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Volume 30, Number 2 February 2020 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Science Shelf
American History Shelf World History Shelf Civil War Shelf
Economic Studies Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
General Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf Western Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Education Shelf Parenting Shelf
Agriculture Shelf Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Art Shelf Philosophy Shelf Military Shelf
Biography Shelf International Studies Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Political Science Shelf Library Science Shelf Technology Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Literary Studies Shelf Music Shelf
Native American Studies Shelf Sports Shelf Mathematics Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Automotive Shelf Gaming Shelf Business Shelf
Gardening Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Crafts Shelf
Hunting Shelf Travel Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Holocaust Studies Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice


Camel Crazy
Christina Adams
New World Library
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608686483, $17.95

Camel Crazy: A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels provides a blend of autobiography, adventure story, and new age health title. While some who pick it up will anticipate a fascination and affection for camels, this book is more about alternative health issues, autism, and a search for miracles than it is about camels alone, although it does traverse quite a few camel encounters and worlds embracing them throughout its journey. Difficult to easily peg and certainly a cut above the ordinary, Camel Crazy is a recommended pick for anyone interested in camels, health challenges, and new age perspectives.

The Book of Chinese Proverbs
Gerd de Ley
Hatherleigh Press
c/o The Hatherleigh Foundation
62545 State Highway 10, Hobart, NY 13788
www.hatherleighpress.com
9781578268269, $15.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Chinese culture is one of the oldest in history and the amount of wisdom collected during that time is greater than the Great Wall of China. From Confucius to Laozi to Sun Tzu, numerous Chinese philosophers and their teachings have influenced Chinese culture, but permeated in many different parts of the world. Deftly and expertly compiled by Gerd de Ley, "The Book of Chinese Proverbs" features over 1000 of the greatest ones, organized to be accessible and informative for today's audience and giving more insights to China and its rich culture.

Critique: 'People who are late are often happier than those who have to wait for them.' -- This pocket-sized and easily transportable little volume is a treasure and a pleasure to simply browse through and will prove to be a unique and popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.

Editorial Note: Gerd de Ley is a former English teacher and has been a professional writer and actor since 1975. From an early age, Gerd has been an avid collector of quotations and proverbs from all over the world and has had more than 450 works published in Holland and Belgium. His most comprehensive book, Het Grootste Citatenboek ter Wereld (translated as The Greatest Quotation Book in the World), was published in 2009 and contains over 40,000 quotes. For the past two decades, Gerd has worked together with linguist David Potter to bring his work to English audiences, resulting in publications in England, USA, India, Finland, China, and Vietnam.

The Vancouver Sketchbook
T. K. Justin Ng
Whitecap Books
c/o Fitzhenry & Whiteside
www.fitzhenry.ca
9781770503250, $29.95, HC, 156pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: From the snow-capped mountains to Stanley Park, Gastown to Chinatown, False Creek to UBC, author and artist T. K. Justin Ng reveals the rich history, culture, and stunning beauty of Vancouver, Canada in "The Vancouver Sketchbook: Lush Landscapes, Vibrant Streetscapes, Soaring Skyline".

Part travelogue, part guidebook and in celebration, Ng's vibrant, colorful sketches and lively text are the perfect companion for visitors and residents to appreciating Vancouver's spatial richness and cultural diversity.

Critique: "The Vancouver Sketchbook: Lush Landscapes, Vibrant Streetscapes, Soaring Skyline" is a uniquely informative and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Canadian Art History collections. A simple and informative pleasure to browse through one page at a time, "The Vancouver Sketchbook" would also well serve as a template for similar studies of other Canadian towns and cities.

Informed Societies
Stephane Goldstein
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783304226, $101.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In early 21st century societies, individuals and organizations are deluged with information, particularly online information. Much of this is useful, valuable or enriching. But a lot of it is of dubious quality and provenance, if not downright dangerous. Misinformation forms part of the mix. The ability to get the most out of the information flow, finding, interpreting and using it, and particularly developing a critical mindset towards it, requires skills, know-how, judgement and confidence - such is the premise of information literacy. This is true for many aspects of human endeavour, including education, work, health and self-enrichment. It is notably true also for acquiring an understanding of the wider world, for reaching informed views, for recognizing bias and misinformation, and thereby for playing a part as active citizens, in democratic life and society.

"Informed Societies: Why information literacy matters for citizenship, participation and democracy" is a ground-breaking and uniquely multi-disciplinary book that explores how information literacy can contribute to fostering attitudes, habits and practices that underpin an informed citizenry including information literacy itself, as well as political science, pedagogy, information science, psychology.

Critique: Compiled and edited by Stephane Goldstein, "Informed Societies: Why information literacy matters for citizenship, participation and democracy" is comprised of eleven erudite articles by experts that collectively explain how and why information literacy can help to foster critical thinking and discerning attitudes, enabling citizens to play an informed role in society and its democratic processes. A seminal body of outstanding scholarship, "Informed Societies" is an especially recommended addition to community and academic library Information Science collections, as well as supplemental studies reading lists for students, academia, and non- specialist readers with an interest in the subject.

Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities
Patrick M. Condon
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781610919609, $35.00, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: With the onset of dramatic climate change, how we design our cities over the next four decades will be critical for our planet. If we continue to spill excessive greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, we will run out of time to keep our global temperature from increasing. Since approximately 80% of greenhouse gases come from cities, it follows that in the design of cities lies the fate of the world.

As urban designers respond to the critical issue of climate change they must also address three cresting cultural waves: the worldwide rural-to-urban migration; the collapse of global fertility rates; and the disappearance of the middle class. In "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities", planning and design expert Patrick Condon explains how urban designers can assimilate these interconnected changes into their work.

Condon shows how the very things that constrain cities (climate change, migration, financial stress, population change) could actually enable the emergence of a more equitable and resource-efficient city. He provides five rules for urban designers: (1) See the City as a System; (2) Recognize Patterns in the Urban Environment; (3) Apply Lighter, Greener, Smarter Infrastructure; (4) Strengthen Social and Economic Urban Resilience; and (5) Adapt to Shifts in Jobs, Retail, and Wages.

In "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities", Condon also provides grounded and financially feasible design examples for tomorrow's sustainable cities, and the design tools needed to achieve them.

Critique: An ideal curriculum textbook for college and university level urban planning classes, "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities: Design in an Age of Urban Migration, Demographic Change, and a Disappearing Middle Class" it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, urban planning professionals, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.24).

Editorial Note: Also the author of "Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities", Patrick Condon has over 30 years of experience in sustainable urban design: first as a professional city planner and then as a teacher and researcher. Condon started his academic career in 1985 at the University of Minnesota before moving to the University of British Columbia in 1992. After acting as the director of the landscape architecture program, he became the James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments. In that capacity, he has worked to advance sustainable urban design in scores of jurisdictions in the US, Canada, and Australia. He and his research partners collaborated with the City of North Vancouver to produce a 100-year plan to make the city carbon-neutral by 2107. Condon and his partners received the Canadian Institute of Planners Award for Planning Excellence, an ASLA award for research, and the BC Union of Municipalities Award of Excellence for this work. He was the founding chair of the new UBC Master of Urban Design program where his teaching and research are now concentrated.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020
Sarah Janssen
World Almanac
c/o Infobase Publishing
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.infobasepublishing.com
9781600572289, $36.95, 1008pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a fully updated edition for 2020, for more than 150 years, "The World Almanac and Book of Facts" is impressively comprehensive compendium of information resource for all entertainment, reference, and learning needs. This 2020 edition of The World Almanac reviews the biggest events of 2019 and will be a definitive source for questions on any topic in the upcoming year ranging from history and sports to geography, pop culture, and much more.

Features include Decade in Review: As the 'teens' decade closes, take a look at the highlights, low points, and everything-in-between of the past 10 years. From the introduction of Obamacare and iPads in 2010 to "Old Town Road" and the immigration policy debate in 2019, The World Almanac provides a recap of events and puts into perspective just how much has - and hasn't) changed in the last 10 years.

Also features is a 2020 Election Preview: The World Almanac provides a comprehensive look at the entire 2020 election process, including a calendar of state primaries and caucuses. Also includes 2019 election results for governors' seats and special congressional elections.

Then there are the World Almanac Editors' Picks: Never Say Die: With Tiger Woods achieving the seemingly impossible in 2019 with his 15th major title (his first Masters win in 14 years) the editors list their favorite major comeback moments from athletes across the sports universe.

Unique to this almanac is: The World at a Glance which is annual feature that provides a quick look at the surprising stats and curious facts that define the changing world. Includes a sneak peek at upcoming celebrity milestone birthdays in 2020.

Statistical Spotlight is a popular annual graphic feature highlights statistics relevant to the biggest news of the year. These data visualizations provide important context and new perspectives to give readers a fresh angle on key issues.

Then there are the Other New Highlights: New statistics on income tax reform, top-grossing movies, biggest YouTube channels, religious populations in the U.S. and worldwide, and much more.

Critique: Simply stated, "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020" should be a part of every family, public and private school, community, college, and university informational resource collections. An ideal information source for local bar trivia games, it should be noted that "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2020" is also available in a paperback edition (9781600572302, $15.99), and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $10.99).


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Crazy Screenwriting Secrets
Weiko Lin
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615933013, $29.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Through a uniquely effective approach to writing a feature screenplay, the first half of "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" guides the aspiring script writer in learning how to create and develop: Story Idea, Characters, One Page Step Outline, and the solid script.

In the second half, "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" covers professional business side of the ever-changing industry by taking the aspiring script writer through the work flow of Hollywood and explores in effective detail just how to work creatively with international countries like China in producing movies that resonate with a global audience.

Critique: Unique, practical, effective, comprehensive, expertly organized and presented, "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" is essential reading for anyone engaging in the creation of a screenplay for a project hoping to have an international audience. While especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference and resource collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Crazy Screenwriting Secrets: How to Capture A Global Audience" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.23).

Editorial Note: A writer/producer, Weiko has written projects for the Mark Gordon Company, Ivanhoe Pictures, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Don Mischer Productions, the Unison Company (Taiwan), and Wanda Pictures (China). Fluent in Mandarin, he produced and wrote the original story for the Chinese-language romance film 100 Days, which released theatrically in Taiwan and premiered in Mainland China as an official selection of the 2014 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival. For the screen, Weiko adapted River Town, the New York Times Notable Book and bestselling memoir by Peter Hessler for Fugitive Films and acclaimed director Lu Chuan (City of Life and Death, Disney Nature's Born in China). In television, he has written a pilot for Super Deluxe (former digital studio of Turner/WarnerMedia). Recipient of a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award, Weiko earned his MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. He was also recognized as a finalist for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. A Fulbright Senior Specialist, Weiko has taught at institutions including UCLA, Northwestern University, and Taipei National University of the Arts. He is a tenured Associate Professor at Emerson College. A member of Writers Guild of America West and Dramatist Guild of America, he is represented by Anonymous Content and United Talent Agency.

Wizard Or Wannabe?
Mary E. Neighbour
Upriver, Downriver Books
www.MediaNeighbours.com
9780996254144, $12.95, PB, 9780996254168, Kindle, $4.99
9780996254151, $19.95, HC, 109pp

Synopsis: Mary Neighbour is a member of the Independent Book Publishers and Editorial Freelancers associations, as well as a partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and co-founder and former prsident of the Association of Publishers for Special Seales-New Mexico.

With a successful career over some 50 years in editing and design, and of helping authors become independent self-publishers, in "Wizard Or Wannabe?: How Authors & Self-Publishers Can Vet The Professionals They Need To Edit, Design & Shepherd Their Books" she draws upon her considerable and impressive expertise and experience to create an impressively informative, expertly organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference, guide and manual that effectively lives up to the promise of its subtitle.

Ideal for those who are new and unfamiliar with the publishing industry, "Wizard Or Wannabe?" will instruct the aspiring self-published author with respect to choosing an appropriate editor, cover designer, interior designer, and book shepherd. Of special note is the explanation of publishing industry terminology, standards, and interview questions.

Critique: This cannot be over-emphasized, "Wizard Or Wannabe?" should be considered mandatory reading for any author considering self-publication -- it will save time, money, and avoiding the frustrations of trial and error in the process of turning a manuscript into a book. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, and format, "Wizard Or Wannabe?" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: The planned release date for "Wizard Or Wannabe?" is mid-March 2020.

Funny You Should Ask
Barbara Poelle
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242
www.writersdigest.com
9781440355073, $18.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: There is a certain perception that the publishing industry is a near insurmountable fortress, with gatekeepers and nay sayers manning the turrets looking for any way to fire a flaming arrow at the dreams of an aspiring writer. "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" is based on the popular Writer's Digest column by literary agent Barbara Poelle and will deconstruct, inform, and illuminate the path to publication and beyond, all while dispelling the rumor that those in the industry are better than thou.

And even though each writer's publishing journey is like a game of PLINKO (you can drop the chip in the same slot every time and get a different result) there are still common constructs and confusions that can be shared and explored together in order to help inform all writers. From understanding the nuts and bolts of a query letter, to learning how to process the soul-searing envy of watching someone else's career flourish, to how to talk to your editor, veteran literary agent Barbara Poelle covers the approach and execution of the common and uncommon bumps along the traditional publishing path.

"Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" is comprised of more than 100 questions answered including expanded answers to topics that didn't get the full treatment in a column, along with a wealth of writing exercises, submission checklists, and publishing BINGO for every publishing milestone.

Of special note is the advice concerning what every author should ask their editor, mistakes to avoid when querying a literary agent, publishing trends and insights.

Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well organized and presented, and an unreservedly recommended 'must read' for every aspiring author with an ambition to be published, "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" will also be of immense value for already published authors wanting to keep up with the changes and evolution of the publishing industry. "Funny You Should Ask: Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry" should be a part of every personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collection.

Editorial Note: Barbara Poelle is a vice president at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, where she has served as an agent since 2007. Barbara is a much sought-after expert for publishing industry seminars and conferences. She also pens the popular Funny You Should Ask column at Writer's Digest online.

Adapting Bestsellers
Ken Gelder
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781108731089, $12.99, PB, 75pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A part of the Cambridge University Press 'Elements in Publishing and Book Culture' series, "Adapting Bestsellers: Fantasy, Franchise and the Afterlife of Storyworlds" by Ken Gelder examines adaptations of best selling works of popular fiction to cinema, television, stage, radio, video games and other media platforms.

"Adapting Bestsellers" focuses on 'transmedia storytelling', building its case studies around the genre of modern fantasy: because the elaborate story worlds produced by writers like J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin which have readily lent themselves to adaptations across various media platforms.

There commercial success has also made it possible for media entertainment corporations to invest in them over the long term, enabling the development of franchises through which their story worlds are presented and marketed in new ways to new audiences.

Critique: A succinct and impressively informative study, "Adapting Bestsellers: Fantasy, Franchise and the Afterlife of Storyworlds" is an inherently interesting and thought-provoking read that will have particular interest for writers and publishers interested in their books being expanded into other entertainment (and money-making) platforms. While unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Adapting Bestsellers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.34).

Story Selling
Heather Hale
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615932818, $26.95, PB, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Pitching is an art form that brings together content and communication channels. Regardless of what you're pitching, the universally applicable principles of Where, When and to Whom always apply. But it's ow you pitch that matters most -- and there are countless strategies that combine elements in different combinations.

"Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch Your Film & TV Projects", Heather Hale details all of them, their construction and applications, in a fun and interactive way that inspires her readers to create memorable and saleable pitches in order to get their own projects made.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Story Selling: How to Develop, Market, and Pitch Your Film & TV Projects" offers a wealth of practical and effective tips, tricks and techniques that aspiring writers can immediate begin using when pitching their projects for television and movie productions. While unreservedly recommended for professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Story Selling" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.47).

Editorial Note: Heather Hale is a film and television producer, director, screenwriter, teacher and consultant. She directed, produced and co-wrote the million-dollar thriller Absolute Killers (2011) which was marketed at Le Marche du Film and the American Film Market. She wrote the $5.5 million-dollar Lifetime Original Movie The Courage to Love and has over 60 hours of produced reality credits which have won Emmys, Ace, and Telly awards. Her How to Work the Film & TV Markets: A Guide for Content Creators was published by Focal Press/Routledge. She was the Independent Film and Television Alliance's Industry Liaison for the 2013 American Film Market (AFM) and had a four-year development deal with NBC Universal (through IFTA).


The Science Shelf

Roadside Geology of Oklahoma
Neil H. Suneson
Mountain Press
www.mountain-press.com
9780878426973, $26.00

Roadside Geology of Oklahoma comes from a retired geologist from the Oklahoma Geologic Survey who traverses the state examining its geologic wonders, from parks to roadside attractions. Oklahoma is rich in oil and geology alike, featuring fossils, granite, limestone cliffs, and more. The author not only researched the state's geology for a living, but walked Oklahoma's byways and roads conducting field geology for his own interest. His lively tour of the state is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Oklahoma history or geology, and comes packed with color photos, color maps, and detailed explanations with a regional focus that will allow any destination-oriented geology fan to view the wonders explored in this book.

Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to Ancient Life, second edition
Patrick N. Wyse Jackson
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460833, $16.50, PB, 164pp, www.amazno.com

Synopsis: Life on Earth can be traced back over three billion years into the past. Many examples of the Earth's former inhabitants are to be found in rocks, preserved as beautiful and fascinating fossils. The earliest life forms were bacteria and algae; these produced the oxygen that enabled more complex life forms to develop. About 600 million years ago multi-cellular organisms appeared on Earth, some of which could protect themselves with hard parts such as shells. Many of these life forms were readily fossilized and are used to subdivide geological time. Numerous species have evolved and most are now extinct. Lineages can be traced and extinctions explained as a consequence of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial events.

Now in a revised, updated and expanded Second Edition "Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to Ancient Life" by Patrick Wyse Jackson (who is a Senior Lecturer in Geology and Curator of the Geological Museum at Trinity College, Dublin) expertly provides readers with a concise and accessible introduction to the science of palaeontology.

Critique: Profusely illustrated and exceptionally well written, organized and presented, this new and impressively informative second edition of "Introducing Palaeontology: A Guide to Ancient Life" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections, as well as the personal reading list of palaeontology students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Breakthroughs in Geology
Graham Park
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460765, $35.00, HC, 279pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Geological research does not flow steadily onwards by means of small incremental advances but can be better understood as a series of significant discoveries or changes in interpretation that transformed the way we understand the Earth. Each of these changes or new ideas encouraged a burst of activity as researchers attempted to apply them more widely in order to test their universality, and thereby their validity as a scientific theory.

Probably the best example of such a transformative idea is Plate Tectonics, which, although questioned at the time it was introduced, is now universally accepted as a general principle. A large number of the subsequent advances in geological understanding have been based upon this breakthrough. Each of the 12 chapters comprising "Breakthroughs in Geology: Ideas That Transformed Earth Science" by geology professor Graham Park represents a new idea or discovery, which is discussed in its historical context. In each case the salient features of these ideas are described, together with some biographical details of the individual scientists credited with them - but also mentioning others whose role in the generation of the idea is perhaps not so obvious.

Of instant appeal to geologists and other earth scientists interested in how their science evolved over time by means of a number of revolutionary ideas, "Breakthroughs in Geology" also serves as a paradigm for the history of science across many disciplines.

Critique: Impressively informed and informative, expertly organized and presented, enhanced for academia with the inclusion of numerous illustrations, a sixteen page Glossary, an eight page listing of References, and an eight page Index, "Breakthroughs in Geology: Ideas That Transformed Earth Science" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Earth Science & Geology collections and supplemental studies lists.

Editorial Note: Graham Park is Emeritus Professor of Tectonic Geology at the University of Keele. He is the author of the best-selling Introducing Geology (now in its third edition), The Making of Europe: A geological history and the award-winning Mountains: The origins of the Earth's mountain systems also published by Dunedin Academic Press.

Sedimentary Structures, fourth edition
John Collinson & Nigel Mountney
Dunedin Academic Press
https://www.dunedinacademicpress.co.uk
9781780460628, $45.00, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now enhanced with colour photographs and illustrations, this thoroughly revised fourth edition of "Sedimentary Structures" is a pre-eminent resource that sets out a clear methodology and philosophy for understanding present-day sediments and sedimentary rocks as the product of dynamic processes. The newly revised and expanded fourth edition introduces erosional, depositional and post-depositional sedimentary processes in an easily accessible way. It also shows how sedimentary structures can be interpreted, across a wide range of scales, in terms of those processes.

Sedimentary structures produced by erosion, deposition and post-depositional change are all clearly explained and related to the processes that formed them. Hydrodynamic and aerodynamic controls on the development of subaqueous and aeolian bedforms are discussed, as are the styles of deformation to which sediments can be subjected after deposition.

Structures that characterize deposition caused by chemical and biologically influenced processes are explained and illustrated, along with the complex effects of chemical changes, and of animal and plant activity in modifying sediments after they have been deposited.

"Sedimentary Structures" concludes with an introduction to the methods and principles of environmental interpretation, for which earlier chapters provide an invaluable basis. "Sedimentary Structures" is designed principally for use in undergraduate settings and will be invaluable to students reading geology, earth sciences, physical geography and environmental sciences throughout their degree studies. It will also appeal to enthusiastic students at colleges and schools, as well as to amateur geologists who want to gain an understanding of sedimentary processes and products.

Furthermore, "Sedimentary Structures" is also valuable as a reference for both academic researchers and industry professionals alike -- with this new fourth edition covering all major recent developments in the subject. It is characterized by an abundance of informative illustrations and photographic examples, and introduces colour figures for the first time.

Critique: This newly update and expanded fourth edition of "Sedimentary Structures" is an ideal curriculum textbook and an unreservedly recommended addition to college and university library Geology collections and supplemental studies lists.

Editorial Note: John Collinson, was a Professor of Sedimentology at the University of Bergen, Norway, and until recently ran his own geological consultancy.

Nigel Mountney is a Professor of Sedimentology in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds where he is the Director of the Fluvial & Eolian Research Group; additionally, he is a former Chief Editor of Sedimentology, a leading academic journal.


The American History Shelf

Conflagration
John A. Buehrens
Beacon Press
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.beacon.org
9780807024041, $32.00, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice" by John A. Buehrens illuminates the connections between key members of the Transcendentalist circle -- including James Freeman Clarke, Elizabeth Peabody, Caroline Healey Dall, Elizabeth Stanton, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Theodore Parker, and Margaret Fuller -- who created a community dedicated to radical social activism. These authors and activists laid the groundwork for democratic and progressive religion in America.

In the tumultuous decades before and immediately after the Civil War, the Transcendentalists changed nineteenth-century America, leading what Theodore Parker called "a Second American Revolution." They instigated lasting change in American society, not only through their literary achievements but also through their activism: transcendentalists fought for the abolition of slavery, democratically governed churches, equal rights for women, and against the dehumanizing effects of brutal economic competition and growing social inequality.

The Transcendentalists' passion for social equality stemmed from their belief in spiritual friendship -- transcending differences in social situation, gender, class, theology, and race. Together, their fight for justice changed the American sociopolitical landscape. They understood that none of us can ever fulfill our own moral and spiritual potential unless we care about the full spiritual and moral flourishing of others.

Critique: A seminal work of simply outstanding and original scholarship, "Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an informative introduction (Grandchildren of the Revolution), and epilogue (Application), twenty-two pages of notes, a two page listing of image credits, and a twenty-age index. A deftly organized, comprehensively detailed, soundly documented, expertly written, thought-provoking and unique contribution to both community and academic library American Social & Cultural History collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Conflagration" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: John Buehrens was the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations from 1993 to 2001. His previous books include Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals; with Forrest Church, A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism; and with Rebecca Ann Parker, A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-First Century.

By Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier
Robert B. Swift
America Through Time
c/o Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.arcadiapublishing.com
9781634991896, $21.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "By Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier", journalist and author Robert B. Swift tells the story of people who shaped events during a period of rapid political and social change in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States in the eighteenth century.

The several dozen individuals (men and women, Native Americans, colonial agents, missionaries, fur traders, Indian captives, surveyors) profiled here reflect a multi-cultural society that developed on that frontier. Wars in the last half of this century posed a grave threat to this society.

"By Great Rivers" focuses on the Appalachian region (eastern and western Pennsylvania, western New York and Ohio) which was a vast wilderness expanse linked by the great rivers that served as corridors of travel in the eighteenth century.

Many key historic events occurred at the strategic forks of four rivers where these people lived or visited--the Forks of the Delaware (Easton, PA), Forks of the Susquehanna (Sunbury, PA), Forks of the Ohio (Pittsburgh, PA) and the Forks of the Muskingum (Coshocton, OH) and the Niagara River, pathway between the Great Lakes.

"By Great Rivers" features quotes from contemporary travelers, diarists and prominent figures like Benjamin Franklin to provide context to help readers understand the period.

Critique: An absorbing, informative and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "By Great Rivers: Lives on the Appalachian Frontier" is nicely illustrated throughout and will prove to be a greatly appreciated and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library American History collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

William F. Tolmie at Fort Nisqually: Letters, 1850-1853
Steve A. Anderson, editor
Washington State University Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
www.wsupress.wsu.edu
9780874223712, $34.95, PB, 287pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Scottish-born Hudson's Bay Company Chief Trader William Fraser Tolmie took charge of Fort Nisqually in 1843, but soon the International Boundary Treaty of 1846 between Great Britain and the United States spawned myriad legal and regulatory problems.

In 2006, former Fort Nisqually and now Living History Museum manager Steve A. Anderson discovered volumes of Fort Nisqually's letter books at HBC Archives. He transcribed several, spanning from January 1850 to the threshold of Puget Sound's Indian War. The more than 400 documents offer private conversations, weighty business discussions, gossip, political intrigue, patterns of commerce, deadly epidemics, and an eyewitness account of San Francisco's devastating fire, and present a rare British perspective on higher-level HBC and Puget Sound Agricultural Company operations, as well as insight into conflicts that followed the 1846 treaty.

Critique: A unique and impressively informative collection, "William F. Tolmie at Fort Nisqually: Letters, 1850-1853" is an especially and unreservedly recommended and significant addition to community, college, and academic library American History collections, and would prove to be especially noteworthy for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Steve A. Anderson managed the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum for ten years. He has published multiple journal articles and books, including "Angus McDonald of the Great Divide: The Uncommon Life of a Fur Trader, 1816-1899."

Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas
Jeffrey A. Denman & John F. Walsh
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476667232, $39.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The story of the Revolutionary War in the Northern colonies is well known but the war that raged across the South in 1780-1781 (referred to by some historians as the "unknown Revolution") included some of the most important yet least studied engagements.

Drawing extensively on their letters, "Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas: The Pivotal Struggle in the American Revolution, 1780-1781" follows the campaigns of General Nathanael Greene and Lord Charles Cornwallis as they fought across the Carolinas, and offers a compelling look at their leadership. The theater of war in which the two commanders operated was populated by various ethnic and religious groups and separated geographically, economically and politically into the low country and the simmering backcountry, setting the stage for what was to come.

Critique: A deftly scripted work of seminal scholarship by educators Jeffrey Denman and John Walsh, and enhanced for academia with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "Greene and Cornwallis in the Carolinas: The Pivotal Struggle in the American Revolution, 1780-1781" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library 18th Century American History collections in general, and American Revolutionary War supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Jeffrey A. Denman is a retired American history and geography teacher from the Brookline Public Schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. He has written seven articles dealing with the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War II and other topics in American history.

John F. Walsh is a middle school Latin teacher in Burlington, Massachusetts. His past research has focused on British history in the seventeenth century.


The World History Shelf

Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict
Paul C. Levitt
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526752550, $24.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict" by Paul C. Levitt is a compelling and informative history Yorkshire and its people, from the earliest period up to recent times -- but it is foremost a story about invasion.

Archaeological finds have shown that Yorkshire was occupied at a time when early hunters from continental Europe were not supposed to have ventured so far north. Growing populations on the European mainland made Yorkshire's fertile land and receding woodland a prime landscape for these first European farmers, and over time they would be followed by waves of invaders intent on pillage and land grabbing.

From the north and west came the Picts and the Scots, while the Romans, Angles and Vikings arrived via the River Humber. The Normans would be the last to invade and seek to dominate everything they saw. Each invasion would leave its stamp on Yorkshire's culture and life, while battles would later be fought on Yorkshire soil during both the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil Wars.

In "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict", author and historian Paul Levitt deftly reveals the key places where battles were fought and Yorkshire history was made. The result is an impressively informative and inherently fascinating read from first page to last. While unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library British History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Yorkshire: A Story of Invasion, Uprising and Conflict" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Born into a military family in the historic market town of Beverley, East Yorkshire, Paul Levitt has always been intrigued by the past. He developed a keen awareness of Yorkshire's rich heritage as a schoolboy and developed a particular interest in the medieval period. Yorkshire's unique landscape and especially the North York Moors made a strong impression on him and to this day remains a magical place. He has written professionally on a wide range of subjects for the past 25 years.

The Accursed Tower
Roger Crowley
Basic Books
www.basicbooks.com
c/o Perseus Books Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9781541697348, $28.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 1291 siege of Acre was the Alamo of the Christian Crusades -- the final bloody battle for the Holy Land. After a desperate six weeks, the beleaguered citadel surrendered to the Mamluks, bringing an end to Christendom's two-hundred year adventure in the Middle East.

In "The Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades", Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter.

A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The "Accursed Tower" offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.

Critique: Reading with all the dynamic and dramatic fluidity of a deftly crafted novel, "The Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades" is an extraordinary work of historical scholarship and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library history collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781549128790, $35.00, CD).

Empire: A New History of the World
Paul Strathern
Pegasus Books
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781643133317, $26.95, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "Empire: A New History of the World", historian Paul Strathern begins with the Akkadian civilization, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our Western and Eastern roots.

Next the narrative describes how a great deal of Western Classical culture was developed in the Abbasid and Umayyad Caliphates. Then, while Europe was beginning to emerge from a period of cultural stagnation, it almost fell to a whirlwind invasion from the East, at which point we meet the Emperors of the Mongol Empire.

Combining breathtaking scope with masterful narrative control, Strathern deftly traces these connections across four millennia and sheds new light on these major civilizations -- from the Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty to the Aztec and Ottoman, through to the most recent and biggest empires: the British, Russo-Soviet, and American.

Charting five thousand years of global history in ten lucid chapters, "Empire" makes comprehensive and inspiring reading to anyone fascinated by the history of the world.

Critique: A work of history that readers with all the dramatic smoothness of a fine tuned novel, "Empire: A New History of the World" will prove to be an immediately popular addition to both community and academic World History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Empire: A New History of the World" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781618035141, $24.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in England, Paul Strathern is a Somerset Maugham Award winning novelist whose his nonfiction works include The Venetians, Death in Florence, and The Medici -- all of which are in print and available from Pegasus Books.

The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice
Timothy J. Demy, Mark J. Larson, and J. Daryl Charles
Pickwick Publications
c/o Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401-2960
http://wipfandstock.com
9781498206990, $45.00, HC, 196pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Conflict and war were common during the Reformation era. Throughout the sixteenth century, rising religious and political tensions led to frequent conflict and culminated in the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) that devastated much of Germany and killed one-third of its population.

Some of the warfare, as in central and southern Europe, was between Christians and Muslims. Other warfare, in central and northwestern Europe, was confessional warfare between Catholics and Protestants. Religion was not the only cause of war during the period. Revolts, territorial ambitions, and the beginnings of the contemporary nation-state system and international order that emerged after the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) also fueled the trauma and tragedy of war.

In many ways, the world of the Reformers and Protestant Reformation was a violent world, and it was within such a sociopolitical framework that the Reformers and their followers lived, worked, and died. "The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice" introduces the teachings of the Protestant Reformers on war and peace, in their context, before offering relevant primary source readings.

Critique: A fascinating and informative history that is embellished for academia with the inclusion of a fourteen page Bibliography, "The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice" is an extraordinary work of detailed and documented scholarship. Exceptionally well written, organized and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of history students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Reformers on War, Peace, and Justice" is also available in a paperback edition (9781498206976, $25.00) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Timothy J. Demy is Professor of Military Ethics at the US Naval War College. He has authored numerous academic books.

Mark J. Larson is the author of Abraham Kuyper, Conservatism, and Church and State (2015) and Calvin's Doctrine of the State (2009).

J. Daryl Charles is a 2018 Affiliate Scholar of the Acton Institute, a contributing editor of the journals Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy and Touchstone, and an affiliated scholar of the John Jay Institute.

The Invention of Yesterday
Tamim Ansary
Public Affairs Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 West 57th Street, #1321, New York, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
9781610397964, $30.00, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Traveling across millennia, weaving the experiences and world views of cultures both extinct and extant, "The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection" by Tamim Ansary shows that the engine of history is not so much heroic (battles won), geographic (farmers thrive), or anthropogenic (humans change the planet) as it is narrative.

Many thousands of years ago, when we existed only as countless small autonomous bands of hunter-gatherers widely distributed through the wilderness, we began inventing stories -- to organize for survival, to find purpose and meaning, to explain the unfathomable. Ultimately these became the basis for empires, civilizations, and cultures. And when various narratives began to collide and overlap, the encounters produced everything from confusion, chaos, and war to cultural efflorescence, religious awakenings, and intellectual breakthroughs.

Through vivid stories studded with insights, Tamim Ansary illuminates the world-historical consequences of the unique human capacity to invent and communicate abstract ideas. In doing so, he also explains our ever-more-intertwined present: the narratives now shaping us, the reasons we still battle one another, and the future we may yet create.

