from Leningrad to London and becomes swept up in a social and political storm. This sweeping saga presents the author's final cut, restoring previously deleted passages and returning an epic saga to print.

The Pulse
Scott B. Williams
Ulysses Press
Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
9781612430546, $14.95, www.ulyssespress.com

THE PULSE provides a powerful story of the collapse of technology when massive solar flares bombard the Earth with an electromagnetic pulse that destroys the power grid in North America, and is a recommendation for any collection that appreciates futuristic disaster novels. Attention centers around two protagonists: college student Casey who finds herself facing sudden havoc in New Orleans, and her father, who is cut off and stranded when his Caribbean sailing vacation, already turning out to be challenging, faces new threats from pirates and storms. A powerful account of a family separated by disaster and struggling to reconnect without technology keeps this a riveting, fast-paced saga.

The Kings of Cool
Don Winslow
Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451665321, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com

This prequel to Don Winslow's popular SAVAGES is especially recommended for prior readers, and clarifies the setting created in SAVAGES which involve Southern California's top marijuana dealers and their mutual girlfriend O. The protagonists are all back but with far more background on their influences and how they became the gang of misfits represented in SAVAGES. From Laguna Beach to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury, this documents the evolution of The Association, is members, and a history that leads the protagonists to choose between their families and each other. Another gripping saga recommended for any collection that has seen lending popularity with SAVAGES!

Strindberg's Star
Jan Wallentin
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780670023578, $28.95, www.penguingroup.com

STRINDBERG'S STAR is a gripping thriller that has already captured a wide audience in Europe and now brings to the U.S. a powerful story of survival that opens with an amateur cave diver exploring a flooded mining shaft near his home in Sweden. In this cave he discovers a corpse wearing the Egyptian symbol for eternal life: when a German expert learns of the find he discovers Erik dead - and becomes the prime suspect in his murder. A series of events leads to many twists and turns, the involvement of Don and his lawyer Eva, an encounter with a dangerous secret society, and an amulet that could hold the secret to life and death. A gripping, powerful story, this is a top recommendation for any library strong in thrillers and espionage.

An African Affair
Nina Darnton
Plume
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780452298026, $15.00, www.penguin.com

Nina Darnton was a reporter before becoming a novelist: perhaps this is why her title AN AFRICAN AFFAIR is so infused with realistic scenes. Set in Nigeria in the mid-1990s with its wars and social strife, this tells of New York journalist Lindsay who has been in Nigeria only four months with much success. Her investigations into political murders leads to her involvements in many dangerous affairs of politics, mystery, greed and government workings. As kidnapping and murders come to light, her own associations are called into question in this gripping saga.

The Art of Forgetting
Camille Noe Pagan
Plume
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780452297890, $16.00, www.penguin.com

The Art of Forgetting offers an emotionally gripping debut novel about a woman's interrupted friendship. Marissa and Julia have been best friends since high school and it seems nothing will change that. Then Julie has an accident and suffers a brain injury - and suddenly her personality and memory is very different. As she heals she begins raising old issues between the two - and everything changes in this gripping charged novel, highly recommended for any fiction library.

The Age of Miracles
Karen Thomson Walker
Random House
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor
New York, NY 10019
9780812992977, $26.00, www.atrandom.com

It's not often that first-time novelists produce a stunning read that is so captivating that it proves hard to put down; but THE AGE OF MIRACLES is, indeed, such a book - and restores faith in the possibilities of first-time novelists to produce a winning read most long-time novelists don't achieve. Mention apocalyptic novels and usually you turn to science fiction, where the focus is on the science of the scenario with some light characterization tying in the struggles for survival. THE AGE OF MIRACLES is the opposite: told from the viewpoint of a young adult who awakens to find her world changed, this pairs a coming-of-age saga with powerfully realistic insights into how a sudden and unpredictable slowing of the Earth's rotation causes slow but inevitable changes in life on the planet. As ecosystems break down, humans struggle to adapt on both a global and individual level, and the character of Julia, who observes steady changes in everything she has grown up with, serves as the pivot point for examining the effects of ecological breakdown and human reactions to it. From the first page to the unexpected, stunning conclusion, THE AGE OF MIRACLES proves nearly impossible to put down, and is a top recommendation.


The Audiobook Shelf

Yes, Chef: A Memoir
Marcus Samuelsson
Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 8th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780449008614, $40.00, www.randomhouseaudio.com

YES, CHEF: A MEMOIR is narrated by the author, who provides a powerful and gripping voice chronicling the author's journey from poverty to a loving middle-class white family in Sweden, where his new grandmother gave him a lifelong passion for food. His journey from Sweden to some of the most demanding culinary environments in Switzerland and France makes for a powerful story of a young chef's evolution, and is a solid pick for any nonfiction audio holding!

Guilt By Degrees
Marcia Clark
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9781611133905, $29.98, www.hachetteaudio.com

GUILT BY DEGREES is narrated by January LaVoy, a New York-based stage and TV actress who has extensive experience lending to a powerful narrative voice. The result is a gripping read of L.A. district attorney Rachel Knight, who becomes the object of a psychopath's obsession. An impossible case of the murder of an unknown homeless man results in a connection to the unsolved ax murder of a beloved LAPD cop two years earlier. Only the investigation leads them closer to a dangerous psychopath on a mission in this gripping saga that springs to life in audio!

Shadowland
Peter Straub
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781455830220, $29.99, www.brillianceaudio.com

SHADOWLAND enjoys a fine performance by veteran narrator Phil Gigante, whose solid voice spices an engrossing novel packed with twists and turns of plot. Two freshmen form a bond based on their interest in magic, two boys spend a summer being trained in the art under the tutelage of a weird magician uncle, and in an alternate world forces intensify their powers. Only one magician will survive the trials, tests and rigors of magic in this powerful novel of intrigue and fantasy, recommended for any fan of horror, fantasy and thrillers.

The Stonecutter
Camilla Lackberg
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781615735501, $39.95, www.highbridgeaudio.com

THE STONECUTTER receives a fine narration by David Thorn, whose skillful and revealing voice lends high drama and realistic insights to this moving story of local detective Patrick Hedstrom, who has just become a father and whose task it is to discover who could be behind the murder of a child he and his partner Erica knew well. Their probe of the family's history reveals how a child's death will reveal the darker heart of Fjallbacka, a small resort town with a vested interest in keeping its secrets. A fine, vivid drama comes to life in audio.

It Worked for Me In Life and Leadership
Colin Powell with Tony Koltz
Harper Audio
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780062196859, $34.99, www.harperaudio.com

It Worked for Me In Life and Leadership is packed with lessons and vivid experiences that shaped the career of general Colin Powell, and offers the 'Thirteen Rules' he's learned as a result of his leadership challenges both in the Army and in the White House. Between military and presidential insights, Powell provides a host of practical lessons for approaching life and creates a powerful autobiography perfect that comes alive in audio.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Color Atlas of Veterinary Histology, third edition
William J. Bacha, Jr. and Linda M. Bacha
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9780470958513, $104.99, www.wiley.com

Color Atlas of Veterinary Histology appears in its third updated edition and is designed to provide students with a basic reference on the normal histology of eight common domestic species. This updated edition includes many new images, the latest research, and updated terminology, expanding chapters with more coverage and also offering an accompanying DVD of more than 900 photomicrograph images. Vets and technician students will appreciate this basic resource which is packed with information and review questions throughout!

Death at Seaworld
David Kirby
St. Martin's Press
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9781250002020, $26.99, www.stmartins.com

DEATH AT SEAWORLD: SHAMU AND THE DARK SIDE OF KILLER WHALES IN CAPTIVITY offers a fine scientific survey that considers the violent incidents at SeaWorld, a marine mammal park, and explores animal attacks and the controversial aspects of keeping killer whales in captivity. From the story of Naomi Rose, a marina mammal scientist for the Humane Society of the U.S. and a senior scientist for Humane Society International who warned against keeping killer whales in captivity to the OSHA vs. SeaWorld case that ruled in favor of protecting trainers who performed with predators, this is a powerful expose that should be on the shelves of any natural history collection, and in any library concerned with the treatment and management of wild animals in captivity.

FISH: 77 Great Fish of North America
Dean Travis Clarke & Flick Ford
Greenwich Workshop Press
PO Box 231, Seymour, CT 06483
9780867130959, $50.00, www.greenwichworkshop.com

FISH: 77 Great Fish of North America focuses primarily on game fish and provides a stunning oversized exploration pairing watercolors of the fish with text by sport fishing notable Dean Travis Clarke. Accompanying each fish is a tale of sport fishing and naturalist insights, writings on conservation, and overall essays covering the state of oceans and water habitats - all spiced with Flick Ford's unique watercolors of each fish. Whether the purpose is leisure browsing, fishing or natural history, the format and presentation of this fine guide will appeal to a wide audience.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

1636: The Kremlin Games
Eric Flint, Gorg Huff & Paula Goodlett
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
9781451637762, $25.00, www.baen.com

1636: The Kremlin Games is especially recommended for prior fans of Flint's '1636' alternate history/universe stories and tells of Bernie, who hasn't built himself a new life and identity yet when the modern time-displaced town of Grantville, Louisiana is placed in war-torn 17th century Europe. So when he discovers unexpected romance and a newfound purpose during a journey to Moscow, he finds himself struggling to save an entire nation from collapse into a new Dark Age. A fine, gripping saga of a world in flux emerges with Bernie the center of action throughout: especially recommended for prior fans of Flint's 1636 universe.

False Covenant
Ari Marmell
Pyr
59 John Glenn Drive
Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616146214, $16.95, www.pyrsf.com

FALSE COVENANT: A WIDDERSHINS ADVENTURE tells of a creature from another world who has come to stalk the city of Davillon, threatening it with murder and danger. Widdershins has tried to take care of a tavern entrusted to her by Genevieve and has tried to keep out of trouble - but she's already immersed in the town's politics and faces danger from all sides - even her own Thieve's Guild. Ironically she and her personal god Olgun may be the city's only real weapon against a strange evil in this fast-paced dark fantasy, especially recommended for prior Widdershins fans.

Heaven's War
David S. Goyer & Michael Cassutt
Ace Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780441020928, $25.95, www.penguin.com

Heaven's War continues the epic saga begun in last year's Heaven's Shadow, and is a recommended pick for prior fans and collections that have seen popularity with the first book. The series began with an object of unknown origin headed toward Earth. When astronauts explore it, they realize it's a giant alien spacecraft containing a plea for help. In Heaven's War the aliens begin transporting small groups of humans into the spacecraft where the struggle evolves from survival to getting back to Earth when the spacecraft begins to move away. A powerful saga of discovery and survival evolves.

Iron Gray Sea: A Destroyerman Novel
Taylor Anderson
ROC
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780451464545, $25.95, www.penguin.com

IRON GRAY SEA is the seventh book in the Destroyermen series and is a top pick for any prior enthusiast of the saga. Set in a parallel universe, these books focus on World War II-era warfare and in this continuation, war has engulfed the "other" earth, leading Matthew Reddy and the Allies into dangerous situations. Here Reddy and his crew are in pursuit of a rogue Japanese destroyer that is wrecking havoc - and with his new technology Reddy means to attempt the impossible. Military science fiction at its best!

Shadow of Night
Deborah Harkness
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9780670023486, $28.95, www.penguin.com

SHADOW OF NIGHT provides book two of the All Souls trilogy and continues the story of Diana Bishop, begin in A Discovery of Witches. Here Diana and Matthew journeys to Elizabethan London to the mysterious School of Night on a search for a witch to tutor Diana. But it's Matthew who becomes the center of a vivid story that leads them into a vampire's history and secret world, blending supernatural mystery and time-traveling magic in a riveting read especially recommended for prior enthusiasts.

Banner of the Damned
Sherwood Smith
DAW Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9780756406776, $25.95, www.dawbooks.com

This new story in the Indra series tells of Princess Lasva, about to be named heir to her childless sister the Queen until the birth of a baby changes her future. She leaves her country and becomes involved with a prince whose people are completely different from hers; for in a land of magic and warfare, Lasva is vulnerable to conflict - and becomes more involved with the war that erupts between the two. A powerful story, BANNER OF THE DAMNED offers a dramatic and complex tale of one royal woman who weaves a fine line between different worlds.


The Travel Shelf

Tanzania, fifth edition
Mary Fitzpatrick & Tim Bewer
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781741792829, $25.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

The fifth updated edition of TANZANIA is the item of choice for any who want a take-along tote filled with maps, basics of lodging and food, and who want a budget-oriented guide to traveling Tanzania. From architectural ruins to Kilimanjaro and wildlife areas, this offers up at-a-glance color-coded facts, small maps, and the latest updated insights on the country's offerings. All this is provided in a compact take-along tote that lends to reference on the road - and is backed by an approach that doesn't accept freebies and perks for its recommendations. Destination visitors will find this a winner!

Somalialand
Philip Briggs
Bradt Travel Guides
1st Floor IDC House, The Vale
Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, England, SL9 9RZ
9781841623719, $24.99, www.bradtguides.com

Somalialand appears in a first edition and is the item of choice for any planning a visit to the region - including Addis Ababa and Eastern Ethiopia. From visa requirements and how to travel in the region to sights to see and places to stay, this covers one of the world's least-charted travel destinations and provides everything needed to understand the area and its attractions. Most guides list Somalialand as a side attraction to other nearby areas: this dedication to the country as a whole is a 'must' for travelers who want in-depth coverage over generalities, and is a pick for any independent travel library.

Hot Spots Guidebook
Randy Rehberg, Editor
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890248058, $24.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

HOT SPOTS GUIDEBOOK: GREAT PLACES TO WATCH TRAINS features nearly 200 of the best train-watching locations across the U.S., from urban stations to rural towns and mountains, and covers freight trains to Amtrack passenger and commuter lines. Over 100 hot spots receive attention from Trainsmagazine staff writers and contributors and describe where to go, what trains to see, and how to get there. Maps and color photos make this a winning train buff's travel reference!


The Sports Shelf

The Boxer's Heart
Kate Sekules
The Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012
9781590208113, $16.95, www.overlookpress.com

THE BOXER'S HEART: A WOMAN FIGHTING is published to coincide with the first Olympic event for women's boxing and offers a memoir updated with a new afterword by the author. It tells of how a young writer who moves to New York City moves through the ranks at the gym to become a professional boxer, and provides an engrossing, spirited memoir of the sport that will attract those interested in women's memoirs and those interested in boxing. Sports and women's issues collections alike will find it a 'must'!

Complete Triathlon Guide
USA Triathlon
Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
9781450412605, $21.95, www.humankinetics.com

Complete Triathlon Guide provides a fine collection of athlete secrets, strategies and advice which compiles tools for every stage and every event for the first time, and is a solid pick for any sports holding. From bike handling techniques from professionals to troubleshooting freestyle swim strokes, understanding the finer art of tapering, and developing a triathlon program that works, this is a solid reference packed with articles from those who have competed and managed the competition. Very highly recommended!

Krav Maga - Weapon Defenses
David Kahn
YMAA Publications
Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781594392405, $24.95, www.ymaa.com

Krav Maga - Weapon Defenses outlines Israeli krav maga (contact combat), a system that teaches natural defensive instincts to defend against armed threats. This book blends in a weapon self-defense focus that differentiates it from other books on the topic, and separates it from other martial arts forms. From learning how to recognize a weapon before it is deployed to diffusing a weapon's impact, this book provides a clear and specific set of techniques for improving hand-eye coordination and conditioning reflexes for weapons defenses. Urban collections interested in martial arts forms will find this a powerful addition.

Off Balance: A Memoir
Dominique Moceanu
Paul & Teri Williams
Touchstone
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451608656, $24.99, www.simonandschuster.com

Off Balance: A Memoir comes from Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu and considers the darker side of the Olympics - a side that nearly destroyed her family. At fourteen she was the youngest member of the 1966 Women's Olympic Gymnastics team, and only women's team to take a gold at the sport. She charts a series of challenges and hardships both within her family and outside the home during the course of competition, making for a powerful account that is a 'must' for any sports library and many a general-interest holding!


The Military Shelf

Spanish Republican Aces
Rafael A. Permuy Lopez
Osprey Publishing
4402 - 23rd Street, Suite 219
Long Island City, NY 11101-5058
9781849086684, $22.95, www.ospreypublishing.com

Spanish Republican Aces joins others in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' titles and offers an in-depth history of the fighter pilots who participated in the Spanish Civil War. Outlines of the various planes, commanders and military participants who few them, and the Republican airmen who became aces is provided in a fine survey even more notable because the Republicans didn't keep detailed records of individual victory claims. Barely enough documentation exists to connect pilots with planes - and this volume does a fine job of making these associations. Any holding strong in military aircraft and operations history will find this a fine addition.

Electronic Warfare Target Location Methods, second edition
Richard Poisel
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608076232, $139.00, www.artechhouse.com

The second updated edition of Electronic Warfare Target Location Methods is a fine pick for engineering and military collections alike; especially for technical reference sections, and describes the mathematical development behind the latest and classic methods of geolocating electronic systems that are emitting. This second revised edition includes more material, including all-new chapters on time delay estimation, changes in direction finding technology, and much more. Geolocation algorithms and other formulas pack a reference intended for professionals who want target location methods they can apply to their work in a reference perfect for any technical collection.

George Washington's Military Genius
Dave R. Palmer
Regnery
One Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington DC 20001
9781596987913, $27.95, www.regnery.com

George Washington's Military Genius offers a fine survey that clarifies events of the Revolutionary War and charts how it developed in four distinct phases, each so different that they are nearly four different wars. Dave R. Palmer is a retired lieutenant general and two-tour veteran of Vietnam: his military insights lend to a history that focuses on Washington's achievements, strategies, and how he succeeded despite his lack of formal military training. His unique approach as the war progressed through its difference stages would ultimately affect the outcome of battles in this fine military history, recommended for American and military history holdings alike.

The Second World War
Antony Beevor
Weidenfeld & Nicholson
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
9780297844976, $35.00, www.hachettebookgroup.com

Antony Beevor has been writing about the second world war for literally decades so one might initially wonder that there's still material left to write about. He's written several award-winning books on the topic already, but THE SECOND WORLD WAR goes beyond examining individual aspects of the war and considers instead the overall arena of combat. It moves from Hitler's invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939 to V-J day on August 14th, 1945 and beyond, providing sweeping analysis and human vignettes alike. The brutality of conflict and the lasting changes World War II brought to the world receive powerful documentation in this gripping military history.

Canine Commandos
Nigel Cawthorne
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
9781612430553, $14.95, www.ulyssespress.com

CANINE COMMANDOS: THE HEROISM, DEVOTION AND SACRIFICE OF DOGS IN WAR provides a powerful survey of battlefield dogs who have served in missions, taken fire and poison gas in the process of delivering messages to the front, sacrificed their lives, and much more. These are the stories of history's most famous combat dogs, gathered under one cover in a moving set of vignettes that will appeal to military and general interest holdings alike!


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Winning Balance
Shawn Johnson
Tyndale Momentum
c/o Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414372105, $19.99, www.tyndalemomentum.com

WINNING BALANCE comes from an Olympic gold medalist who here provides a powerful autobiography detailing her rise to success, and is especially recommended for spirituality collections because it's packed with close associations between faith and her gymnastics achievement. From her early goals despite an early assessment that she had no talent for the sport to her terrifying experience with a stalker and would-be kidnapper, and an injury which threatened her career, this provides a powerful account of success, faith, and commitment, and is a powerful memoir for any spirituality collection!

Faith Based
Jason Hackworth
University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive, Athens GA 30602-4901
9780820343044, $22.95, www.ugapress.org

FAITH BASED: RELIGIOUS NEOLIBERALISM AND THE POLITICS OF WELFARE IN THE UNITED STATES explores how the Religious Right has supported neoliberalism in the U.S., offering case studies of gospel rescue missions, religious charities in action in post-Katrina New Orleans, and more. It begins by tracing the fusion of evangelical religious conservatism and antigovernment activism, arguing that the blend of the two has not been popular enough to promote real change. The result is a fine guide that discusses coalition building on the right as it relates to faith-based alternatives to welfare: a fine pick for any spirituality collection.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

By Morning's Light
Ginny Brock
Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
9780738732947, $15.95, www.llewellyn.com

BY MORNING'S LIGHT: THE TRUE STORY OF A MOTHER'S RECONNECTION WITH HER SON IN THE HEREAFTER tells of the author's child's death - and an amazing vision in which she finds herself guiding her son's spirit into the light. Her vivid dream sparked a journey that taught Ginny how to recognize spirit signs and spirit communications with those on Earth. It results in a blend of autobiography and spiritual insight that recounts the messages Ginny received from the other side, the conversations she continues to have with her son, and more. Collections strong in reincarnation and new age spirituality will find this a compelling account.

Closer Than You Think
Deborah Heneghan
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
65 Parker St., Ste. 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.hrpub.com
9781571746610, $16.95, www.redwheelweiser.com

CLOSER THAN YOU THINK: THE EASY GUIDE TO CONNECTING WITH LOVED ONES ON THE OTHER SIDE is written by an author who was fifteen when her seventeen-year-old sister succumbed to cancer. A few weeks later she was awakened to a faint whisper, and thus marked the beginning of ongoing communications between the two. CLOSER THAN YOU THINK tells how to recognize the signs and messages from loved one and uses her own experience to explore how to get in touch with deceased loved ones. New age collections will find the pairing of autobiography and specific insights to be appealing.