Critique: A unique, exceptionally informative, and inherently fascinating approach to human history, "The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college and university library World History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Invention of Yesterday" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781549155055, $44.00, CD).

Editorial Note: Tamim Ansary is also the author of Destiny Disrupted and Games without Rules, among other books. For ten years he wrote a monthly column for Encarta.com, and has published essays and commentary in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Alternet, TomPaine.com, Edutopia, Parade, Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Bill Moyers, PBS The News Hour, Al Jazeera, and NPR. Born in Afghanistan in 1948, he moved to the U.S. in 1964 and currently resides in San Francisco, California.


The Civil War Shelf

Lincoln Takes Command
Steve Norder
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611214574, $32.95, HC, 408pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On a rainy evening during the Civil War's second May, President Abraham Lincoln and two of his cabinet secretaries boarded a treasury department ship to sail to Union-held Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The trip resulted in the first and only time in the country's history that a sitting president took direct control of military forces, both army and navy, to wage a campaign with wide-ranging consequences. This little-known slice of the war and its effect on the president is the subject of Steve Norder's new Civil War study, "Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia".

For five days that May, Lincoln studied maps, suggested military actions and (in his quiet, respectful way) issued direct orders to subordinate commanders. Helped by movements farther up the Virginia peninsula, the president's decisions resulted in a host of military actions and successes, including: a naval bombardment of a Confederate fort, the sailing of Union ships up the James River closer to the enemy capital, an amphibious landing of Union soldiers, the capture of Norfolk and the vital Portsmouth and Gosport navy yards, and the destruction of the Rebel ironclad CSS Virginia. Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln's treasury secretary, described the actions as a "brilliant week's campaign." The president returned to Washington in triumph, hailed as a military and civilian leader. Indeed, some urged him to take direct command of the nation's field armies.

Norder's years-long investigation draws upon a host of primary sources, including letters, diaries, official reports, and memoirs. This rich blending of material allows for a fresh perspective and interesting insights. While untold numbers of books have been penned about Abraham Lincoln, his presidency, and his struggles during the Civil War, this one fascinating week as recorded with commentary within the covers of "Lincoln Takes Command" (and which helped shape him as a war president) has never has been told in such full and documented detail. The successes that crowned his short time in Hampton Roads changed the nation's commander in chief by giving him more of an understanding and confidence in his ability to see what needed to be accomplished, insight that sustained him through the rest of the war.

Critique: A unique and very special contribution to the ever growing library of American Civil War literature, histories, studies and biographies, "Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to Seize Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia" is an exemplary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Civil War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, Civil War buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Lincoln Takes Command" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.89).

Editorial Note: Steve Norder has worked as a genealogist, teacher, author, newspaper reporter, and book editor. He has a strong interest in researching and writing about the tragic Civil War years, and his work has appeared in many places, including Civil War Times, Illustrated. Steve currently resides in Georgia, where he is a member of the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta.

The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry
Ron Roth
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476677101, $35.00, PB, 197pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Some of the most dramatic and consequential events of the Civil War era took place in the South Carolina Lowcountry between Charleston and Savannah. From Robert Barnwell Rhett's inflammatory 1844 speech in Bluffton calling for secession, to the last desperate attempts by Confederate forces to halt Sherman's juggernaut, the region was torn apart by the American civil war.

"The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry" by Ron Roth is a detailed and documented history that tells the story through the experiences of two radically different military units -- the Confederate Beaufort Volunteer Artillery and the U.S. 1st South Carolina Regiment, the first black Union regiment to fight in the war, both of which were organized in Beaufort, the heart of the Lowcountry.

Critique: "The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry: How a Confederate Artillery Battery and a Black Union Regiment Defined the War" is enhanced for academia and dedicated Civil War history buffs with the inclusion of an epilogue (Everything was going to confusion and ruin), two appendices (Rosters; Two Addresses); four pages of Chapter Notes, a four page Bibliography, and a three page Index. A unique and original contribution to the growing library of American Civil War literature and history, "The Civil War in the South Carolina Lowcountry" is an especially recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library American Civil War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Retired museum director Ron Roth curated an exhibition on the history of the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery for the Historic Beaufort Foundation in Beaufort, South Carolina. He was a featured speaker on the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery at the 2017 Annual Civil War Symposium of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and was a seasonal historian and licensed guide for the Gettysburg National Military Park.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change
Bart Nooteboom
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781789908411, $110.00, HC, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Much-needed in the face of present political upheavals, including the rise of populism and re-emergence of nationalism and authoritarian regimes, "Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change" by Bart Nooteboom (Professor Emeritus, Tilburg University, the Netherlands) is radical in both its critique and proposals for a new economics. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Professor Nooteboom offers insights drawn from economics, sociology, cognitive science, social psychology and philosophy.

Exploring ways in which economics is developing, "Uprooting Economics" investigates how new economics has moved away from considering individuals as autonomous and instead studies their involvement and interactions with each other. "Uprooting Economics" also discusses a new relational economics: less contractual, hierarchical and controlled, and more based on trust and mutual adjustment. Professor Nooteboom proposes a shift from utility ethics to the virtue ethics of prudence, courage, moderation and justice.

A provocative read for economics students, "Uprooting Economics" is especially pertinent to those interested in rethinking the subject and expanding upon heterodox theories. It will also prove a useful read to critical economists and sociologists looking to better understand a way forward in our current economic climate.

Critique: An exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking study, "Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change" is an informative, cogent and scholastically meticulous contribution to community, college, and university library Contemporary Economics collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Uprooting Economics: A Manifesto for Change" is also available in a paperback edition (9781789908435, $29.95).

Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism
Francesca Gagliardi & David Gindis, editors
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781785364990, $165.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Geoffrey Martin Hodgson (born 28 July 1946) is a Professor in Management at the London campus of Loughborough University, and also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Institutional Economics.

Professor Hodgson has made substantial contributions to institutional and evolutionary economics, economic methodology, the history of economic thought and social theory. To mark his seminal work, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism: Essays in Honour of Geoffrey M. Hodgson" features original contributions by world-leading scholars from fields that have played a significant role in influencing his thinking or represent key debates to which he has contributed.

Building on some of the central philosophical and methodological foundations underlying Hodgson's thinking, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" is organized around the recurring themes of institutions, evolution and capitalism. The contributors explore key connections between philosophy, the history of economic thought, and institutional and evolutionary economics in the light of Professor Hodgson's often path-breaking work.

A vital read for institutional, evolutionary and heterodox economists, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" sheds new light on Hodgson's position in these fields. Drawing together critical insights, this is also an important book for economics scholars looking to improve their understanding of current theory.

Critique: Comprised of twenty-one erudite and informative articles by experts that are deftly organized into five major sections (Introduction, Foundations, Institutional Economics, Evolutionary Economics, Geoff Hodgson on Geoff Hodgson), "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism: Essays in Honour of Geoffrey M. Hodgson" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of figures, tables, a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, and a twenty-page Index. An impressively informative work of collaborative scholarship, "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Contributors to "Institutions and Evolution of Capitalism" include: M.C. Becker, C. Camic, J.B. Davis, S. Deakin, K. Dopfer, G. Dosi, S. Dow, F. Gagliardi, D. Gindis, J. Groenewegen, G.M. Hodgson, T. Knudsen, R.N. Langlois, T. Lawson, L. Marengo, C. Menard, J.S. Metcalfe, P. Mirowski, A. Nuvolari, U. Pagano, J. Potts, J.W. Stoelhorst, A. Tylecote, V.J. Vanberg, J. Vromen


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Helping Skills for Human Service Workers, fourth edition
Kenneth France & Kim Weikel
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398093044, $59.95, PB, 402pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fourth edition, "Helping Skills for Human Service Workers" emphasizes current supporting research on ways that human service workers can build relationships with their clients and encourage productive change.

The chapters comprising "Helping Skills for Human Service Workers" discusses several basic issues regarding the development and use of helping skills; explores common modes of response; examines several keys to fostering positive relationships; presents a step-by-step approach to problem solving; focuses on responses that can hinder progress; presents a straightforward approach to establishing goals, objectives, and plans; describes channels of nonverbal information and commonly encountered nonverbal messages; highlight endeavors that take center stage before, during, and after scheduled appointments; considers the needs of several groups, such as children, older persons, clients having low socioeconomic status, individuals experiencing psychosis, and persons dealing with longstanding issues.

New research on the following topics is included: the helping alliance, client feedback, communicating positive regard, self-efficacy and stress in helping skills students, responding to negative feelings, methods for implementing plans, and person-centered decision making that is required by law (under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) for certain older and disabled individuals. There are learning aids in the form of multiple-choice, short-answer, and fill-in-the-response questions and answers.

Two complete client interviews illustrate the value of the skills being advocated. The text is further enhanced by an appendix offering helpful exercises and sample formats. This informative book is designed for students and professionals in a variety of human service fields, including counseling, psychology, social work, and criminal justice.

Critique: This completely updated and deftly organized fourth edition of "Helping Skills for Human Service Workers: Building Relationships And Encouraging Productive Change" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended textbook for college and university social work counseling curriculums and would be an invaluable instructional reference and manual for social service agency in-service training programs.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health
Lisa Ansen, DVM MRCVS
Hubble & Hattie
c/o Veloce House
www.hubbleandhattie.com
9781787114159, $22.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" by veterinarian Lisa Hansen is a complete and comprehensive guide to health care for cats and dogs, providing invaluable advice on essential aspects of care, such as diet and vaccinations, as well as a guide to holistic treatments.

The first part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" describes the main lifestyle choices every dog and cat owner makes, whether or not they are aware of them: settling in a new puppy or kitten, vaccination, neutering, diet, finding the right veterinarian, and caring for the ageing animal.

The second part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" describes the main holistic modalities and their relevance when animals become sick. What they are, how they work, when they are useful, and how to find a practitioner. Also includes chapters on osteopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, Bach's flower remedies, and herbal medicine.

The third part of "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" discusses a range of common health problems in dogs and cats, both from a conventional veterinary point of view and from an holistic perspective, and aims to help the owner understand the condition they are facing, as well as providing tips on how to supplement their veterinarian's advice and treatment.

Critique: Comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" is nicely illustrated, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and veterinary school library instructional reference collections for feline and canine care and maintenance. It should be noted for pet owners and veterinary students that "The Complete Book of Cat and Dog Health" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Since graduating veternary school in 1994, Lise Hansen, DVM MRCVS CertIAVH PCH, has spent the last 25 years working in small animal practice. Early in her veterinary career, Lise pursued post-graduate training in veterinary homeopathy and acupuncture. Today, Lise focuses on her homeopathic referral practice spread over three clinics: her own practice in Aarhus, Denmark, as well as a veterinary clinic just north of Copenhagen, and Hyde Park Veterinary Centre in central London. Lise is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences for the benefit of dogs and cats, and she teaches and lectures internationally to animal care givers and veterinary colleagues alike.


The General Fiction Shelf

All the Danger
David Vigoda
https://www.davidvigoda.com
Collioure Books
www.amazon.com
0972825092, $16.95

Set in the turmoil of an America emerging from the Civil War barely intact and ideologically shattered, All the Danger follows the clash of values and politics that continues the struggle in its aftermath. It embraces the perspectives of a cast of characters who each take leaps into the new unknown in different ways. From the perception of industrial workers in this novel's 1877 world who were described as "savages" to today's media depictions of liberals and conservatives as being a danger to America and a threat in need of remedy, All the Danger is aptly named. It's not just about the dangers facing 1877 America's efforts to rebuild. It's about the same kinds of forces at work in American society today. For this reason, All the Danger should be viewed as more than just another Civil War novel. It's a blueprint and mirror for events taking place today. Frightening, disturbing, and relevant, All the Danger should be on every American's reading list.

The Vineyards of Champagne
Juliet Blackwell
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780451490650, $16.00, PB, 416pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: During the dark days of World War II, deep within the labyrinth of caves that lies below the lush, rolling vineyards of the Champagne region, an underground city of women and children hums with life. Forced to take shelter from the unrelenting onslaught of German shellfire above, the bravest and most defiant women venture out to pluck sweet grapes for the harvest. But wine is not the only secret preserved in the cool, dark cellars.

In the present day, Rosalyn Acosta travels to Champagne to select vintages for her Napa-based employer. Rosalyn doesn't much care for champagne -- or France, for that matter. Since the untimely death of her young husband, Rosalyn finds it a challenge to enjoy anything at all. But as she reads through a precious cache of WWI letters and retraces the lives lived in the limestone tunnels, Rosalyn will unravel a mystery hidden for decades -- and find a way to savor her own life again.

Critique: An impressively entertaining novel hallmarked by originality and the author's fully engaging narrative storytelling style, "The Vineyards Of Champagne" by novelist Juliet Blackwell is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. A truly rewarding read from beginning to end, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Vineyards Of Champagne" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977360724, $29.99, CD).

All the Ways We Said Goodbye
Beatriz Williams
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062931092, $28.99, HC, 448pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their family's ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German Major's aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met during Aurelie's debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max's friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both, driving Aurelie back to Paris and the Ritz -- the home of her estranged American heiress mother, with unexpected consequences.

France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite "Daisy" Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to assist her grandmother's Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand's underground network, committing increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country (and the man) she holds dear, she uncovers a devastating secret . . . one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal, and to confront at last the shocking circumstances of her own family history.

France, 1964. For Barbara "Babs" Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit's death, American lawyer Andrew "Drew" Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned traitor known as "La Fleur," the investigation has led to Kit Langford. Curious to know more about the enigmatic La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that takes them to Paris and the Ritz -- and to unexpected places of the heart.

Critique: An elegantly scripted and multi-layered novel that showcases the three co-author's impressive literary skills with narrative driven storytelling, "All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris" by the team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White is an inherently fascinating, multi-generational read from beginning to end. While very highly recommended for all community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All the Ways We Said Goodbye" is also available in a large print paperback edition (9780062978783, $29.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Harper Audio, 9780062983879, $49.99, CD).

Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman
Carol Trembath
Lakeside Publishing MI
www.caroltrembath.com
9780990744672, $22.95, HC, 156pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman" by Carol Trembath follows the perilous path of the Underground Railroad and reveals the tragic costs of the Civil War. This compelling tale is seen through the eyes of three escaping slaves, Cece, Tilly, and Lou, as Harriet conducts them north to safety and freedom along the Underground Railroad. The journey continues when they, along with Harriet, enlist in the Union Army.

The War of the Rebellion propels Harriet and her companions to act together along with Frederick Douglass, Colonel Robert Shaw, and Sergeant William Carney to preserve a divided nation and free a people caught in the web of slavery. "Out of Slavery" is a story of romance and realism, and the triumphs and tragedies of war.

As Cece says of Harriet, "Along our escape route, I saw wanted posters of Harriet. Who Harriet really was never fit the description that I saw on those ragged pieces of paper. They all missed telling about her great heart. She would never free a whole nation of slaves like Moses, but I knew she had the desire and will to do so."

Critique: Although a deftly crafted work of fiction, "Out of Slavery: A Novel of Harriet Tubman" is an extraordinary and inherently riveting retelling of a fact-based biographical history of what one woman was able to accomplish in behalf of so many others at the very real peril to her own life and safety. Especially and unreservedly recommended, "Out of Slavery" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Out of Slavery" is also available in a paperback edition (9780990744689, $12.95).

Editorial Note: Author, speaker, and educator Carol Trembath holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University and a Masters in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. Her dedicated mission is to bring more awareness about the life and times of Harriet Tubman -- the heroine of the Underground Railroad.

A Love Hate Thing
Whitney D. Grandison
Inkyard Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway, New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9781335016041, $18.99, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Tyson Trice finds himself tossed into the wealthy coastal community of Pacific Hills, he's ready for the questions, the stares and the feeling of not belonging. Not that he cares. After recovering from being shot and surviving the rough streets of Lindenwood, he doesn't care about anyone or anything, much less how the rest of his life will play out.

Golden girl Nandy Smith has spent most of her life building the pristine image that it takes to fit in when it comes to her hometown Pacific Hills where image is everything. After learning that her parents are taking in a troubled teen boy, Nandy fears her summer plans, as well as her reputation, will go up in flames.

Now with Trice living under the same roof, the wall between their bedrooms feels as thin as the line between love and hate. Beneath the angst, their growing attraction won't be denied. Through time, Trice brings Nandy out of her shell, and Nandy attempts to melt the ice that's taken Trice's heart and being. Only, with the ever-present pull back to the Lindenwood streets, it'll be a wonder if Trice makes it through this summer at all.

Critique: An original, unique and deftly scripted novel, "A Love Hate Thing" showcases author Whitney D. Grandison's impressively effective narrative storytelling style. While unreservedly recommended, especially for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Love Hate Thing" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781094028880, $39.99, CD).

A Good Man
Ani Katz
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780143134985, $17.00, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Thomas Martin was a devoted family man who had all the trappings of an enviable life: a beautiful wife and daughter, a well-appointed home on Long Island's north shore, a job at a prestigious Manhattan advertising firm. He was also a devoted son and brother, shielding the women in his orbit from the everyday brutalities of the world.

But what happens when Thomas's fragile ego is rocked? After committing a horrific deed (and one that he can never undo) Thomas grapples with his sense of self. Sometimes he casts himself as a victim and, at other times, a monster. All he ever did was try to be a good man, but maybe if he tells his version of the story, he might uncover how and why things unraveled so horribly.

Critique: An expertly and deftly crafted novel of nail-biting, 'turn on the lights' suspense, "A Good Man" by novelist Ani Katz will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Good Man" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Losing You
Nicci French
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062876034, $16.99, 353pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Nina Landry awakens on her fortieth birthday, anticipating a day filled with excitement. She, her new boyfriend, and her two children are taking a trip -- leaving their home on Sandling Island, off the coast of England, for a dream vacation. As soon as her fifteen-year-old daughter, Charlie, returns from a sleepover, they can get ready to leave.

But Charlie doesn't come home at the expected time. Nina can't believe of all days, Charlie has chosen this day to be late. As minutes and then hours tick by, Nina's annoyance soon changes to concern, and then to a chilling certainty that something terrible has happened.

The police insist there's no reason to worry -- yet. Teenagers are unreliable, impulsive. Nina always thought she and Charlie had a solid, trusting relationship, but seeking out Charlie's friends for clues to her whereabouts makes her reconsider. How well does Nina know her daughter, really? How well can a parent ever know a child? And will everything Nina doesn't know (about Charlie, her neighbors, even the friends and family closest to them) prove fatal...?

Critique: Another deftly penned, inherently riveting, cliff-hanger of a read, "Losing You" continues to showcase author Nicci French's exceptional storytelling skills and total mastery of the suspense/thriller genre. While especially recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Losing You" is also available as complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781501286766, $9.99, MP3 CD).

Editorial Note: Nicci French is the author of the bestsellers Secret Smile, Land of the Living, The Red Room, Beneath the Skin, and Killing Me Softly, as well as two earlier books, The Memory Game and The Safe House, both published in England to great acclaim.

The Playground
Jane Shemilt
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
195 Broadway New York, New York 10007
www.harpercollins.com
9780062939425, $16.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Over the course of a long, hot summer in London, the lives of three very different married couples collide when their children join the same tutoring circle, resulting in illicit relationships, shocking violence, and unimaginable fallout.

There's Eve, a bougie earth mother with a well-stocked trust fund; she has three little ones, a blue-collar husband and is obsessed with her Instagrammable recipes and lifestyle. And Melissa, a successful interior designer whose casually cruel banker husband is careful not to leave visible bruises; she curates her perfectly thin body so closely she misses everything their teenage daughter is hiding. Then there's Grace, a young Zimbabwean immigrant, who lives in high-rise housing project with her two children and their English father Martin, an award-winning but chronically broke novelist; she does far more for her family than she should have to.

As the weeks go by, the couples become very close; there are barbecues, garden parties, a holiday at a country villa in Greece. Resentments flare. An affair begins. Unnoticed, the children run wild. The couples are busily watching each other, so distracted and self-absorbed that they forget to watch their children. No one sees the five children at their secret games or realize how much their family dynamics are changing until tragedy strikes.

The story twists and then twists again while the three families desperately search for answers. It's only as they begin to unravel the truth of what happened over the summer that they realize evil has crept quietly into their world. -- But has this knowledge come too late?

Critique: A compelling novel by an author with an impressive and narrative driven storytelling skill set, Jane Shemilt's "The Playground" will prove to be an extraordinarily and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Playground" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781094027265, $39.99, CD).

Verities: A Journey by Tracks
Randy White
Belle Isle Books
http://www.belleislebooks.com
c/o Brandylane Publishers
5 South First Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781951565046, $17.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars."

In the pages of Randy White's "Verities: A Journey by Tracks" the reader will take a ride down the train tracks in the small town of Verities, and see one young man's quests for meaning in his troubled life. They will follow Sam's journey as he grows up facing ugly truths about love and loss on the wrong side of the tracks.

Critique: A hopeful story of rising above one's circumstances, even in the cruel face of social injustice, "Verities: A Journey by Tracks" is a succinct literary masterpiece and showcases that author's genuine flair for originality and a distinctive narrative driven storytelling style that engages the reader's total attention. One of those books that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "Verities: A Journey by Tracks" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Apartment
Teddy Wayne
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781635574005, $26.00, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 1996, the unnamed narrator of Teddy Wayne's Apartment is attending the MFA writing program at Columbia on his father's dime and living in an illegal sublet of a rent-stabilized apartment. Feeling guilty about his good fortune, he offers his spare bedroom (rent-free) to Billy, a talented, charismatic classmate from the Midwest eking out a hand-to-mouth existence in Manhattan.

The narrator's rapport with Billy develops into the friendship he's never had due to a lifetime of holding people at arm's length, hovering at the periphery, feeling "fundamentally defective." But their living arrangement, not to mention their radically different upbringings, breeds tensions neither man could predict. Interrogating the origins of our contemporary political divide and its ties to masculinity and class, Apartment is a gutting portrait of one of New York's many lost, disconnected souls by a writer with an uncommon aptitude for embodying them.

Critique: A impressively crafted and thoroughly reader engaging work of deftly written and narrative driven storytelling by and exceptionally gifted novelist, "Apartment" by Teddy Wayne is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Apartment" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Wife After Wife
Olivia Hayfield
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
https://www.penguin.com
9780593101834, $16.00, PB, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Master of the universe Harry Rose is head of the Rose Corporation, number eighteen on the Forbes rich list, and recently married to wife number six. But in 2018, his perfect world is about to come crashing to the ground. His business is in the spotlight (and not in a good way) and his love life is under scrutiny. Because behind a glittering curtain of lavish parties, gorgeous homes, and a media empire is a tale worthy of any tabloid. -- And Harry has a lot to account for!

Critique: A timely novel for this present era of the MeToo movement that has seen the fall of such notable womanizing figures as entertainment moguls, industry czars, American presidents, and journalism icons, and the increasing phenomena of multiple divorces, "Wife After Wife" is an inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. While highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Wife After Wife" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

A Long Time Comin'
Robin W. Pearson
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496441881, $25.99, HC, 432pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: To hear Beatrice Agnew tell it, she entered the world with her mouth tightly shut. Just because she finds out she's dying doesn't mean she can't keep it that way. If any of her children have questions about their daddy and the choices she made after he abandoned them, they'd best take it up with Jesus. There's no room in Granny B's house for regrets or hand-holding. Or so she thinks.

Her granddaughter, Evelyn Lester, shows up on Beatrice's doorstep anyway, burdened with her own secret baggage. Determined to help her Granny B mend fences with her far-flung brood, Evelyn turns her grandmother's heart and home inside out. Evelyn's meddling uncovers a tucked-away box of old letters, forcing the two women to wrestle with their past and present pain as they confront the truth Beatrice has worked a lifetime to hide.

Critique: An immediately engaging, impressively original, and thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover, A Long Time Comin' by Robin W. Pearson will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that A Long Time Comin' is also available in a paperback edition (9781496441539, $15.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Oasis Audio, 9781640913677, $35.99, CD).

The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Dare
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
https://www.penguin.com
9781524746025, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice" -- the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir.

When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing.

But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow; she finds the resolve to speak, however she can in a whisper, in song, in broken English -- until she is heard!

Critique: A deftly crafted, impressively original, and simply riveting read with a powerful underlying message four out times, "The Girl With The Louding Voice" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Girl With The Louding Voice" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: Abi Dare grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and has lived in the UK for eighteen years. She studied law at the University of Wolverhampton and has an MSc in International Project Management from Glasgow Caledonian University as well as an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London. The Girl with the Louding Voice won the Bath Novel Award for unpublished manuscripts in 2018 and was also selected as a finalist in the 2018 Literary Consultancy Pen Factor competition. Abi lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters, who inspired her to write her debut novel.

Unmaking Grace
Barbara Boswell
Catalyst Press
https://www.catalystpress.org
9781946395238, $16.00, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Family secrets run deep for Grace, a young girl growing up in Cape Town during the 1980s. Her family secrets spill over into adulthood, and threaten to ruin the respectable life she has built for herself.

When an old childhood friend emerges after disappearing a decade earlier during a clash with apartheid riot police in the Cape Flats, where South Africa's colored community makes its home, Grace's memories of her childhood come rushing back, and she is confronted, once again, with the loss that has shaped her.

Grace must face up to the truth or continue to live a lie -- but the choice is not straightforward.

Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently engaging novel by an author with an impressive narrative storytelling talent, "Unmaking Grace" by Barbara Boswell is an intimate portrayal of violence, both personal and political, and its legacy on one person's life. Very highly recommended, especially for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, "Unmaking Grace" deftly meditates on the long shadow cast by personal trauma, showing the inter-generational imprint of violence and loss on people's lives. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Unmaking Grace" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.92).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Cape Town, South Africa and teaching at the University of Cape Tow, academician Barbara Boswell is a feminist literary scholar of Black diasporic women's writing.

A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son
Sergio Troncoso
Cinco Puntos Press
701 Texas, El Paso, Texas 79901
www.cincopuntos.com
9781947627338, $16.95, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: How does a Mexican-American, the son of poor immigrants, leave his border home and move to the heart of gringo America? How does he adapt to the worlds of wealth, elite universities, the rush and power of New York City? How does he make peace with a stern old-fashioned father who has only known hard field labor his whole life?

In the stories comprising "A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son", author Sergio Troncoso tells luminous tales through the lens of an exile adrift in the 21st century, with his memorable characters suffering from the loss of culture and language, the loss of roots and home as they adapt to the glittering promises of new worlds which ultimately seem so empty.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and compelling read from first page to last, "A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son" is an extraordinary and deftly written collection, and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Hispanic American Literature & Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "A Peculiar Kind of Immigrant's Son" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.59).

The Museum of Lost Love
Gary Barker
World Editions
www.worldeditions.org
9781912987030, $16.99 PB, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tyler is in therapy. Katia and Goran are in love. On a summer trip to Zagreb, the couple discover an unusual museum that displays mementos of broken relationships. Inside, Goran stumbles upon an exhibit that seems to be addressed to him, from a girl he met in a Sarajevo refugee camp at age fourteen. What follows is a whirlwind summer of reconnecting with lost pasts: Goran confronts the youth he lost during the Yugoslav Wars, Katia heads to Brazil to find her roots, and Afghanistan veteran Tyler pours out his soul. Set against alternating backdrops of violent circumstances, "The Museum of Lost Love" by Gary Barker is a soulful testament to the resilience of the human heart.

Critique: Showcasing author Gary Barker's genuine flair for originality and an impressively effective and deftly compelling narrative storytelling style, "The Museum of Lost Love" is certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Museum of Lost Love" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.69).

Garden by the Sea
Merce Rodoreda
Open Letter Books
c/o University of Rochester
Lattimore Hall 411, Box 270082, Rochester, NY 14627
www.openletterbooks.org
9781948830089, $15.95, PB, 230pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set in 1920s Spain, Merce Rodoreda's novel "Garden by the Sea" takes place over six summers at a villa by the sea inhabited by a young couple and their beautiful, rich, joyous friends. They swim, drink, tease each other, and fully enjoy themselves. All the while, the guests are observed by the villa's gardener, a widower who's been tending the garden for several decades.

As the true protagonist of the novel, we get to see the dissolution of these magical summers through his eyes, as a sense of darkness and ending creeps in, precipitated by the construction of a new, larger, more glamorous villa next door.

Critique: An erudite, graceful, deftly crafted, reader engaging novel from first page to last, Merce Rodoreda's "Garden By The Sea" is expertly translated into English for an American readership by Martha Tennent, making this edition from Open Letter Books unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction and Women's Literature & Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Merce Rodoreda is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda began writing the novels and short stories (Twenty-Two Short Stories, The Time of the Doves, Camellia Street, Garden by the Sea) that would eventually make her internationally famous, while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s, she returned to Catalonia, where she continued to write. Camellia Street, Death in Spring, The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda, and War, So Much War are also available from Open Letter Books.

Martha Tennent is an English-language translator who works primarily from Catalan and Spanish. She was born in the United States, but has lived most of her life in Barcelona. She received a fellowship from the NEA for her translation of The Selected Stories of Merce Rodoreda . Her work has appeared in Epiphany, Two Lines, Words Without Borders, A Public Space, World Literature Today, PEN America, and Review of Contemporary Fiction.

Santa Fe Noir
Ariel Gore, editor
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781617757228, $15.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies first launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each individual book comprises all new stories, and each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Compiled and edited by Ariel Gore, "Santa Fe Noir" is comprised of brand new stories by: Ana Castillo, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Byron F. Aspaas, Barbara Robidoux, Elizabeth Lee, Ana June, Israel Francisco Haros Lopez, Ariel Gore, Darryl Lorenzo Wellington, Candace Walsh, Hida Viloria, Cornelia Read, Miriam Sagan, James Reich, Kevin Atkinson, Katie Johnson, and Tomas Moniz.

Critique: Pure entertainment by a collection of impressively skilled storytellers, "Santa Fe Noir" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Santa Fe Noir" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Ariel Gore is a Lambda Literary and Alternative Press award-winning editor and the author of eleven books, including The Hip Mama Survival Guide, Atlas of the Human Heart (a finalist for the Oregon Book Award), and Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness. Her memoir The End of Eve and her novel We Were Witches both won New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards. Her spell collection, Hexing the Patriarchy, is out now from Seal Press. She has taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the University of New Mexico and currently teaches online at literarykitchen.com.

Milkman
Anna Burns
Charnwood Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
9781444841800, $TBA, HC, Large Print, 474pp, www.ulverscroftusa.com

Synopsis: In Northern Ireland during the period known as 'The Troubles', to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, the protagonist in this Anna Burns novel, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumors start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Set against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland conflict between the Catholic and Protestant communities, "Milkman" is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness -- and of inaction with enormous consequences.

Critique: Another deftly penned and original novel by author Anna Burns, this large print edition of "Milkman" will prove to be an enduringly popular and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.

Pastures New
Margaret Thornton
Magna Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9780750547208, $35.50, HC, Large Print, 330pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Having been firm friends ever since they met in a Blackpool boarding house five years before, Val, Cissie and Janice are all now happily married, preoccupied with their growing families. But the new decade will bring change for all three families.

Val and Sam's son's behavior is causing concern, and Val finds it hard at times to love him as she should. Running a thriving cafe in Harrogate, Janice and her husband Phil decide to expand into the restaurant business: have they bitten off more than they can chew? Meanwhile Cissie's life is thrown into jeopardy when she encounters an old flame.

Critique: Set in 1960 England, "Pastures New" by Margaret Thornton is an immediately engaging novel by an author with a novelists knack for originality and the kind of narrative driven storytelling that holds the readers full attention from beginning to end. A fully entertaining read throughout, this large print edition "Pastures New" is especially recommended for both personal reading lists and community library General Fiction collections.

Death Stalks The Range
Brett Rider
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416873, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Rand Kenzie watches the runaway stage race through the streets, its driver wounded, the reins held by lively Benita Ellison, and realizes he's reached Palo Pinto too late. Benita's father had sent an appeal to the Kenzies for help; but he's been dead a week. It was an act of murdered that left no clue to the nature of the trouble or the identity of his enemies -- and the bullets are still flying. Though Rand has no idea where to begin, he is determined to solve the mystery. He soon finds there are many men in Palo Pinto whose actions need explaining. When an attempt is made to frame him for the murder, he's sure he's on the right trail. But danger and double dealing are never far away, and Rand must unravel many threads of crime and treachery before he can unmask the real killers.

Critique: Deftly blending a traditional western with elements of a murder mystery, this large print edition of "Death Stalks The Range" by Brett Rider is an inherently entertaining and compelling read from beginning to end and is very highly recommended for both the personal reading lists of dedicated western novel fans and community library Western Fiction collections.

Jemez Brand
L. L. Foreman
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416866, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 174pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For hundreds of years, the Jemez high country of New Mexico has been steeped in rumor and legend. Some say one of the original Seven Golden Cities of the Cibola Indians was once there, sought by Spanish conquistadors. In more recent times, stories of men having gone missing along the fabled Rio Del Gato (the River of the Cat) have become part of local folklore. When Preacher Devlin discovers two murdered men with the face of a cat cut into their palms, and then surreptitiously observes a small band of Indians traveling through a canyon and led by a woman wearing a gold cat's-head mask, he reckons he's stumbled upon something extraordinary. With an ethnologist as his new companion, Devlin must fend off gun slinging fortune-hunters in a race to be the first to unravel the secret of the lost Cibola gold!