The Computer Shelf

Build Awesome Command-Line Applications in Ruby
David Bryant Copeland, Edited by John Osborn
Pragmatic Programmers
P.O. Box 293325, Lewisville, TX 75029-3325
9781934356913, $33.00, www.pragprog.com

Build Awesome Command-Line Applications in Ruby: Control Your Computer, Simplify Your Life teaches the basics of how to use free, open source parsers to create user-friendly command-line interfaces. From using defaults to handling standard output, this comes packed with code, tests, and solid keys for handling apps. Collections catering to programmers will find it specific for enhancing and expanding Ruby's capabilities.

XPages Portable Command Guide
Martin Donnelly, et.al.
IBM Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780132943055, $34.99, www.ibmpress.com

XPages Portable Command Guide: A Compact Resource to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language is for XPages, Domino, and LotusNotes developers who want to use XPages to its best advantage. Developers receive recipes and insights to understanding commands, configuring files, and understanding and applying ServerSide Javascript. Those with some prior XPages background will find this reference enables developers to take the next steps, showing how to fine-tune and customize applications and how to techniques. Even more important, administrators of developers should look at this to be sure they know what questions to ask and what solutions to assess from their XPages developers. A key title for any XPages collection!

iMac for Dummies, seventh edition
Mark L. Chambers
John Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118202715, $24.99, www.wiley.com

Any who would work for the iMac for the first time will find iMac for Dummies provides a complete course in a book on everything from syncing with iCloud to using iPhoto, iWeb, GarageBand and more. It covers the basics such as hooking up peripheral devices, then tells how to tweak the iMac to perform advanced functions. Also included is security advice and how to troubleshoot an iMac system. With its black and white screen shots, sidebars of warnings and information, and checklists of facts, this is a perfect at-a-glance guide for any new to the iMac.

Working with Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint
Mikael Svenson, et.al.
Microsoft Press
c/o O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9780735662223, $34.99, www.microsoft.com/mspress

Working with Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint is for any programming library strong in SharePoint basics, and teaches how to integrate FAST Search Server into the SharePoint environment. From developing custom search applications and configuring a server for volume content to managing search operations and building custom, search-driven business applications, this is a solid reference that will appeal to any working programmer serious about integrating FAST Search Server 2010 into a business or programming environment.

iOS 5 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach
Shawn Grimes & Colin Francis
APress
233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013
9781430240051, $49.99, www.apress.com

iOS 5 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach offers keys to developing solutions on iPad, iPhone, and other iOS 5 devices and platforms and is a pick for any looking for detailed code, explanations of real-world scenarios and options, and keys to building functional applications. From enhancing an app development with animation and color to working with Xcode, this comes packed with all kinds of tested recipes and provides keys to enhancing games and more. Developers familiar with the Objective-C programming language will find this a winning reference.

XPages Extension Library
Paul Hannan, et.al.
IBM Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780132901819, $54.99, www.ibmpressbooks.com

XPages Extension Library provides affine guide to the next generation of XPages Components and is the fist complete guide to Domino development with this library. It covers everything from automating the Library's deployment to blending AJAX capabilities with Switch, building mobile interfaces, using social enablers to connect with social platforms, and blending SQL databases into XPages applications. A 'must' for any XPages user seeking a detailed reference!

Programming GPS and OpenStreetMap Applications with Java
Kristof Beiglbock
A K Peters
c/o CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
9781466507180, $59.95, www.crcpress.com

Programming GPS and OpenStreetMap Applications with Java comes from an expert in the development of GPS systems with digital maps and navigation and provides details for object-oriented programming, introducing links between GPS data and the development of digital maps. From different formats of GPS data to obtaining dedicated data using OpenStreetMaps, this is a pick for Java developers who want the code and insights to program using mapping. A sample computer-game application modeled on a popular board game is used as an example to teach readers how to customize their own applications in this powerful, highly recommended survey for any advanced computer collection.

Adobe InDesign CS6 Classroom in a Book
Adobe Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780321822499, $54.99, www.adobepress.com

Adobe InDesign CS6 Classroom in a Book offers a quick way to learn InDesign and joins others in the 'Classroom in a Book' format. It provides some sixteen lessons covering the basics of learning Adobe InDesign, packing in tips to productivity and learning along with full-color screen shot examples. From lesson overviews and color-coded sidebars of information to explanations on using transparency flattener presets, entering and importing text, and more, this is packed with lessons and concludes each chapter with review questions. The result is a highly recommended survey that offers all kinds of keys to absorbing the basics of InDesign CS6 in a logical manner of progressive learning.

My New iPad, third edition
Wallace Wang
No Starch Press
38 Ringold Street
San Francisco, CO 94103-4403
9781593274290, $24.95, www.nostarch.com

My New iPad: A User's Guide appears in its third updated edition to cover all the basics on using the iPad's versatile and sometimes-complex systems. From setting up email accounts and browsing the Web to listening to music, using FaceTime to talk to relatives, and shopping for apps, this covers not only the basics, but more advanced functions to tailor the iPad to one's needs. It's a top recommendation for any new to the iPad environment, and provides easy step-by-step illustrated instructions that are a snap to follow. MY NEW IPAD is a user-friendly approach that shouldn't be missed.

The Official Ubuntu Book
Matthew Helmke and Amber Graner
Prentice Hall Professional
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0133017605, $34.99, www.informit.com/ph

The Official Ubuntu Book is a pick for any computer user who wants to take advantage of a free operating system that emphasizes easy use and support as well as flexibility. Novices to experts can use this guide to either give Ubuntu a try or advance knowledge of the operating system. This seventh updated edition offers quite a few new features: it focuses on the Unity desktop and updates details on the latest new release versions, pairing installation and operating advice with troubleshooting advice and many keys to customizing Ubuntu for all kinds of purposes. An accompanying DVD includes the complete Ubuntu Linux operating system for PCs in this basic, recommended primer.

Programming Computer Vision with Python
Jan Erik Solem
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9781449316549, $41.99, www.oreilly.com

Programming Computer Vision with Python provides a fine basic review of computer vision in broad terms that any basic programmer can understand, covering a range of topics and including complete code samples with explanations on how to build upon each example. Exercises offer the opportunity to apply skills. This teaches many foundation ideas, from working with image mappings to organizing images and using algorithms to classify content. It's a reference packed with tools for analyzing images, and is a 'must' for any basic programming library.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Standard Catalog of World Paper Money
George S. Cuhaj, Editor
Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
www.krausebooks.com
9781440229565, $70.00, www.shopnumismaster.com

Standard Catalog of World Paper Money appears in its weighty 18th updated edition to pack in over a thousand pages of detail on world paper money, and is a top reference for any collector who wants the latest values. Over 19,750 variety listings of world bank notes are posted with the latest retail prices in two grades of condition and country signature charts for specific variety identification. Over 80 international paper money collectors and dealers have worked on this title to assure it's the most comprehensive resource available, making this a 'must' reference for any serious coin collector.

Guide Book of Peace Dollars
Roger W. Burdette with Barry Lovvorn
Whitman Publishing
4001 Helton Drive
Florence, Alabama, 35630
9780794837662, $19.95, www.whitman.com

Guide Book of Peace Dollars explores the history and collector status of America's last silver dollar, and provides Volume 13 in Whitman's "Bowers Series" of numismatic references covering all dates and mintmarks of this last silver dollar issue. The history of its evolution and various trial pieces, errors, misstrikes and more makes for a vivid coin-by-coin analysis that blends history with market values and identification keys. Any collection strong in coin collecting will find this a solid winner!


The Art Shelf

Lin Emery
Philip F. Palmedo
Hudson Hills Press
3556 Main Street
Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953690, $60.00, www.hudsonhills.com

Lin Emery's kinetic sculpture appears in museums and public places around the world - and covers the life and sculptures created by nature. They aren't stationary, but are moving tributes involving swirling, linked elements that represent the moving forces of nature, and their attraction is well represented in LIN EMERY, a catalog of her works. Here are full page full color representations of her many kinetic sculptures, celebrating some of her finest award-winning works. It's a 'must' for any serious arts collection interested in an in-depth catalog of Lin Emery's amazing creations!

Know Your Onions Graphic Design
Drew de Soto
BIS Publishers
9789063692582, $20.00, www.bispublishers.nl

Know Your Onions - Graphic Design: How to Think Like a Creative, Act like a Businessman and Design Like a God packs in humor and graphic design savvy and is based on some twenty years' experience in graphic design. It's designed like a notebook of advice and includes blank pages for the reader to add notes: a feature that lends to on-the-job consultation but may not make for as rich a library lending tool. The pages of packed-in experience from the real world make this an item of choice for any graphic designer!

Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge
Roman Dirge
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9781845769390, $34.95, www.titanbooks.com

Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge offers a lavish hardcover survey of Roman Dirge's fine macabre works, and pairs over a hundred illustrations of his creations with comments from Dirge. From images stemming from odd dreams to his fascination with zombies and inspirational sources from old drawings, TAXIDERMIED is a graphic representation of Dirge's finest, and is a top recommendation for any science fiction or fantasy arts collection that has seen popularity with Dirge's macabre and intriguing form of drawing.

Robert C. Jackson: Paintings
Philip Eliasoph
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
9780764340680, $59.99, www.schifferbooks.com

ROBERT C. JACKSON: PAINTINGS provides works from a painter who provides quirky works that are whimsical and fun reflections of life. These are modern still lifes done with a flair for the unique, presented in a collection that represents the artist's first monograph - some 130 images of his paintings including photos of him at work, sketchbook reproductions, and an interview with the artist. The result is a lovely color catalog of excellent pieces, highly recommended for any art collection focusing on still life modern artists.

Elevating Western American Art
Thomas Brent Smith, Editor
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780914738725, $34.95, www.oupress.com

Elevating Western American Art: Developing an Institute in the Cultural Capital of the Rockies offer a special issue of Western Passages to celebrate the vast holdings on the subject housed at the Denver Art Museum, and is published to mark the tenth anniversary of the museum's collection. Some thirty essays by art historians from across the country and Canada blend well with a comprehensive overview of the growth of Denver's collection, with chapters covering the masterpieces. The focus on modern artists of western America art rounds out these masterpieces and makes this a 'must' for any arts library serious about Western art history and holdings.


The Photography Shelf

Create Your Own Photo Book
Petra Vogt
Rocky Nook
802 East Cota Street, 3rd Floor
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
9781933952925, $39.95, www.rockynook.com

Create Your Own Photo Book: Design a Stunning Portfolio, Make a Bookstore-Quality Book provides a fine survey on how to create a printed, bound collection of photos to share with friends and family or a professional portfolio to share for business pursuits. From selecting a book publishing service through designing and proofing a photo book, this offers keys to software, design, and business alike. Chapters cover everything from custom layouts to designing your first photo book using templates, and are packed with color photo examples throughout. Very highly recommended for any photography 'how to' collection!

Instant Love
Jenifer Altman, et.al.
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9780811879262, $18.95, www.chroniclebooks.com

INSTANT LOVE: HOW TO MAKE MAGIC AND MEMORIES WITH POLAROIDS provides a different approach to cameras that sets aside the 'neo-professional' approach for the homespun. Polaroid and other instant cameras create fun memories, and here three women offer insider savvy about new and vintage instant cameras, how to soot with each, various film types available, and more. Numerous fine images in full color display examples of how to create an instant, memorable photo album for those who would choose the non-professional path to creative memory-making.

Dear Photograph
Taylor Jones
William Morrow
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.williammorrow.com
9780062131690, $25.99, www.harpercollins.com

We all have moments we wish we could relive; but what if this were possible? The website Dear Photograph offers a method of linking past to present through photography using a simple method anyone can duplicate: hold up a photo from the past in front of the place it was originally taken, take a second photo, and write a sentence of what the photo result means to you. Thousands become fans of the website and its published results from the Dear Photograph idea - and this book gathers over 140 never-before-seen Dear Photographs under one cover, offering keys to duplicating the idea. Any looking to create a memory album or cherished family keepsake will find DEAR PHOTOGRAPH offers visual exploration of how this may be achieved.

Photo Inspiration: Secrets Behind Stunning Images
1X.com
John Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118290521, $39.99, www.wiley.com

Photo Inspiration: Secrets Behind Stunning Images provides powerful images by 1x.com, renowned for their world-class photography: here a select team gathers some 100 especially striking images and provides keys to the techniques that produced these especially remarkable black and white shots. Behind-the-scene stories of featured photos combines with clear descriptions of everything from lighting and camera settings to image editing methods used on each photo. The result is an outstanding selection that pairs exceptional images for the tools needed to get them.

Photoshop CS6 Visual Quickstart Guide
Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas
Peachpit Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780321822185, $39.99, www.peachpit.com

Photoshop CS6 Visual Quickstart Guide teaches the basics of learning Photoshop and offers three ways to learn: the book, an eBook version, or using the accompanying video disc. Step-by-step explanations assume no prior knowledge of either Photoshop or photo editing as a whole, and teaches all the basics starting from color management and moving to more advanced retouching features. Packed with color photo examples, this is a powerful visual survey highly recommended for any Photoshop user; especially newcomers who want to get up to speed quickly.

Camera Historica: The Century in Cinema
Antoine de la Baecque, et.al.
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, NY, NY 10023-7015
9780231156509, $105.00, www.cup.edu

Camera Historica: The Century in Cinema joins the 'European Perspectives' series and is a recommended pick for college-level readers interested in a history of film as a visual archive of 20th century culture and events. It defines and interprets cinematographic forms in seven distinct bodies of cinema, offering a meticulous examination of relationships between film and history and covers all kinds of films, from silents and comedy to new wave and avant garde productions. Politics, social insights and film art blend in a scholarly international probe perfect for film analysts studying the art and culture of cinema.

Frans Lanting: LIFE
Christine Eckstrom, Editor & Frans Lanting
Taschen America
107 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012
9783836530903, $29.99, www.taschen.com

Frans Lanting: LIFE chronicles the personal journey of a wildlife photographer who set out to chronicle the evolution of life on Earth, and is an outstanding presentation capturing the planet's biodiversity and Lanting's discoveries. From sea life to jungles to geographic formations, this oversized volume captures nature in full color and packs its pages with some of Lanting's finest works ever. LIFE is a tribute to life in all its forms, and is a gorgeous picture book that will attract many, from general browsers captivated by its eye-catching cover to nature photographers, natural history buffs, and those interested the arts. There's no nature photographer like Frans Lanting, and LIFE is one of his finest achievements yet.


The Education Shelf

Teaching in the Digital Age
Brian Puerling
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117-1065
9781605541181, $39.95, www.redleafpress.org

TEACHING IN THE DIGITAL AGE: SMART TOOLS FOR AGE 3 TO GRADE 3 is a pick for any early childhood education collection and offers a fine gathering of developmentally appropriate strategies to use technology in the education process. We're not just talking Internet here: this includes digital cameras, audio recorders, webcams, and more, and offers concrete keys to linking child development with all manner of new technology approaches. A 'must' for any early childhood collection!

Cracking the New GMAT with DVD
Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780375428258, $20.00, www.randomhouse.com/princetonreview

Cracking the New GMAT with DVD has been revised and updated for the new GMAT and is a 'must have' reference for any studying for the exam. It packs in four full-length practice exams, offers video support in an accompanying DVD of tutorials from instructors, and provides an in-depth review of all GMAT topics. Sample problems throughout are accompanied by detailed answers to help students understand the format and applications of GMAT testing routines. The DVD is short: the meat lies in the book, and its strength lies as an introductory text for complete newcomers to the GMAT's structure and focus.

Social Literacy
Mary Riggs Cohen
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781598570687, $49.95, www.brookespublishing.com

SOCIAL LITERACY: A SOCIAL SKILLS SEMINAR FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH ASDS, NLDS, AND SOCIAL ANXIETY provides a survey of autism spectrum disorders and social skills and offers lessons proven effective during years of field testing. It's a program based on the Social Skills Seminar at the University of Pennsylvania, and provides a fine program representing the first to target the social learning need of young adults and adults. An accompanying CD provides professionals with 12 weeks of lessons and guidance and exercises, including photocopiable handouts.

Practical Social Skills for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Kathleen Koenig
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393706987, $32.95, www.wwnorton.com

Practical Social Skills for Autism Spectrum Disorders: Designing Child-Specific Interventions is a 'must' reference for therapists or educators working with autistic children. It surveys clinical interventions for social skills, considering how professionals can help children and their parents and using the author's work at the Yale Child Study Center to explain how kid learn new social skills that fit their abilities. Discussions of how these skills can be imparted and integrated into daily and classroom routines offer new ways of linking social skills to autistic kids' abilities. A powerful reference for educators and psychotherapists alike!

The Common Core Mathematics Standards
Ted H. Hull, et.al.
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
9781452226224, $31.95, www.corwin.com

The Common Core Mathematics Standards: Transforming Practice Through Team Leadership offers principals and math teachers alike keys to aligning classroom standards with the common core mathematics standards, and includes reproducibles and specific techniques for implementing the CCMS in math classrooms. In adding administrator appeal - which doesn't presume prior training in math teaching - this guidebook promises increased cooperation and interaction between leaders and teachers and addresses teaching issues inherent in the common core standards that every principal and teacher should know.

Fundraising Strategies for Community Colleges
Steve Clingaman
Stylus Publishing
Box 605, Herndon VA 20172-0605
9781579227319, $35.95, www.styluspub.com

Fundraising Strategies for Community Colleges: The Definitive Guide for Advancement is a pick for any involved in higher education and provides an assessment of strategies used at one two-year college that raised, $50 million over ten years. From sidebars of tips on important details to an emphasis on planning the work and deploying fundraising strategies used successfully by four-year institutions, this book is the only in-depth guide to focus on community college fundraising, making it a 'must' for any community college interested in concrete fundraising plans with proven success ratios.

Small Steps, Big Changes
Chris Confer and Marco Ramirez
Stenhouse Publishers
477 Congress Street, Suite 4B
Portland, ME 04101-3451
9781571108135, $21.00, www.stenhouse.com

Small Steps, Big Changes: Eight Essential Practices for Transforming Schools Through Mathematics identifies eight tested principles that blends the personal experiences of teachers, coaches and principals with the process of changing math instruction results in schools. The stories take what at first appears to be a complicated process and links idea to practice, streamlining the steps that lead to lasting school change and positive success. The result is an inspirational guide gained from real-world experiments and applications, and is a 'must' for any educator's collection.


The Cookbook Shelf

Mugaritz
Andoni Luis Aduriz
Phaidon Press
180 Varick Street, 14th floor, NY, NY 10014
9780714863634, $49.95, www.phaidon.com

MUGARITZ: A NATURAL SCIENCE OF COOKING is a powerful recommendation for the professional chef and presents thematic chapters covering the evolution of the Spanish restaurant Mugaritz, the process behind his dishes and revolutionary cooking techniques, and new culinary science developed by the chef author in the course of creating a new dining experience for his guests. Artistic color photos, recipes, and in-depth discussions of this new 'science' will appeal to advanced, dedicated chefs and home cooks who are serious about exploring alternative paths of cooking and eating food. Highly recommended for any professional or neo-professional's culinary collection!

Sip & Savor
James T. Farmer III
Gibbs Smith
Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423624844, $19.99, www.gibbs-smith.com

SIP & SAVOR: DRINKS FOR PARTY AND PORCH is packed with fun recipes for lemonades, nectars, fizzes, punches and more, and offers recipes for fruity drinks, milkshakes, and teas blended with garden herbs. This is a wonderful selection of non-alcoholic drinks perfect for parties or the home, and packs in twists on classic drinks as well as toasts. Very highly recommended for any who want an entertainment-oriented survey for the non-alcohol drinker.

Drinking in Maine
Michael Sanders and Russell French
Table Arts
c/o Chelsea Green Publishing
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
9780984477517, $18.00, www.chelseagreen.com

Drinking in Maine: 80 Cocktails, Concoctions, and Drinks provides a fine survey of the different cocktail tradition in Maine and gathers the best from artisan producers and restaurants around the state. Recipes include color photos and profiles of the originators and are not to be found in competing cocktail books. 2 Timing Rose with rose petals, honey, lime and orange juice to Basil Rickey with raspberry-infused vodka, this is packed with unique, appealing flavors recommended for any fan of unique cocktails.

Street Food
Susan Feniger
Clarkson Potter Publishers
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com
9780307952585, $27.50, www.clarksonpotter.com

Susan Feniger's STREET FOOD comes from one of the original Food Network stars and creator of STREET, and packs in some eighty receives gathered from her world travels and experiences with cooking and eating. Her friendships with people around the world led to these recipes, which reflect international cuisines and cultures and are packed with flavor and unique background. Add her personal travel stories and vacation photos to the mix and her tips on ingredients and substitutions and you have a powerful collection of such unique dishes as Trinidad Duck and Potato Curry, Piccadillo Chili Dog, and Cheese Grits with Three-Pepper Relish. Any cookbook collection will find this a welcome, unique addition!

Salads: Beyond the Bowl
Mindy Fox
Kyle Books
23 Howland Street, London, England, W1T 4AY
9781906868673, $19.95, www.kylebooks.com

Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating provides exceptional recipes packed with beans, cheese, fish and meat that turn the basic salad into a main course dinner, adding color photos and keys to better eating. First there's a foundation course in basic salad making; then a collection of some 100 recipes for embellishments that go beyond the basic salad mix. From Red Oak Lettuce with Spiced Popcorn, Drunken Cherries and Goat Gouda to Barley and Roasted Eggplant Salad, this goes far beyond most salad books to make the entire salad a main course experience.

My Family Table
John Besh
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9781449407872, $35.00, www.andrewsmcmeel.com

My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking goes beyond regional cooking and comes from a chef, father and storyteller who here provides a fine examination of family connections to meal time. Over 150 color photos and 140 recipes pack a collection filled with dishes for all occasions in a book that includes special cooking tips and sidebars that help home cooks plan ahead. In addition there are recipes geared to particular goals, from a selection of Master Recipes that can be used as the foundation for a range of dishes to chapters on barbecuing, cooking fish, and making breakfast with kids. Very highly recommended for any who want an inspirational jump-start to home cooking.