Critique: An original and fully entertaining western by an author with a genuine knack for storytelling, this large print edition of "Jemez Brand" by L. L. Foreman will prove to be an especially appreciated addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Forever My Duke: Unlikely Duchesses
Olivia Drake
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250174390, $7.99, PB, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, needs a bride. He even has the perfect one picked out. That is, until he meets the lovely, free-spirited Natalie Fanshawe. She's the opposite of what a man of his high rank should desire in a wife -- an outspoken American who has never even set foot in a London ballroom.

But Natalie doesn't have time to be swept off her feet by a handsome duke who must be a spoiled scoundrel like every other British lord. And she couldn't care less about Hadrian's title. After all, it's not as if he actually worked to attain his wealth and status. He surely can't understand what it's like to be a busy woman, planning to open a school while trying to reunite a six-year-old orphan with his English relatives.

Nevertheless, Hadrian launches his campaign to win her heart. Can the utterly delightful American beauty ever find a way to love him... despite his being a duke?

Critique: A deftly crafted and classic historical romance, "Forever My Duke" showcases author Olivia Drake's impressive and imaginative narrative storytelling skills as a novelist. While absolutely and unreservedly recommended for community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Forever My Duke" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

The Tea Chest
Heidi Chiavaroli
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781496434777, $24.99, HC, 464pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Boston, 1773. Emma Malcolm's father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma's heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer's assistant and Patriot. But her father has promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancee, she would have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her as well as the beliefs she has come to embrace.

After Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel's wife.

Present Day. Lieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston in order to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.

Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and discover a heritage of courage and faith.

Critique: A fully absorbing and engagingly entertaining read, "The Tea Chest" by Heidi Chiavaroli is another deftly penned novel by a master of the storytelling arts. While unreservedly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of Heidi Chiavaroli fans that "The Tea Chest" is also available in a paperback edition (9781496434784, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Scot Under the Covers
Suzanne Enouch
St. Martin's Press
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250296405, $7.99, PB, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Devilishly handsome Highlander Aden MacTaggert most certainly knows his way around gaming halls and womens' hearts. Still, Aden is not sure how he'll manage to find a Sassenach bride in time to save his family's inheritance. When his almost sister-in-law Miranda comes to him for assistance, he proposes a partnership: She will help him navigate London society and he'll teach her everything about wagering -- and winning back her freedom. The beautiful, clever lass intrigues Aden -- but is she playing her own game, or are the sparks between them real? He is accustomed to risking his pocket. But betting on Miranda's love is a game he can't afford to lose!

Critique: The second novel in the seductive new Scottish historical romance 'Wild Wicked Highlanders' series from author Suzanne Enoch, "Scot Under the Covers" is an enormously entertaining and skillfully scripted read from beginning to end. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Historical Romance Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Scot Under the Covers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Promised
Leah Garriott
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781629726144, $15.99, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Fooled by love once before, Margaret vows never to be played the fool again. To keep her vow, she attends a notorious match-making party intent on securing the perfect marital match: a union of convenience to someone who could never affect her heart. She discovers a man who exceeds all her hopes in the handsome and obliging rake, Mr. Northam.

There's only one problem. His meddling cousin, Lord Williams, won't leave Margaret alone. Condescending and high-handed, Lord Williams lectures and insults her. When she refuses to give heed to his counsel, he single-handedly ruins Margaret's chances for making a good match -- to his cousin or anyone else. With no reason to remain at the party, Margaret returns home to discover her father has promised her hand in marriage -- to Lord Williams.

Under no conditions will Margaret consent to marrying such an odious man. Yet as Lord Williams inserts himself into her everyday life, interrupting her family games and following her on morning walks, winning the good opinion of her siblings and proving himself intelligent and even kind, Margaret is forced to realize that Lord Williams is exactly the man she'd hoped to marry before she'd learned how much love hurt. When paths diverge and her time with Lord Williams ends, Margaret is faced with her ultimate choice: keep the promises that protect her or break free of them for one more chance at love. Either way, she fears her heart will lose.

Critique: A deftly crafted Regency era romance novel by an author who has a complete mastery of the general, "Promised" by Leah Garriott is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Promised" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.00) and librarians should be aware that "Promised" is also available in a large print edition (Thorndike Press, 9781432877200, $30.99, Library Binding).

The Locket of Logan Hall
Christina Garbutt
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444843262, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Newly widowed Emily believes she will never love again. Working as an assistant in flirtatious Cameron's antiques shop, she finds a romantic keepsake in an old writing desk. Emily and Cameron set off on a hunt for the original owner, and the discoveries they make on the way change both of them forever. But Emily doesn't realise that Cameron is slowly falling in love with her. Is his love doomed to be unrequited, or will Emily see what's right in front of her - before it's too late?

Critique: An immediately engaging, deftly crafted, and thoroughly entertaining read from first page to last, author Christina Garbutt's new novel (and now available in a large print edition), "The Locket of Logan Hall" is an especially recommended addition to both community library Romance Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of dedicated romance fiction fans.

A Merry Bramblewick Christmas
Sharon Booth
Linford Romance Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444843255, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Recovering from a break-up, Izzy is throwing herself into the primary school Christmas play -- it's a huge project, even with fellow teacher and volunteer assistant Ash by her side. As Christmas draws nearer and the snow begins to fall, Izzy and Ash develop a warm and growing attraction. But Izzy's best friend Anna has been acting coldly towards her since she revealed the reason her last relationship ended. With Anna judging her so harshly, dare Izzy tell Ash the truth about herself and risk everything they have built so far?

Critique: A wonderfully entertaining read from cover to cover, this large print edition of author Sharon Booth's "A Merry Bramblewick Christmas" is especially and particularly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of all dedicated romance novel fans.


The Western Fiction Shelf

Lakota Justice
Will Durey
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444842715, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 236pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The stagecoach from the north has failed to arrive in the small settlement of Laramie, and when two men ride in fresh from a fight with hostile Native American war party, the inhabitants begin to fear that the rumoured unrest among the Sioux following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills has become reality. Their concerns are relayed to the nearby fort, where visiting wagon-train scout Wes Gray agrees to join an army patrol sent to find the missing coach -- but it's the first step along a trail which includes murder, kidnapping and inter-tribal warfare.

Critique: An absolute cliff hanger of a read, the action in "Lakota Justice" will keep the reader's attention truly riveted to author Will Durey's "Lakota Justice" from beginning to end. This is the stuff of which block buster western movies are made! This large print edition is an especially recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

The Man From Painted Rock
Jackson Gregory
Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416880, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 222pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For over a year, the Up and Down ranch has been plagued by a series of thefts, mainly cattle; but now the foreman, Hard Ross, has lost Silver Slippers, the mare he raised from a filly.

Then a new owner rolls up to the ranch in his red automobile: "Fancy" Jim Sherrod, a city guy and first-class dandy - and instant laughing stock of the cowhands. Hard Ross isn't amused, however, and decks his new boss as soon as he receives an order demeaning to his respected position. He's headed for the road - until Sherrod strikes a deal with him: stay for a month and help him run the ranch until he can get the swing of it.

But there's more to Fancy Jim Sherrod than meets the eye - as cowhands and rustlers alike will soon discover, when the bullets start to fly!

Critique: A western novel whose descriptive background text often rises to the level of prose poetry when describing lakes, valleys, cliffs, forests, and streams, "The Man From Painted Rock" is packed with action and cliff hangers, making this large print edition an ideal and highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga
Rusty Davis
Five Star Publishing
10 Water Street, Suite 310, Waterville, ME 04901
http://gale.cengage.com/fivestar
9781432860110, $25.95, HC, 271pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga" by Rusty Davis tells the legend of a time when the spirits walked with the living, resistance never stopped, and dreams lived on even when the dreamers lay cold. It was a time of violence and death.

After their surrender against overwhelming odds in the months after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the northern Cheyenne were marched from their homeland near Montana to an overcrowded Indian reservation in Oklahoma. Against the odds, spirit warriors arose in defiance: Rides a Crow, a Spirit Walker who vowed to return from exile even if she were the only one left alive to make the journey; Hunter, an outcast who walked outside the laws of men; Talks to Horses, a spirit horse who has roamed the Plains and now brings her herd to help the Northern Cheyenne; and Dead Face, a warrior scarred for life by the soldiers who vows never to stop fighting.

From the misery of a forced march at bayonet point to the squalor of a reservation and to the race for freedom with death riding on their shoulders, the northern Cheyenne refuse to admit defeat, even at the point of death.

Critique: Another deftly crafted and simply riveting action/adventure story from the imaginative pen of western novelist Rusty Davis that this time takes on the Native American perspective, "Spirit Walker: A Cheyenne Saga" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Western Fiction collections, as well as the personal reading lists of any and all dedicated western novel buffs.

Editorial Note: Rusty Davis is a free-lance writer who believes that the American West is the backdrop where the age-old fights of individuals to stand tall and proud in defiance of the powerful bring the spheres of history and fiction together. In his works, men and women fight for their freedom against those who would use the rugged lands of the West as a place for enriching themselves at the expense of others. To Rusty, Western fiction distills the essential elements of America -- men and women against the land, the rugged against the mighty, and the endless struggle of flawed men and women for a chance at redemption. The West has always been drama on a grand scale, lived out by men and women who had the strength to make the West great, the courage to risk everything when it was time to stand tall, and the tenacity to keep going, even when the price of being a man was going out with a gun to stand in a wind-blown street.

The Man Who Tamed Lone Pine
I. J. Parnham
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444840131, $20.99, PB, Large Print, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When Nathaniel McBain and Shackleton Frost arrive in Lone Pine to escort a prisoner to Beaver Ridge jail, they are shocked to discover it is Shackleton's old friend Sheriff Ashton Clarke. Five years ago, Ashton tamed the town, but now he's been charged with killing in cold blood. Ashton claims that someone from his past has framed him, and Shackleton believes his friend. But as more bodies are found, all the evidence points to Ashton, and the case against him begins to look watertight.

Critique: Another simply riveting read from the pen of accomplished western novelist I. J. Parnham, "The Man Who Tamed Lone Pine" features a wealth of unexpected plot twist right down to the unexpected by fully satisfying finale -- making this large print edition of "The Man Who Tamed Lone Pine" an unreservedly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated western fans, and guarantees it to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library collections.

Thunder Trail
Bradford Scott
Sagebrush Large Print Westerns
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785416842, $29.99, PB, Large Print, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The prairie surrounding Redmon, Texas is a cattlemen's empire, where the barons of the open range live in almost feudal splendor. But a railroad is now fighting its way into the territory, attended by tumult, violence and death. There are plenty of people whose fervent wish is to halt its disruptive progress -- including a vicious masked outlaw and his gang who strikes mercilessly in the dark, wrecking trains, robbing and killing. Walt Slade, stalwart undercover agent of the Texas Rangers and fastest gunslinger in the Southwest, is given the job of hunting him down, but his reputation precedes him: barely has he set foot in the town when three gunmen try to put him in an early grave. Can Slade elude bullets and dynamite long enough to force a showdown with the head of the gang, and restore peace to the land?

Critique: Another carefully crafted western adventure by Bradford Scott, "Thunder Trail" is a riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than the trail of a Texas tornado. This new large print edition of "Thunder Trail" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of all western novel buffs and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Brewed Awakening
Cleo Coyle
Berkley Prime Crime
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780451488879, $27.00

Brewed Awakening offers up a killer menu of a coffeehouse backdrop as it explores coffeehouse manager Clare's mysterious awakening on a park bench with no memory of the past week. Everyone's happy that she's back, but she not only lacks memory of the week - she's missing major chunks of memory of her life in the last ten years. Turns out she's witnessed a crime, and this changes her life. Evidence shows that she may have more involvement with that crime than she can recall...and that her life may be in danger, as well as her reputation. But can an amnesiac clear her own name? This riveting story will delight mystery fans seeking something different.

Careless Whiskers
Miranda James
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780451491152, $26.00, HC, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Charlie Harris has sworn off investigating murder and mayhem after a recent close call. Instead, he's delighted to cheer on his daughter, Laura, who's starring in a production of Careless Whispers. The theater department at Athena College is debuting the play written by a fledgling playwright with local connections and Charlie's son-in-law, Frank Salisbury, will be calling the directorial shots.

Laura is upset to learn that Luke Lombardi, an overbearing actor she knew from her time in Hollywood will also be taking part in the production as a guest artist. Lombardi arrives with an entourage in tow and promptly proceeds to annoy everyone involved with the production. When he collapses and dies on stage, after drinking from a glass Laura handed him, she becomes the chief suspect in his murder.

Charlie knows his daughter is innocent, and he's not going to let anyone railroad his little girl. So, despite his intentions to put his amateur sleuthing days behind him, Charlie has to take center stage, and with Diesel's help, shine a spotlight on the real killer.

Critique: A crisply written 'whodunnit' mystery with many an unexpected plot twist and turn, "Careless Whiskers" by Miranda James is a mystery buffs delight and certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this compulsive page turner of a novel is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781977364203, $29.99, CD).

House on Fire
Joseph Finder
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
https://www.penguin.com
9781101985847, $28.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Private investigator Nick Heller is at the top of his game when he receives some devastating news: his old army buddy Sean has died of an overdose. Sean, who once saved Nick's life, got addicted to opioids after returning home wounded from war. Then at Sean's funeral, a stranger approaches Nick with a job, and maybe also a way for Nick to hold someone accountable.

The woman is the daughter of a pharmaceutical kingpin worth billions. Now she wants to become a whistleblower, exposing her father and his company for burying evidence that its biggest money-maker was dangerously addictive. It was a lie that killed hundreds of thousands of people, including Sean. All Nick has to do is find the document that proves the family knew the drug's dangers. But Nick soon realizes that the sins of the patriarch are just the beginning.

Beneath the surface are barely concealed cabals and conspiracies: a twisting story of family intrigue and lethal corporate machinations. In a deadly game of chess that pits Nick against a family dynasty, against brothers and sisters with schemes of their own, Nick learns how far his enemy is willing to go to protect its name and its wealth.

Critique: A simply riveting read from beginning to end, "House On Fire" once again showcases author Joseph Finder's complete mastery of the suspense thriller genre with a novel that has more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense thriller enthusiasts that "House On Fire" is also available in a large print paperback edition (9780593152195, $30.00), as well as in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Penguin Audio, 9781524723712, $39.99, CD).

The Tenant
Katrine Engberg
Scout Press
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
9781982127572, $27.00, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment, with an intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who's a bit too fond of drink and the host of raucous dinner parties with her artist friends.

Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist -- and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the still-unfinished mystery she's writing, the link between fiction and real life grows both more urgent and more dangerous. But Esther's role in this twisted scenario is not quite as clear as it first seems. Is she the culprit -- or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of vengeance?

Anette and Jeppe must dig more deeply into the two women's pasts to discover the identity of the brutal puppet-master pulling the strings.

Critique: An inherently riveting suspense thriller of a novel with numerous deftly crafted unexpected plot twists and cliff-hanger turns, "The Tenant" is an extraordinary read from first page to last. Showcasing author Katrine Engberg's total mastery of the genre, "The Tenant" is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense thriller enthusiasts that "The Tenant" is also available in a paperback edition (9781982144807, $22.00), in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781508299417, $39.99).

The Decent Inn of Death
Rennie Airth
Penguin Books
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9780143134299, $16.00, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On a trip into Winchester, former chief inspector Angus Sinclair learns of a tragedy that has taken place in the village he is staying in. Beloved church organist Greta Hartmann has slipped and fallen to her death in a shallow creek, and while investigations conclude it to be an accident, her friend and housemate, Vera, remains unconvinced.

After learning that Greta was the widow of a prominent anti-Nazi German preacher, Sinclair meets with the distraught Vera, and he resolves to dig deeper into the story. His investigations lead him to the stately manor of Julia Lesage, where she lives with her devoted staff that includes her secretary, cook, and driver.

Though confined to a wheelchair, Julia is an electrifying spirit with a sharp wit, and those who know her adore her. Among those who do, a gentleman with dubious business dealings is also staying at the house -- and Julia appears to be in love with him.

The a blizzard hits, keeping Sinclair, and later Madden, on the grounds with little to do but analyze the case of Greta's death, until a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a suspect.

Critique: Another deftly crafted 'whodunnit' style mystery from the pen of a master of the genre, "The Decent Inn Of Death" by Rennie Airth will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Rennie Airth fans and dedicated mystery buffs everywhere that "The Decent Inn Of Death" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Spitfire
M. L. Huie
Crooked Lane Books
2 Park Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10016
www.crookedlanebooks.com
9781643852454, $26.70, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's V-E Day 1946 in London. World War II has been over for a year and former spy Livy Nash is celebrating with her third drink before noon. She went to war to kill Nazis. Dropped behind enemy lines as a courier, she quickly became one of the toughest agents in France. But her war ended with betrayal and the execution of the man she loved. Now, Livy spends her days proofreading a demeaning advice column for little old ladies at home, and her nights alone with black market vodka.

But everything changes when she meets the infamous Ian Fleming. The man who will create the world's most sophisticated secret agent has an agenda of his own and sends Livy back to France with one task: track down the traitor who killed the only man she ever loved. Livy jumps at the chance, heading back to Paris undercover as a journalist. But the City of Lights is teeming with spies, and Livy quickly learns just how much the game has changed. With enemies on every corner and ever-shifting alliances, she'll have to learn to fight a new war if she wants to conquer the past once and for all.

Critique: A deftly penned and simply riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Spitfire" by M. L. Huie is certain to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Huie fans in general, and dedicated suspense thriller fans in particular that "Spitfire" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

The Last Sister
Kendra Elliot
https://www.kendraelliot.com
Montlake Publishing
c/o Amazon Publishing
9781542006729, $24.95, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Twenty years ago Emily Mills's father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.

Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night -- until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily's and her sisters' past.

When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there's a secret buried in this town no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don't know? Or aren't telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can't bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.

Critique: With her reader riveting, narrative driven, deftly crafted storytelling style as a novelist, Kendra Elliot's "The Last Sister" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Last Sister" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1542006705, $9.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781799722281, $29.95, CD).

The Wife and the Widow
Christian White
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
www.minotaurbooks.com
9781250194374, $26.99, HC, 352pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, "The Wife and The Widow" is an unsettling suspense thriller of a novel that is deftly told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband's secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she's forced to confront the evidence of her husband's guilt.

But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives -- leaving the reader asking the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently riveting novel by an author with a particularly impressive and distinctive narrative storytelling style, "The Wife and The Widow" by Christian White is unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Wife and The Widow" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250261212, $34.99, CD).

Death Comes to Machu Picchu
Thomas M. Daniel
Fithian Press
c/o Daniel & Daniel Publishers
PO Box 2790, McKinleyville, CA 95519
www.danielpublishing.com
9781564746207, $14.95, PB, 138pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Ten tourists find themselves spending the night of Christmas Eve together at the inn associated with the Machu Picchu ruins, high in the Peruvian Andes. They are cut off by weather from the world below, and they spend the afternoon getting to know each other. There are two lone men in the group, but most of the rest are couples -- husbands and wives, and a mother with her adult daughter. These tourists come from different walks of life; one man is a travel agent, another man works for the CIA, a Swedish couple work for the United States Embassy, an unmarried young twosome are university students, and so on. They are different from one another, except for one characteristic that each keeps secret from the others: They are all in denial about their dependency on cocaine and their intention to smuggle a small supply of the drug out of Peru.

Critique: An exceptionally well written, thoroughly engaging, and inherently compelling read from first page to last, "Death Comes to Machu Picchu" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular and entertaining addition to community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller collections and personal reading lists.

Borrowed Time
Tracy Clark
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street, Floor 21, New York, NY 10018-2522
www.kensingtonbooks.com
9781496714909, $26.00, HC, 384pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sitting in cold cars for hours, serving lowlifes with summonses -- being a P.I. means riding out a lot of slow patches. But sometimes the most familiar paths can lead straight to danger -- like at Cass's go-to diner, where new delivery guy Jung Byson wants to enlist her expertise. Jung's friend, Tim Ayers, scion of a wealthy Chicago family, has been found dead, floating in Lake Michigan near his luxury boat. And Jung is convinced there's a murderer on the loose!

Cass reluctantly begins digging only to discover that Jung neglected to mention one crucial fact: Tim Ayers was terminally ill. Given the large quantities of alcohol and drugs found in his body, Ayers' death appears to be either an accident or suicide. Yet as much as Cass would like to dismiss Jung's suspicions, there are too many unanswered questions and unexplained coincidences.

Why would anyone kill a dying man? Working her connections on both sides of the law, Cass tries to point the police in the right direction. But violence is escalating around her, and Cass's persistence has already attracted unwanted attention, uncovering sinister secrets that Cass may end up taking to her grave.

Critique: A hard-boiled private eye mystery in the tradition of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer or Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlow, "Borrowed Time" by Tracy Clark is a deftly crafted and simply riveting read from cover to cover. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated private eye murder mystery fans that "Borrowed Time" is also available in a paperback edition (9781496714916, $9.99) and in digital book format (Kindle, $11.39).

Shades of Truth
James A. Ardaiz
Pace Press
c/o Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781610353458, $18.95, PB, 300pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Everyone knew Rick Harker was guilty when twenty-six years ago he murdered Lisa Farrow and set her body on fire. Lisa's three-year-old daughter Christine identified Harker as the murderer, and he's been in San Quentin ever since. But now the adult Christine Farrow is recanting her testimony -- handing assistant DA Matt Jamison a case that will test his character and his convictions.

While Harker's idealistic attorney demands a new trial, Jamison retraces the original investigation, trying to find if there is any doubt of Harker's guilt. When Jamison finds evidence of corruption in the DA's office he is faced with a question that will shatter his lifelong relationships, endanger his career, and threaten his faith in the justice system. Is exposing the truth worth the damage?

Critique: A deftly crafted and simply riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Shades Of Truth" by author James A. Ardaiz will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense/thriller fans that "Shades Of Truth" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).

Editorial Note: James A. Ardaiz is a former prosecutor, judge, and Presiding Justice of the California Fifth District Court of Appeal. His previous books include Hands Through Stone, a nonfiction account of the investigation and prosecution of murderer Clarence Ray Allen, and Fractured Justice, the first Matt Jamison novel.

The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes
James Lovegrove
Titan Books
c/o Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781789092004, $14.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Maverick detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler Dr John Watson return in "The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes", a new collection of twelve thrilling short stories.

The iconic duo find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events: an otherworldly stone whose touch inflicts fatal bleeding; a hellish potion to unlock a person's devilish psyche; a fiendishly clever, almost undetectable method of revenge and many more - including a brand-new Cthulhu Casebooks story.

Critique: Deftly crafted in the Conan Doyle literary tradition and narrative storytelling style, "The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes" by James Lovegrove is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to the evolving Sherlock Holmes canon. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans that "The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).

Claw Enforcement
Sofie Ryan
Berkley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
www.penguin.com
9781984802330, $7.99, PB, 304pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Sarah Grayson owns a delightful secondhand shop in the small town of North Harbor, Maine, where she and her rescue cat, Elvis, are always finding themselves up to their whiskers in trouble. With the help of a quirky group of senior citizens (who call themselves Charlotte's Angels and work out of the store) they solve crimes both new and vintage.

Local squabbles about property development have the town in quite a state of drama -- and it seems like someone may even be upset enough to kill. When a local man involved in the real estate quagmire falls over dead at a reception to celebrate the harbor front's redevelopment, Sarah gets roped in to investigate by her own IT expert, Mr. P., who has long known the victim's stepfather. Between Sarah, Elvis and Charlotte's Angels, the killer is sure to have claws for concern!

Critique: A fun and deftly crafted novel that will have a very special appeal for all dedicated mystery buffs, "Claw Enforcement" by Sofie Ryan will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Claw Enforcement" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor Audio, 9781618035028, $24.99, CD).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Wardens of Eternity
Courtney Moulton
Blink
c/o HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
9780310767183, $18.99, HC, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Ziva has one memory of her parents, made the day they abandoned her on the streets of New York City when she was three years old. They left her with only a memory and a promise that she had a great and terrible destiny.

Fifteen years later, Ziva discovers that destiny includes powers that she doesn't understand and can barely control. Her magic attracts vicious, otherworldly monsters, and eventually compatriots to help her fight them. Sayer and Nasira know the secrets Ziva doesn't; that Ziva is descended from Egyptian royalty and in possession of ancient magic passed down from the time of the gods. They promise to teach Ziva to control her magic and to give her the family she's always yearned for.

But trouble is brewing in the world around them; darkness is descending on Hitler's Germany, threatening World War II. As the last heir of a revered Egyptian queen, Ziva is the only one with the power to prevent another costly global conflict. As Ziva navigates her newfound abilities and makes a connection with Anubis and other Egyptian gods, the Nazis are hunting for the ultimate weapon, and Ziva has caught their interest.

Critique: A simply riveting action/adventure fantasy novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and an impressively effective narrative storytelling style, "Wardens of Eternity" by Courtney Moulton will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy buffs that "Wardens of Eternity" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781690560838, $22.99, CD).

Penric's Progress
Lois McMaster Bujold
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781982124298, $25.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: On the way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric happens upon a riding accident and stops to help. But the victim is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season." As she lies dying, she passes her strange powers to Penric -- and changes the course of his life forever.

Now a divine of the Bastard's Order as well as a sorcerer and scholar, Penric must accompany a Locator of the Father's Order assigned to capture a runaway shaman charged with the murder of his best friend.

When Penric (a sorcerer, scholar, and divine in the Bastard's Order) travels to Easthome, the capital of the Weald, he once again finds himself embroiled in a mystery. The body of a sorceress has been found in the woods, and it is up to Penric and his friends, Shaman Inglis and Locator Oswyl, to unravel a mystery mixing magic, murder, and the strange realities of Temple demons.

Critique: "Penric's Progress", the story of a foot loose nobleman Penric as he evolves from young lord to sorcerer and scholar in the Bastard's Order -- all while solving mysteries along the way. A deftly crafted and thoroughly entertaining addition to Louis McMaster Bujold's growing library of Sword & Sorcery style action/adventure fantasies, "Penric's Progress" will be an immediate and enduringly popular acquisition for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections - - and a 'must read' addition to the personal reading lists of the growing legions of Louise McMaster Bujold's dedicated fans.

Editorial Note: A science fiction legend, Lois McMaster Bujold has won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. Her Miles Vorkosigan saga is a massively popular science fiction mainstay. Her many New York Times bestsellers include previous series entries Cryoburn, Diplomatic Immunity, and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. In 2020, Ms. Bujold was named the 36th Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Baen Books
www.baen.com

Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt's Council of Fire (9781982124151, $25.00) provides an alternate fantasy history story that tells of Halley's Comet's arrival in 1759, when it strikes the Earth and changes everything. Not only is the New World split from the old, but real magic and monsters evolve, from krakens to Floating Heads and ogres. Politics, too, have been altered and war breaks out as royalty, magic, and old school forces vie for control. The Arcane America series excels in blending history and mythology for a fantasy 'what if' that is unexpected, gripping, and hard to put down. Council of Fire is swashbuckling military engagement and fantasy at its best. Larry Correia's Target Rich Environment Volume 2 (9781982124229, $25.00) provides more short stories from the Monster Hunter International creator, gathering all of his short stories, novelettes, and novellas. These pieces come from various backgrounds and worlds, from stories set in the origins of Aliens and Predator to the introduction of an Interdimensional Insurance Agent in "A Murder of Manatees." All are riveting and recommended not just for prior Correia fans, but for newcomers to his works.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy
Amir Sabzevary
MSI Press
1760-F Airline Hwy, #203, Hollister, CA 950243
http://msipress.com
9781933455495, $19.95, PB, 186pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy" is a compendium of informative dialogues collectively addressing the following questions: Can one be religious in modern, predominantly secular environments?; What social and psychological functions do religions serve?; Can one truly learn to live religious philosophies in the modern era?

Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial philosophical questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the lofty confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern tongue, contrasting and ultimately reconciling ancient philosophy with modern life. These dialogues place religious philosophies within the practical and emotional difficulties of modernity, while moving in a profound depth that taps into the wellspring from which all religious philosophies draw their substance.

Professor Sabzevary's intellectual dexterity is matched only by his clarity, not only into perennial religious questions but also the modern condition. Far from leaving religious concepts in the lofty confines of tradition, Professor Sabzevary speaks a religious language with a modern tongue. Rather than simply detailing the nuances of various religious philosophies, Dr. Sabzevary's dialogues place these nuances within the lives of his students, thus evoking a startling intimacy. More than an ecumenical discourse, these lectures move in a profound depth that cannot but tap into the wellspring from which all religious philosophies draw their substance.

Critique: A deftly organized and presented, thoughtful and thought-provoking compendium, "Introductory Lectures on Religious Philosophy" is a significant and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Contemporary Religious and Contemporary Philosophy collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy
David A. Olle
Mercury Learning
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781683924500, $28.99, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Treating cancer has always been a major challenge because it comes in so many diverse forms. Although great strides in treatment have taken place in recent years, all too often current treatments are less than effective, or patients relapse.

Newer methods of cancer treatment, namely targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have generated great excitement in the scientific community. These newer methods of cancer treatment hold promise for patients who otherwise may have few options.

"Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" describes the essential features of cancer treatments available to the general public in an engaging and stimulating manner, using the principles of health literacy. A simple, question/answer format and the use of illustrations, tables, charts, and boxes that highlight definitions, facts, and website links provide more detailed information.

Critique: Comprised of questions and answers about the characteristics of cancer, diagnosis, classifications, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, adoptive cell therapy, new developments, and more, "Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" also cites numerous in-text Web links to information at the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, journals, and other online sources.

Using animations, practical tips, charts and tables, figures, and photos to explain topics under discussion, "Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" is an ideal informational resource for non-specialist general readers, as well as medical students, cancer patients and their caregivers.

While especially recommended for community and academic library Health/Medicine collections in general, and Cancer supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted that "Treating Cancer with Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.95).

Editorial Note: David Olle is a freelance medical and science writer. His areas of expertise include oncology, biostatistics, biochemical tests, human and animal nutrition, animal production and breeding, veterinary medicine, infectious diseases, and complementary and alternative medicine. He is also the author of Asthma (Mercury Learning).

Chasing the Invisible
Thomas Grogan, MD
Koehler Books
3705 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
www.koehlerbooks.com
9781633939431, $32.95, HC, 212pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Dr. Tom Grogan navigated his way through the interconnected worlds of medicine, academia, and corporate business to fulfill his vision of diagnosing and abolishing cancer in all its forms. He ultimately transformed his classic biomedical start-up company (born as a diagram on a piece of paper and a jerry-rigged prototype built in his garage) into a successful multi-billion-dollar worldwide enterprise, following its acquisition by a Swiss pharmaceutical giant. Today his invention of an automated cancer diagnostics device that helps personalize the detection of cancer and enables doctors to treat it more effectively is transforming medical practice throughout the world.

Critique: A simply riveting and impressively informative read from cover to cover, "Chasing the Invisible: A Doctor's Quest to Abolish the Last Unseen Cancer Cell" reveals the detective work of medicine and its impact on physicians and patients. "Chasing the Invisible" also features a colorful cast of Wall Street investment bankers, venture capitalists and the titans of a giant multinational company out to acquire the missing puzzle piece necessary to ensure the next phase of life-saving innovation -- and the massive fortunes that success would entail.. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Health/Medicine collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of medical students, academia, entrepreneurs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Chasing the Invisible" is also available in a paperback edition (9781633939417, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Thomas Grogan, MD, is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He is also the founder and chief scientific advisor emeritus at Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a division of Roche, a leading international healthcare leader based in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Grogan has authored more than two hundred and fifty scientific papers and holds eighteen patents. His clinical practice contributions have been recognized in the Best Doctors in America, published by Woodward/White, Inc., continuously) from 1991 until his retirement in 2017. Chief among his innovations is the automation of cancer pathology testing technology that enables physicians to accurately identify the genetic characteristics of their patients' disease and manage their personalized treatment.


The Education Shelf

The Students, Yes
Drew Ott
Desolate Publishing
www.thestudentsyes.com
9781794113220 $16.99 pbk / $7.99 Kindle amazon.com

No college student should head off to higher learning institutions without having at least looked through the expose of modern college life that is The Students, Yes: An Odyssey Through Student Social Life at American Colleges. It closely examines the culture of college life by one who decided not to go to college himself, but who embarked on a year-long road trip to visit colleges across the country, interviewing college students, living with them, and observing their lives. This is the item of choice for any college-bound student who wants a realistic series of insights into different schools, education and social issues, and a travelogue.

Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era
Pietro A. Sasso, et al.
Myers Education Pres
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781975502676, $179.95, HC, 225pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and edited by the academic team of Pietro A. Sasso, J. Patrick Biddix, and Monica Lee Miranda,"Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" is inspired by sustained and reoccurring professional conversations and scholarship that have suggested that not just change is necessary, but that there ought to be a fundamental shift towards reconceptualizing the construct of fraternities and sororities.

The three co-editors curate work from scholars and noteworthy practitioners from across higher education to provide an imperative text that reflects the complexity and expansiveness by addressing diversity, programming, and support approaches. "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" commences with the understanding that issues will continuously exist, requiring a greater nuanced depth of appreciation to reduce their negative impact.

"Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" also summarizes national organizations from authentic, represented voices. Chapters then focus on solutions to support the fraternity and sorority experience, providing strategies and emerging explanations for the issues described in this text. "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" seeks to inform all stakeholders so that they can make better decisions about the future of these institutions.