Rao's On the Grill
Frank Pellegrino Jr.
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
1250006279, $35.00, www.stmartins.com

Rao's On the Grill is packed with color photos that follows his family's summer grilling experiences, offering a course in grilling everything from pizza to meats and pairing color visuals with new ideas for entertaining. Any who would barbecue with friends in mind will find this packed with appealing and colorful dishes and innovations that range from Grilled Lemon Chicken to Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Mousse and much more. Recommended for any interested in a grilling cookbook packed with recipes and entertaining approaches that are fresh and original.

Ruhlman's Twenty
Michael Ruhlman
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9780811865438, $40.00, www.chroniclebooks.com

Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes pairs gorgeous color photos by Donna Turner Ruhlman with a fine guide from an esteemed food journalist who has worked with culinary professionals and here offers some twenty ideas designed to produce a better home cook. His twenty basic strategies accompany over 100 recipes and over two hundred color photos and covers all styles of cooking, from roasting to grilling, and step-by-step keys to assure consistent, successful results. Any culinary collection should have this fine guide to better understanding the basics of food preparation and influences on success and failure!

CloneBrews, second edition
Tess and Mark Szamatulski
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
9781603425391, $18.95, www.storey.com

CLONEBREWS: RECIPES FOR 200 COMMERCIAL BEERS provides a fine guide for making all kinds of beers at home, and offers a fine collection of classic recipes from summer ales and winter porters to IPAs, lager and much more. Serving notes, food pairings, and brief histories of each brew accompany the recipes and make for lively insights. This is the second updated edition of a classic, completely updating its predecessor and including some fifty new brewing recipes. A 'must' for any collection strong in beer brewing methods!


The Economic Studies Shelf

The Essentials of Economic Sustainability
John Ikerd
Kumarian Press
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781565495166, $21.95, www.kpbooks.com

The Essentials of Economic Sustainability offers college-level economics readers a fine survey discussing viable alternatives to traditional economic approaches to issues, and is a recommendation for any international development collection. It discusses a range of economic alternatives, from socialistic to capitalistic solutions, and provides a synthesis of ideas that don't follow any particular party line. An emphasis on the role of markets in economic sustainability and discussions of leadership and how principles of economics reflect actions of people makes for an involving and optimistic discussion recommended for any economics issues collection.

Before and After the Economic Crisis
Marie-Ange Moreau, Editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court
Northampton, MA 01060-3815
9781849809924, $135.00, www.e-elgar.com

Before and After the Economic Crisis: What Implications for the 'European Social Model'? surveys the key issues surrounding debates on the future of the European Social Model, joining papers from leading experts to consider European social and labor law, policies, and the underlying economics that dictate success or failure. Recommended for college-level collections strong in European labor laws, industry relations, economics and social policy alike, this is a solid exploration of economic and political issues.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Words Can Change Your Brain
Andrew B. Newberg MD & Mark Robert Waldman
Hudson Street Press
3556 Main Street, Manchester, VT 05254
9781594630903, $25.95, www.hudsonhills.com

WORDS CAN CHANGE YOUR BRAIN: 12 CONVERSATION STRATEGIES TO BUILD TRUST, RESOLVE CONFLICT, AND INCREASE INTIMACY introduces the 12-step process of Compassionate Communication, which is designed to change brain structure and responses to improve bonds between people. There are many contentions here based on the latest brain research, including the notion that you can damage your brain with ongoing negativity, and that one can best capture listener attention by never speaking for more than 30 seconds at a time. Highly recommended for psychology and linguistics collections as well as many a general lending library!

Loaded Words
Marjorie Garber
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue
University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823242054, $26.00, www.fordhampress.com

LOADED WORDS comes from a literary and social critic who links language to emotionally-charged insights, and who offerings stirring essays examining belief, language choices, connections between thinking and speech, and more. It provides cultural and social connections between language choices and experience, provides lively writing accessible by scholars and lay readers alike, and considers how words become loaded, emotionally charged messengers reflecting social and cultural ideas and thoughts. Linguistics collections as well as general lending libraries will find this a moving survey.


The Biography Shelf

The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century
Peter Dreier
Nation Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
9781568586816, $19.99, www.nationbooks.org

The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century comes from a historian and political professor who offers a fine social, political and biographical sketch of the selected 100 greatest Americans of the 20th century. His book shows how reformers who were the outcasts of their times worked on a range of movements, each with the goal of making America a more democratic society. Chapters cover the efforts of activists, thinkers and politicians alike who made progressive changes, gathering both famous and lesser-known figures from American history to consider three types of individuals who achieved records of progressive change. The result is a fine addition to any biography or American political history holding.

Lizz Free or Die: Essays
Lizz Winstead
Riverhead Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
www.us.penguingroup.com
9781594487026, $25.95, www.riverheadbooks.com

Lizz Free or Die: Essays comes from the co-creator of The Daily Show and provides a series of autobiographical essays that chart her process of discovering her creative and comedic voice. This autobiography provides a fine memoir and surveys the landscape of comedy, offering fine insights into growth, self-discovery, and the evolution of a TV show and personality. Any general interest holding, especially those strong in television and comedy, will find this an excellent, vivid addition.

The Art and Life of Clarence Major
Keith E. Byerman
University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602-4901
9780820330556, $34.95, www.ugapress.org

The Art and Life of Clarence Major provides a biography and critical study offering a close examination of Clarence Major's life and art, in the process offering other insights into other African American writers who also have achieved great things. Clarence major produced fiction, poetry and painting: this uses previously unknown archival material and interviews to consider the multifaceted creations of a versatile and prolific African American artist. It also reveals how a black man who does not take race as his main identity succeeds in breaking rules and making a name for himself outside any associations with race or class. Arts and literary collections as well as Afro-American holdings will consider this a winner!

Never Say Never
Ricki Lake
Atria Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
9781451627176, $25.00, www.simonandschuster.com

NEVER SAY NEVER: FINDING A LIFE THAT FITS tells of a woman who became a Hollywood personality at the age of 18, starring in the show hairspray and demonstrating a spirit that led her to host her own talk show, the Ricki Lake Show, when she was just twenty-four. It ran for eleven years before Ricki Lake became involved in the natural birth movement and found a different interest. Her memoir offers a thoughtful assessment of the lessons she learned over the years and the self-acceptance she cultivated as a result. Any collection strong in autobiography and celebrity insights will find this attractive.

The Wildness Within
Kenneth Brower
Heyday Books
Box 9145, Berkeley CA 94709
9781597141864, $20.00, www.heydaybooks.com

THE WILDNESS WITHIN: REMEMBERING DAVID BROWER comes from the oldest son of the pioneering environmentalist and provides a powerful biographical sketch of a man who directed and funded numerous organizations, from the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth to others. He worked to protect a range of environmental wonders and for the hundredth anniversary of his birth, his son has gathered testimonies of nineteen environmental leaders whose lives were changed by his father. A 'must have' for any lending library strong in environmental issues.

Running for My Life
Lopez Lomong with Mark Tabb
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9781595555151, $24.99, www.thomasnelson.com

RUNNING FOR MY LIFE: ONE LOST BOY'S JOURNEY FROM THE KILLING FIELDS OF SUDAN TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES begins in 1991 in war-torn southern Sudan and tells of a Christian church service raided by armed soldiers, who capture the children and take them prisoner to raise new child soldiers. A small band of kids escaped and became refugees in Kenya: author Lopez Lomong was one of them, but he details a life story that carried him from the depths of poverty in Africa to carrying the torch in the 2008 Olympic Games. The result is a powerful autobiography telling of faith, survival, and athletic prowess against all possible odds: a top pick for Christian and general lending collections alike!

Amy, My Daughter
Mitch Winehouse
It Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com
9780062191380, $27.99, www.youritlist.com

AMY, MY DAUGHTER provides a powerful, compelling biography of Mitch's musician daughter's life, from her early childhood and rise to fame to her musical influences and battles with the addiction that finally killed her. It also provides a personal set of insights that go far beyond headline news to probe her private life and her relationship with her family, making this a unique coverage key for any music collection. From the truth about Amy's stormy relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil to her commitment to recovery that failed during a relapse. The result is a compelling survey recommended for any who have a prior interest in musician Amy Winehouse's life and tragic demise.

What Really Happened
Rielle Hunter
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, STE 400
Dallas, TX 75204
9781937856410, $24.95, www.benbellabooks.com

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED: JOHN EDWARDS, OUR DAUGHTER, AND ME provides a personal account of the author's relationship with John Edwards, and details all the basics of how they met, how their accidental love affair began and escalated, and what it was like to fall for a married man who had decided to run for president. She became pregnant during the campaign and once their affair hit the headlines, the resulting struggle when Edwards denied he was the father of their child made for tabloid news. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED sets straight the record and provides the simple facts, and is a pick for any general lending library.

Fire in the Belly
Cynthia Carr
Bloomsbury
175 - 5th Avenue, Suite 300
New York NY 10010
9781596915336, $35.00, www.bloomsbury.com

Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz offers a fine story of New York's East Village art scene from the 1970s through the 1990s, and comes from a filmmaker whose controversial short silent film "A Fire in My Belly" sparked controversy in both the art and film world with its startling images. Eighteen years after his death his art was still pushing these buttons of controversy - and this book details his short life, his passion to record truths and visions others wouldn't acknowledge, and his death of AIDS in 1992 before the age of forty. A powerful memoir, this is suitable for arts and general lending libraries alike!

Desert Rose
Edythe Scott Bagley
University of Alabama Press
Box 870380, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0380
9780817317652, $34.95, www.uapress.ua.edu

DESERT ROSE: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CORETTA SCOTT KING comes from the sister or Coretta Scott King, who was born and raised in Alabama and became the first African American student at Antioch College, and follows the family and events of the early Civil Rights Movement. It considers the life of Coretta Scott King and provides a personal view of Coretta and Dr. King, from a family's perspective. Packed with personal observations, experiences, and a sharp eye to exploring entwined family relationships, DESERT ROSE provides a vivid and moving account perfect for any Civil Rights history holding.


The Business Shelf

Walmart
Bryan Roberts and Natalie Berg
Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100
Philadelphia, PA 19102
9780749462734, $39.95, www.koganpageusa.com

Walmart: Key Insights and Practical Lessons from the World's Largest Retailer is published to mark Walmart's 50th anniversary and provides an objective history following the company's financial ups and downs, decision-making process, and innovations. Based on interviews with the company's executives and CEO Bill Simon, this title follows the changing trends of the retail market and considers lessons other retailers can learn from Walmart's growth and decisions. A fine recommendation for any business holding.

Professional Presence
Peggy Noe Stevens
Greenleaf Book Group
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
9781608322794, $21.95, www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Professional Presence: A Four-Part Program for Building Your Personal Brand provides a unique step-by-step program for developing the social skills needed to achieve business and professional success, and is a top recommendation for business collections. The four-part learning process addresses business etiquette, personal brand development, professional presentation and people skills, offering exercises that teach behavioral modifications, strategies for success, and how to handle typical business environment challenges. The author runs a global image branding business, helping companies and individuals master critical image-making skills. Each chapter concludes its lesson with an exercise scenario designed to test the reader's newfound skills. The result is a powerful guide for any business reader.

Private Practice Made Simple
Randy J. Paterson
New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781608820238, $39.95, www.newharbinger.com

Private Practice Made Simple: Everything You Need to Know to Set Up and Manage a Successful Mental Health Practice tells how to run a private practice more efficiently, and covers all the basics from setting up a practice from scratch to modifying a practice's routines for greater profit. It's a complete tool kit in a book and begins with the basics of locating an office, setting up a treatment room, organizing client information, adopting a fee structure, and more. It comes from a psychologist who established a successful clinic in Canada and who has much experience with setting up and managing a mental health practice. Highly recommended!

Leaders Make the Future, second edition
Bob Johansen
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650
San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
9781609944872, $29.95, www.bkconnection.com

The second revised edition of Leaders Make the Future has been expanded with new tools and resources and uses the latest ten-year forecast from the Institute for the Future to explore forces that are substantially altering the nature of leadership and its skills. This edition includes new examples, new forecasts, and blends in the lessons Johansen has learned about applying these skills in business and leadership roles. Two new forces are identified as future concerns: the "digital natives" who are growing up in a completely digital world, and cloud-based supercomputing, which is enabling new forms of connection and commerce. A 'must' for any business library!

Reinventing Fire
Amory B. Lovins and Rocky Mountain Institute
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
85 North Main Street, Suite 120
White River Junction, VT 05001
9781603583718, $34.95, www.chelseagreen.com

REINVENTING FIRE: BOLD BUSINESS SOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW ENERGY ERA offers new insights to revitalize business models and solve political and social gridlock - all lead by a new approach to profit. Some thirty years of experience make for a well-grounded, practical analysis blending market-based solutions across industries and providing keys to more efficient competition strategies. It's a call to action that offers many opportunities for businesses that would consider wide-ranging changes, and is a powerful 'plus' for any interested in experiences of new and proven-successful business approaches.

Entrepreneur Press
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor
NY, NY 10121-2298
www.entrepreneurpress.com

Entrepreneur Press and Rich Mintzer's START YOUR OWN FOOD TRUCK BUSINESS (9781599184142, $19.95) offers keys to beginning a cart, trailer, kiosk or gourmet truck food business and provides many keys to the basics of mobile catering. Six mobile food opportunities are surveyed in a discussion of how to identify customers, create a mobile menu, outfit a vehicle, hire help, and publicize one's mobile location(s). As this information is normally not part of your usual business startup guide, Start Your Own Food Truck Business will prove an essential key to any who want to begin such a venture. Chad Barr and Alan Weiss' MILLION DOLLAR WEB PRESENCE: LEVERAGE THE WEB TO BUILD YOUR BRAND AND TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS (9781599184340, $21.95) comes from an internet expert and business strategist who here provides a formula for greater productivity and global influence via the Web. Its focus is on building a brand and marketing it - and there is a distinct difference between a web presence and and a stand-alone web site. From creating a 'sticky' web presence to building a compelling newsletter and successful blog, this is a powerful key to business success and should not be missed!

Harvard Business Review Press
c/o Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
www.hbr.org/books

Leslie A. Perlow's SLEEPING WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE: HOW TO BREAK THE 24/7 HABIT AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU WORK (9781422144046, $27.00) provides a lively survey of connectivity and how a worker can disconnect yet become more productive. All it takes to achieve this goal is collaboration between you and your team. This study is based on an experiment with a six-person team at The Boston Consulting Group which triggered a global initiative involving over nine hundred teams in over thirty countries. These teams assessed their relentless workweeks and changed how they worked - with the added bonus of becoming more satisfied with their work-life balance, and more efficient. Any business collection needs this important and ground-breaking key to better business productivity and employee management. Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind's TALK, INC: HOW TRUSTED LEADERS USE CONVERSATION TO POWER THEIR ORGANIZATIONS (9781422173336, $30.00) offers a strong key for business leaders seeking to make their big companies 'feel' small to consumers, showing how to use conversation-powered leadership as a way of animating the organization with the same energy it experienced when it was new. Face-to-face conversation provides opportunities even with new social media: TALK INC. uses the experiences of successful leaders at company helms around the world to explore how to make a growing company more interactive and inclusive at all levels, and is a top pick for any business collection.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

The Panic Free Job Search
Paul Hill
Career Press
220 West Parkway, Unit 12
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
9781601632036, $15.99, www.careerpress.com

The Panic Free Job Search: Unleash the Power of the Web and Social Networking to Get Hired provides business collections with a fine survey of the latest changes to job search strategies. Online job applications through job boards or employer sites are leading to dead ends as employers are inundated by too many applications and computer systems that don't really work. These employers are using new strategies to recruit candidates online - and this teaches the basics of understanding these new approaches, from developing a Web-savvy profile and using social networking to tapping the hidden job market. A 'must' reference to the latest techniques for any seeking jobs!


The Music Shelf

The Complete Abba: 40th Anniversary Edition
Simon Sheridan
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9780857687241, $17.95, www.titanbooks.com

The 40th anniversary edition of THE COMPLETE ABBA compiles all of the Swedish group's singles, albums, TV specials, tours and movies under one cover, adding biographical and musical insights perfect for any rock music collection or avid fans of Abba. Even the Momma Mia! stage play is covered in a title that follows the group's evolution from a small band to a world-class act, offering insights into the stories behind selected songs, the band's rise, and its personalities. A fine pick for any rock music collection!

The Resurrection of Johnny Cash
Graeme Thomson
Jawbone Press
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781906002367, $19.95, www.jawbonepress.com

The Resurrection of Johnny Cash: Hurt, Redemption and American Recordings offers the story of a remarkable comeback. In the 1990s Cash was washed up with many physical problems and recovering from a second bout of drug addiction. At that time his career was effective dead. Then a new generation of fans and musicians rediscovered him and returned him to fame, and this book offers new interviews with peers and family and charts the fall and rise of Johnny Cash. Any country music collection will find this a 'must'.

Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers, fourth edition
Alfred Publishing Staff
Alfred Publishing
PO Box 10003, Van Nuys, CA 91410
9781936120055, $29.95, www.alfred.com

Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers appears in its fourth updated edition to provide guitarists with the only guide to guitar amplification and valuation. It's over 750 pages long in this latest 4th revised edition, profiling nearly 50 guitar amplifier makers including boutique builders. Nearly a thousand images pack a survey that's quite simply a major authority on anything to do with guitar amplifiers. Most of this information is unique to this book, so any who buy, sell or trade in musical equipment MUST have this reference.

How to Build Electric Guitars
Will Kelly
Voyageur Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760342244, $29.99, www.voyageurpress.com

How to Build Electric Guitars: The Complete Guide to Building and Setting Up Your Own Custom Guitar offers the author's years of experience and over 500 photos to consider kit-built guitars and their many options. The survey begins with a simple bolt-on Strat-style kit and moves to custom double-neck mash-ups, building a progressive set of skills to help readers learn the basics. Any who have dreamed of building an electric guitar but have lacked progressive instruction have a gold mine in this complete guide, packed with inviting color photos throughout!

Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n Roll
Marc Dolan
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393081350, $29.95, www.wwnorton.com

Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock 'n Roll deserves ongoing recommendation as a powerful biography of the performer who started out in New Jersey as a smart but undisciplined student whose father disliked rock music. It was his mother who encouraged him to learn to play guitar, starting a trend that would lead to years of increasingly-serious songwriting efforts. This biography follows his rise to fame and considers Springsteen's contributions in the wider light of social and music history as a whole. The result deserves ongoing recommendation to music collections as a whole and for rock music holdings in particular.

Mick
Christopher Andersen
Gallery Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
9781451661446, $27.00, www.simonandschuster.com

MICK: THE WILD LIFE AND MAD GENIUS OF JAGGER provides many brand new details about Jagger's life and is a 'must' for any enthusiast of the Rolling Stones leader. It covers the scandal and drama behind the scenes at the Stones, from his long-lasting steamy affair with the former First lady of France Carla Bruni to the extent of his substance abuse. From threats to Jagger's life to his turbulent relationships with band-mates, this is an eye-opening expose that provides many insider facts and lesser-known insights, and is a 'must' for any who continue to seek definitive Jagger biographies.


The Technology Shelf

RF Linear Accelerators for Medical and Industrial Applications
Samy Hanna
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781608070909, $119.00, www.artechhouse.com

RF Linear Accelerators for Medical and Industrial Applications offers engineers and technical collections catering to them a fine overview of medical and industrial accelerators, and uses only a small amount of technical math in the process of explaining their basic operations. Discussions are geared to helping engineers use accelerator-based systems in a more efficient, safer approach: chapters discuss the manufacturing process for producing them, their medical and industrial applications, and the basics of operation. With its clear explanations, this is a solid pick for any technical engineering reference library.

The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data
Joseph J. Kerski and Jill Clark
ESRI
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100
9781589482449, $49.95, www.esri.com/esripress

The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data provides GIS users with detailed information about the sources and quality of spatial data available in the public domain and covers everything from copyright and cloud computing to international data. GIS practitioners and instructors receive a fine technical guide that brings together for the first time issues that users of public domain data will confront. Chapters provide critical assessments of different public domain data portals available, the quality of their data, and how GIS practitioners and students can handle the data to make it as useful as possible. A highly recommended reference for any GIS researcher!

Tribal GIS: Supporting Native Decision Making
Anne Taylor, et.al.
ESRI
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100
9781589483200, $19.95, www.esri.com/esripress

Tribal GIS: Supporting Native Decision Making details the challenges and successes of Native American tribes in using geographic information to support their operations as sovereign nations. This book provides Native policy maker and instructors with details on how GIS can be used to make their groups more efficient showing how GIS can be used to solve land and tribal issues and how it can support different programs. The specific focus on applied GIS in schools, tribal governments and more provide stories from real-world solutions and make this a pick for reference and Native American collections.


The Crafts Shelf

Metal Magic
Kim St. Jean
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871164933, $21.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

METAL MAGIC: HOW TO ETCH, PIERCE, ENAMEL, AND SET STRIKING JEWELRY packs in some thirty projects into a how-to guide that pairs step-by-step photos with keys to tips and tricks for basic metalworking skills. From adding vivid color using enamel to piercing and sewing with an expert's hands, this is a complete course in metal art that outlines techniques certain to produce professional, polished results. No jewelry collection should be without METAL MAGIC!