Critique: An impressive work of collective scholarship, "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era: Advancements In Practice" is an ideal curriculum textbook for courses and issues ranging from Fraternity and Course Leadership; Dissertation Seminar; Professional Development Circles; and Independent Study; to Research Seminar; Thesis Research; Reflection Assignment; Contemporary Issues in Higher Education; and Introduction to Student Affairs. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both college and university library Contemporary Education Issues collections and supplemental studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, educational institution policy makers, education reform activists, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Supporting Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era" is also available in a paperback edition (9781975502683, $45.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $41.39).

Editorial Note: Pietro Sasso has over 10 years of professional and teaching experience in postsecondary education. As an administrator, his experience is exceptionally diverse, spanning several educational administrative functional areas. As a scholar, he has written and co-edited 7 texts, authored over 35 scholarly publications, and facilitated over 30 national and regional presentations. He is the recipient of the AFA Dr. Charles Eberly Research Award from AFA and is the ACPA Men and Masculinities Emerging Scholar-In-Residence.

J. Patrick Biddix is a professor of Higher Education and Associate Director of the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC) at the University of Tennessee. He is the author of Research Methods and Applications for Student Affairs, co authored the second edition of Assessment in Student Affairs, and co-authored The Influence of Fraternity and Sorority Involvement: A Critical Analysis of Research (1996-2013).

Monica Lee Miranda serves as the Director of the Center for Student Involvement at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Ms. Miranda is also an independent educational consultant and speaker who facilitates a number of leadership development programs and interactive workshops as an independent contractor for various speaking and consulting agencies.

Teaching by Heart
Thomas J. DeLong
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781633698529, $30.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Teaching by Heart: One Professor's Journey to Inspire" summarizes Professor Thomas J. Delong's key insights gained from more than forty years of teaching and managing. It illustrates how teachers can both lift people up and let them down. It proposes that the best teachers are also leaders, and the best leaders are also teachers.

In examining how to lead and teach, renowned Harvard Business School professor Thomas J. DeLong takes the reader inside his own head and heart. He notes that, as teachers, we often focus more on our inadequacies and missteps than on our strengths and unique talents. He explains why this is so by dissecting and analyzing his own experiences -- using himself as a case study.

Professor DeLong's goal is to help readers learn about the intricacies of teaching and managing, and to impart lessons about how teachers can create a unique teaching atmosphere. To do this, he analyzes the process of creating a curriculum, preparing for an eighty-minute class, managing the fifteen minutes before class begins, and evaluating the nature of the teaching experience after the session concludes.

Along the way, Professor DeLong connects specific classroom behaviors with leadership issues -- in organizations, in teams, and in personal relationships. He also asks (and answers) some provocative questions, such as: What happens on multiple levels when I teach or lead--with me, students, or professionals?; What am I thinking and feeling as I process what students are thinking and feeling?; How are my internal conversations affecting how I teach and lead?; How do I manage my biases, including having "favorite" students?; To what extent can I use teaching methods in the arena of management?

Throughout "Teaching by Heart", Professor DeLong discusses why empathy and authenticity matter. When teachers embrace this mindset, students have the opportunity to have a unique learning experience. Teachers and managers will learn how to create moments of transformation for students.

Critique: Exceptionally informative and ultimately inspiring, "Teaching by Heart: One Professor's Journey to Inspire" is especially and unreservedly recommended to the attention of university professors, education students, business leaders, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of classroom teaching. While emphatically commended for community, college and university library Contemporary Education Management collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Teaching by Heart" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Thomas J. DeLong is the Baker Foundation Professor of Management Practice in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School. Since 1997 Professor DeLong has taught over twenty thousand MBAs and executives, both on campus and around the globe, and is internationally recognized for his teaching, writing, and course development. The author of Flying Without a Net, Professor DeLong teaches courses focused on leadership, organizational behavior, managing human capital, and career management. He received his PhD from Purdue University and was a visiting scholar at MIT.

Team Leadership in Community Colleges
George R. Boggs & Christine Johnson McPhail, editors
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781620368879, $32.50, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of George R Boggs (Superintendent and President of Palomar College in California, as well as President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges) and Dr. McPhail (Emerita Professor of Higher Education and founder of the Community College Leadership Program at Morgan State University, as well as the former president of Cypress College in California), "Team Leadership in Community Colleges" specifically addresses the topic of how leaders work with teams to manage and transform community colleges.

There is a need to develop better leadership teams in order to administer community colleges effectively and to improve these organizations, whether it be an individual campus, multi-college system or state-wide organization. Edited by two long-time leaders in the field (both of whom are recipients of the AACC National Leadership Award), "Team Leadership in Community Colleges" includes contributions from many other experienced leaders and scholars of community colleges.

Critique: Comprised of twelve erudite and informative articles by experts in the subject, "Team Leadership in Community Colleges" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a thirteen page Index. While unreservedly recommended as a core addition to college and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, administrators, institutional board members, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Team Leadership in Community Colleges" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.99).

The First Year of College
Robert S. Feldman, editor
Cambridge University Press
One Liberty Plaza, Fl. 20, New York, NY 10006
www.cambridge.org
9781107176287, $125.00, HC, 364pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Expertly compiled and edited by Robert S. Feldman (who is the Deputy Chancellor and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst), "The First Year of College: Research, Theory, and Practice on Improving the Student Experience and Increasing Retention" is premised on a very powerful social/educational concern about college retention rates: one-third of first-year students seriously consider leaving college during their first term, and only half of all students who start college ultimately graduate.

"The First Year of College" informatively examines the first year of college from a variety of perspectives to paint a comprehensive picture of the intersecting challenges facing today's students and higher education institutions. Technological advances, increases in college attendance costs, and increasing political pressure on colleges to prove their value have changed the landscape of the first year of college, but researchers have identified new approaches to improve student and institutional success that have shown considerable success and promise.

Critique: Comprised of eleven articulate, erudite, thoughtful and thought-provoking essays by experts in the field, "The First Year of College: Research, Theory, and Practice on Improving the Student Experience and Increasing Retention" also includes a listing of all the contributors and their credentials, as well as tables, figures, and an index. While unreservedly recommended as a core addition to college and university library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of administrators, educational researchers, school counselors, academic faculty, school board members, education students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The First Year of College" is also available in a paperback edition (9781316629383, $32.99) and in a digital book format (eTextbook, $26.00).

The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM
Angela Byars-Wionston & Maria Lund Dahlberg, editors
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309497299, $75.00, PB, 306pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Mentorship is a catalyst capable of unleashing one's potential for discovery, curiosity, and participation in STEMM and subsequently improving the training environment in which that STEMM potential is fostered. Mentoring relationships provide developmental spaces in which students' STEMM skills are honed and pathways into STEMM fields can be discovered. Because mentorship can be so influential in shaping the future STEMM workforce, its occurrence should not be left to chance or idiosyncratic implementation. There is a gap between what we know about effective mentoring and how it is practiced in higher education.

"The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" studies mentoring programs and practices at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It explores the importance of mentorship, the science of mentoring relationships, mentorship of underrepresented students in STEMM, mentorship structures and behaviors, and institutional cultures that support mentorship. This report and its complementary interactive guide present insights on effective programs and practices that can be adopted and adapted by institutions, departments, and individual faculty members.

Critique: A consensus study report of the National academies of Science3s, Engineering, Medicine, "The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" is unreservedly commended for professional and academic library Science & Technology Teaching Materials, Higher & Continuing Education, and Education Reform & Policy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $59.99).

Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom
Cyndi Kernahan
West Virginia University Press
1535 Mileground, Morgantown, WV 26506
www.wvupressonline.com
9781949199239, $99.99, HC, 228pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Teaching about race and racism in a college classroom can be a difficult business. Students and instructors alike often struggle with strong emotions, and many people have robust preexisting beliefs about race. At the same time, this is a moment that demands a clear understanding of racism. It is important for students to learn how we got here and how racism is more than just individual acts of meanness. Students also need to understand that color blindness is not an effective anti-racism strategy.

In "Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor", Cyndi Kernahan (Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-River Falls" argues that you can be honest and unflinching in your teaching about racism while also providing a compassionate learning environment that allows for mistakes and avoids shaming students.

She also provides evidence for how learning works with respect to race and racism along with practical teaching strategies rooted in that evidence to help instructors feel more confident. She then differentiates between how white students and students of color are likely to experience the classroom, helping instructors provide a more effective learning experience for all students.

Critique: Effectively and expertly written, organized and presented, "Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor" is a unique and valued contribution that is unreservedly recommended for college and university library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of education students, academia, social activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom: Notes from a White Professor" is also available in a paperback edition (9781949199246, $24.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader
Ariel Tichnor-Wagner
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
www.ascd.org
9781416628507, $29.95, PB, 175pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Today's public school systems face an increasing crisis of relevance in terms of preparing their students for the rapidly changing world they must live in as adults. Issues that people everywhere face (e.g. climate change, disease, hunger, technology advancement) require interdisciplinary solutions. Yet schools are still predominately organized by single-subject courses and narrowly focused high-stakes tests.

By contrast, our students need to develop a range of academic, social, and emotional competencies to solve issues that transcend national borders; live peacefully among neighbors in a culturally, politically, racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse society; and thrive in a global, knowledge-based economy. Youth and adults alike know this; it's time for schools to catch up.

Global competence (the set of dispositions, knowledge, and skills needed to live and work in a diverse, global society) helps educators balance social-emotional and academic learning goals. To that end, school leaders play a critical role in designing and scaling relevant global learning experiences for both students and teachers.

"Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader" by Ariel Tichnor-Wagner details how school leaders can implement change by aligning aspirational initiatives to existing ones, generating will across school stakeholders, wrangling resources, and creating capacity. It also offers a holistic approach to school leadership, one that grounds education in the complexities of the real world and aims to prepare all students to understand, engage with, and influence what happens in that interconnected world.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, encouragingly thought-provoking, expertly organized and presented, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.99), "Becoming a Globally Competent School Leader" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to school district, college, and university library Education Administration collections and supplemental studies lists.

Editorial Note: Ariel Tichnor-Wagner is a senior fellow of global competence at ASCD. In her role, she advocates for, develops, and implements innovative frameworks, tools, and professional learning experiences that support educators in fostering the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students need to succeed in a diverse, interconnected world. As an educator and researcher, she is committed to identifying and leveraging policies and practices that improve academic and social-emotional outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students and that foster global citizenship.

Classrooms in the Real World
Scott M. Mandel
Myers Education Press
c/o Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
www.styluspub.com
9781975503345, $69.95, HC, 110pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For the past 35 years, Scott Mandel has been teaching students in an urban Los Angeles school district. In addition, he instructs teachers in professional development courses. In those classes, he's known for telling stories that are gleaned from his time spent in the classroom.

"Classrooms in the Real World: Practical Advice from a Veteran Teacher" is a collection of many of those stories, presented as a set of teachable moments -- a practical how-to book for new teachers, one that based on interacting with kids on a daily basis. Rather than providing educational theories about what should be, Mandel shares real-life stories of how to relate to your students, administrators and parents, along with his thoughts on how to deal with the multiple curricular and classroom challenges that all teachers face in the real world.

"Classrooms in the Real World" is comprised of chapters such as "Kids Don't Care How Much You Know As Long As They Know You Care," "Take Curricular Chances," "Administrators Want You To Succeed," "Keeping My Sanity All These Years," and "What Have I Learned". These will give the reader practical ideas, philosophies and encouragement from a long-time classroom teacher, -- someone still in the classroom sharing the lived experience of teaching in today's school environment.

Critique: A combination of wit, wisdom, humor and practical experience, "Classrooms in the Real World: Practical Advice from a Veteran Teacher" should be considered essential reading for anyone aspiring to being a classroom educator. While unreservedly recommended for school district, college and university library Teacher Education collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of student teachers, classroom educators, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Classrooms in the Real World" is also available in a paperback edition (9781975503352, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.95).

Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment
Charlotte Ann Melin, editor
Modern Language Association
85 Broad Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10004-2434
www.mla.org
9781603294676, $65.00, HC, 322pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At a time when environmental humanities and sustainability studies are creating new opportunities for curricular innovation, "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is an anthology of essays that collectively examines factors key to successful implementation of cross-curricular initiatives in language programs.

The contributors discuss theoretical issues pertinent to combining sustainability studies with foreign languages, describe curricular models transferable to a range of instructional contexts, and introduce program structures supportive of teaching cultures and languages across the curriculum. Exploring the intersection of ecocritical theory, second language acquisition research, and disciplinary fields, these essays demonstrate ways in which progressive language departments are being reconceived as relevant and viable programs of cross-disciplinary studies.

They provide an ideal introduction to teaching sustainability and environmental humanities topics in language, literature, and culture courses as well as a wide range of resources for teachers and diverse stakeholders in areas related to foreign language education.

Critique: Expertly compiled and edited by Charlotte Ann Melin (Professor of German Studies, University of Minnesota), "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is comprised of seventeen erudite and informative essays, and is enhanced further with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a five page glossary. While unreservedly recommended for college and university library Linguistics and Foreign Language Instruction collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and academia that "Foreign Language Teaching and the Environment" is also available in a paperback edition (9781603293945, $40.76) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $32.30).


The Parenting Shelf

When Your Child Learns Differently
Kathryn Fishman-Weaver
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781618219091, $19.95, PB, 180pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Advocating for a child who learns differently can sometimes feel like an isolating and daunting task. With the publication of "When Your Child Learns Differently: A Family Approach for Navigating Special Education Services With Love and High Expectations" author and educator Kathryn Fishman-Weaver reminds families that they are not alone.

"When Your Child Learns Differently" is a compassionate guide that: Helps families navigate special education services from the inside out; Offers targeted advice to families of children with a wide range of disabilities and challenges; Shares valuable information about special education language, policy, procedures, and supports; Reminds families that they are the most important advocates in their child's success plan; Draws on Kathryne's years of experiences and expertise as both a parent and special education teacher.

Accessible and encouraging, "When Your Child Learns Differently" is a guide that humanizes the journey of caring for children who learn differently. Its readers will be empowered with practical policy knowledge and energized by the belief that, with love and high expectations, almost anything is possible.

Critique: Expertly written, deftly organized, and accessibly presented, "When Your Child Learns Differently: A Family Approach for Navigating Special Education Services With Love and High Expectations" is an unreservedly recommended addition to community, school district, college, and university library Special Education and Special Needs Parenting collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parents, education students, classroom teachers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "When Your Child Learns Differently" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, Ph.D., is an educator, author, and advocate for student leadership. She has worked in special education, gifted education, language arts, and school administration, and is the author of "Wholehearted Teaching of Gifted Young Women."


The Agriculture Shelf

Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease
Lawrence E. Datnoff, Wade H. Elmer, and Don M. Huber, editors
APS Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121
www.shopapspress.org
9780890543467, $109.00, HC, 278pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Knowing how each individual mineral affects a plant is beneficial for efficiency in production and sustaining the ecosystem. From a plant pathology perspective, "Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" explains how mineral nutrients are important in production agriculture and horticulture because they can often be the first line of defense against plant diseases. It is an area of knowledge that can be misunderstood or overlooked in the study of diseases and their diagnosis. This informative reference presents what we know regarding the interactions at work.

"Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" is the first collective study to successfully combine two important plant science disciplines, nutrition and pathology, to provide current information on theoretical aspects of nutrition in disease physiology while contributing a wealth of basic practical information for obtaining immediate disease suppression with specific fertilizers.

"Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" provides a holistic overview of how minerals are made available in soil and their basic function in plants; helps to understand the interacting affects of minerals on all types of diseases Abiotic as well as biotic; identifies mineral nutrient forms, physiological functions, and interactions with numerous diseases; provides valuable tables showing nutrient-disease interactions that facilitate the use of nutrients to manage diseases; and tabulates extensive literature reviews with tables to help perform quick searches for any host/disease system.

Critique: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Lawrence E. Datnoff (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida - Gainesville), Wade H. Elmer (The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station - New Haven), and Don M. Huber (Purdue University), "Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" collectively presents a comprehensive examination of how mineral nutrition affects plant disease, as well as improve the overall quality and health of plants.

An ideal curriculum textbook, "Mineral Nutrition and Plant Disease" is unreservedly recommended for professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Agriculture collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Beer/Wine/Spirits Shelf

How to Drink Without Drinking
Fiona Beckett
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857836151, $19.99

How to Drink Without Drinking: Celebratory Alcohol-Free Drinks for Any Time of the Day offers a treasure trove of drinks flavored without alcohol, including virgin cocktails, punches, floats, and coolers, and should be on the shelves of any interested in nonalcoholic creations and creative options. Alcohol-free wines, gin alternatives, and vinegars are part of the unusual mix of this survey, which goes beyond most fruit drink titles to explore how alcohol-free beverages may be adjusted to make them more closely mimic their original inspirations.


The Cookbook Shelf

Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers
Genie Milgrom
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789652299697, $19.95, PB, 164pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Compiled with commentary by Genie Milgrom, "Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers: Unique Recipes and Stories from the Times of the Crypto-Jews during the Spanish Inquisition" is a collection of recipes and stories drawn from the Crypto-Jews community. These were men and women who were hiding persecution by pretending to be Catholic during decades of the Spanish Inquisition while practicing their Judaism underground down through the present day.

The grandmothers of the family devised clever ways to disguise the fact that they were still keeping kosher while appearing to be eating pork. Until modern times, the family pretended to be devout Catholics, yet passed many of the Jewish customs on, sometimes in the form of these recipes, their true legacy. For several hundred years they hid their fasts and celebration of Jewish holidays, revealing them only via their recipes and some kosher kitchen customs. This collection was found recently, hidden away at Genie Milgrom's mother's house.

Critique: A unique and precious addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Judaic Studies and Culinary Histories collections, the dishes comprising "Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers: Unique Recipes and Stories from the Times of the Crypto-Jews during the Spanish Inquisition" are organized into distinct sections for Chicken Dishes; Meat Dishes; Fish; Side Dishes; Sauces; Desserts; and Beverages. Especially and unreservedly recommended for family cooks keeping to the Judaic traditions of kosher meals, "Recipes of My 15 Grandmothers" also features a four page Glossary and a four page Index.

Editorial Note: Genie Milgrom was born in Havana, Cuba, into a Roman Catholic family of Spanish ancestry. In an unparalleled work of genealogy, she was able to fully document her unbroken maternal lineage 22 generations going back as far as 1405 to pre-Inquisition Spain and Portugal. She has traveled extensively into Fermoselle, the village of her ancestors in the Zamora region of Spain, while doing field research on the past Jews of Fermoselle and the surrounding area. She is the past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami, current president of Tarbut Sefarad-Fermoselle in Spain, and also past president of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies. She also writes for several on-line sites as well as the Journal of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian Crypto-Jews. She has spoken at the Knesset in Israel and lectures around the world, bringing awareness of the topic of people tracing their Jewish roots to the time of the Inquisition who are returning to Judaism. Her work has been showcased in The Jerusalem Post, the Miami Herald, and other publications around the world. She was awarded the State of Florida Genealogy Award for her outstanding achievements and advances in the pioneer work she has done in genealogy. Genie is now director of the Converso Genealogy Project, digitizing Inquisition files around the world. Most recently, she was awarded the coveted Medal of the Four Sephardic Synagogues in Jerusalem for her decades of work in recuperation of Sephardic Memory.

Purezza Vegan Pizza
Filippo Rosat, author
Tim Barclay, author
Stefanie Evangelisti, author
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9780857837554, $19.99, HC, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Purezza, was founded in Brighton in 2015 by Tim and Stephanie Barclayas the first vegan pizzeria in the UK. Passionate about plantbased food, their aim was simple: to make their menu superior to the traditional alternatives, revolutionizing Italian food by using cruelty-free ingredients. As well as vegan pizzas, they offer soya-free, nut-free and gluten-free options.

Now any family cook can enjoy an authentic tasting vegan pizza with its soft and easily digestible sourdough crust at home. There are recipes for variety of seasonal toppings, including Vulcano - fried aubergines, green chilli peppers, baby sweetcorn, oven-roasted romano peppers, red onions and sriracha sauce - and Fumosa - smoked tofu, oven-roasted mushrooms, smoked beetroot carpaccio and BBQ sauce - as well as for vegan cheeses such as silken tofu ricotta, cashew and almond nut and brown rice mozzarella. In addition, there are recipes for gluten-free pasta dishes, sides and desserts.

Critique: "Purezza Vegan Pizza" is beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections. It should be noted for all do-it-yourself dedicated pizza lovers that "Purezza Vegan Pizza" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Tim Barclay set up Purezza with his Italian wife Stefania. He has a background in marketing and Stefania in law, but in 2015 they decided to follow their dream of starting a plant-based food business.

The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook
Naomi Tomky
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682683668, $27.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: For thousands of years, the abundance of fish and shellfish in the Pacific Northwest created a seafood paradise for the Indigenous peoples hunting and gathering along the region's pristine waterways, and, later, for the Chinese, Scandinavian, Filipino, and Japanese immigrants (along with many others), who have made this region home. Drawing on these diverse influences, the region fostered a seafood based cuisine that is as varied as its people, yet which remains specifically Northwestern.

In "The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More", food writer Naomi Tomky leads her readers through an exploration of this cuisine. She starts with the basics of buying great-tasting and sustainable seafood, surveys the variety of seafood on offer (from stars like halibut and oysters to unsung heroes like lingcod and smelt) and shares 75 delicious recipes reflecting the people who live in the region today, including Red Curry Mussels, IPA-Battered Cod, Dungeness Crab Deviled Eggs, and Pink Scallop Ceviche.

From the first cut of salmon, prized for its rich flavor and versatility, to the last crack of the sweet Dungeness crab, Tomky covers grilling, curing, and baking, and shares secrets for tricky tasks like removing pin bones and mussel beards. She explains how flavor-packed spot prawns put other shrimp to shame and why the region's razor clams are unparalleled. For curious seafood rookies in search of the perfect fool-proof salmon and barnacled fish-cooking veterans looking for a new way to enjoy their favorite catch.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with seventy-five full color photographs, "The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More" is an ideal guide to cooking, and eating dishes based upon recipes drawn from such culinary experts as Tom Douglas, Shiro Kashiba, Bonnie Morales, Mutsuko Soma, Ethan Stowell, Jason Stratton, John Sundstrom, and more. While unreservedly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Pacific Northwest Seafood Cookbook: Salmon, Crab, Oysters, and More" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.49).

New City of London Cookbook
Peter Gladwin
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945558, $35.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: With over 40 years of experience catering for high-society events, including state banquets for the royal family, Peter Gladwin knows a thing or two about putting together a great menu. In his "New City of London Cookbook" he draws upon his years of culinary experience and expertise to share an array of his own gastronomic delights that include a host of delicious recipes submitted by notable figures and celebrities -- all of which can be cooked at home.

The step-by-step recipes are separated into the following chapters: Canapes; Larder; Starters; Salads and Sides; Vegetarian and Vegan; Fish; Meat; Emulsions, Infusions, Essences and Good Gravy; Desserts; Cheese and Savouries; Chocolates and Sweetmeats.

Alongside the recipes, Peter shares stories of London, menus he's created, and anecdotes that divulge the secrets of the great kitchens and banquets in the Square Mile, giving the reader a rare and entertaining view behind 'the green baize door'.

Critique: Entertaining to browse through and ideal for creating menus for elegant dining at home for family and friends, the "New City of London Cookbook" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library cookbook collections.

Editorial Note: Peter Gladwin is a prominent chef in the City of London, at the forefront of glamorous entertaining. Peter's achievements within the hospitality industry have grown throughout his career: he runs one of London's most successful catering companies, Party Ingredients; two acclaimed restaurant groups; a wine import business; and produces fine English wines and pure-bred livestock from his farm in West Sussex. He has also authored three previous cookbooks.

The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory
Norene Gilletz & Edward Wein
Whitecap Books
c/o Fitzhenry & Whiteside
www.fitzhenry.ca
9781770503212, $50.00, PB, 606pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Packed with over 150 recipes provided by cookbook author Norene Gilletz and including insightful commentary on each one from Dr. Edward Wein, (who is a leading biochemical specialist), "The Brain Boosting Diet: Feed Your Memory" is an illustrated health cookbook that is loaded with solid health and nutritional advice for people with memory loss, possible dementia, and even Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Another important purpose of the book is to show the reader how to slow down potential cognitive decline.

"The Brain Boosting Diet" has lots of unusual but important Do You Know Health Facts such as: Our human hunter-gatherer ancestors of 10,000 years ago had better nutrition than our farming ancestors until a couple of hundred years ago. This was because the former ate a variety of foods they could find, rather than trying to exist on one or a few farmed crops which offered limited nutrition; Of the thousands of substances involved in human metabolism, about 50 need to be supplied by diet. The other compounds can be supplied by the metabolic processes of the body.

Critique: Ranging from appetizers to main courses, from soups, to fish, to desserts, the recipes comprising "The Brain Boosting Diet" are as delicious and nutritious as they are 'kitchen cook friendly' in preparation and presentation, making it a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to any personal, professional, and community library cookbook collection.

Editorial Note: Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada and the owner of Gourmania Inc. Norene divides her time between work as a freelance food writer, editor, food consultant, cooking teacher and culinary spokesperson. Norene is a Certified Culinary Professional with the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a member of the Women's Culinary Network of Toronto.

Dr. Edward Wein obtained his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from the University of Toronto. In a career spanning more than thirty years as a senior food research scientist, he developed many healthy and unique nutritional foods and supplements for both mind and body. These included the world's first full nutrition meal replacement product and a ground-breaking nutrition bar to maintain memory and cognitive health. Dr. Wein has also served as adjunct professor at the University of Guelph in Canada, was on the advisory board of Ryerson University Dept. of Chemical Engineering, and is a past member of the Canada Expert Committee on Food Biotechnology.

Simply Real Eating
Sarah Adler
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682684115, $29.95, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Enhanced with the inclusion of more than one hundred full color photographs, "Simply Real Eating: Everyday Recipes and Rituals for a Healthy Life Made Simple" is a unique and welcoming cookbook in which culinary expert Sarah Adler invites her readers to cultivate a healthy lifestyle that will actually last.

Showcasing more than 100 easy #antidiet recipes to share, Adler makes getting healthy effortless. Her enthusiasm comes through on every page, with chapters including "Weekday Work It" breakfasts and snacks to share in "Aperitifing Is a Verb." Recipes are all gluten-free, many with five ingredients or fewer, and have options to customize for other dietary needs. Stunning photographs of each dish make this book a pleasure to read.

Critique: Featuring a culinary wealth of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, health promoting dishes ranging from Warming Sweet Potato Muffins and Fire-Roasted Herby Corn Salad, to Broccoli, Basil, and Goat Cheese Pizzas and Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, "Simply Real Eating" includes all the practical tools and healthy rituals a family cook would need. While enthusiastically recommended for family, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "Simply Real Eating" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.16).

Editorial Note: Sarah Adler is a nutrition coach and the founder of the blog, Simply Real Health. Her recipes have been featured by outlets including Huffington Post, Well + Good, Refinery29, Cooking Light, Brit + Co., BuzzFeed, and Woman's Day.

Total Gut Balance
Mahmoud Ghannoum
The Countryman Press
c/o W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.countrymanpress.com
9781682683682, $27.95, HC, 336pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Today the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for digestive health and overall well being is commonly understood. But what about the mycobiome -- the fungi that live inside our bodies?

In "Total Gut Balance: Fix Your Mycobiome Fast for Complete Digestive Wellness", Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum introduces this important component of the microbiome and explains how diet affects this population and how its balance or imbalance can cause you to feel -- a poor balance of fungi can lead to weight gain, pain and bloating, and low energy, and can worsen symptoms for those with IBS or Crohn's.

But with the recipes showcased in "Total Gut Balance", gut fungi will respond quickly and dramatically to dietary and lifestyle changes. Within 24 hours, you can remake your mycobiome, supporting a path to weight loss, better digestion, and more energy.

Alongside this accessible gut science, Dr. Ghannoum outlines fast changes for fostering healthy fungi as well as 7- and 20-day diet plans, with more than 50 dietician-tested recipes, to cultivate a thriving mycobiome and methods for tweaking your lifestyle for long-term gut health.

Critique: Nicely illustrated with fifty full color photographs, "Total Gut Balance: Fix Your Mycobiome Fast for Complete Digestive Wellness" is an extraordinary and thoroughly 'reader friendly' combination of instruction manual, guide and cookbook. Especially commended to the attention of anyone suffering from IBS or Chrohn's Disease, "Total Gut Balance" should be a part of every community and academic library's Health/Medicine and Contemporary Cook Book collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Total Gut Balance" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.16).

Editorial Note: Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum is the director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, studies Crohn's disease, cancer, and heart disease. He has been featured by Forbes, NPR's Tech Nation, MindBodyGreen, Well + Good, Goop, and other outlets.

Plant Power
Annie Bell
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9780857836120, $24.99, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Balancing your diet by consuming animal protein is straightforward (a chicken breast, salmon fillet, or lamb chop are nearly pure protein) but there is little that offers the vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian that ease.

In "Plant Power", vegetarian and vegan culinary expert Annie Bell shows you how to source plant proteins from high-quality unrefined whole foods. She explains which foods contain protein and the simplest and most delicious ways to include a broad range in your diet to make sure that you optimize your protein consumption with no need for expensive supplements or "fake" meats.

The recipes comprising "Plant Power" range from: Three Seed Porridge with Berries for breakfast, to Spicy Lentil Baked Eggs for a power brunch, to a nourishing Spring Root and Farro Salad for lunch on the go, to Halloumi and Pine Nut Burgers for a satisfying dinner. With comfort food, such as Spaghetti Carbonara, and bowls of energy, such as Cauliflower Dhal with Coco-Lime Yogurt, Annie shows that good nutrition and good food should always go hand in hand.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Plant Power" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, family, professional, and community library Vegan/Vegetarian cookbook collections. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in organization and presentation, it should be noted that "Plant Power" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Annie Bell, having begun her career as a chef, has been a full-time cookery writer and author for more than ten years. She has written a number of books including Annie Bell's Vegetable Book, and Evergreen which was shortlisted for the Andre Simon and Glenfiddich Awards. She collaborated with the architect John Pawson to write Living and Eating and more recently has written Gorgeous Cakes. She spent several years as Cookery Writer at Vogue, then as Food Writer on the Independent and she is currently the Cookery Writer on YOU Magazine in the Mail on Sunday and also contributes to Country Living and Waitrose Food Illustrated.

One Pot Feeds All
Darina Allen
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857837134, $24.99, HC, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Cooking using just a single pot is liberating, satisfyingly efficient and relatively inexpensive. There's less juggling of different elements, no complicated techniques, little space required and less washing up to do. With recipes for cook in one pot meals that will serve for one person or one hundred, all that is necessary to do is to scale up or down ingredients -- making "One Pot Feeds All" perfect for solo cooks, families and anyone wanting to rustle up a feast for friends.

A culinary compendium showcasing 100 dishes to be cooked in a pot, tray or pan comprising lighter meals, such as soups, baked eggs and frittatas or hearty dishes like stews, tagines and curries, plus about 10 desserts. Chapters are divided into Eggs, Poultry, Meat, Fish, Vegetables, Rice, Grains & Pasta and Sweet Things with an international mix of dishes, including Mexican Fried Eggs, Kung Pao Chicken, Italian Beef Stew, Moroccan Lamb Tagine, Spanakopita, Chettinad Tomato Rice and Coffee Crema Catalana.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout with thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', step-by-step recipe instructions, "One Pot Feeds All" by Darina Allen is a delight to simply browse through and an inspiring resource to plan menus with for any and all dining occasions. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections, it should be noted that "One Pot Feeds All" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).


The Art Shelf

The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie
Eldridge Hardie
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811738392, $75.00, HC, 216pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of Upland Hunting, Angling, and Waterfowling" is a beautifully published compendium showcasing 150 paintings carefully and exquisitely reproduced, that document Hardie's lifework.

Hardie has painted every kind of sporting scene ranging from Wisconsin grouse hunts, Atlantic salmon camps, and southern quail plantations, to angling waters in Tierra del Fuego and Scotland, waterfowling on the Santee marsh and Chesapeake Bay, fly fishing the Bahama flats, the Bighorn, Colorado, and South Platte Rivers.

Hardie has painted home rivers and close-to-home fields and destinations to dream for and in the pages of "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie" he recalls these times and the paintings that capture them in descriptive text.

Workbook pages of preliminary studies and notations from the artist's workbooks are reproduced side by side with the paintings. These notes give a rare look into the artist's creative process.

Critique: A simple joy to page through, "The Sporting Art of Eldridge Hardie: Paintings of Upland Hunting, Angling, and Waterfowling" showcases and documents the artistic talents of one of the truly great outdoors artists at work today. Beautifully reproduced, "The Sporting Art of Eldrige Haries" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Art History collections.

Editorial Note: For six decades and based in Denver, Colorado, Eldridge Hardie has worked at what he loves doing, painting his passion for outdoor sport. His art has graced the pages of books -- his own and others, been published in the pages of the finest sporting magazines, hung in North America's galleries and private collections, and been shown in prestigious exhibitions.

The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin
Amanda VanEver
Walter Foster Publishing
Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781633228245, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin: 50+ tips, techniques, and step-by-step exercises for creating colorful fluid art ", the aspiring artist will learn the basics of creating fluid art -- from the essential tools and materials to the most popular techniques, building on the artist's existing knowledge of paint pouring by learning many new techniques and variations on their favorites to create their own art.