The Social Issues Shelf

The Gospel of Rutba
Greg Barrett
Orbis Books
PO Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308
9781570759512, $25.00, www.orbisbooks.com

The Gospel of Rutba: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq tells of three Christians caught in the Shock and Awe campaign in Iraq who were rescued by Iraqui Muslims, protected, and sent on their way to safety with a mission: to tell the story of Rutba. The Gospel of Rutba is that story, offering insights about a little town called Rutba and peacemakers of Iraq who are involved in life-saving and compassionate actions. At once a spiritual and social observation, The Gospel of Rutba is a powerful account highly recommended for any collection strong in personal accounts of the Middle East.

Aquanomics: Water Markets and the Environment
B. Delworth Gardner and Randy T. Simmons, Editors
Transaction Publishers
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8042
9781412842693, $59.95, www.transactionpub.com

Aquanomics: Water Markets and the Environment provides college-level readers with a fine survey of world water management, trends, and the social, economic and political issues affecting them. Many collections address the topic of declining water resources around the world: this volume argues for the forces of economic influence that can alter the equation of scarcity. Collections strong in social issues and resource management will find this a fine gathering of essays who document improving water quality in developing countries as a result of these influences. Highly recommended for any college-level collection.

The Boy Kings
Katherine Losse
Free Press
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781451668254, $26.00, www.simonandschuster.com

THE BOY KINGS: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE SOCIAL NETWORK provides one of the first and only insider's accounts about Facebook to considers its origins, early days, and the tactics of those who worked there. Kathrine Losse was a grad school refugee when she joined Facebook in 2005, beginning with customer service and moving to become Mark Zuckerberg's personal ghostwriter, traveling to launch Facebook across Europe and Asia. Her mission to help change the world was to change her own life in this vivid, moving story recommended for general as well as computer and social issues collections.

Pursuing China
Brian L. Evans, C.M.
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
9780888646002, $34.95, www.uap.ualberta.ca

PURSUING CHINA: MEMOIR OF A BEAVER LIAISON OFFICER blends memoir and history to provide a fine portrait of China and its cultural outreach over the past five decades. As a scholar, diplomat and administrator he cultivates a unique perspective and provides commentary on everything from the Cultural revolution and the post-Mao transformation of China to the development of China studies in Canada and around the world. Words and photos lend to a fine discussion of the nature of Canada-China relations in particular, but adds much sociological and historical background suitable for readers in other countries as well. The result is an outstanding survey highly recommended for any collection strong in Chinese studies.

For All the People, second edition
John Curl
PM Press
PO Box 23912, Oakland, CA 94623
9781604865820, $29.95, www.pmpress.org

FOR ALL THE PEOPLE: UNCOVERING THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF COOPERATION, COOPERATIVE MOVEMENTS, AND COMMUNALISM IN AMERICA appears in its second updated edition to provide a sweeping analysis of American cooperative movements for social change, and goes beyond the usual narrowed focus on a particular era or political figure. It's a scholarly history especially recommended for college-level students of labor history, and follows the American worker from colonial to modern times, documenting a history that has been largely ignored - the American cooperative movement - by the usual historical coverage.

The Mobile Wave
Michael Saylor
Vanguard Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9781593137203, $25.99, www.vanguardpressbooks.com

THE MOBILE WAVE: HOW MOBILE INTELLIGENCE WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING is a key to tailoring one's business approach to the latest technology trends, and is a pick for any business interested in the rapidly-rising phenomenon of mobile computing. It follows the next phase of computer marketing, showing how mobile devices are changing everything from city parking to streaming movies, shows how the middleman will effectively be eliminated in the direct-sales process, and documents the speed at which this mobile revolution will take over. It pays to be on the cutting edge of such a process - and THE MOBILE WAVE tells how. Business, computer, and social issues collections alike will find this a solid pick!

Climate Matters
John Broome
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393063363, $23.95, www.wwnorton.com

CLIMATE MATTERS: ETHICS IN A WARMING WORLD comes from an unusual source: a moral philosopher who's writing about the ethics involved in climate change. As such, it avoids the usual ideology on climate change issues in favor of focusing on the complicated ethical and value judgments involved in climate change. From universal standards of justice both on a personal and political scale to public morality and what's involved in making the world a better place, CLIMATE MATTERS serves up a passionate call for developing an ethical foundation in decision-making, and is a pick for environmental and philosophy holdings alike!


The Health/Medicine Shelf

OCD: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
Michael A. Tompkins, PhD
New Harbinger Publications
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781608820177, $15.95, www.newharbinger.com

OCD: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed is a basic primer intended to help readers understand how OCD works so they can better cope with their symptoms, and is a special pick for any health self-help collection. It provides a pocket guide that consider the diagnosis, symptoms, and stigmas related to OCD and teaches patient approaches to the diagnosis that can help manage OCD symptoms. Readers receive everything they need to handle the diagnosis and better manage their symptoms, making this a pick for any general health collection.

Walking on Eggshells
Amy Sales, MSW, LCSW-C
New Horizon Press
PO Box 669, Far Hills, NJ 07931
9780882823805, $14.95, www.newhorizonpressbooks.com

Walking on Eggshells: Caring for a Critically Ill Loved One offers caregivers key insights into critical issues they will face. From receiving and giving bad news to handling loss of control and patient advocation, this provides caregivers solid methods of coping with diagnosis, preparing for a loved one's end of life, and handling a complicated medical system. The result is a solid set of insights and guidelines to emotional and health care issues, highly recommended for any general lending library!

Antibiotics Simplified, second edition
Jason C. Gallagher and Conan MacDougall
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
9781449614591, $31.95, www.jblearning.com

The second updated edition of Antibiotics Simplified provides a concise guide to the basics of antibiotics and offers guidelines for treatments to accompany seventeen new chapters with the latest details on drug classes. Expanded coverage includes antiviral agents and dosing concerns, while a new appendix includes regimens for common infections. Very highly recommended as a basic at-a-glance reference for any nurse practitioner or medical office.

Twelve Patients
Eric Manheimer, MD
Grand Central Publishing
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10017
9781455503889, $26.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

TWELVE PATIENTS: LIFE AND DEATH AT BELLEVUE HOSPITAL tells of the largest public hospital in New York City and comes from its former medical director, who uses stories taken from case histories to humanize everything from immigration issues to problems of teen suicide and health care system failures. These case history examples make for a lively and personal survey linking real-world experiences to primary issues affecting health care in America today. TWELVE PATIENTS will reach general-interest and health holdings alike with an accessible and engrossing set of vignettes reflecting some of today's top health care system issues.

The New Wounded
Catherine Malabou, Translated by Steven Miller
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue
University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823239689, $32.00, www.fordhampress.com

THE NEW WOUNDED: FROM NEUROSIS TO BRAIN DAMAGE blends science, psychoanalysis and philosophy into a fine survey considering brain damage and how it blurs boundaries between time, nature, and meaning in life. Malabou's argument identifies a class of 'new wounded' that include victims of rape, bombing and natural disasters, as well as medical conditions, and shows how, severed from their own past, they also lack meaning in life. The result is a powerful survey highly recommended for any health collection.

Nursing Assistant's Survival Guide, second edition
Karl Pillemer
Delmar
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place
Stamford, CT 06902
9781133134817, www.cengage.com

The second updated edition of Nursing Assistant's Survival Guide: Tips and Techniques for the Most Important Job in America provides a short primer packed with basic tips and illustrations designed to teach the interpersonal skills needed for job success, and has been updated to reflect all the changes in the field. Step-by-step details cover everything from job stress to the use of positive psychology and humor with residents, with updates reflecting changes in the CAN role and actions on the job. The result is a special pick for any nursing reference holding.

Asperger Syndrome in Adulthood
Kevin P. Stoddart, et.al.
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393705508, $32.00, www.wwnorton.com

Asperger Syndrome in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians covers issues of diagnosis and psychosocial issues, plus different kinds of interventions for Asperger's in adulthood, and blends the authors' combined clinical expertise with publish research to provide a multidisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment options. From basic diagnosis and assessment to controversies about ASDs and intervention procedures, clinical examples throughout and case histories provide insights for any clinician practicing with adults, and for health collections catering to them.

Drug Information Handbook for Nursing, 14th edition
Lexicomp
1100 Terex Road
Hudson, Ohio, USA 44236
9781591953104, $48.95, www.lexi.com

The 14th updated edition of Drug Information Handbook for Nursing includes everything from administration to assessment and monitoring guidelines, and provides nurses with a comprehensive and extensively updated drug information guide presenting medications in alphabetical order for both generic and brand names. Over a thousand drug monographs and nearly forty fields of information for each pack an extensive review which includes red highlights and an organization that lends to quick look-up reference. Highly recommended as a basic staple reference for nurses and libraries catering to them.


The American History Shelf

West from Salt Lake
Jesse G. Peterson
Arthur H. Clark Company
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780870624070, $34.95, www.ahclark.com

West from Salt Lake: Diaries from the Central Overland Trail chronicles the journey of one Captain James Simpson, who in 1859 forged a more direct trail between Salt Lake City and California by taking a desert route, which the Pony Express and others adopted. It's surprising to note that this is the first book to collect the daily accounts of emigrants who traveled the Central Overland Trail in covered wagons, gathering their journals and diaries and providing excerpts from over twenty diaries, many previously unpublished. Diaries are rich in anecdotes of their trials and journeys, considering major themes of survival and encounters with Indians and special challenges along the way. Any collection strong in emigrant or exploration accounts of early America should add this to their holdings: it's a powerful gathering of source material and is perfect for any American history gathering.


The Interior Design Shelf

Simply Imperfect, revised edition
Robyn Griggs Lawrence
New Society Publishers
Box 189
Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865716919, $22.95, www.newsociety.com

Simply Imperfect: Revisiting the Wabi-Sabi House offers a completely revised, updated edition of THE WABI-SABI HOUSE, offering an illustrated guide to the concept of living simply and introducing wabi-sabi ideas into a home. From clearing clutter to making and growing things yourself and taking time for meditation, this is packed with brown sepia photos and solid techniques for circumventing the distractions of technology and consumer goods in our lives, while still building a regenerating home environment.


The Gardening Shelf

The Complete to Working with Worms
Wendy Vincent
Atlantic Publishing Group
1405 SW - 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781601385994, $24.95, www.atlantic-pub.com

The Complete to Working with Worms covers everything you'll need to know about composting with worms, from basic supplies and what bins to purchase to where to purchase worms and what kinds to get. It covers all the conditions needed to create a successful compost bin, considers common problems encountered when trying to build a worm-friendly environment, and comes from interviews with farmers and first-time composters who provide advice on how to use worms in a compost bin. Case studies form gardener successes provide many specifics, making this a practical guide for any working with worms and garden compost.


The Automotive Shelf

Fangio & Mercedes-Benz
Hartmut Lehbrink
Heel Verlag
c/o David Bull Publishing
4250 East Camelback Rd, Suite K150
Phoenix AZ 85018
9783868525519, $59.95, www.bullpublishing.com

Fangio & Mercedes-Benz: Alliance of the Best follows the story of Juan-Manuel Fangio's partnership with Mercedes, and provides a text in German and English as it explores Fangio's early years in Argentina, his experiences in Formula One racing, and his post-Mercedes career. It comes in an oversized edition packed with previously unpublished photos from the Daimler archives, and documents a period of time where Fangio become associated with Mercedes. Fangio raced and won for Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Ferrari, but it was his brief stint with Mercedes-Benz in 1954-55 which proved the high point of his career. Fangio & Mercedes-Benz was originally published in Germany to commemorate Fangio's centennial: this gathers recollections and insights from family, friends and fellow drivers and provides a wide-ranging view of the driver and his associations with Mercedes. Highly recommended for any race car history collection.

Batmobile: The Complete History
Mark Cotta Vaz
Insight Editions
PO Box 3088, San Rafael, CA 94912
9781608871049, $35.00, www.insighteditions.com

Batmobile: The Complete History offers the story of a fine car and its evolution from the pages of Detective Comics to its appearance on the movies and the mechanics of constructing actual Batmobiles from comic and film visions, and is a pick for any collection strong in either Batman history and lore or curious cars in general. Here are explorations that follow the evolution of the Batmobile concept over the decades, offering concept cars, stories from their creators, and insights into their construction and design. Gatefold photos provide large-scale images of the Batmobiles featured in film and TV, while stories explain car ideals and evolution.


The Philosophy Shelf

Breaking Bad and Philosophy
David R. Koepsell and Robert Arp, Editors
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60601
9780812697643, $19.95, www.opencourtbooks.com

Breaking Bad and Philosophy: Badder Living Through Chemistry provides reflections from over twenty professional thinkers simulating mental experiments with the TV series Breaking Bad. They consider the social, ethical and emotional issues raised by the series, applying modern philosophical reflection and analysis to a close inspection of the popular show's basic contentions. Any college-level library seeking to link modern philosophical thought with the latest trends needs this lively discussion.


The Native American Shelf

Montana Before History
Douglas H., MacDonald
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
9780878425853, $20.00, www.mountain-press.com

MONTANA BEFORE HISTORY: 11,000 YEARS OF HUNTER-GATHERERS IN THE ROCKIES AND PLAINS provides a satisfying blend of archaeology and Native American history and chronicles how Montana's early peoples adapted to their environment and how they lived. Archaeological evidence on Montana's early history and Native cultures permeate a discussion of sites and findings, packed with color photos of the digs and archaeological findings. It's the attention to colorful charts and photos that contribute to a lively survey that will reach beyond its intended audience of archaeological and Native American students to involve the general-interest reader with any interest in Montana's pre-history.


The Library DVD Shelf

4:44: Last Day on Earth
IFC Films
c/o MPI Media Group
16101 South 108th Avenue
Orland Park, IL 60462
0788615726, $24.98, www.mpimedia.com

Tomorrow at 4:44 a.m., the world is going to come to an end due to the destruction of the ozone layer - and two lovers seclude themselves in their Manhattan apartment to spend their last hours together. What they choose to do with their remaining time lends to a powerful drama offering many insights on romance, the end of times and of life, and what happens when Earth finally succumbs to ecological disaster. Any viewer with an interest in apocalyptic films will find this a powerful survey!


The Language Studies Shelf

Signing for Dummies, second edition
Adan Penilla II, PhD and Angela Lee Taylor
For Dummies
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118117583, $22.99, www.johnwiley.com

The second updated edition of Signing for Dummies comes with its own bonus video CD that includes actual conversations and demonstrations by ASL signers, reinforcing book lessons that cover the basic handshapes, facial expressions, and body language of Sign. Here are keys to undertaking conversations, moving from basic to advanced sign skills, and understanding the cultural piece of signing and the deaf community. Any general lending library will find this a solid reference choice.


The Botany Shelf

CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants
Umberto Quattrocchi, F.L.S.
CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
9781420080445, $995.00, www.crcpress.com

The multi-volume CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants is quite simply a 'must', highly recommended for botany and medical libraries serious about documenting economically important plants in medicine. It provides listings of common names, scientific names, synonyms and etymology and is packed with papers, reports, discussions of herbal medicine and botanical applications, and much more. This isn't just a dictionary: it provides the names of thousands of genera and species, includes discussions of plant properties and medicinal applications around the world, and uses a range of primary and secondary sources to cover plant chemistry, pharmacognosy, and agriculture alike. Listings of plant names via popular world descriptions accompany the in-depth details allowing for cross-referencing and detailed understanding. There are other, more casual references to medicinal plants but none have the depth and authority of this set, which covers all facets of medicinal plant applications and properties, growing conditions, and use guidelines. The international cross-referencing is particularly important to any who would receive a reference volume that includes world common names and scientific associations for the plants. We've seen many smaller volumes containing a fraction of the information here, so it's especially notable to recommended this as a definitive guide for collections seeking depth and detail.


The Psychology Shelf

The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty
Dan Ariely
Harper
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
0062183591, $26.99, www.harpercollins.com

The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty comes from a social scientist and author who has been musing about the human capacity for honesty and dishonesty for years. His book analyzes the forces that lead to cheating and examines those that promote honesty, observing the wide-reaching presence of cheaters, considering their actions, and using his own research to consider the forces behind dishonest behaviors. Using experiments and his own observations of results, Ariely offers a picture of dishonesty as being powered by hidden influences such as conflicts of interest and revenge. An excellent survey of honesty and dishonesty's realities evolves, perfect for any general lending library.


The Biology Shelf

The Hour Between Dog and Wolf
Joan Coates
Penguin Press
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10014
9781594203381, $27.95, www.penguin.com

THE HOUR BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF: RISK TAKING, GUT FEELINGS, AND THE BIOLOGY OF BOOM AND BUST comes from a Wall Street trader who began noticing patterns of behavior such as mood swings and hunches that couldn't be explained rationally. He came to associate these behaviors with body chemistry, eventually went back to school to study science, and uses his scientific studies of financial traders to change our thinking about the biology of human risk taking and decision making under pressure. Chapters consider testosterone experiences, elevated changes in body chemistry during trading, and how winning streaks to have a definite biology. Great traders with winning results are wired differently: this explains the biological roots of success and failure in a survey highly recommended for biology, business and general lending collections alike.

The Violinist's Thumb
Sam Kean
Little, Brown and Company
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9780316182317, $25.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

DNA provides powerful insights into human attributes, and by learning to read the code in our DNA, scientists have uncovered many stories about human characteristics from language to brain functions. THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB AND OTHER TALES OF LOVE, WAR, AND GENIUS, AS WRITTEN BY OUR GENETIC CODE offers humor and anecdotes to explain these genetic insights to a general-interest audience, offering a delightful scientific exploration that is chatty and winning as well as educational and accessible. It's a top recommendation for any interested in learning more about genetics and the human condition.

Life Everlasting
Bernd Heinrich
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
9780547752662, $25.00, www.hmhbooks.com

LIFE EVERLASTING: THE ANIMAL WAY OF DEATH comes from a biologist who considers how the animal world handles death, and offers connections between biology and ecological and spiritual ramifications on how the animal world renews itself. From field mouse burials conducted by carrion beetles to teamwork among animals and how prey is handled, this reveals the role of scavengers and animal involvements in death, and gathers a wide range of insights perfect for any natural history holding.


The California Shelf

A Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of California
Daniel Winkler
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219
Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
9781550175899 $7.95 www.harbourpublishing.com

A Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of California is not a book, but rather a laminated/water-resistant foldout brochure offering full-color photographs and identification tips for both edible and poisonous varieties of mushrooms that can be found growing wild in California. The field guide emphatically stresses, "This brochure alone does not contain enough detailed information to make a safe identification of a mushroom... mislabeling a mushroom and then eating it can have fatal consequences. Thus, we seriously advise that novice mushroom gatherers confirm their identifications with an expert. There are about ten mycological societies and mushroom clubs in California (see www.MushRoaming.com). These clubs have experienced mushroom identifiers who will check out your mushrooms for free. Always follow the advice 'when in doubt, throw it out.'" Over 40 different mushrooms, some edible, some borderline, some deadly poisonous are spotlighted, with a brightly colored photograph, a concise list of their distinguishing features, and a symbol that readily marks whether they are edible and whether they are easy to confuse with other mushroom species. A Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of California is a great mushroom-spotter's guide, and even though it can't substitute for the eye of a trained expert, it's a good starting point for amateur mycologists in California.

Legendary Locals of Encinitas
Alison Burns
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
9781467100090, $21.99, www.arcadiapublishing.com

Legendary Locals of Encinitas opens with the Hammond family who were drawn to the town by advertisements that painted it as a near-Eden of orange trees and grapevines. What they found upon arrival was anything but perfect - but in 1883 it wasn't possible to return home, and these eleven settlers made California's small town of Encinitas to the thriving culture it is today. Vintage photos gathered from community archives lends a full portrait of the town and its peoples in a fine collection highly recommended for any California history library.

The Sacramento River Boating Guide
Bill Corp
Ten Rivers Publishing
P.O. Box 1013, Walnut Grove, CA 95690
9780983932505, $24.95, www.sacboating.com

At first glance this would seem to hold appeal to a specific audience of boaters who want to learn more about the waterways and routes of California's Sacramento Delta region - but it's actually much more, and is a recommendation for any who want an overall history and travel guide regardless of boating. Such a reader will be surprised and delighted to find an account that pairs stories and adventures of a live-aboard couple in the Delta with tips on how to navigate the region's waterways. From quiet anchorages and marine facilities to bridge clearances, boat repairers, and most of all, a history of small Delta towns and their attractions, this is simply packed with concrete information, color photos, maps, and history, and is a 'must' for any with an interest in Sacramento's Delta country!

Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd.
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.arcadiapublishing.com

Jerry Whitehead III's TUOLUMNE CITY (9780738589183, $21.99) offers a fine collection of vintage black and white images tracing the city's rise from its 1854 Gold Rush roots to modern times, offering the history of a town that changed its name three times before 1906, and which became one of the most notable mineral mining areas in the state. The author, a fifth-generation resident of Tuolumne City, has worked with the Tuolumne City memorial Museum and various volunteers to gather this history, highly recommended for any California history collection. Tammy Durston's LEGENDARY LOCALS OF THE MENDOCINO COAST (9781467100137, $21.99) provides an outstanding survey of the Sonoma Mendocino coast's notorious figures and colorful characters, from artists and writers to scientists and community leaders. It follows volunteer efforts to create culture and restore buildings along the coast, it provides a history of early settlers and pioneers, and it provides a fine collection powered by vintage duotone and black and white photos from historical societies and holdings along the Sonoma and Mendocino coast. Any collection strong in Northern California history will find this a winner!


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

Diane C. Donovan, Editor & Senior Reviewer
12424 Mill Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 1-707-795-4629
e-mail: donovan@sonic.net


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