Written and illustrated by Amanda VanEver, "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin" includes everything needed to take creative art skills to the next level, whether as a beginning or as an established paint pouring artist. From learning variations on several popular techniques (including flip cup, dip, swirling, spinning, and swiping) as well as more intermediate and advanced pouring techniques, aspiring artists will soon be creating colorful, textured fluid art on a variety of different surfaces.

Critique: Profusely illustrated, comprehensive, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Art of Paint Pouring: Swipe, Swirl & Spin" features beginning as well as advanced DIY pouring techniques for a well-rounded, appealing approach to this uniquely fluid art form. While very highly recommended as an art class curriculum textbook, as well as both community and academic library Art Instruction reference and resource collections.

Editorial Note: Amanda VanEver is a self-taught artist; a librarian in Dayton, Nevada. Amanda enjoys the versatility of acrylic paint and the vast array of techniques that can be used with fluid art. She credits her abilities to the artists willing to share their tricks, tips, and techniques for different styles of fluid acrylic painting. She learned to created poured art using Facebook groups and YouTube videos. Every week, Amanda films her processes and answers questions on her YouTube channel, Amanda's Designs. She sells her artwork locally in Carson City, Nevada, as well as through her Etsy shop.

Charcoal: Techniques and Tutorials for the Complete Beginner
Richard Rochester
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945527, $14.95, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Originating in neolithic times as a form of cave art, down through the millennia charcoal drawing is timeless, stylish, atmospheric and arresting. "Charcoal: Techniques and Tutorials for the Complete Beginner" by Richard Rochester is an easy-to-follow beginner's guide in which aspiring artists are taken on a journey to explore the rich potential of monochrome using the medium of charcoal.

Inexpensive and easy to source, charcoal is perfect for the beginner artist. To increase the variety of mark-making, or simply to make life easier, readers can choose to buy different types and sizes of charcoal, and tools such as blenders and brushes for different effects. This is all explained clearly so the aspiring artist can make informed choices.

Following the section on tools and materials, the basic techniques are presented, showing how to exploit the medium to best effect. The fundamentals of drawing are also covered, including perspective, composition and observational drawing.

Critique: Offering a wealthy of thoroughly 'user friendly' illustrated instructions making it an ideal art class curriculum textbook, "Charcoal: Techniques and Tutorials for the Complete Beginner" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, profession, community, and academic library art instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note: Born in 1967, Richard Rochester grew up in the fishing village of Lympstone in Devon. After school he initially trained as a jeweler but went on to take a degree in Fine Art at Exeter College of Art and Design and graduated in 1991. Yearning for adventure, just three months after graduation he entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and began a military career that lasted 18 years, initially in the army infantry and later in the Royal Marines. Richard left the military in 2012 and briefly ran a veterans' charity project before focusing his full attention on art. He now lives and works in Exeter in the South West of England (his work has hung in Exeter Cathedral).

The Art of Fine Enameling, second edition
Karen L. Cohen
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811737920, $37.905, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Enameling (the fusing glass to metal under high-temperature conditions) is amazingly diverse. Practically anything made from enamel-friendly metal can be enameled, from vases to jewelry to buttons to metal mesh and solid forms. Now in a significantly revised, expanded, and fully updated second edition "The Art of Fine Enameling" by Karen L. Cohen (an artist and teacher working primarily in Cloisonne enameling, as well as beadwork and embroidery who draws upon her 15 years of experience and expertise) showcases twenty-one DIY enameling projects. Each project has a gallery of the work of other artists working in the same technique, to give a view of other ways a technique can look and be used. Classic techniques such as champleve, cloisonne, and plique-a-jour each have projects, as do newer approaches such as the use of graphite pencil and enameling on steel. Of special note is the extensive chapter on troubleshooting.

Critique: Profusely illustrated, and step-by-step informative, "The Art of Fine Enameling" is ideal as a curriculum textbook on enameling and is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of art students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Art of Fine Enameling" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.68).


The Philosophy Shelf

Conspiracy Theories: Philosophers Connect the Dots
Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene
Open Court
www.opencourtbooks.com
9780812694796, $19.95

Conspiracy Theories: Philosophers Connect the Dots belongs in philosophy and social issues collections alike, covering current events and news with an eye to exploring the different viewpoints and underlying belief systems in conspiracy theories. From witch hunts and the complications of voter fraud to whether climate skeptics are really conspiracy theorists, this helps define the modern incarnation of the conspiracy, its philosophy and psychology, and its impact on society as a whole, and is highly recommended reading for philosophy and current issues students alike; especially those involved in classroom debates.

How to Burn a Goat
Scott H. Moore
Baylor University Press
One Bear Place, #97363, Waco, TX 76798-7363
www.baylorpress.com
9781481311526, $29.95, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The ancient Roman orator Cicero famously believed, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.", Scott H. Moore (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Great Texts at Baylor University) agrees and puts this celebrated aphorism to the test.

In "How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers", Professor Moore speculates on the practice of farming through the lens of philosophy and literature. He weaves together a tapestry of philosophical reflections on work and leisure, the nature of the virtues, and the role and limitations of technology and higher education with personal reflections on the joys and trials of farm life on his Crawford, Texas, farm.

Full of self-deprecating humor, Professor Moore relates his own experience of a philosopher turned farmer. His efforts at scholar-farmer are haunted by questions from the world's great minds such as: "Does Plato's 'city of sows' ring true?," "Can Ockham help break a recalcitrant heifer?," "How can Heidegger help with raising swine?," "What insights does Iris Murdoch offer for pest control?" Combining insight with down-to-earth vignettes, Professor Moore joins Wendell Berry, E. B. White, George Orwell, and many more in recognizing the truths deeply rooted in the management of the practical affairs of a farm.

Professor Moore also argues that a return to agrarian roots is needed to restore Aristotelian wonder and wisdom in a world increasingly defined by technology. Rejecting the idea that humans are simply cogs in a wheel, he shows how greater human happiness can be found in the meaningful labor of tending to nature, rather than the ever-expanding march of automation.

Critique: As deftly written, organized and presented, as it is inherently interesting, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).


The Military Shelf

From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay
Jonathan Templin Ritter, editor
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle, #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574417715, $24.95, HC, 188pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay: The Memoirs of Captain J. R. Ritter, Seabee Commander during the Pacific War, 1942-1945" is the personal story of the late J. R. Ritter (1902-1994), a civil engineer from Texas who became a U.S. Navy Seabee officer during World War II. For his memoir he preserved personal papers, letters, photos, and other items, many of which are reproduced in this book. His narrative is deftly edited and annotated by his grandson, Jonathan Templin Ritter.

The U.S. Naval Construction Battalions, known as the "Seabees," were formed in March 1942. Their duties were to build military facilities and airfields overseas, in both the European and Pacific Theaters. In the Pacific Theater alone, including the Aleutians, the Seabees built 111 major airstrips, 441 piers, 2258 ammunition magazines, and much more.

In his detailed memoir Ritter tells the story of two Seabee Battalions, one in the Aleutians and one in the Central Pacific. He describes the Aleutian Islands Campaign during 1942 - 1943, when there was a real concern that Japan might try to attack Alaska and the continental United States through the "back door." Ritter also gives an eyewitness account of the building of the airfields on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas that enabled the B-29 fire raids on Japan (the "Empire Run") which culminated in the two missions that dropped the atomic bombs in August 1945, ending the Pacific War.

"From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay" provides a major contribution to the wartime literature about the Seabees, those brave, resourceful, and hard-working American patriots, whose mottos were "Can do!" and "The difficult we do now; the impossible takes a little longer."

Critique: The seventeenth volume in the North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series from the University of North Texas Press, "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay: The Memoirs of Captain J. R. Ritter, Seabee Commander during the Pacific War, 1942-1945" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a complete Chronology of J. R. Ritter's War Years (1941-1946); four Appendices (U.S. Navy Commissioned Officer Ranks; Naval and Military Terms; The Song of the Seabees; WWII Honor Roll - National WWN Memorial); a six page References and Further Reading list; and a three page Index. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library World War II History & Biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "From Texas to Tinian and Tokyo Bay" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Patton's Madness
Jim Sudmeier
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811738545, $22.95, HC, 280pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: His commanding officer, General Dwight D. Eisenhower called General George S. Patton "mentally unbalanced" and "just like a time bomb," and indeed, the egotistical, mercurial, aggressive Patton is perhaps as well known for his questionable behavior and eccentric beliefs as for his daring battlefield exploits.

"Patton's Madness: The Dark Side of a Battlefield Genius" by Jim Sudmeier is a succinct but probing assessment of Patton's life based on strong research in primary sources and knowledge of psychology that considers the mind of Patton: what made this military genius tick?

To what extent was Patton's boldness and brilliance as a general, his willingness to welcome risk and danger, connected to his unstable personality? Sudmeier presents a myth-shattering reconsideration of one of military history's most famous commanders.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, thoughtful and thought-provoking study, "Patton's Madness: The Dark Side of a Battlefield Genius" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library 20th Century American Military History collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Patton's Madness" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.90).

Editorial Note: Jim Sudmeier is a scientist and writer originally from Minneapolis. He holds degrees from Carleton College and Princeton University, has taught at UCLA and UC Riverside, has held a National Institutes of Health fellowship at Oxford, and for twenty-eight years before his retirement was senior lecturer at Tufts Medical School.

German Ground Forces of World War II
William T. McCroden & Thomas E. Nutter
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611211092, $59.95, HC, 544pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "German Ground Forces of World War II: Complete Orders of Battle for Army Groups, Armies, Army Corps, and Other Commands of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, September 1, 1939 to May 8, 1945" offers the first comprehensive order of battle for German ground troops throughout the Second World War, from the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, to the destruction of the last remnants of Germany's Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in Berlin in 1945. Unlike similar works, these orders of battle are dynamic, and so account for the continuously changing character of Germany's ground forces at war.

This massive new reference work by military historians William T. McCroden and Thoms E. Nutter is comprised of informative sections that include: Theater Commands, Army Groups, Armies, and Corps Commands, and presents a detailed analysis of each corresponding order of battle for every German field formation above division.

Additional new ground is broken by also describing the orders of battle of the myriad German and Axis satellite formations assigned to security commands throughout occupied Europe and the combat zones, as well as those attached to fortress commands and to the commanders of German occupation forces in Eastern and Western Europe. An accompanying narrative describes the career of each field formation and includes the background and experience of many of their most famous commanding officers.

For the first time in the pages of "German Ground Forces Of World War II", military buffs can follow the career of every German division, corps, army, and army group as the German armed forces shifted units to and from theaters of war, from the period of triumphant successes to the years of grinding defensive warfare and eventual defeat.

Critique: A seminal work of extraordinary, detailed, and meticulously researched scholarship, "German Ground Forces of World War II: Complete Orders of Battle for Army Groups, Armies, Army Corps, and Other Commands of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, September 1, 1939 to May 8, 1945" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library World War II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "German Ground Forces of World War II" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).

Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc
James D. McLeroy & Gregory W. Sanders
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781612008127, $34.95, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The strategic potential of the three-day attack of two NVA regiments on Kham Duc, a remote and isolated Army Special Forces camp, on the eve of the first Paris peace talks in May 1968, was so significant that former President Lyndon Johnson included it in his memoirs.

"Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc" by James D. McLeroy and Gregory W. Sanders is grippingly original, eyewitness narrative and thoroughly researched analysis of a widely misinterpreted battle at the height of the Vietnam War that radically contradicts all the other published accounts of it.

In addition to the tactical details of the combat narrative, the authors consider the grand strategies and political contexts of the U.S. and North Vietnamese leaders.

Critique: Enhanced for academia and the reader with the inclusion of a nineteen page Appendix, a five page Glossary, a twenty-one page listing of Sources, and an eight page Index, "Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Vietnam War Military History collections and supplemental studies lists. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it should be noted for military buffs that "Bait: The Battle of Kham Duc" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Both co-authors are former Army officers and Vietnam War veterans. James D. McLeroy lived at Kham Duc and led an elite group of U.S. and indigenous Special Forces troops in the battle. Additionally, Gregory Sanders witnessed a detailed analysis of the battle at the Americal Division headquarters prior to a joint U.S. and South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) operation at and around Kham Duc in 1970.

4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death
Darrell E. Fawley III
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476676050, $45.00, PB, 229pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The Triangle of Death in Iraq, south of Baghdad, was a raging inferno of insurgent activity in August of 2006; by November 2007, attacks had been suppressed to such an extent as to return the area to near obscurity. In the intervening months, the U.S. Army 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry ("Polar Bears") employed a counterinsurgency approach that set the conditions for a landmark peace agreement that holds to this day.

With a focus on counterinsurgency, "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death" by Darrell Fawley is the first to take a detailed and documented look at the breadth of military operations in Yusifiyah, Iraq, and analyze the methods the Polar Bears employed. It is a story not of those who fought in the Triangle of Death, but of how they fought.

Critique: Enhanced for the benefit of military historians with the inclusion of a two page listing of Acronyms and Abbreviations, ten pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a five page Index, "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death" is a seminal and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library American Military History collections in general, and Iraqi War History supplemental studies reading lists in particular. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: U.S. Army officer Darrell E. Fawley III's writing has appeared in Infantry magazine, Army magazine and Small Wars Journal.


The Biography Shelf

According to Kate
Chris Enss
TwoDot
c/o Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493037735, $24.95

According to Kate: The Legendary Life of Big Nose Kate, Love of Doc Holliday deserves a spot in any American history or biography collection and covers the life of Doc Holliday's romantic interest. Unlike most historical biographies which retell known facts, this uses rare, never before published material Kate collected herself in anticipation of writing her own autobiography, which never attracted the interest of publishers. Her insights about life in the wild west exposes the reality behind famous historical events, adding personal observations and insights that could not have come from any researched recreation of events. This lively story, told partially in her own words, is a top recommendation for any American history holding strong in women's experiences and the realities of the American West's exploration and powerful figures.

What's Up, Doc?: A Surgeon's Story
Dr. Riaz Mohammed
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973668817, $30.95, HC, 178pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Riaz Mohammed was born into a Muslim family in Pakistan. While a boy in the village of Gujarat, he witnessed another young boy chasing cattle into a fast-flowing stream. The boy was pulled from the water, but there was nothing that could be done for him -- and he died. That was when Riaz decided to be a doctor so he could help people.

Eventually, Riaz and his family immigrated to Scotland. There, he was treated unkindly, but he was determined to navigate his way through life. At age sixteen, he saw a vision of Jesus Christ while at camp. He converted to Christianity, which only made his life more complicated, but he studied hard and became a surgeon.

Riaz had started a family of his own and was at the top of his career as a physician when he contracted Hepatitis B-and he had to start over again in an entirely new way. Through it all, God worked in miraculous ways to never let him down.

Critique: A deftly written and impressively inspiring life story, "What's Up, Doc? a Surgeon's Story" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "What's Up, Doc? a Surgeon's Story" is also available in a paperback edition (9781973668800, $13.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.99).

Rerun Era
Joanna Howard
McSweeney's
https://www.mcsweeneys.net
9781944211677, $24.00, HC, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Rerun Era is a captivating, propulsive memoir by Joanna Howard about growing up in the environmentally and economically devastated rural flatlands of Oklahoma, the entwinement of personal memory and the memory of popular culture, and a family thrown into trial by lost love and illness that found common ground in the television. Told from the magnetic perspective of Joanna's past selves from the late '70s and early '80s, "Rerun Era" circles the fascinating psyches of her part-Cherokee teamster truck-driving father, her women's libber mother, and her skateboarder, rodeo bull-riding teenage brother.

Illuminating to our rural American present, and the way popular culture portrays the rural American past, "Rerun Era" captures the irony of growing up in rural America in the midst of nationalistic fantasies of small town local sheriffs and saloon girls, which manifested the urban cowboy, wild west theme-parks, and The Beverly Hillbillies.

Critique: With a decidedly impressive and deftly crafted lyric prose style, Joanna Howard's memoir is an inherently engaging and insightfully thoughtful read that is hallmarked by a very special and candid sense of humor. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Rerun Era" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Joanna Howard is a writer and translator from Miami, Oklahoma who teaches in the literature PhD program at Denver University. She is also the author of the novel Foreign Correspondent, the story collections On the Winding Stair and In the Colorless Round, and Field Glass, a collaborative novel written with Joanna Ruocco. She has co-translated Walls by Marcel Cohen and Cows by Frederic Boyer.

Becoming C. S. Lewis
Harry Lee Poe
Crossway Books
www.crossway.org
9781433562730, $22.99, HC, 312pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The writings of C. S. Lewis cannot be fully understood or appreciated apart from a grasp of his formative adolescent years from 1898 to 1918. Unfortunately, many biographies speed over this important season of Lewis's life.

Slowing down to focus on his younger years, "Becoming C. S. Lewis: A Biography of Young Jack Lewis" offers a detailed portrait of "Jack" Lewis helps us discover seeds of what would inform his later writings -- such as his delight in literature, his key relationships, his suffering and struggles, and his intense pursuit of joy.

The chapters comprising "Becoming C. S. Lewis" unfold the habits and tastes he developed while at boarding school, in college, and in the army, revealing where we see these themes appear in his works -- bringing to life the man readers have come to know as C. S. Lewis.

Critique: The first volume in a planned trilogy, "Becoming C. S. Lewis: A Biography of Young Jack Lewis" offers a deftly presented and comprehensive view of the early life of C. S. Lewis and is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library biography collections in general, and C. S. Lewis supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Becoming C. S. Lewis" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.19).

Editorial Note: Harry Lee Poe (who holds a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the Charles Colson University Professor of Faith and Culture at Union University, where he has taught a course on C. S. Lewis for over fifteen years. He is the author of The Inklings of Oxford and C. S. Lewis Remembered, as well as numerous articles. Poe hosts regular Inklings Weekend retreats and is a speaker on Lewis at major libraries worldwide.

Meryl Streep: On the Couch
Alma Bond
Bancroft Press
PO Box 65360, Baltimore, MD 21209
www.bancroftpress.com
9781610884990, $27.95, HC, 260pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Meryl Streep is a Hollywood icon, a political activist, a twenty-plus Oscar-nominated actress, and a mystery. The Devil Wears Prada, Kramer v. Kramer, Julie & Julia, Mama Mia!, Sophie's Choice, as an actress Meryl does it all. But who is she when the camera stops rolling? What are the thoughts that she keeps hidden?

Enter Dr. Darcy Dale. The most successful psychoanalyst in New York City, Dr. Dale has treated a number of the most famous and exceptional women in the world. Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O., and Barbra Streisand have all managed to find their way to the doorstep of the office of this psychoanalyst.

Fully aware of Dr. Dale's notability, Streep decides to pay her a call, but not for psychiatric treatment. The actress hopes to observe Dr. Dale as a means of preparing for her next role as a psychoanalyst. The two strike a deal: Streep will undergo analysis herself, just as psychoanalysts must do as part of their education.

In the newest installment of her 'On the Couch' series, Dr. Alma H. Bond gives us a seat on the couch next to Meryl as the actress prepares for her next role, and Dr. Dale performs an analysis of one of Hollywood's most talented actresses. What follows is one of the most thorough and comprehensive biographies of Meryl Streep.

In this detailed guide to all that made Meryl, anything you have ever wondered is chronicled in Dr. Dale's session notes. In-depth research spanning Streep's ancestry, childhood, college years, romantic entanglements, and more all finds its way onto these pages. Anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about Meryl Streep as a person, or has an interest in her acting methods, will undoubtedly lap up this book's fascinating contents.

"Meryl Streep: On the Couch" offers what no other biography can: a psychoanalytic perspective into the life and mind of Meryl Streep. While the media gives us the most versatile and amazing actress of her generation, Dr. Bond gives us the mother, the wife, the woman.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and impressively informative biography of an inherently fascinating and impressively talented woman, "Meryl Streep: On the Couch" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections, as well as the personal reading lists of the legions of Meryl Streep fans.


The International Studies Shelf

After ISIS
Seth J. Frantzman
Gefen Publishing House
c/o 3PLCenter, 3003 Woodbridge Ave., Edison, NJ 08837
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657023099 $16.95 pbk / $9.84 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: This book, based on four years of on-the-ground reporting, research in ten countries in the Middle East, a thousand hours of interviews with key players and access to generals, spies, policymakers, soldiers and refugees, is the first comprehensive look at the defeat of ISIS and the future reshaping of the Middle East. It provides a unique window into the battle for the heart and soul of the Muslim world and lays out why we need to be informed about changes on the ground after the defeat of ISIS. More than seventy countries are members of the international coalition formed in 2014 to defeat Islamic State (ISIS).

After ISIS provides a sobering blueprint for how the US and regional powers will re-shape the region in years to come. Understanding these events and the choices ahead will determine if ISIS and similar ideologies reemerge, whether a new war between the US, its allies and Iran comes in the wake of ISIS, or if a younger generation of leaders can carve out a new Middle East. As ISIS recedes, the world is at a unique historic crossroads in the Middle East. Decisions made now in the region and in Washington matter more than ever. Tehran and the US are increasingly on a collision course to struggle over the vacuum left behind by ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Critique: After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East is a studious analysis of the years after the defeat of ISIS in the middle east. Tensions, instability, and a power vacuum threaten to kindle a renewed conflict, especially when Iranian and American interests in the region clash. In order to forge the most effective strategy going forward, it is essential to understand the mistakes and realities of the past, making After ISIS an absolutely invaluable reference, resourse, and contribution to public and college library International Studies shelves. Highly recommended. It should be noted for personal reading lists that After ISIS is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.84).

Political Corruption in Africa
Inge Amundsen, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781788972512, $130.00, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Expertly compiled and edited by Inge Amundsen (who is a Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway), "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and Power Preservation" is an insightful and collective study analyzing political corruption as a distinct but separate entity from bureaucratic corruption. In a timely publication, "Political Corruption in Africa" separates these two very different social phenomena in a way that is often overlooked in contemporary studies. Individual chapters argue that political corruption includes two basic, critical and related processes: extractive and power-preserving corruption.

Evaluating seven key case studies, "Political Corruption in Africa" illustrates the theoretical basis of corruption and provides a political-economy analysis of the topic, using examples from Sub-Saharan Africa. Outlining how and who is involved, these cases explore the present conditions that enable political corruption. The contemporary study also highlights how political corruption undermines the political will to curb corruption, a key area that traditional anti-corruption efforts have failed in.

A pertinent and forward-thinking contribution to the field, "Political Corruption in Africa" will be of interest to those working in anti-corruption, including in aid agencies, national NGOs and government agencies. It will also be useful to development studies, development economics and political theory scholars.

Critique: Comprised of nine erudite and informative articles by experts in this specific field of study, "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and Power Preservation" is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a twelve page Index. An impressively detailed and documented work of collective and seminal scholarship, "Political Corruption in Africa: Extraction and Power Preservation" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, university, as well as corporate and governmental library International Political Science collections in general, and Contemporary African Studies supplemental curriculum reading lists.

Surviving the Peace
Peter Lippman
Vanderbilt University Press
VU Station B 351813, Nashville, TN 37235-1813
www.vanderbiltuniversitypress.com
9780826522610, $27.95, HC, 488pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Surviving the Peace: The Struggle for Postwar Recovery in Bosnia-Herzegovina" by Peter Lippman is a monumental feat of ground-level reporting describing two decades of postwar life in Bosnia, specifically among those fighting for refugee rights of return. Unique in its breadth and profoundly humanitarian in its focus, "Surviving the Peace" situates digestible explanations of the region's bewilderingly complex recent history among interviews, conversations, and tableaus from the lives of everyday Bosnians attempting to make sense of what passes for normal in a postwar society.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Surviving the Peace" is essential reading for anyone interested in postwar or post-genocide studies in general, and the Bosnia- Herzegovina conflict in particular. Also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49), "Surviving the Peace" is a perfect example of long-form reporting, an impossible accomplishment without a lifetime of dedication to a place and people and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections.

Editorial Note: Peter Lippman is a professional journalist and dedicated human rights activist. A fascination with the ethnography of southeast Europe led him to Yugoslavia in the early 1980s. He lived and worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina for two years after the war, and has returned many times since then. Over more than two decades, he has closely followed the efforts of grassroots activists to return to their prewar homes, to fight corruption and discrimination, and to regain their rights.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Bloodborne: The Veil, Torn Asunder
Ales Kot, author
Piotr Kowalski, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787730151, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Yharnam has descended into madness. Yarem came to the city a long time ago, a man with a past spent in shackles. He found a new purpose in travel and discovery... but what he will find in Yharnam will test the limits of not just his desire, but also his sanity. As Yharnam falls apart, Yarem realizes his own perception of time and space is becoming radically altered. The walls of reality buckle and fold. He sees the Moon fill with blood. Yarem decides to descend deeper into the madness, and boldly discover the new horizons of reality. The price for such sights may be his life -- or at the very least his sanity.

Critique: Featuring the stunning artwork of Piotr Kowalski, this inherently fascinating fourth volume of graphic novelist Ales Kot's Bloodborne series, "The Veil Torn Asunder" is an absolutely compelling read from first page to last. While highly recommended for community library Graphic Novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Bloodborne: The Veil, Torn Asunder" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $11.54).

Editorial Note: Piotr Kowalski is a comic book writer and artist from Poland. Some of his work includes Robocop, Gail, Marvel Knights: Hulk, Dark Tower, Sex, Dark Souls and Titan's Wolfenstein series.

Ales Kot is a writer, director and producer with primary focus on film, comics, television and video games. He's responsible for Image titles such as Zero, Wolf, Material Change, The Surface, and Wild Children, comics which have received many accolades from media such as Wired, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and many others. He lives, unsurprisingly, mostly in Los Angeles.

Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone
Guillaume Dorison, author
Ennio Bufi, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787734258, $9.99, HC, 48pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Tomo, who as a child was the lone survivor of a Templar massacre of his Assassin's village in the mountains of Japan, became one of the youngest members of the Japanese Assassin cell when he uncovered a complex conspiracy. More of a man of science than a man of action, Tomo investigates further, leading him to follow the footsteps of Assassins that operated during the Vietnam War. But what secrets will he uncover?

Critique: The latest addition to the growing library of Assassin/Templar graphic novels, "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" is a deftly scripted, beautifully illustrated, and unreservedly recommended addition to both personal and community library collections. An inherently riveting read from cover to cover, it should be noted that "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Guillaume Dorison is a French comic book writer who often writes under the pseudonym Izu, including the complete series 'Omega Complex' and 'Crusades'. In 2011, he signed with Glenat for the comic strip series adapted from the new adventures of the 'Little Prince' , as well as for several titles of the Explora collection for the same publisher. He also wrote the adaptation of the video game 'Devil May Cry'

Born in Italy in 1976, Ennio Bufi graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bari. From 2007 to 2010, he worked in animation and participated in several productions as a graphic designer and character designer. In Italy, he has been an artist of 'Geronimo Stilton' books and of 'Giorgio Perlasca, un uomo comune', a comic about the life of Italian war hero Giorgio Perlasca created with Marco Sonseri for Renoir Comics. After having been noticed for his work as an illustrator, he published for the first time in France with Grand Angle, a book entitled Clandestino written by Marzano. In 2013, he then worked with Geronimo Stilton on a children's series at Glenat. In 2016, he illustrated Vertigo at Lombard and joined Humanoids to take over the Carthago series from Milan Jovanovic.

Robotech Remix: Deja Vu
Brendon Fletcher
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781787730298, $16.99, PB, 112pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After the events of Titan's first Robotech comic volume, the humans' war with alien invaders has ended -- but the threat to mankind is not over. Ace pilot Dana Sterling had traveled back in time to help in the war, but she has become trapped in a remixed past of her own making. Now mysterious new enemies have emerged and Dana could be the only person who can stop them!

Critique: "Robotech Remix: Deja Vu" is comprised of issues 1 to 4 of Titan Comics' outstanding Robotech science fiction series by Brenden Fletcher and is a 'must read' for the legions of Robotech fans. While especially recommended for community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that ""Robotech Remix: Deja Vu" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Brenden Fletcher is a New York Times bestselling writer of comic books and animation. His current projects include "Motor Crush" and "Isola" for Image Comics and "Robotech" for Titan Comics. His previous work includes DC Comics' "Batgirl of Burnside", the YA mystery/adventure series "Gotham Academy" and Entertainment Weekly's "Best New Series" of 2015, "Black Canary". Brenden also contributed the acclaimed Flash story to the Eisner and Harvey Award winning "Wednesday Comics", co-created the Power Rangers: Pink" mini-series for Boom! Studios and contributed to "Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network" and the "Attack on Titan" anthology for Kodansha.

Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind
Jody Houser, author
Roberta Ingranata, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785868894, $16.99, PB, 104pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" the 13th Doctor and her companions visit an inter-galactic fair for some down time, only to realize things aren't all as they seem. Both their minds and the TARDIS' logs have been tampered with, and in a bid to discover just what in Gallifrey's name is going on, they head to a distant planet where they encounter a mysterious festive figure involved in an audacious plot!

Critique: An absolute 'must' for the collections and reading lists of all dedicated Doctor Who fans, "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" is an impressively illustrated and fully original contribution to the growing library of Doctor Who science fiction adventures. While absolutely certain to be an immensely popular addition to community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Doctor Who: Time Out of Mind" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Jody Houser is the bestselling and critically-acclaimed comics writer behind such titles as Faith, Mother Panic, Star Wars: Rogue One, Star Wars: Thrawn, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Supergirl, Orphan Black, James Bond: Moneypenny, and The X-Files: Origins, to name but a few.

Roberta Ingranata is an Italian comic artist from Milan. She has worked for various publishers both in Europe and the US. After working on Robyn Hood, she went on to become the regular artist on Witchblade and Titan's Doctor Who - The Thirteenth Doctor.

Hawkmoon - The History of the Runestaff Volume 2
James Cawthorn
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785864230, $39.99, HC, 136pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Set in a post-apocalyptic world where sorcery and science live side by side, the Dark Empire of Granbretan, formerly Great Britain, has risen from the ashes of nuclear Armageddon to become the mightiest empire the world has ever known. Now under the despotic rule of the immortal King-Emperor Huon, the empire is expanding its diabolical reach across what was once Europe. Against the backdrop of political intrigue, arcane magic, flying machines and high adventure, one man, Dorian Hawkmoon, the Duke of Koln, continues his fight to stop Huon's evil once and for all.

Critique: Deftly adapted and dramatically drawn in black and white by the critically acclaimed artist and writer James Cawthorn. this second and concluding volume of The Chronicles of Hawkmoon: Runestaff by sword and sorcery fantasy master Michael Moorcock's is the culmination of Cawthorn and Moorcock's grand vision and mark the conclusion of a saga 40 years in the telling. A compelling and memorable read from cover to cover, "The Chronicles of Hawkmoon: The History of the Runestaff - Volume 2" is unreservedly recommended for community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for the legions of Michael Moorcock fans that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $23.99).

The Future Is Waiting
Pierre Christin, author
Jean-Claude Mezieres, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184359, $13.95, PB, 56pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: After the events of The Time Opener, Valerian and Laureline reverted to childhood, and are now living with Mr Albert on 21st century Earth. But in a universe where time travel is a reality, words like 'after' or even 'now' can be somewhat hazy, and elsewhere, in other times, our young but nonetheless adult agents are still working tirelessly to maintain a galactic peace threatened as always by greed and the thirst for power.

Editorial: Another superbly crafted science fiction story in the on-going Valerian and Laureline saga, "The Future Is Waiting" by the creative team of Christin and Mezieres is a 'must' addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated science fiction fans. While unreservedly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted that "The Future Is Waiting" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Jean-Claude Mezieres and Pierre Christin created Valerianin 1967 after working in the USA together, one as a cowboy, the other a teacher. While Valerianis Mezieres'only comic series, he has worked as an illustrator in many other areas, including designs and sets for The Fifth Element, and he was awarded the Grand Prix du festival d'Angouleme in 1984. Christin also works in collaboration with other artists such as Tardiand Bilaland writes novels and film scripts.

The Betrayed Sorceress
Van Hamme, author
Grzegorz Rosinski, illustrator
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184434, $19.95, PB, 96pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Thorgal's coming-of-age is painfully similar to the rest of his life: the young man finds himself tied up to the stone of sacrifice by Gandalf the Mad, king of the Vikings of the North and father of his beloved Aaricia. There, the Child of the Stars can do nothing but wait for the coming tide - and death. Until, that is, a mysterious sorceress with flaming red hair comes to offer him a deal: his life, and revenge, against one year in her service.

Critique: Another deftly penned, beautifully illustrated, action/adventure saga of swords and sorceries, "The Betrayed Sorceress" is another wonderfully entertaining graphic novel in the Thorgal series by the team of author Van Hamme and illustrator Grzegorz Rosinski. While very strongly recommended for community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for the growing legions of Thorgal fans that "The Betrayed Sorceress" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle & comiXology, $8.46).

Editorial Note: Jean Van Hammewas born in 1939 in Belgium. His major breakthrough came in 1977, when he created the Vikinghero Thorgalfor Grzegorz Rosinski. The mix of medieval legends and heroic fantasy soon became a huge success, with major awards following. He is also the creator of the bestselling series Largo Winchand XIII (published in English by Cinebook).

Grzegorz Rosinskiis one of the most popular artists of comic books in Western Europe. Among his later works are the series Chninkel (with Van Hamme) and a series titled Lament of the Lost Moors (with Jean Dufaux). In 2001, the Rosinski/Van Hamme duo published yet another comic book titled Western, based in the American Old West.


The Audiobook Shelf

Big Lies in a Small Town
Diane Chamberlain, author
Read by Susan Bennett
dianechamberlain.com
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250259929 $39.99 amazon.com

Synopsis: North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold - until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

Critique: Now available as an unabridged audiobook, Big Lies in a Small Town is a psychological mystery-thriller about secrets buried decades in the past. Two tales set in a sleepy North Carolina town unfold - one in the present, one in the past, but both revolve around the murderous intentions hidden with the art of a post office mural. Superbly performed by Susan Bennett, Big Lies in a Small Town is a choice pick for connoisseurs of the genre. 11 CDs, 13.5 hours.

Good Girls Lie
J.T. Ellison
Performed by Fiona Hardingham
Harlequin Audio
c/o Blackstone Publishing
Downpour.com
9781982646134 $39.99 amazon.com

Synopsis: Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, the Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions, and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely... because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

Critique: Award-winning author J.T. Ellison presents Good Girls Lie, a tale of suspense superbly adapted to unabridged audiobook format and brought to life by Fiona Hardingham's gripping performance. Good Girls Lie is set at a boarding school for the best and brightest daughters of wealthy and influential people. Then, amid this environment of elite young women preparing for Ivy League universities, a popular student is found dead. Rumors swirl that she had a bitter secret that drove her to suicide, but are the rumors true? Good Girls Lie is interwoven with sinister motives, intrigue, and deception, and will keep the reader guessing to the very end. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre. 10 CDs, 12 hours.

Alone in the Wild
Kelley Armstrong, author
Read by Therese Plummer
Macmillan Audio
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250260871 $39.99 CD / $26.99 digital amazon.com

Synopsis: Every season in Rockton seems to bring a new challenge. At least that's what Detective Casey Duncan has felt since she decided to call this place home. Between all the secretive residents, the sometimes-hostile settlers outside, and the surrounding wilderness, there's always something to worry about.

While on a much needed camping vacation with her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, Casey hears a baby crying in the woods. The sound leads them to a tragic scene: a woman buried under the snow, murdered, a baby still alive in her arms.

A town that doesn't let anyone in under the age of eighteen, Rockton must take care of its youngest resident yet while solving another murder and finding out where the baby came from - and whether she's better off where she is.

Critique: Alone in the Wild is the unabridged audiobook rendition of the fifth novel in the Casey Duncan mystery series. While camping with her boyfriend (Sheriff Eric Dalton), Casey discovers the body of a murdered woman, and a crying infant. In nearby Rockton, a town normally closed to young people, Casey must look after the baby while determining where it came from and solving the tragic murder. But Rockton's residents each have their own secrets to hide! Tautly written, Alone in the Wild is a masterful work of suspenseful crime fiction, highly recommended. 9 CDs, 10.5 hours.

Dealing Death and Drugs
Beto O'Rourke & Susie Byrd, authors
Jonathan Todd Ross & Andrea Gallo, narrators
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
www.recordedbooks.com
9781980056669, $TBA, CD, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The War on Drugs doesn't work. This became obvious to El Paso City Representatives Susie Byrd and Beto O'Rourke when they started to ask questions about why El Paso's sister city, Ciudad Juarez, has become the deadliest city in the world - 8,000-plus deaths since January 1, 2008. Byrd and O'Rourke soon realized American drug use and United States' failed War on Drugs are at the core of problem.

In "Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico " they explore the costs and consequences of marijuana prohibition. They argue that marijuana prohibition has created a black market so profitable that drug kingpins are billionaires and drug control doesn't stand a chance. Using Juarez as their focus, they describe the business model of drug trafficking and explain why this illicit system has led to the never-ending slaughter of human beings. Their position: the only rational alternative to the War on Drugs is to end to the current prohibition on marijuana.

Critique: This deftly narrated, complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico" is an ideal introduction for the non- specialist general listener to the failed and costly tragedy that is the American so called 'War on Drugs. A particularly timely study into the subject of marijuana prohibition and the current social, cultural, and political trend promoting the legalization of marijuana as a means of combating the crime and corruption its banning had fostered throughout the United States, "Dealing Death and Drugs: The Big Business of Dope in the US and Mexico" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library collections. (3 CDs, 2 Hours, 51 Minutes).

Pressure
David Haig
Directed by Martin Jarvis
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682661048 $29.95 www.latw.org

Synopsis: A Scottish meteorologist locks horns with his American counterpart as both men try to convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that they can accurately predict the atmospheric conditions needed to launch the greatest amphibious assault in the history of mankind - the D-Day invasion.

Pressure was recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in October 2019.

Critique: Pressure is a live-recorded, full-cast production of a play in audiobook format. Set during World War II. A Scottish meteorologist and his American counterpart clash virulently with one another, as both men strive to convince General Dwight D. Eisenhower that their knowledge of atmospheric science can predict the optimal time to launch a mass military landing at Normandy, France. Intensely performed, Pressure vividly portrays the extreme stress of having to make critical decisions that hold millions of lives in the balance. Highly recommended, especially for personal and public library audiobook collections. 2 CDs, 1 hour 43 min.

Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato
Akira Hayasaka
Translated by Ichiko Flynn & Robert Solomon
Directed by Mako
L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
9781682661192 $29.95 www.latw.org

Synopsis: As the Japanese battleship Yamato steams towards the island of Okinawa in the closing months of World War II, a naval officer on board makes an unexpected discovery among the stores of rice, leeks, and pickled radishes. A child has stowed away there, hoping to return to her mother on Okinawa. His reluctant decision to protect her prompts a voyage of inner discovery and stirs emotions as deep as the seas that threaten to swallow his unsinkable ship.

Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato was recorded live in performance at the Doubletree Guest Suites, Santa Monica, in July 1995.

Critique: Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato is a live-recorded, full-cast production of a play in audiobook format. Set aboard an "unsinkable" Japanese warship during the final months of World War II, Bogaazan! begins with the discovery of a stowaway child, which sets of a host of emotions in a naval officer who resolves to protect her. But amid the dire peril of war, can any life truly be protected? Bogaazan! The Child on the Battleship Yamato is a welcome addition to personal and public library audiobook collections, highly recommended. 1 CD, 53 min.

Hachette Audio
www.hachetteaudio.com

Three new audios are recommended picks for any audio enthusiast looking for satisfying and involving nonfiction listening. Sarah Knight's F*ck No! How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can't, You Shouldn't, Or You Just Don't Want To (9781549120749, $30.00) is narrated by the author herself and focuses on how to make 'no' a more positive and more instinctual response for those who always take on more than they can handle, whenever asked. It addresses issues of burnout and overwork and provides strategies that support the idea of declining invitations that aren't right or are too demanding. Joel Osteen's The Power of Favor: The Force That Will Take You Where You Can't Go On Your Own (9781478987130, $25.00) is also read by the author, who lends a solid and engrossing voice to his story about God's work behind the scenes of life. Spiritual readers looking for inspirational listens with keys to better living daily life will find this a powerful discussion of blessings, fulfillment, and how to recognize and lead a favored life. Donald Trump Jr.'s Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us (9781549155253, $35.00) is narrated by James Edward Thomas, who brings to life Don Jr.'s words about not just his life and his father's experiences, but his vision for the country. It's unexpected humor blends into a political admonition that should be listened to by all sides: the right for its right-wing affirmations and the left for understanding his specific perspectives.


The Library CD Shelf

Excursions and Adventures
Tim Ray, piano
John Patitucci, acoustic/electric bass
Terri Lyne Carrington, drums
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 amazon.com

Excursions and Adventures is a jazz album consisting of both original pieces and pop music covers, featuring Tim Ray's masterful piano playing, Terri Lyne Carrington's rhythmic drumming, and John Patitucci's sizzling performance on acoustic/electric bass. These vivacious, brilliant arrangements are an extraordinary audio experience for jazz connoisseurs, highly recommended! The tracks are "Nothing From Nothing", "Maria", "Gone, Not Forgotten", "Paint it Black", "Trinkle Tinkle", "Unconditional Love", "Messiaen's Gumbo", "Yours is My Heart Alone", "Samsara", "Yo 11", and "Paint it Black".

Earth
Expansions: The Dave Liebman Group
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$16.99 CD amazon.com

Saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman and the group Expansions presents Earth, the fourth and final album in his thematic series; the Expansions group includes Bobby Avey on piano, MattVashlishan on reeds, Alex Ritz on drums, and Tony Marino on bass. The original songs evoke the themes of the Earth as a living entity, and its interconnections with all beings. A striking, resonant soundscape, Earth is highly recommended especially to connoisseurs of extraordinary saxophone music. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Earth Theme", "Bass Interlude", "Volcano/Avalanche", "Percussion/Flute Interlude", "The Sahara", "Soprano Saxophone Interlude", "Grand Canyon/Mt. Everest", "Drum Interlude", "Concrete Jungle", "Piano Interlude", "Dust to Dust", "Wind Synthesizer Interlude", "Galaxy", and "Earth Theme (reprise)". 47 min., 37 sec. The other albums in the quadrilogy are "Water" (with Pat Metheny, Billy Hart, and Cecil McBee), "Air" (with Walter Quintus), and "Fire" (featuring Kenny Werner, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland).

Cerulean
Eleon
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$13.98 CD / $9.03 MP3 amazon.com

Cerulean is a quiescent electronic music album, crafted especially to ease connoisseurs of lounge-style groove. The smooth, wordless rhythms create a sense of loose, free-flowing ease. Cerulean is a choice pick for connoisseurs of chill music, highly recommended. The tracks are "Mariah's Dream", "Once There Was a Place Like This", "The Crystal Portal", "Migration", "Winston's Journey", "Right Before My Eyes" and "Cerulean". 47 min., 22 sec.

Memories of Water and Light
Scott Cossu
www.scottcossu.com
Heart Dance Records
www.heartdancerecords.com
$12.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Memories of Water and Light is a contemporary, instrumental, new age music album about the beauty and sadness in the cycle of life. The songs flow gently, fostering a sense of peaceful insight, and brimming with tenderness. Memories of Water and Light is a treasure, and also makes an excellent gift. The tracks are "Wedding Lanterns", "Memories of Water and Light", "Cerulean Eyes", "Follow Your Heart", "Here With You", "Makena", "Luminoso", "Ascending Angels", "Lucid Watercolors", and "Last Snow".

Love Story
Robin Spielberg
playMountain Music
$14.98 CD / $9.49 MP3 amazon.com

Love Story is Robin Spielberg's nineteenth album, showcasing her extraordinary talent to arrange and perform hit songs (originally written by a variety of music artists) solo piano. Each enduring "radio favorite" song gets its own unique spin, in this joy for piano connoisseurs. Highly recommended! The tracks are "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "100 Years", "Alone By Myself (All By Myself)", "Alone Again, Naturally", "Love Story Theme (Where Do I Begin?)", "If", "Viva La Vida", "Don't Dream It's Over", "You Light Up My Life", "My Hometown", "When We Were Young", "Both Sides Now", "Love is Blue", "What I Did For Love", "Make You Feel My Love", and "And So It Goes".

Around The Sun
Kirsten Agresta Copely
www.musiccityharp.com
Privately Published
$15.00 CD / $8.91 MP3 amazon.com

Clasically trained harpist, composer, and arranger Kirsten Agresta Copely presents Around The Sun, an original, new age harp album designed to sweep the listener on a 365-day voyage inspired by the Earth's revolution about the star that powers all its life. A bold, captivating way to experience the harp, Around The Sun makes a welcome addition to personal and public library music CD collections. The tracks are "Daybreak", "Wind Made Moan", "Persephone Rising", "Surya", "The Silver Swan", "Water Lilies", "Fall Leaves, Fall", "Riflessioni (Reflections)", and "Winter's Bone". 40 min., 19 sec.

Peace In This Land
Bob Yonker
Shared Dreams
shareddreamsmusic.com
$TBA CD / $8.91 MP3 amazon.com

Peace In This Land is an original album of spiritual, solo piano music. Tranquil and calming, Peace In This Land wraps the listener in a soothing audio cocoon, and is a choice pick for meditation, for supporting concentration, or for gift-giving. Highly recommended. The tracks are "A Morning Meditation", "Repeating Grace", "Whisper Of The Wind", "Golden", "The Third Day Dawns", "Circle Of Light", "In The Still Of The Night", "Sun And Moon", and "Peace In This Land".

A Better Life
Mindful Music Association
mindfulmusicassociation.com
$24.99 CD amazon.com

A Better Life: An Introduction to the Mindful Music Association is a 2-CD album by the nonprofit Mindful Music Association, which supports educational outreach about the benefits of mindful music, especially for students in grades K-12. The CDs feature 26 tracks of mellifluous music by a variety of artists. All songs promote relaxation and harmony, and are well-suited to reduce stress, improve sleep, elevate mood, assist in meditation, and aid in general wellbeing - valuable qualities for students who need to devote their focus to mastering lessons. Soothing and mind-expanding, A Better Life is highly recommended for personal, public library, and school library music CD collections. The disc one tracks are "Gliding the Current", "Sapphire Moon", "Afternoon Reflection", "Inside This River", "Sea of Tranquility", "Heaven's Gate", "Pure Joy", "Breathe", "Take the Time (Learning to Knit", "Be Still", "Equanimity", "Peaceful Forest", and "In The Gloaming", The disc two tracks are "When I Was Young", "Finding You", "Berceuse for a Star Child", "Art of Life", "Looking Back", "Now", "Levels of Peace", "Mindful Moments", "Dream Time", "Gentle Sunshine", "Lavender Moons", "A Thousand Charms", and "Meditation on a Moonlit Lake".


The Library DVD Shelf

The Good Karma Hospital, series 3
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
www.acornonline.com
$39.99 DVD or Blu-ray

Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, The Good Karma Hospital, series 3 continues the powerful and emotional medical drama, set in a coastal town in Southern India, where junior doctor Ruby Walker (played by Amrita Acharia) labors at an overburdened cottage hospital, with scant access to resources. In series three, an idealist on the hospital's nursing team suffers a violent attack, and Dr. Walker must settle her priorities between the hospital and the Indian family she has become close to. Her relationship with Dr. Gabriel Varma (played by James Krishna Floyd) is jeopardized by the presence of a striking, world-class surgeon from Gabriel's past. The Good Karma Hospital, series 3is a choice pick for medical drama enthusiasts, highly recommended. Bonus materials include a 17-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs or 2 Blu-ray discs, 285 min.

Keeping Faith, series 2
Starring Eve Myles
Acorn Media
www.acornonline.com
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$39.99 DVD / $39.99 Blu-ray

Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, Keeping Faith, series 2 continues the award- winning Acorn TV Original Series, which as of this writing has become the most-viewed "non- network" show on the BBC iPlayer. The protagonist Faith (played by Eve Myles) is a lawyer, wife, and mother, stricken by the aftermath of the disappearance of her husband in series 1. Keeping Faith, series 2 is a six-part thriller that follows Faith as she deals with her husband's debt to a vicious crime kingpin, her attraction to a former client, and defending a farmer's wife whom Faith believes has been falsely accused of her husband's murder. Intense, beautifully shot, and featuring complex, compelling characters, Keeping Faith, series 2 is highly recommended. Bonus materials include a 33-minute behind-the-scenes featurette. 6 episodes on 2 discs, 360 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.

My Life is Murder
Starring Lucy Lawless
Acorn Media
www.acornonline.com
www.us.RLJEntertainment.com
$59.99 DVD / $59.99 Blu-ray

Available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, My Life is Murder is a modern-day detective drama featuring award-winning actress Lucy Lawless (known for her starring role in the "Xena: Warrior Princess" series) as Alexa Crowe, a private investigator and ex-homicide detective who solves complex crimes while navigating everyday difficulties. She has a particular talent for drawing out secrets hidden amid the darkest recesses of human nature. Set in Australia's bustling city of Melbourne, My Life Is Murder is a smoothly written, vivaciously performed, and highly recommended especially to connoisseurs of the genre. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast and crew interviews, animated shorts, and more. 10 episodes on 3 DVDs or 3 Blu-ray discs, 445 min. plus bonus, SDH subtitles.

Tai Chi Fit Over 60 series
David-Dorian Ross
YMAA Publications
$29.95 each www.ymaa.com

World-class tai chi expert David-Dorian Ross presents three DVDs in the Tai Chi Fit Over 60 series, each of which offers easy-to-learn exercise routines ideal for promoting strength, balance, flexibility, and overall health. The entire series is especially intended to be thoroughly accessible to senior citizens, but their exercises will prove beneficial to all ages. Tai Chi Fit Over 60: Gentle Exercises for Beginners (40 min.) is especially friendly to those new to an exercise regimen. Tai Chi Fit Over 60: Healthy Joints (40 min.) features tai chi moves designed to maintain a range of motion in one's joints and help keep them strong. Tai Chi Fit Over 60: Live Longer Feel Younger (40 min.) is an exercise program designed to improve vitality and overall well-being. All three DVDs are designed so that the viewer does not have to memorize complicated patterns, but rather simply follow along, relax, and enjoy. The Tai Chi Fit Over 60 series is enthusiastically recommended especially for personal fitness DVD shelves, public library DVD collections, and senior center collections.


The Political Science Shelf

We Own the Future
Kate Aronoff, Peter Drier, and Michael Kazin, editors
The New Press
120 Wall Street, floor 31, New York, NY 10005
www.thenewpress.com
9781620975213, $17.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It's a strange day when a New York Times conservative columnist is forced to admit that the left is winning, but as David Brooks wrote recently, "the American left is on the cusp of a great victory." Among Americans under thirty, 43 percent had a favorable view of socialism, while only 32 percent had a favorable view of capitalism. Not since the Great Depression have so many Americans questioned the fundamental tenets of capitalism and expressed openness to a socialist alternative.

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by the team of Peter Dreier (who is the E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics at Occidental College), Michael Kazin (who is a Professor of History at Georgetown University and a co-editor of Dissent magazine), and journalist Kate Aronoff (whose writings have appeared in The Guardian, The Nation, Dissent, Jacobin, and the New York Times), "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism - American Style" offers a road map to making this alternative a reality, giving readers a practical vision of a future that is more democratic, egalitarian, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable.

"We Own the Future" also includes a crash course in the history and practice of democratic socialism, a vivid picture of what democratic socialism in America might look like in practice, and compelling proposals for how to get there from the age of Trump and beyond.

With contributions from some of the nation's leading political activists and analysts, "We Own the Future" articulates a clear and uncompromising view from the left.

Critique: A perfectly timed contribution to our on-going national conversation that is a part of the 2020 presidential campaign and ideological struggle to preserve American values from totalitarian attacks from Trump supporters in Congress and in the general public, "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism American Style" should be a part of every community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections. Indeed, if your community or school library doesn't have it -- then donate a copy. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism American Style" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Democracy's Troubles
John E. Miller
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476681139, $29.95, PB, 219pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: As exemplified with the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, evidence is accumulating that democracy is under siege -- in the United States and around the world. "Democracy's Troubles: Twelve Threats to the American Ideal and How We Can Overcome Them" by John E. Miller identifies and explains a dozen separate challenges threatening American democracy today.

Sorting these challenges into political and social-cultural problems, each is placed in an historical context to describe how they work together to undermine the democratic underpinnings of the nation.

Opening with a sketch of the historical development of democracy, "Democracy's Troubles" makes the case for the need for improved civic education, rebuilding trust in institutions and leaders, promoting good character and the revitalization of the healthy community -- That a renewed commitment to governmental institutions is necessary for the people to fulfill democracy's promise.

Critique: A timely, detailed and documented study, "Democracy's Troubles: Twelve Threats to the American Ideal and How We Can Overcome Them" is impressively informative, exceptionally well presented, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Given today's political divides and the growing threat to constitutional democratic principles and institutions, "Democracy's Troubles" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections, and the personal reading lists of students, academia, politicians, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: John E. Miller taught American history at the University of Tulsa and South Dakota State University for three decades. He has written nine books on Midwestern politics and culture and other topics.

How to Get Rid of a President
David Priess
Public Affairs Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 West 57th Street, #1321, New York, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
9781541788206, $28.00, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: To limit executive power, the founding fathers created fixed presidential terms of four years, giving voters regular opportunities to remove their leaders. Later on in the nation's history the congress acted to limit presidential eligibility to a maxim of two terms. Even so, Americans have often resorted to more dramatic paths to disempower the chief executive. The American presidency has seen it all, from rejecting a sitting president's renomination bid and undermining their authority in office to the more drastic methods of impeachment, and, most brutal of all, assassination.

"How to Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives" showcases the political dark arts in action: a stew of election dramas, national tragedies, and presidential departures mixed with party intrigue, personal betrayal, and backroom shenanigans. This briskly paced, darkly humorous voyage proves that while the pomp and circumstance of presidential elections might draw more attention, the way that presidents are removed teaches us much more about our political order.

Critique: Few books are as topically timely as "How to Get Rid of a President: History's Guide to Removing Unpopular, Unable, or Unfit Chief Executives". An absolutely essential and core addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all citizens, but especially political science students, academia, politicians, and political activists, that "How to Get Rid of a President" is also available in a paperback edition (9781541788220, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781549177101, $35.00, CD).

Editorial Note: David Priess is author of the The President's Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents. He has a PhD in Political Science from Duke University and served at the CIA during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as an intelligence officer, manager, and daily intelligence briefer and at the State Department. Priess writes, speaks, and appears often on broadcast media about the presidency and national security.

From Quills to Tweets
Andrewa J. Dew, et al.
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781626167117, $110.95, HC, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: While today's presidential tweets from Donald Trump may seem a light year apart from the scratch of our Founding Father's quill pens during the era of the American Revolution, the importance of political communication is eternal.

"From Quills to Tweets: How America Communicates about War and Revolution" explores the roles that political narratives, media coverage, and evolving communication technologies have played in precipitating, shaping, and concluding or prolonging wars and revolutions over the course of US history.

The case studies begin with the Sons of Liberty in the era of the American Revolution, cover American wars in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and conclude with a look at the conflict against ISIS in the Trump era. Special chapters also examine how propagandists shaped American perceptions of two revolutions of international significance: the Russian Revolution and the Chinese Revolution.

Each chapter analyzes its subject through the lens of the messengers, messages, and communications technology media to reveal the effects on public opinion and the trajectory and conduct of the conflict. The chapters collectively provide an overview of the history of American strategic communications on wars and revolutions that will interest scholars, students, and communications strategists.

Critique: Collaborative compiled and co-edited by the team of Andrea J. Dew (who is the Maritime Irregular Warfare Forces Chair and Co-Director of the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups at the US Naval War College), Marc A. Genest (who is the Forrest Sherman Professor of Public Diplomacy in the Strategy and Policy Department at the US Naval War College), and S. C. M. Paine (who is the William S. Sims University Professor of History and Grand Strategy at the US Naval War College), "From Quills to Tweets: How America Communicates about War and Revolution" is a unique and extraordinary approach to American political history from the founding of the nation up to the present day. A compelling and inherently fascinating read, "From Quills to Tweets" is a work of exemplary scholarship and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Political History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "From Quills to Tweets" is also available in a paperback edition (9781626167124, $36.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.19).

What Is Post-Modern Conservatism
Matthew McManus
Zero Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing, Ltd.
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781789042450, $23.95, PB, 248pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What is post-modern conservatism? How it has come to dominate the political landscape in many developed countries? Ably compiled and deftly edited by Matt McManus (Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Tec de Monterrey), "What Is Post-Modern Conservatism: Essays On Our Hugely Tremendous Times" touches directly upon how technological, economic, and social transformations of the post-modern epoch have brought about a political landscape where the irrational and traditionalist aspects of conservative thought have mutated into the hugely tremendous, autocratic, and personality cult forms we see today.

Critique: Featuring contributory essays from Dylan De Jong, Erik Tate, Borna Radnik, David Hollands and Conrad Hamilton, "What Is Post-Modern Conservatism: Essays On Our Hugely Tremendous Times" is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand why so many traditional Republicans have left the Republic Party, which itself has mutated into a haven for white supremacists, anti-immigrants, isolationists, entrench hostilities toward democratic institutions such as the State Department and the Judiciary, and effectively becoming a Donald Trump oriented cult of personality movement willing to abandoned traditional conservative Republic values of personal decency, balanced budgets, small government, and congressional oversight of the executive branch. "What Is Post-Modern Conservatism" truly lives up to its subtitle and is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections, as well as the personal reading lists of political science students, academia, political activists, and all former and current members of the Republican Party.

The Great Democracy
Ganesh Sitaraman
Basic Books
www.basicbooks.com
c/o Perseus Books Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.perseusbooksgroup.com
9781541618114, $28.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Since the New Deal in the 1930s, there have been two eras in our political history: the liberal era, stretching up to the 1970s, followed by the neoliberal era of privatization and austerity ever since. In each period, the dominant ideology was so strong that it united even partisan opponents. But today the neoliberal era is collapsing, and the central question of our time is what comes next.

As acclaimed legal scholar and policy expert Ganesh Sitaraman (Ganesh Sitaraman who is the Chancellor's Faculty Fellow, Professor of Law, and Director of the Program in Law and Government at Vanderbilt Law School) argues in the pages of "The Great Democracy: How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America", two political visions now contend for the future. One is nationalist oligarchy, which rigs the system for the rich and powerful while using nationalism to mobilize support. The other is the great democracy, which fights corruption and extends both political and economic power to all people.

At this decisive moment in history, "The Great Democracy" offers a bold, transformative agenda for achieving real democracy.

Critique: An impressive and insightfully detailed analysis of modern American political history that has culminated in the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, "The Great Democracy: How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, politicians, political activists and reformers that "The Great Democracy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).


The Library Science Shelf

The Sustainable Library's Cookbook
Raymond Pun & Gary L. Shaffer, editors
ACRL
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9780838946589, $54.55, PB, 140pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In 2019, the American Library Association added sustainability to its Core Values of Librarianship to foster community awareness and engagement on climate change, resilience, environmental impact, and a sustainable future. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Raymond Pun (who is the Instruction/Research Librarian at Alder Graduate School of Education) and Gary L. Shaffer (who is the Director of Library Arts and Culture for the City of Glendale, California) "The Sustainable Library's Cookbook" is an ACRL compendium of a series of engaging activities for academic libraries interested in implementing sustainability practices.

The three different areas covered include: Applying Sustainability Thinking and Development. Recipes are focused on applying sustainable thinking processes to library functions and services, including open educational resources, seed libraries, and reusable supplies and resources; Teaching, Learning, and Research Services. This section contains lesson plans, learning guides, research activities, and projects that focus on sustainability in disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, from STEM data literacy to campus sustainability projects to Indigenous environmental justice; Community Engagement, Outreach, and Partnerships. Recipes emphasize how community partnerships and outreach can be effective ways to inform and foster sustainability practices in the library and beyond, including environmental movie nights, bike-lending programs, and ideas for sustainable fashion.

Many of these described activities include learning outcomes and goals drawn from the ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, disciplinary focuses, and the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This "cookbook" provides librarians with a series of best and effective practices, case studies, and approaches to support sustainability efforts in the library and collaboratively across campus.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, and an ideal selection as library staff in- service training textbook, "The Sustainable Library's Cookbook" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to professional, college, and university Library Science instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Editorial Note: Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 11,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL develops programs, products and services to help academic and research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship.


The Technology Shelf

Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources
Nader Anani
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630815738, $149.00, HC, 220pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" focuses on photovoltaics, hydro, tidal, wind, and biomass systems. It explains the scientific principles and physical systems used for harvesting and harnessing of renewable resources and makes comprehensive use of worked examples and problems. Readers will also learn how to effectively calculate the cost and payback time for a given renewable energy plant by understanding the factors affecting the cost of generating electricity from a renewable energy system.

"Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" uses a simplified mathematical approach and provides appropriate background material. The ultimate objective of "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" is to provide a concise text book for university students on science and engineering courses as well as for professional practitioners. principles and physical systems used for harvesting and harnessing of renewable resources and makes comprehensive use of worked examples and problems.

Readers will also learn how to effectively calculate the cost and payback time for a given renewable energy plant by understanding the factors affecting the cost of generating electricity from a renewable energy system. "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" uses a simplified mathematical approach and provides appropriate background material.

Critique: Especially and unreservedly recommended for professional, college, and university library collections, "Renewable Energy Technologies and Resources" by Nader Anani (Associate Professor, School of Engineering, University of Wolverhamton, UK) presents an impressively presented, accessibly organized, and comprehensive coverage of renewable energy technologies and resources, making it an ideal textbook for Power Engineering curriculum lists.

Principles of RF and Microwave Design
Matthew A. Morgan
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630816490, $179.00, HC, 712pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Principles of RF and Microwave Design" highlights and deftly explains the fundamental physical laws of classical electromagnetics using a foundation of Maxwell's equations to give insight into the operating principles of circuit elements of all kinds, from lumped elements to transmission lines, waveguides, optical fibers, and quasi-optical structures.

Standard passive system components like filters, splitters, couplers, hybrids, baluns, and antennas are explained to acclimate the reader to considering multiple technological solutions for common design problems.

A basic overview of active circuit designs, such as amplifiers, mixers, and multipliers is also provided, along with discussion of the performance characteristics of electronic systems, including noise and linearity.

Emphasis is placed on visualization and understanding of how and why electronic circuits of all frequencies are built and operate the way they do.

Readers learn how to match an amplifier for optimum noise performance over the broadest bandwidth with the fewest number of elements and how to visualize the coupling of various modes in a mixed waveguide-type structure and avoid resonances due to trapped, higher-order modes.

"Principles of RF and Microwave Design" also provides the tools needed to design and optimize a launcher from microstrip into waveguide, and whether the best characteristics can be achieved by incorporating matching elements in the microstrip section, the waveguide section, or both.

Packed with references and examples, readers learn not only how to do the math but what the math means.

Critique: A comprehensive and exceptionally well organized instructional resource, "Principles of RF and Microwave Design" by Matthew A. Morgan provides a thorough introduction to the principles of electronic circuits operating in the radio, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequency ranges -- making it an ideal choice for a curriculum textbook and an unreservedly recommended addition to professional, college, and university library Microwave Technology collections and supplemental studies reading and reference lists.

Editorial Note: Matthew A. Morgan is a scientist/research engineer at the Central Development Lab (CDL) at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville, VA. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from California Institute of Technology and his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia.

Artech House
www.artechhouse.com

Two reference titles from Artech House provide college-level engineering collections with solid technical discussions suitable for independent study or classroom applications. Matthew A. Morgan's Principles of RF and Microwave Design (9781630816490, $179.00) is a detailed introduction to the basics of electronic circuits in the radio and microwave environments, and surveys physics, equations, circuit designs, and basic characteristics of electronic systems. Readers will learn how each system operates, how to handle and design one, and how to apply mathematical concepts specific to RF and microwave design to operating systems. Equations, charts, and detailed descriptions abound. Y.J. Lou's OFDM Receiver Design and Simulation (9781630817381, $159.00) is a technical manual offering students a basic introduction to Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), and provides an in-depth simulation study of an algorithm for Wi-Fi and 4G celluar that can be used to better understand, interpret, and work with other OFDM waveforms. Formulas for algorithms support discussions of their conditions, applications, influences on design and specifics regarding shift registers and signal acquisition. Both are technical surveys highly recommended as basic primers for college-level engineering students and those in the field who want a refresher course in the latest best practices and applications.


The Social Issues Shelf

Collateral Damage
James E. Atwood
Herald Press
P.O. Box 866, Harrisonburg, VA 22803
www.heraldpress.com
9781513804873, $29.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: One hundred people die from gun violence every day in the United States. Some fifty children and teens are shot. There are more than 35,000 gun-related deaths every year. Yet many Christians say gun violence shouldn't be talked about in church.

In "Collateral Damage: Changing the Conversation about Firearms and Faith", Christian pastor James E. Atwood issues an urgent call to action to his fellow Christians to work together to stop gun violence. An avid hunter for many years, Pastor Atwood enumerates the tragic and far-reaching costs that accrue in a country with more guns than people. Collateral damage includes a generalized fear and loss of trust. Suicides and homicides. Trauma for children in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and in schools with frequent lockdown drills. A toxic machismo that shapes our boys and men in unhealthy ways. Economic costs that exceed $229 billion per year. Pastor Atwood also considers the deeper story of racism, inequality, and mass incarceration in which the conversation about gun violence is lodged.

Gun violence has been called the theological emergency of our time. The church has a moral and spiritual obligation to side with life against death. Pastor Atwood asks if we as members of the Christian community will rise to the occasion?

Critique: An impressive, exceptional, and timely contribution to our on-going national dialogue over gun violence, fourth amendment rights, and gun safety regulations, "Collateral Damage: Changing the Conversation about Firearms and Faith" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Social Issues collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists for political activists and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Collateral Damage" is also available in a paperback edition (9781513804866, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).

Editorial Note: James E. Atwood is pastor emeritus of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia. A leader in the faith-based movement for good gun laws, he has served as chair of the anti-gun violence group Heeding God's Call of Greater Washington, interfaith coordinator of the Million Mom March, and a member of the National Committee of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Atwood is the author of America and Its Guns and Gundamentalism. He is the recipient of the 2018 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award by the Presbyterian Writers Guild and the 2019 Beard Atwood Award from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He and his wife, Roxana, served as mission workers in Japan and now live in Harrisonburg, Virginia.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Sina: A Novel by the Author of Heidi
Johanna Spyri, author
Anna Lisa Ohm, translator
Modern Language Association
85 Broad Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10004-2434
www.mla.org
9781603294331, $17.00, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: An English translation of the German-language novel by Johanna Spyri (1827 1901). "Sina" is the coming-of-age story of a Swiss girl who leaves her village to attend medical school. "Sina" portrays and delves into a number of social issues including: urban and rural life, education, gender discrimination, religion, and family values.

Critique: Believed to be a sequel to the novel Heidi, and ably translated into English for an American readership by Anna Lisa Ohm, "Sina" is unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Literary Fiction collections, and is especially commended as an addition to the personal reading lists of everyone who has enjoyed author Johanna Spyri's classic novel "Heidi".


The Music Shelf

The Geometry of Musical Rhythm
Godfried T. Toussaint
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781138429604, $205, HC, 351pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm: What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?" by Godfride T. Toussaint is the first book to provide a systematic and accessible computational geometric analysis of the musical rhythms of the world. It explains how the study of the mathematical properties of musical rhythm generates common mathematical problems that arise in a variety of seemingly disparate fields.

For the music community, "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" also introduces the distance approach to phylogenetic analysis and illustrates its application to the study of musical rhythm. Accessible to both academics and musicians, the text requires a minimal set of prerequisites. Emphasizing a visual geometric treatment of musical rhythm and its underlying structures, "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" presents new symbolic geometric approaches and often compares them to existing methods -- including how distance geometry and phylogenetic analysis can be used in comparative musicology, ethnomusicology, and evolutionary musicology research.

"The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" also strengthens the bridge between these disciplines and mathematical music theory. Many concepts are illustrated with examples using a group of six distinguished rhythms that feature prominently in world music, including the clave son.

Exploring the mathematical properties of good rhythms, "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" offers an original computational geometric approach for analyzing musical rhythm and its underlying structures. With numerous figures to complement the explanations, it is suitable for a wide audience, from musicians, composers, and electronic music programmers to music theorists and psychologists to computer scientists and mathematicians. It can also be used in an undergraduate course on music technology, music and computers, or music and mathematics.

Critique: A unique and seminal work of original and meticulously detailed scholarship, this newly published second edition of "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm : What Makes a "Good" Rhythm Good?" is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to both college and university library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Geometry of Musical Rhythm" is also available in a paperback edition (9780815370970, $59.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $44.76).

Editorial Note: Godfried Theodore Patrick Toussaint (1944 - July 2019) was a Canadian Computer Scientist, a Professor of Computer Science, and the Head of the Computer Science Program at New York University Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He is considered to be the father of computational geometry in Canada. He did research on various aspects of computational geometry, discrete geometry, and their applications: pattern recognition (k-nearest neighbor algorithm, cluster analysis), motion planning, visualization (computer graphics), knot theory (stuck unknot problem), linkage (mechanical) reconfiguration, the art gallery problem, polygon triangulation, the largest empty circle problem, unimodality (unimodal function), and others. Other interests included meander (art), compass and straightedge constructions, instance-based learning, music information retrieval, and computational music theory.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages
Brandon Fullam
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476678016, $39.95, PB, 228pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: When the English first arrived at the Outer Banks in the summer of 1584, they were greeted by native Algonquian-speaking people who had long occupied present-day North Carolina. That historic contact initiated the often-turbulent period of early American history commonly known as the Roanoke Voyages. Unfortunately, contemporary accounts regularly mischaracterize or marginalize the Algonquins, and their significance in this period is poorly understood.

"Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" by Brandon Fullam is a unique collection of narratives highlighting by name all of the Algonquians who played a role in the often contentious attempts to establish the first permanent English colony in the New World.

Starting with Manteo, the fascinating Croatoan Indian who traveled to England twice and learned to speak English, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" focuses on the identities and endeavors of each of these individual Algonquians and tells their stories.

Critique: Expertly written and organized, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" is an impressively informative and skillfully presented work of detailed and documented scholarship. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of two appendices (Manteo and Jack Straw; The Legend of the Coharie), eight pages of Chapter Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "Manteo and the Algonquians of the Roanoke Voyages" is very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, as well as the Native American and American Colonial History collections of community, college, and university libraries.

Editorial Note: Retired educator Brandon Fullam has for many years researched and written extensively on the early European-Native contact period in general and the 1587 Roanoke Island colony in particular. His work has appeared in Lost Colony Research Group and Sampson County Historical Society publications.


The Sports Shelf

Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide
Pete Whittaker, author
Alex Poyzer, illustrator
Mountaineers Books
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781680512151 $26.95 pbk / $11.57 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: Crack climbing is a highly technical form of movement in which climbers position their hands, feet, and even their entire body in cracks to make upward progress on rock. An advocate for the sport's aesthetic lines, physicality, and technical know-how, author Pete Whittaker teaches more than sixty Crack School Masterclasses each year and was featured in the popular climbing film Wide Boyz. This detailed and comprehensive guide teaches step-by-step techniques and tips, including for:

Jamming (finger, hand, fist, foot, arm, leg, body)
Crack types (chimneys, liebacks, underclings, roof cracks)
How to safely lead and place protection
Efficient positioning and movement
Strength recovery while climbing

Critique: Featuring a wealth of full-color photographs, as well as detailed sketches to portray hand, foot, and body positions, Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide lives up to its title as a "must-have" for any person aspiring to or practicing the recreational sport of crack climbing - scaling a rock face primarily by jamming things (typically fingers, hands, or feet) into the spaces between the rocks. Packed with practical advice grounded in years of experience, Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide is thoroughly reader-friendly, easy-to-follow, and encouraging. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in this challenging, demanding, yet rewarding sport! It should be noted for personal reading lists that Crack Climbing: The Definitive Guide is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.57).

The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues
Todd Peterson
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476665146, $49.95, PB, 323pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: How good was Negro League Baseball (as played from 1920 to 1948)? Some experts maintain that the quality of play was equal to that of the American and National Leagues. Some believe the Negro Leagues should be part of Major League Baseball's official record and that more Negro League players should be in the Hall of Fame. Skeptics contend that while many players could be rated highly, NL organizations were minor league at best.

Drawing on the most comprehensive data available, including stats from more than 2,000 interracial games, the contributors to "The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues: Historians Reappraise Black Baseball" find that black baseball was very good indeed. Negro leaguers beat the big leaguers more than half the time in head-to-head contests, demonstrated stronger metrics within their own leagues and excelled when finally allowed into the majors.

"The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues" also documents the often duplicitous manner in which MLB has dealt with the legacy of the Negro Leagues, and an appendix includes the scores and statistics from every known contest between Negro League and Major League teams.

Critique: Informative, documents, accessibly organized and presented, "The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues: Historians Reappraise Black Baseball" is essential reading for anyone wanting a clearer and more accurate history of the accomplishments of baseball's Negro leagues. While unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library 20th Century American Sports History and 20th Century African American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated baseball fans that "The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.99).


The Mathematics Shelf

Mathematics at the Meridian
Raymond Flood, Tony Mann, Mary Croarken, editors
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780815368793, $59.90, HC, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Greenwich has been a centre for scientific computing since the foundation of the Royal Observatory in 1675. Early Astronomers Royal gathered astronomical data with the purpose of enabling navigators to compute their longitude at sea.

Nevil Maskelyne in the 18th century organized the work of computing tables for the Nautical Almanac, anticipating later methods used in safety-critical computing systems. The 19th century saw influential critiques of Charles Babbage's mechanical calculating engines, and in the 20th century Leslie Comrie and others pioneered the automation of computation.

The arrival of the Royal Naval College in 1873 and the University of Greenwich in 1999 has brought more mathematicians and different kinds of mathematics to Greenwich. In the 21st century computational mathematics has found many new applications.

Collaboratively compiled by Raymond Flood, Tony Mann, and Mary Croarken, "Mathematics at the Meridian: The History of Mathematics at Greenwich" presents an account of the mathematicians who worked at Greenwich and their achievements and features: A scholarly but accessible history of mathematics at Greenwich, from the seventeenth century to the present day, with each chapter written by an expert in the field; a special appeal to astronomical and naval historians as well as historians of mathematics and scientific computing.

Critique: An impressively organized and presented work of detailed historical research and scholarship, "Mathematics at the Meridian: The History of Mathematics at Greenwich" is unreservedly recommended for college and university library History of Mathematics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Mathematics at the Meridian: The History of Mathematics at Greenwich" is also available in a paperback edition (9780367362720, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: Raymond Flood has spent most of his academic life promoting mathematics and computing to adult audiences, mainly through his position as University Lecturer at Oxford University, in the Continuing Education Department and at Kellogg College. In parallel he has worked extensively on the history of mathematics, producing many books and other educational material. He is Emeritus Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford, having been Vice-President of the College and President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics before retiring in 2010. He was Gresham College Professor of Geometry from 2012 to 2016.

Tony Mann is Director of Greenwich Maths Centre at the University of Greenwich, where he has taught for many years. He is a past President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, and has published on mathematics in Victorian Scotland and on mathematics in fiction. He is a former Visiting Professor of Computing Mathematics at Gresham College.

Mary Croarken started her academic career at the University of Warwick with a degree in Computer Science and then a PhD in History of Computing. Mary has subsequently held a series of academic fellowships including the Sackler Fellowship at the Centre for Maritime Research at the National Maritime Museum (NMM) 2000 - 2002. While at NMM, she helped to organize a joint NMM and British Society for the History of Mathematics conference called Greenwich: Some Mathematical Connections which provided the inspiration for this book. Mary continues her academic interests in human computers but now works full time supporting health research in the NHS.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Praying Through
Jarrett Stevens
NavPress
www.navpress.com
c/o Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
www.tyndale.com
9781631469817, $15.99, PB, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Life can be hard but for Christians, prayer doesn't have to be. Whatever is going on with you right now, God is actually interested. And yet connecting with God through prayer can often feel foreign, challenging, or beyond our reach. But here's the thing: You're already awesome at prayer -- You just don't know it... yet.

Through over twenty years of pastoring and writing, Jarrett Stevens has made it his mission to connect the dots between God and our everyday lives. With fresh biblical insights, powerful stories, and spiritually practical practices, "Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God" will help you connect with God in fresh and meaningful ways no matter what season you may be going through.

Whether you're new to prayer, or God seems silent, or you're grieving a loss, or you need direction, or you're feeling grateful and don't know how to express it -- you don't have to let these obstacles keep you from God. There is a way for you to pray through!

Critique: Exceptionally well written, inspired and inspiring, "Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God" is an unreservedly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all Christians and an enduringly welcome addition to church and seminary library collections. It should be noted that "Praying Through: Overcoming the Obstacles That Keep Us from God" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.19).

Editorial Note: Jarrett Stevens is a pastor, author, and speaker. Jarrett previously served as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and North Point Church in Atlanta. Currently Jarrett resides in downtown Chicago where he and his wife Jeanne co-pastor Soul City Church. Known for his humor and honesty, Jarrett is a popular speaker at churches and conferences both nationally and internationally.

Sacred Misinterpretation
Martin Accad
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
www.eerdmans.com
9780802874146, $38.00, PB, 396pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Theological issues are crucial to how Christians and Muslims understand and perceive each other. In "Sacred Misinterpretation: Reaching across the Christian-Muslim Divide" Professor Martin Accad guides readers through key theological questions that fuel conflict and misunderstanding between Muslims and Christians. A sure-footed guide, Professor Accad weaves personal stories together with deep discussion of theological beliefs.

Professor Accad deftly identifies trends, recognizes historical realities, and brings to light significant points of contention that often lead to break-down in Christian-Muslim dialogue. He also outlines positive and creative trends that could lead to a more hopeful future. Fairly and seriously presenting both Muslim theology and a Muslim interpretation of Christian theology.

As a result, "Sacred Misinterpretation" is an essential guide for fostering dialogue and understanding among readers from both faiths.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of an eight page Bibliography, a three page List of Names, a four page List of Subjects, and a four page Index of Scripture References and Other Ancient Sources, "Sacred Misinterpretation: Reaching across the Christian-Muslim Divide" is a groundbreaking work of original and seminal scholarship that is unreservedly recommended for community, seminary, college, and university library Christianity/Islam Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Sacred Misinterpretation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $26.31).

Editorial Note: Martin Accad is associate professor of Islamic studies at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon, and at Fuller Theological Seminary, as well as director of ABTS' Institute of Middle East Studies. Having a rich multicultural background in his own family, he is very involved in faith-based peacebuilding and bridging Arab-Western cultural divides.

A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture
Carol Hill
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825446146, $29.99, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture", geologist Carol Hill examines how numerous apparent conflicts between Scripture and science can be resolved by understanding the ancient worldview of the scriptural authors and how it differs from our modern, scientific worldview.

This framework opens the door to clearing up longstanding questions, such as: Are the Genesis patriarchs' ages real numbers?; Are the days of creation actual 24-hour days?; Where was the Garden of Eden located?; Was Noah's flood global or local?; Were Adam and Eve real people?; Is evolution a belief or a fact?

With photographs and diagrams throughout, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture" explores the meaning of the relevant biblical passages, the scientific data, and how the worldview approach addresses seeming contradictions. Anyone who has wrestled with these questions will find this illustrated study to be an invaluable resource for understanding the interplay between faith and the world.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of thirty-six pages of References and a ten page Index, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture" is impressively informative, exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, making an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to church, community, seminary, and academic library collections. An excellent textbook for small group studies, "A Worldview Approach to Science and Scripture" is also commended for the personal reading lists of students, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Carol Hill is a geologist who has worked in the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Cavern for over 40 years. She is the author of a number of books, and has been featured on NOVA and National Geographic TV. Her other publications include "Grand Canyon: Monument to an Ancient Earth", as senior editor and co-author. Carol teaches geology at the University of New Mexico.

Understanding Atonement
Gary A. Fox
Resource Publications
c/o Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401-2960
http://wipfandstock.com
9781532688331, $17.00, PB, 114pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: At some point in the Christian faith journey, most people ask the question, "Why did Jesus die?" The most common answer is, "For my sins."

But what if Jesus died because of the sin of humanity, not for individual sins? It seems weirdly illogical for a God who is love (1 John 4:8) to demand a blood sacrifice to cover sin. It is not what the Jewish sacrificial system supported either.

Forgiveness is about love, not punishment. "Understanding Atonement: Maybe It's Time to Rethink Atonement without Giving Up Jesus" by Gary A. Fox will Christians to understand that God loves us and will not forsake us. Ever.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, thoughtful and thought-provoking, impressively organized and presented, "Understanding Atonement: Maybe It's Time to Rethink Atonement without Giving Up Jesus" is highly recommended reading for seminary students, clergy, and all members of the Christian community regardless of their denominational affiliations.

Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional
Asheritah Ciuciu
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Blvd., Chicago, IL 60610
www.moodypublishers.com
9780802419491, $12.99, HC, 224pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional", Asheritah Ciuciu invites all members of the Christian community to reclaim the Lenten season with 40 devotionals that reveal the deep love of Jesus that's exhibited at the cross and tomb. Each daily reflection looks at Jesus' personal interactions in Scripture and leads the reader in meditation on a new aspect of His love.

The underlying message is 'Don't let Easter pass by this year", instead, reflect, engage, and be transformed as Christians once again uncover the love of Jesus and learn to love their neighbor as He would. Of special note is the inclusion of optional family activities to help them celebrate Jesus together.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional" is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is inspired and inspiring. Very highly recommended, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: Asheritah Ciuciu is a successful writer and public speaker, wife to her high school sweetheart Flaviu, and mama to three spunky kiddos. She grew up in Romania as a missionary kid and studied English and Women's Ministry at Cedarville University. Her passion is helping women find joy in Jesus through creative and consistent time with God's Word. She invites everyone to discover their own creative Quiet Time personality at www.OneThingAlone.com.

Of Water and the Spirit
Alexander Schmemann
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780913836101, $18.00, PB, 170pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism" is a study of the Orthodox understanding of Christian initiation, the rites of baptism and chrismation, in which Father Alexander Schmemann invites the Christian reader to 'rediscover' baptism.

Father Schmemann penetrates the Church's rubrics and rituals (so often dismissed as out-of-date or merely quaint) in order to reveal their inner content: a message of man's entrance into new life, into the Church and into the Kingdom.

The result is a powerful statement of the meaning baptism should hold in our lives.

Critique: An impressively thoughtful, inspired and inspiring study of baptism from an Orthodox Christian perspective, "Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism" is an unreservedly recommended addition to personal, pastoral, church, seminary, and academic library Christian Theological Studies collections.

Editorial Note: Father Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) was a prolific writer, brilliant lecturer, and dedicated pastor. Former dean and professor of liturgical theology at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, his insight into contemporary culture and liturgical celebration left an indelible mark on the Christian community worldwide.

Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach
R. Scott Hurd
Pauline Books & Media
50 St. Paul's Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3433
www.pauline.org
9780819826916, $12.95, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach", Scott Hurd writes of the spiritual, psychological, physical, and social benefits of learning how to forgive and find peace from a Roman Catholic perspective. Drawing from his pastoral experience, Hurd examines how human weakness affects such things as our ability to forgive and reconcile, our capacity to trust, and how we cope when a plea for forgiveness is rejected by a person we have wronged.

Critique: As thoughtfully insightful as it is compelling, inspiring, and quality of life enhancing, "Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach" is especially commended to the attention of all members of the Catholic community. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of parishioners, clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist readers with an interest in spirituality and personal growth that "Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: R. Scott Hurd is a Catholic speaker and award-winning author who has more than twenty years' experience in professional ministry. He serves as senior director for leadership formation with Catholic Charities USA. Hurd is the author of five books, including Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach, which received an Excellence in Publishing award from the Association of Catholic Publishers. When Faith Feels Fragile: Hope for the Wary, Weak, and Wandering earned a second-place award in 2014 from the Catholic Press Association and was also a finalist in the ACP Excellence in Publishing awards. Hurd also is the author of two books in The Living Gospel seasonal series from Ave Maria Press. Hurd graduated from the University of Richmond (cum laude) in 1989 with a degree in accounting and business administration. He received his bachelor of theology degree from Oxford University (UK) in 1993.

Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator
Luis A. Gonzalez
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
www.westbowpress.com
9781973653950, $30.95, HC, 164pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Luis A. Gonzalez personally met the Creator, the God of the Christian Bible, in the spring of 1994. The Lord of all the earth, as He is also known, manifested Himself to him and gave him a vision, which would, in turn, be a life-changing moment. As a result, his life and beliefs were fundamentally transformed, and he was given a new perspective on life.

In "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator", Gonzalez shows his readers how to effectively and successfully communicate with the Lord God Almighty so that they too can hear His voice and walk in His power by developing a close relationship with Him.

The underlying promise of "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator" is that it will enable anyone to overcome any challenge or obstacle and enjoy and experience God's presence and success each day in every area of their life.

Critique: Impressively organized and presented, "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator" is unreservedly recommended to all members of the Christian community regardless of denomination affiliations. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Walking in the Power of the Almighty Creator" is also available in a paperback edition (978-1973653943, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.39).

The Beginning of Difference
Theodore Hiebert
Abingdon Press
2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN 37228-0988
www.abingdonpress.com
9781501871023, $17.99, PB, 150pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Difference can enrich us or tear us apart. Difference can make our lives stronger, fuller, and richer or it can destroy them. Therefore, how we engage difference matters. Conflicts between different peoples around the world, the movement of refugees from nation to nation, tensions over immigration, and growing diversity within our society bring difference to our doorstep daily. We can engage people who are different constructively and compassionately, or we can allow the fear of difference to distance us from others and to demonize them. At a time when racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious differences have created heightened tensions, we need more than ever to find our bearings. We need to re-examine what we think about difference.

In "The Beginning of Difference: Discovering Identity in God's Diverse World", Professor Theodore Hiebert re-examines the Bible's stories explaining difference and its beginnings in the book of Genesis, exposing the inclination to interpret these stories as a negative view of difference. These stories recognize difference as God's intention for the world, providing us with constructive resources of living with difference today.

Professor Hiebert starts with the story of "The Tower of Babel" and moves beyond it to examine how Genesis's writers saw their unique identity and role in the world not as separate from all others but as members of the human family of which they were a part. He presents how biblical characters lived with difference and how the first Christians embraced difference. Finally, he invites the reader into new conversations about our biblical traditions that reveal a respect for difference, a generosity toward others, a desire to include rather than exclude, and a continuing interest in negotiating difference in ways that build relationships rather than destroy them.

Critique: Erudite, insightful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "The Beginning of Difference: Discovering Identity in God's Diverse World" is a deftly crafted work of impressive theological scholarship and unreservedly recommended for church, seminary, college, and university library Contemporary Christian Theology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of seminary students, academia, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Old Testament biblical studies from a Christian perspective that "The Beginning of Difference is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Theodore Hiebert is Francis is the A. McGaw Professor of Old Testament, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL. He was an editor and translator of the Common English Bible. A leading scholar among theological educators, he has done groundbreaking work in the study of Genesis.

This Is the Life
Terry Hershey
Franciscan Media
28 West Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
https://info.franciscanmedia.org
9781632532787, $16.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: We are born to savor life, to live in the moment. What holds us back? When we stop the noise, the distraction, the compulsion to perform, the fear of rejection, we make space to savor the power of the present moment. We carry this capacity to honor the present into every encounter and relationship, meaning that we honor the dignity that is reflected by God's goodness and grace. Every encounter, every relationship, is a place to include, invite mercy, encourage, receive, heal, reconcile, repair, say thank you, pray, celebrate, refuel, and restore.

"This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of the Present Moment" is an invitation to practice, to savor, the sacred present. We are called to be available. To be curious. To be alive. To be willing to be surprised by joy. To know there is power in the word enough.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "This Is the Life: Mindfulness, Finding Grace, and the Power of the Present Moment" will prove to be a life enhancing, life celebrating read from first page to last. While unreservedly recommended for community, seminary, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all members of the Christian community that "This Is the Life" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Terry Hershey is an author, humorist, inspirational speaker, father, ordained minister, golf addict, and smitten by French wine. He is the author of "Sanctuary, The Power of Pause and Soul Gardening". He divides his time between designing sanctuary gardens and sharing his practice of mindfulness and savoring this life. Most days, you can find Terry out in his garden (on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound) because he believes that there is something fundamentally spiritual about dirt under your fingernails.

Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
SVS Press
575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707
www.svspress.com
9780881416084, $35.00, PB, 578pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: It has been said that Jesus Christ is always actual, and at the same time always anticipating actuality. This is something that Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev has made abundantly clear in "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching -- his monumental six-volume study.

As the Metropolitan observes, throughout history there has never been a person about whom so much has been written; and yet the Metropolitan has himself found many new ways to restate, in fresh and vivid terms, the ancient truths about the Savior. This first and debut volume of the "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching" series is a remarkable study that deserves to be read with careful, prayerful, and close attention.

Critique: Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a two page listing of Abbreviations and a twenty page Index, "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, church, seminary, college, and university library Orthodox Christian Theology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of clergy, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with in interest in the subject that "Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

The Early Church (33 - 313)
James L. Papandrea
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594717710, $16.95, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The first three centuries of the Christian faith were a period of missionary zeal, deep thought, and government sponsored tribulation. In "The Early Church (33 - 313): St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs", Catholic historian and biblical expert James Papandrea dispels what he calls common "mythconceptions" about the early years of Christianity. Tracking the challenges of heresy and persecution throughout the period, Papandrea shines a spotlight on the earliest saints and explores the growth and development of the new Church.

The first Apostles spread the message of Jesus Christ and were willing to suffer and die for their faith. The next generations of believers followed their example, producing inspiring martyrs including Polycarp, Justin, Perpetua, and Sebastian, and great thinkers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Eusebius. "The Early Church (33 - 313)" presents a clear account of the Church's first three centuries and provides evidence to refute fourteen commonly held beliefs about the Catholic Church.

Readers will learn: No money or power was attached to being a bishop or priest in the early Church; Christian holidays were not adaptations of pagan celebrations; Christians have never believed in an eternal life for souls without bodies; The doctrine of the Trinity was not forced upon the Church by Constantine, but rather was a belief from the beginning of Christianity.

With clear explanation and inspiring stories, Papandrea sorts through what we do and don't know about the early Church and enables Catholics and fellow Christians to make sense of the Church's beginnings.

Critique: A detailed work of impeccable scholarship that is expertly written and will appeal to both academia and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject, "The Early Church (33 - 313): St. Peter, the Apostles, and Martyrs" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, church, seminary, college, and university library History of Christianity collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists. It should be noted that "The Early Church (33-313) is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Jim Papandrea is a teacher, author, speaker, and musician. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in music and theatre arts, Jim went on to receive his M.Div. degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, with a concentration in youth ministry, then spent several years in full time ministry, focusing on youth and music ministry, and serving as a consultant in youth ministry. Jim holds a Ph.D. in the history and theology of the early Christian church from Northwestern University, with secondary concentrations in New Testament interpretation and the history of the Roman Empire. He has also studied Roman history at the American Academy in Rome, Italy. He is now Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary (on the campus of Northwestern University) in Evanston. IL. He has also taught as an adjunct instructor for Barat College, Elmhurst College, Loyola University's Institute for Pastoral Studies, and the lay and deacon formation programs of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Free To Believe
Luke Goodrich
Multnomah Books
c/o Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Blvd., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com
9780525652908, $24.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In today's national and regional political climate, many Americans are concerned about rising threats to religious freedom. They feel the culture changing around them, and they fear that their beliefs will soon be marginalized as a form of bigotry. Others, younger Christians in particular, are tired of the culture wars, and they wonder whether courtroom battles are truly worthwhile, or even in line with the teachings of Jesus.

In the pages of "Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America", Luke Goodrich offers a reasoned, balanced, gospel-centered approach to religious freedom. He applies biblical understanding to a number of the most hot-button cultural issues of our day. He also offers practical steps Christians can take to respond to religious freedom conflicts in an informed, responsible, and graceful way.

Critique: As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America" is an extraordinary and timely contribution to our on-going national dialogue over religious liberty and a Christian's responsibility with respect to good government and the general welfare of our secular state. While very highly recommended as an addition to community and academic library Church & State Religious Studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, clergy, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Free to Believe" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Luke Goodrich is a leading religious freedom attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he has won multiple Supreme Court victories for clients like the Little Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby. He frequently discusses religious freedom on networks like Fox News, CNN, ABC, and NPR, and in publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Time magazine. Goodrich is also an adjunct professor at the University of Utah law school, where he teaches an advanced course in constitutional law. He lives in Salt Lake City where he enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and family and serving in their local church.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Strangers & Natives
Ron Rubin
Urim Publications
c/o KTAV Publishing House
527 Empire Boulevard, Brooklyn, New York 11225
www.UrimPublications.com
9781602803282, $29.95, PB, 232pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In "Strangers and Natives: A Newspaper Narrative of Early Jewish America, 1734 - 1869" by Ron Rubin focuses on the daily life and customs of the Jewish community and the Jewish people; the formation of Jewish congregations and organizations; and the involvement of Jews in education, literature, journalism, politics, the marketplace, the military, and history itself.

While there are numerous historical accounts of early American Jewry quoting documents, diaries and memoirs, "Strangers and Natives" is the first that uses periodicals from that time period. Using scans of the original newsprint, most from Professor Rubin's own extensive collection, "Strangers and Natives" displays the actual written words comprising newpaper accounts (the first blush of history) in visual form.

Critique: A unique and invaluable contribution to the growing library of American Judaic 18th and 19th century history, "Strangers and Natives: A Newspaper Narrative of Early Jewish America, 1734 - 1869" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Ron Rubin is Political Science Professor Emeritus at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of the City University of New York. A prolific writer, Rubin has had more than 100 works published globally since then. His books include Controversies Over the Objectives of the U.S. Information Agency (Praeger, 1968), The Unredeemed: Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union (Quadrangle Books, 1968), Rudy, Rudy, Rudy: The Real and the Rational (Holmes & Meier, 2000) and Anything for a T-Shirt: Fred Lebow and the New York City Marathon (Syracuse University Press, 2004). In 2013 more than 75 of Dr. Rubin's commentaries - focusing solely on topics relating to Israel, the global Jewish community and the American Jewish community - were anthologized in A Jewish Professor's Political Punditry: Fifty Plus Years of Published Commentary by Ron Rubin, edited by Peri Devaney (Syracuse University Press).

Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III
Israel Drazin
Gefen Publishing House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
www.gefenpublishing.com
9789657023105, $19.95, HC, 301pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Thoughtful and thought-provoking, The third volume in Israel Drazin's Mysteries of Judaism series "Common Sense Evaluations of Religious Thoughts" covers what the Torah states about life after death, the soul, the world to come, sin, repentance, rational and mystical views on immortality, resurrection, and the age of the universe, what if anything we must believe, changes that occurred in our concept of God, multiple violations of Torah laws by biblical persons (even prophets), misunderstandings about the Ten Commandments, prophecies that were not fulfilled, biblical and other ancient Jewish books that were neglected or rejected, humor in the Bible, the portrayal of biblical figures with their faults, and changing biblical laws and rabbinical customs.

Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III explains that the siddur is not what people think it is and contains mystical additions, and it offers different views about the value of prayer. It talks about Judaism's first philosopher, contacts with non-Jewish cultures that changed Judaism, surprising elements in Ecclesiastes, and the nontraditional views of Orthodox thinkers such as Rashbam, Nachman Krochmal, J. B. Soloveitchik, David Hartman, Nathan Lopes Cardozo, and others.

It also describes what most people do not know about Maimonides and clarifies his view on Midrashim, why they were written and their value today. It reveals that people are punished despite repentance and that false prophets can still prophesy.

Further, Mysteries of Judaism: Volume III examines the Torah and holy books, conversion, and intermarriage, and the impact of foreign cultures on Jewish practices and halakha. It analyses mysticism and atheism; the values of secular culture; the views of Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and his Mesillat Yesharim, and of Arnold Ehrlich; and it explores Nietzsche, Gersonides, and Maimonides views on faith and the Bible.

Critique: Informative and exceptionally well organized and presented, "Mysteries of Judaism: Common Sense Evaluations of Religious Thoughts" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, synagogue, community, and academic library Judaic Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Dr. Israel Drazin served for thirty-one years as a chaplain in the US Army and attained the rank of brigadier general. He has a PhD in Judaic studies, a master's degrees in psychology and Hebrew literature, and is an attorney and a rabbi. He developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court and received the Legion of Merit for his service. He is acclaimed in the scholarly world for proving that the Targum Onkelos must have been composed after 400 CE, a period much later than had been widely accepted. He is the author of fifty-one books, some in the process of being published, including a series of volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, a series of books on the twelfth-century philosopher Moses Maimonides, and many books on the Hebrew Bible published by Gefen Publishing House.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Tarot and the Gates of Light
Mark Horn
Destiny Books
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620559307, $24.99, PB, 544pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: The 49-day mystical practice known as Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish ritual observed between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot (also known as Pentecost). As practiced by Kabbalists, it is designed to cleanse and purify the soul in preparation for spiritual revelation and a personal connection with God. The ritual creates a spiritual inner journey that follows the path of the ancient Israelites from the moment of their physical freedom from slavery in Egypt to the establishment of their spiritual freedom forty-nine days later when they arrived at Mt. Sinai.

Adeptly integrating this mystical practice with the transformative symbolism of the Tarot in his metaphysical studies compendium "Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation", Mark Horn uses the ritual of Counting the Omer as a template for a guided meditative practice that gives readers insight into their personal life journey and help in overcoming the issues that hinder their growth and spiritual awakening.

Examining the correspondence of the Tarot's minor arcana with the Sephirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, Horn shows how using the cards in connection with Counting the Omer can unlock the gates to a deep experience of the sacred. In the detailed daily practice workbook section, Horn provides day-by-day descriptions of the 49-day meditative practice of Counting the Omer.

He divides the journey into seven week-long segments, which in turn are broken down into seven daily practices. For each day, he explains the related Sephirot and Tarot cards and their Kabbalistic and spiritual meanings, providing the reader with questions for daily reflection, guidance for meditation, and insight from traditional Jewish texts as well as teachings from Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim traditions.

Unveiling the relationship between Tarot and the Kabbalah, Horn shows readers how uniting these two practices can open them to a deeper experience of the Divine.

Critique: Enhanced for the Tarot and Kabbalah student with the inclusion of an eleven page Glossary, two pages of Meditation Instructions, a three page Note About God Language, five pages of Chapter Notes, an eight page Bibliography, and a twelve page Index, "Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and supplemental studies lists for Tarot and Kabbalah in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, practitioners, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Editorial Note: A teacher of Kabbalistic tarot, Mark Horn has studied Kabbalah with academic, religious, and practical teachers, including Professor Elliot R. Wolfson at NYU, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi at Elat Chayyim, and Jason Shulman at A Society of Souls: Spiritual Healing School. He has studied Tarot with many of today's leading teachers, including Rachel Pollack, Mary K. Greer, Robert Place, Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, and Ferol Humphrey. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Metrosource.

Witchcraft: A Secret History
Michael Streeter
White Lion Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780711252240, $19.99, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Michael Streeter is a British writer and TV researcher with over 30 years' experience in national newspaper journalism. A former editor for the Scottish Daily Express, he has written and researched books and documentaries on subjects as diverse as the weather, medieval crime, and the occult. In "Witchcraft: A Secret History" he unravels the myth from the mystery, the facts from the legends.

"Witchcraft: A Secret History" reveals the meanings of a witche's rituals and rites, lore and craft. Readers will discover the significance of the witches' sabbats and covens, their chalices and wands, their robes and their religion. "Witchcraft: A Secret History" unlocks the secrets of the legendary witches of mythology and folk tales and shows how these early stories influenced the persecutions and witch-hunts of the Middle Ages.

Of special note is what "Witchcraft: A Secret History" shows concerning the people who inspired the pagan revival of Wiccans and how their work in literature and magic rekindled the fires of the sabbats across Europe and the New World today.

Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout and enhanced with the inclusion of a four page Glossary and a four page Index, "Witchcraft: A Secret History" is an impressively informative, profusely detailed, and exceptionally well organized and presented history that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections and the personal reading lists of both academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of witchcraft, Wiccans, and metaphysical cultural history.

Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle
Kooch N. Daniels, author
Victor Daniels, author
Pieter Weltevrede, illustrator
Red Feather
c/o Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
www.schifferbooks.com
9780764357114, $34.99, PB/Cards, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A boxed set, "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" has yogic traditions meet Western psychology to create an explosion of new insights for transformation. To accelerate this emerging awareness, this stunning 49-card deck and its comprehensive guidebook offer easy access into the chakra system.

With illustrations created by Pieter Weltevrede (an expert in the Tantric tradition) and a guidebook grounded in authors' Kooch and Victor Daniels research, training, and working knowledge of oracles, this deck and book give the practitioner the right tools for advancing any personal quest.

"Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" will enable the understanding of your key qualities by engaging your vibratory energy, looking within to interpret your body's sensations, thinking processes, emotions, and pathways of Spirit, including your inner and outer awareness.

With "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" you can create detailed, helpful spreads; find out how to awaken your third eye; and start reading right away with a keyword reference guide. This unique chakra deck will help you dive into the ancient well of Tantric wisdom and is appropriate for all levels of card readers, including Tarot readers, yogic practitioners, counselors, healers, and those who want to "see" inwardly.

Critique: Inspiring, unique, beautifully crafted, and offering a wealth of informative metaphysical insights, "Sacred Mysteries: The Chakra Oracle" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections.

Editorial Note: With an MA in psychology, Kooch Daniels has given thousands of Tarot readings. Victor Daniels, emeritus professor at Sonoma State University, with a PhD from UCLA, brings his broad knowledge of both Eastern and Western traditions together here. Pieter Weltevrede is one of the world's leading artists in the Indian classical tradition.

Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures
D. J. Conway
Weiser Books
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
9781578636839, $16.95, PB, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Stories of the merfolk, especially mermaids, exist in nearly every culture that ever sailed the oceans or large river systems. Humanlike, except for their iridescent, scaly tails, mermaids and mermen have fascinated humans for thousands of years. Because the largest of these beings exist in the oceans, most people are not aware that smaller versions of the merfolk live in inland rivers, streams, marshes, and waterfalls. Like many other magical beings, the merfolk travel easily between this world and the astral planes, appearing only to those who truly seek to know them and learn their ancient powers.

"Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures" bring these fabled creatures out of the storybooks and into real life through the studies of the late Deanne 'D. J.' Conway (May 3, 1939 - February 1, 2019). Readers will learn: The secret powers of mermaids and mermen; Different water creatures and where you can find them; How to entice water folk for friendship and health; How to avoid dangerous water folk.

Critique: An inherently fascinating read from first page to last, "Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures" is a unique, detailed and comprehensive study that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Originally published in 2008, "Magickal Mermaids and Water Creatures
is now republished for the benefit of a new generation of readers in this new edition from Weiser Books with a new cover and a new foreword by metaphysical scholar Skye Alexander.

The Wonder of Unicorns, second edition
Diana Cooper
Findhorn Press
www.findhornpress.com
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781620559833, $18.99, PB, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in an newly revised and updated second edition, in "The Wonder of Unicorns: Ascending with the Higher Angelic Realms" Diana Cooper explains ancient myths and legends of these amazing energetic beings from a higher spiritual perspective. Who are they, these seventh-dimensional creatures of myth and magic? Where do they stand in the angelic hierarchy and what is their role with regard to us humans? How can you meet and engage with them as an individual?

These magical beings of light, absent from the Earth for many centuries, are now returning to guide humanity on their spiritual path. Prevalent in the times of Atlantis, unicorns open hearts through bringing in joy, wisdom, and healing. They offer protection and support and inspire us to choose actions for the highest benefit of all. Consciously connecting and working with your unicorn will enable you to raise your energetic level and assist you on your journey to enlightenment. Create a unicorn humming ball, engage in a unicorn healing, or join in dream work with your unicorn.

Whether aspiring to help the world at large or simply improve a small corner of it, enlightenment seekers can apply the meditations, rituals, ceremonies, and games featured in the pages of "The Wonder of Unicorns" to unleash the great abilities of these elusive spirit guides. There are wonderful real life stories and anecdotes from people who have seen and experienced unicorns first hand.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, impressively informative, and nicely illustrated study dedicated to the presence and role of a metaphysical icon, "The Wonder of Unicorns: Ascending with the Higher Angelic Realms" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and Unicorn supplemental studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted that "The Wonder of Unicorns" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Diana Cooper is a therapist, healer, author of several books, and the founder of the Diana Cooper Foundation. Her journey started during a time of personal crisis when she received an angel visitation that changed her life. Since then the angels and her guides have taught her about the angelic realms, unicorns, fairies, Atlantis, and Orbs as well as many other spiritual subjects. Through her workshops and therapy practice she has helped countless people find their life mission, fulfill their potential, and empower their lives. Diana's aim and vision is to light the way to enable children, adults, and the planet to ascend graciously and happily.

Knot Magic
Sarah Bartlett
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9781577152149, $18.99, HC, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Casting powerful spells with ancient knot magic has been around for centuries. With a length of string, ribbon, cord, or anything that can be knotted, anyone can quickly make magic work for them, whether it is to enchant new love into their life, change their fortune, or manifest their dreams. With "Knot Magic: A Handbook of Powerful Spells Using Witches' Ladders and other Magical Knots" by Sarah Bartlett the practitioner will learn not only the best way to cast a spell, but also the best time to perform the spell to ensure success.

"Knot Magic" is unique collection includes all-powerful witch's ladders, where additional talismans are woven in with the knots to reinforce the desired outcome, and "unknotting" charms, which banish all forms of negativity. With "Knot Magic" anyone can enhance their magic and knowledge as they bring positive energy into their lives. Plus, they will have access to a "magical knot directory" that provides the tools needed and necessary to get started on their own magical journey.

Critique: "Knot Magic: A Handbook of Powerful Spells Using Witches' Ladders and other Magical Knots" is a throughly 'user friendly' and comprehensive instructional guide and manual that is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Editorial Note: Sarah Bartlett is the author of several spiritual and occult books, including the best-selling Tarot Bible and the Essential Guide to Psychic Powers. An astrologer for many women's magazines such as UK Cosmopolitan, She, Spirit and Destiny, and the London Evening Standard, Sarah currently contributes to BBC Radio 2 show, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, as well as to theastrologyroom.com, of which she is a founding member. She has written Supernatural Places for National Geographic, and The Afterlife Bible for Octopus. Sarah teaches and practices astrology, tarot, Wicca, and other occult arts.


The Genealogy Shelf

Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums
Michelle Higgs
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526744852, $29.95, PB, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: How can you trace forebears who were patients in lunatic asylums and find out about their lives? What sources can you consult to discover their personal histories and gain an insight into their experiences? In her concise, accessible instructional guide "Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians", Michelle Higgs answers these questions. She provides a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers the means to explore the records for themselves.

Higgs concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century through to 1948 when the National Health Service was founded and looks in particular at the Victorian era which is the most popular period for research. Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations and case studies of real individuals, she brings the story of the asylums and their patients to life.

Different types of institution are described such as private madhouses, county lunatic asylums, facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Individual chapters look at the admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how they were treated - for instance, those with depression or mania, criminal lunatics, mothers with puerperal insanity, epileptics and soldiers suffering from shell shock. There are sections on the systems in Scotland and Ireland, as well as England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge registers.

Critique: Impressively informative, expertly organized and presented, "Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college and university library Genealogical Research collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for genealogy students, practitioners, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums: A Guide for Family Historians" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Michelle Higgs is an established author and has previously written on a variety of topics, including the Pen &Sword Books genealogical research guide, "Tracing Your Servant Ancestors".

Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry through Church and State Records
Chris Paton
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526768421, $26.95, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Despite its Union with England and Wales in 1707, Scotland remained virtually independent from its partners in many ways, retaining its own legal system, its own state church, and its own education system.

In "Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records: A Guide For Family Historians", genealogist Chris Paton examines the most common records used by family historians in Scotland, ranging from the vital records kept by the state and the various churches, the decennial censuses, tax records, registers of land ownership and inheritance, and records of law and order.

Through precepts of clare constat and ultimus haeres records, feudalism and udal tenure, to irregular marriages, penny weddings and records of sequestration, Chris Paton expertly explores the unique concepts and language within many Scottish records that are simply not found elsewhere within the British Isles. He details their purpose and the information recorded, the legal basis by which they were created, and where to find them both online and within Scotland's many archives and institutions.

Critique: Expertly organized and presented, "Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records: A Guide For Family Historians" is the ideal instructional guide and reference for anyone doing genealogical research with Scottish records, making it an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Genealogical Studies reference collections. It should be noted that "Tracing Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records: A Guide For Family Historians" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Chris Paton is a genealogist and writer based in Ayrshire. He runs the Scotland's Greatest Story research service at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk. He is a regular writer for several British and Irish genealogy magazines, runs the British GENES news and events blog at www.BritishGENES.blogspot.com, and gives regular talks to local family history societies and internationally.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Where To Retire
John Howells with Teal Conroy
Globe Pequot
www.globepequot.com
9781493043668, $21.95

Where To Retire: America's Best & Most Affordable Places can be used as an introductory checklist of places to investigate throughout the country, and offers not just explorations of specific states and communities, but checklists of what to consider when selecting a retirement locale, from climate and housing to culture and safety. Chapters provide enough of a snapshot of daily life and retirement-oriented amenities to help readers plan further investigations and personal visits to communities ranging from Charleston, SC and Burney, California to the Texas hill country.

RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement
Mark Anthony Grimaldi
https://www.retiresmartbook.com
Page Publishing Inc.
101 Tyrellan Avenue Suite 100 New York, NY 10309
www.pagepublishing.com
9781644628911, $29.95, HC, 166pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In his first book, "The Money Compass", practicing economist Mark Anthony Grimaldi shocked his readers by showing them how their 401(k) plans benefitted no one but Uncle Sam. "RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is a follow-up in which he dives deeper into the subject and proves once and for all that a 401(k) plan might be the single biggest hindrance to a secure Tax Free retirement.

"RetireSMART!" is a guide on how you can improve your retirement with 3 simple steps. So if you would rather "spend" your retirement savings as opposed to "spend" your retirement savings paying taxes, buy this book and follow his 3 simple steps and RetireSMART!

Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is an extraordinarily comprehensive and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Money Management & Personal Finance instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "RetireSMART!: How to Plan for a Tax-Free Retirement" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Mark Anthony Grimaldi received a BA degree in economics from Albany State University in 1985. In 2009 Mr. Grimaldi launched and manages The Sector Rotation Fund (NAVFX) a pure no-load fund. As of June 30, 2019 NAVFX achieved a 5 year 5-star ranking from Morningstar. Grimaldi has correctly forecast: The housing depression, The gold rush of 2006-2011, the 1000 point "Flash Crash", and that national unemployment would hit 10% in 2009.


The Woodworking Shelf

Turning Green Wood
Michael O'Donnell
The GMC Group
www.gmcbooks.com
9781784945589, $24.95, PB, 144pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Now in a newly revised edition, "Turning Green Wood" by Michael O'Donnell (who is a founding member of the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain and the author of "Decorating Turned Wood") is an inspiring and thought-provoking guide that deftly and step-by- step explains how to harvest and store timber, and how to make the best use of the grain pattern and other properties.

Turning green wood can be made so delicate that it is actually translucent, and the thickness of the wood can be gauged by shining a light through it as you work. Using clear text and spectacular photographs to show exactly how this is done, "Turning Green Wood" demystifies one of the most admired techniques used by woodturners today. It also features six inspirational projects to make, including: cross-grain translucent bowl, cross-grain natural-edge bowl, end-grain bowl, natural-edge end-grain bowl, natural-edge end-grain goblet and part-turned bowl.

Critique: Profusely illustrated and a thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction guide and manual for wood shop curriculums, "Turning Green Wood" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, highschool and technical college library woodworking collections.


The Automotive Shelf

Lost Muscle Car Dealerships
Duncan Brown
Publicity Department
CarTech Inc.
838 Lake Street South, Forest Lake, MN 55025
www.cartechbooks.com
9781613254516, $36.95, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the profusely illustrated pages of "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships", muscle car historian and enthusiast Duncan Brown revisits a glorious automotive era when Nickey 427 Camaros and supercharged Dodge Demons by Grand Spaulding Dodge terrorized the streets.

Drag sponsored cars from Reynolds Buick, Yeakel Chrysler-Plymouth, and Mel Burns Ford informed buyers that if you came to their dealership, you too could have a screaming fast muscle car just like the ones you saw at the dragstrip. It was these dealerships that created the lasting muscle car legacy through their innovative advertising and over-the-top performance.

The majority of these dealerships floundered, unable to re-attract the customers they had prior to the muscle car. "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships" is dedicated to preserving the history of those less fortunate and revisiting the past success of these historic muscle car dealerships.

Critique: A unique and impressively informative history of a heretofore neglected aspect of American automotive history, "Lost Muscle Car Dealerships" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library collections.

Editorial Note: Duncan Scott Brown's mother encouraged him to write stories from a young age while his father took him through a whirlwind tour of car dealerships as he was growing up. Duncan's desire to preserve car history inspired his website: www.oneownercollectorcar.com. The site profiles people who kept their classic domestic 1960s and 1970s cars with a technical examination of the patterns of wear on original vehicles. The website quickly expanded to quirky areas that caught on with readers, such as the Gas Logs section and, of course, The Dealerships. Readers have generously contributed their memories and photos of long-lost dealerships from the Big Three plus AMC to the website.

Ford versus Ferrari
John Starkey
Veloce Publishing Ltd.
www.veloce.co.uk
9781787115729, $19.99, PB, 128pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Ford versus Ferrari: The Battle for Supremacy at Le Mans 1966" is the illustrated story by John Starkey of what happened when America's richest car company, producing many thousands of cars per year, went head to head with Ferrari of Italy in the mid '60s.

This is the story of an immovable force coming up against the stubbornness of an unmovable object -- that is, Ford against Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari, whose company produced less than four hundred cars per year in 1963, wasn't going to bow to Ford after he had turned down its offer to buy his company. The only place left to duke it out was on the racetracks of the world -- and one race course in particular -- the Le Mans '66.

Critique: Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, and profusely illustrated throughout, "Ford versus Ferrari: The Battle for Supremacy at Le Mans 1966" is a 'must read' for the legions of Ferrari and Ford motor car enthusiasts and will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Automotive History collections. It should be noted for Ford and Ferrari fans that "Ford versus Farrari" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Born in England, John Starkey's automotive love affair began with his acquisition of a Jaguar XK120 that he bought in 1966 for 120 British pounds. After a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, life was never quite the same again, and the racing bug bit hard when he first drove a Porsche RSR. This was followed by "a beast" of a 935, then a Lola T70 Mk 3b coupe, and a March 84G. These he raced across Europe and America. In 1997, John moved to America, where he began writing, naturally, about racing cars. After twenty books, John thinks he has now run out of subjects to cover, although he has recently begun a novel about the world of dealing in old cars. He also investigates the individual histories of old racing cars for clients.

Autofocus: The Car in Photography
Marta Weiss
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500480526, $34.95, HC, 192pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Undeniably one of the most influential innovations of the modern world, the car has changed not only the way we live, but also the way we look at the world around us. From formal, compositional device to highly desirable, photogenic object, the car has a long and enduring appeal in modern and contemporary photography as revealed in "Autofocus: The Car in Photography" by Mara Weiss in this latest addition to the V&A Photography Library series from Thames & Hudson.

"Autofocus" visually explores the deep cultural significance of the car in the history of photography, playing a role both as subject matter and as a genuine creative vehicle -- the means by which photographers have accomplished many of their great works. Showcased is the photographic work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Edward Weston, and Weegee.

"Autofocus: The Car in Photography" is captivating album that presents and showcases more than 100 photographs, alongside fascinating commentaries and an introduction, that span the early years of the automobile to the present day. For both photography and car-loving audiences, Autofocus illustrates the inexorable rise of the car as a cultural icon.

Critique: Unique, informative, and a simply pleasure for car buffs and historians to browse through one page at a time, "Autofocus: The Car in Photography" by Marta Weiss (who is the Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum) is certain to be a welcome and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Photography collections in general, and Automotive History supplemental studies reading lists in particular.


The Gaming Shelf

Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge
Danny Roth
Master Point Press
www.masterpointpress.com
9781771400510, $19.95, PB, 246pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Many books have been written on falsecards and other deceptive plays at the bridge table. However, there is very little help available for the player who wants to learn how to recognize when the opponents are trying something sneaky, and what can be done in terms of counter-measures. "Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge" by Bridge expert Danny Roth nicely fills that gap, enabling readers to learn the most common situations where deceptive play by the opposition may occur, and the most effective ways to nullify the threat.

Critique: Danny Roth is a regular contributor to bridge magazines around the world. With "Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge" he effectively draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to provide aspiring Bridge players with a complete, comprehensive, and throughly 'player friendly' instructional manual and guide that will result in a decided improvement in their gaming performance. "Don't Be Fooled!: Countering Deception at Bridge" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library collections.


The Business Shelf

Flat, Fluid, and Fast
Brynne Kennedy
McGraw Hill Education
c/o McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
9781260457278, $30.00, HC, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In just a few short years it is confidently predicted that employee mobility will be an imperative for every business, as millions of jobs disappear practically overnight having become victims of artificial intelligence and automation -- even as new jobs are created. The competition for talent will be fierce, and employers are going to have to make major changes in the ways they hire, manage, and retain top performers.

"Flat, Fluid, and Fast: Harness the Talent Mobility Revolution to Drive Employee Engagement, Accelerate Innovation, and Unleash Growth" by Brynne Kennedy delivers the tactics and strategies employers will need to create a disruption-proof company during the talent mobility revolution. It walks employers through the entire process, while providing expert advice on new ways to: Draw top talent to a company; Implement new training programs; Create employee mobility plans; Design innovative career paths for staff; Operate an adaptable organization for long-term success; Understand policies to support this new world of work across America.

"Flat, Fluid, and Fast" goes beyond merely surviving the coming change. It equips employers to seize the opportunities this change affords, to beat out the competition, and to become the dominant player in any industry. It also equips everyone in America to understand the government policies that are needed to unleash growth, create new jobs and support all workers amid this radical new world of work.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Flat, Fluid, and Fast: Harness the Talent Mobility Revolution to Drive Employee Engagement, Accelerate Innovation, and Unleash Growth" is a seminal work that should be a part of every corporate, community, college, and university library Business Management instructional reference collection and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of business students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Flat, Flud, and Fast" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.04).

Editorial Note: Holding a B.A. in History from Yale and an MBA from London Business School, Brynne Kennedy is an American entrepreneur and the Founder of Topia, a relocation and talent mobility company in California, used by customers worldwide. While CEO she grew the company to global operations, raised $100 million and helped tens of thousands of families transition to new jobs and communities. While leading Topia in California, Brynne also founded Mobility4All, a charitable initiative that supported refugees during the Syrian War. Brynne has also worked with TechNet to advise California State and Federal lawmakers on policies for economic growth and entrepreneurship.


The Gardening Shelf

Vertical Gardening
Jason Johns
http://gardeningwithjason.com
Groundswell Books
c/o Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
bookpubco.com
9781570673757 $9.95 pbk / $6.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: A vertical garden can run the gamut from a simple arrangement of flowers in a large container on a deck to an elaborate display of strawberries and geraniums amid climbing peas and vines of small squash growing up a backyard fence. Any upright structure that can support vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers, whether these plants are in containers or in the ground, can be used. Of particular interest to urban dwellers and to city residents with limited yard space or sunlight, growing plants vertically can also be used by suburban and rural gardeners so valuable ground space can be freed up for root crops.

Gardening expert Jason Johns offers examples of many types of vertical gardens and offers suggestions on which plants to select that thrive when grown vertically. He also gives tips for how to plan a vertical garden to take advantage of sunlight, allow for easy watering and care, and provide protection from wind and insect damage. Included are numerous photographs illustrating innovative and creative vertical gardening structures and arrangements that provide the support plants need to flourish. You'll be able to maximize your yield in minimal space.

Critique: Illustrated with black-and-white photography throughout, Vertical Gardening is a guide to growing one's own, organic produce and herbs in the smallest of spaces. Chapters discuss how to raise plants that do well in vertical gardens; maintain optimal soil conditions; protect one's garden from wind and insect damage; and much more. An index rounds out this "must-have" for aspiring and hobbyist gardeners who have a limited area to work with. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Vertical Gardening is also available in a Kindle edition ($6.99).

The Pollinator Victory Garden
Kim Eierman
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
9781631597503, $26.99, PB, 160pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Pollinators are critical to our food supply and responsible for the pollination of the vast majority of all flowering plants on our planet. Pollinators include not just bees, but many different types of animals, including insects and mammals. Beetles, bats, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and wasps can also be pollinators.

But today, many pollinators are in trouble, and the reality is that most of our landscapes have little to offer them. Our residential and commercial landscapes are filled with vast green pollinator deserts, better known as lawns. These monotonous green expanses are ecological wastelands for bees and other pollinators.

With "The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators", gardeners and homeowners can give pollinators a fighting chance by learning how to transition their landscape into a pollinator haven by creating a habitat that includes pollinator nutrition, larval host plants for butterflies and moths, and areas for egg laying, nesting, sheltering, overwintering, resting, and warming.

"The Pollinator Victory Garden" offers a wealth of information to support pollinators while improving the environment including: The importance of pollinators and the specific threats to their survival; How to provide food for pollinators using native perennials, trees, and shrubs that bloom in succession; Detailed profiles of the major pollinator types and how to attract and support each one; Tips for creating and growing a Pollinator Victory Garden, including site assessment, planning, and planting goals; Project ideas like pollinator islands, enriched landscape edges, revamped foundation plantings, meadowscapes, and other pollinator-friendly lawn alternatives.

Critique: A unique, timely and impressively informative instructional guide and manual, "The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats, and Other Pollinators" should be considered a mandatory addition to all community and academic library Environmental Studies collections in general, and Domestic Gardening supplemental studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of all homeowners, gardeners, students, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Pollinator Victory Garden" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Kim Eierman is an environmental horticulturist and landscape designer specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants. She is the Founder of EcoBeneficial, a horticulture consulting and communications company in Westchester County, New York. Kim teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center, Rutgers Home Gardeners School, and advanced education classes for Master Gardeners. An active speaker nationwide on many ecological landscaping topics, she also provides horticultural consulting and ecological design to commercial, municipal, and retail clients. In addition to being a Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, Kim is an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center, and a member of The Ecological Landscape Alliance and the Association for Garden Communicators (GWA). Kim received the Silver Award of Achievement from the Garden Writers Association in 2014, 2015, and 2017.

The Complete Book Of Ferns
Mobee Weinstein
Cool Springs Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780760363942, $30.00, HC, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Houseplants are enduringly popular, but no category of houseplants is more popular than ferns. From the otherworldly Staghorns (mounted like antler trophies in homes throughout the world) to the classic Boston Ferns and newer varieties like Crispy Wave, ferns are definitely back in fashion. And to no one's surprise. After all, ferns are among the very oldest plants on the planet, with a long and storied history. There are tens of thousands of known varieties of ferns. In the Victorian Era, ferns created an absolute craze for more than 50 years. They re-emerged as integral home decor accessories in the '50s and '60s, and there were the "Fern Bars" back in the '80s.

"The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors - Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" by Mobee Weinstein is comprehensive reference that begins its examination of ferns 400 million years ago, when the first species of this group of spore-reproducing plants appeared on Earth, exploring their evolution and eventual incorporation into human culture, including the powers associated with them and their practical and ornamental uses. Then, after an exploration of fern botany (its parts, how it grows, its variability in size and form, habitats, propagation, etc.) the aspiring gardener will learn how to green both their indoor and outdoor environments with ferns. Every aspect of fern care is covered: potting/planting, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control, and more.

With this knowledge absorbed, aspiring gardeners can explore creative planting projects, like terrariums, vertical gardens (living walls), mixed tabletop gardens, and moss baskets. As well as making a survey of ferns complete, create pressed fern art, fabric wall hangings with chlorophyll-stained designs, cyanotypes, and hand-made fern-decorated paper.

Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated throughout" The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors - Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" is an extraordinary and comprehensive compendium that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library DIY gardening instructional reference collections. An informative pleasure to simply browse through, it should be noted that "The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors - Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $27.52).

Editorial Note: Currently, Mobee Weinstein is the Foreman of Gardeners for Outdoor Gardens at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. She has a degree in Plant Studies and has done post-graduate work in Botany. She has worked as an adjunct professor of Indoor plants at SUNY. She frequently appears and represents New York Botanical Garden on television (NBC, ABC, Martha Stewart Living, et al.) and radio (Ralph Snodsmith's The Garden Hotline program, et al.). She is a frequent lecturer to outside organizations and a Judge for Philadelphia Flower Show (Ferns and other plant classes) and NYC Community Gardens. She organizes and leads field trips for NYBG School of Professional Horticulture and has published more than a dozen articles and book chapters on various topics, including ferns and water lilies.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Blue & White Quilts
That Patchwork Place
Martingale & Company
www.shopmartingale.com
9781683560395, $27.99

Blue & White Quilts: 13 Remarkable Quilts with Timeless Appeal presents creations from designers and collectors with an interest in pairing antique and modern designs for use with new quilting fabrics and techniques, and is recommended for anyone interested in exploring blue and white motifs and patterns. From appliqued and pieced borders to blocks, quilt tops, and patterns, chapters explore various combinations and creative approaches to a two-color pattern that will provide ideas and inspiration for other two-color uses as well.

Top-Down Knit Sweaters
Corrina Ferguson
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811718288, $24.95, PB, 120pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Corrina Ferguson is a knitwear designer and former editor of Creative Knitting Magazine. She is known as PicnicKnits on Ravelry, Instagram, Twitter, and has her own website, picnicknits.com. She has been designing for over 10 years and has over 200 patterns to her credit, including those in her first book, Warm Days, Cool Knits.

With "Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork" she has drawn upon her years of experience and expertise to create an instruction manual of DIY knitted sweaters specifically designed for anything from office to errands to weekend events. They are polished yet comfortable, closet staples with interesting details that will make you feel well-dressed every time you put one on. From textured pullover to cabled raglan to wrap-front cardigan, the 16 designs in "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" will take you anywhere you want to go.

Knitting sweaters from the top down offers many advantages knitters appreciate, not the least of which is that it minimizes the amount of seaming you have to do to finish your sweater. It also allows more easy options for customization in the yoke, raglan placement, overall length, and armhole length. Since you can try your sweater on as you go, you can make sure that you are working to the exact fit you desire.

Critique: Replete with a wealth of helpful tips for knitting top down, with thoroughly 'user friendly' patters for sizes from XS to XXL, plus a guide to finding the best personal best fit, "Top-Down Knit Sweaters: 16 Versatile Styles Featuring Texture, Lace, Cables, and Colorwork" showcases patterns for both hand knitted pullovers and cardigan sweaters. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Needlecraft instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "Top-Down Knit Sweaters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.48).


The Crafts Shelf

Wondrous One Sheet Origami
Meenakshi Mukerji
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780367208134, $75.00, HC, 163pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Wondrous One Sheet Origami" by origami expert Meenakshi Mukerji is an illustrated instructional manual and guide to creating beautiful origami designs covering a wide range of folding levels from simple to high intermediate, with more emphasis on the latter.

"Wondrous One Sheet Origami" is a richly illustrated full-color book with clear, crisp diagrams following international standard, and an abundance of photographs of finished models. Special features include select designs hand-picked by the author based on social media responses. Most of the designs incorporate color-change, a technique showing both sides of paper for enhanced beauty

Ideal for audiences 12 years of age and above, most of the designs comprising "Wondrous One Sheet Origami" are flat and suitable for mounting on cards or framing as gifts.

Critique: Profusely illustrated with clear step-by-step instructions, "Wondrous One Sheet Origami" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation. While especially and unreservedly recommended for school, community and academic library Origami instructional reference collections, it should be noted for the personal lists of students, professionals, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Wondrous One Sheet Origami" is also available in a paperback edition (9780367208103, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: Meenakshi Mukerji (Adhikari) was introduced to origami in early childhood by her uncle Bireshwar Mukhopadhyay. She rediscovered origami in its modular form as an adult quite by chance in 1995, when a friend took her to a modular origami class taught by Doug Philips. This newfound mathematical and structural side of modular origami rekindled her passion for the art, and soon after, she started designing and displaying origami on her popular website www.origamee.net. The website features colorful photo galleries and links to myriad of free diagrams and has about a million and a half hits to date. Meenakshi regularly contributes to various origami periodicals and exhibits her work at conventions. She is a member of Origami USA and British Origami Society and an editor for the former's online magazine The Fold.


The Hunting Shelf

Buffalo II!
Craig Boddington
Safari Press, Inc.
www.safaripress.com
9781571575319, $44.95, HC, 308pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: In the pages of "Buffalo II!", author and big game hunter Craig Boddington shares a wealth of first hand information on hunting "swamp buffalo" from Mozambique, as well as discussing the importance of buffalo sustainability for generations to come -- the how, where, and why of looking for an aged buffalo bull with hard bosses. He also shares his experience with a confronting a compelling personal, vividly presented, lethal buffalo charge confrontation.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, deftly written, and impressively informative read from first page to last, "Buffalo II!" will have enormous appeal for all members of the hunting community. Certain to be an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library collections, "Buffalo II!" is an unreservedly recommended acquisition.


The Travel Shelf

Lonely Planet Best of India
Anirban Mahapatra, et al.
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781787013926, $24.99, PB, 324pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Lonely Planet's Best of India is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Marvel at the intricate floral designs on the Taj Mahal, float along Kerala's backwaters as the sun sinks behind whispering palms, and dive into the teeming bazaars, mighty fortresses and fine dining of Jaipur - all with your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of India and begin your journey now!

"Lonely Planet's Best of India" is the ideal trip planning guide and resource that features: Full-colour images throughout; Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests; Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots; Essential info at your fingertips including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices; Honest reviews for all budgets including eating, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss; Cultural insights that provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience with respect to history, art, food, wine, sport, landscapes, and wildlife.

"Lonely Planet's Best of India" covers Delhi, Agra, the Taj Mahal, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Mumbai, Ajanta, Ellora, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Darjeeling, Varanasi, Himachal Pradesh and more.

Critique: Expertly organized, accessibly presented, informative, portable, and thoroughly 'user friendly' throughout, "Lonely Planet's Best of India" is an armchair traveler's delight and indispensable for either business or recreational travelers to the nation of India. While an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library travel guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that the "Lonely Planet's Best of India" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).


The Self-Help Shelf

All You Have to Do Is Ask
Wayne Baker
Currach
c/o Penguin Random House
www.penguin.com
9781984825926, $27.00, HC, 240pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Imagine you're on a deadline for a big project, and feeling overwhelmed. Or you're looking for a job, but can't seem to get your foot in the door. Or you're dying for tickets to a sold out concert, and all your leads have gone cold. What do these problems have in common? They can all be solved simply by reaching out to a colleague, friend, or wider network and making an ask.

Studies show that asking for help makes us better and less frustrated at our jobs. It helps us find new opportunities and new talent. It unlocks new ideas and solutions, and enhances team performance. And it helps us get the things we need outside the workplace as well. And yet, we rarely give ourselves permission to ask. Luckily, the research shows that asking (and getting) what we need is much easier than we tend to think.

In the pages of "All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success", Wayne Baker shares a set of strategies that used at companies like Google, GM, and IDEO, and that individuals, teams, and leaders can use to make asking for help a personal and organizational habit, including: A quiz to identify your asking-giving style; SMART criteria for who, when, and how to ask; "Plug-and-play " routines that make requests a standard component of meetings; Mini-games that incentivize asking within teams; The Reciprocity Ring, a guided activity that allows people to tap into the giving power of a network.

"All You Have to Do Is Ask" shows the reader just how to ignite the cycle of giving and receiving by asking for the things we need.

Critique: Practical, effective, informatively insightful, thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, organization and presentation, "All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to both community and academic library Self-Help/Self-Improvement instructional reference collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "All You Have to Do Is Ask" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: Wayne Baker is the Robert P. Thome Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan. He currently serves as Faculty Associate at the Institute for Social Research and Faculty Director of the Center for Positive Organizations. Baker is a frequent guest speaker, management consultant, and advisor and board member of Give and Take, Inc., developers of the Givitas collaborative technology platform. He has published numerous scholarly papers, four books, and articles appearing in Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive magazine, and MIT Sloan Management Review.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Changing Tides
Alejandro Frid
New Society Publishers
www.newsociety.com
9780865719095, $19.99

Changing Tides: An Ecologist's Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene tackles the question of humanity's impact on the planet and what stories can allow the human race to shift from their focus of material goods and goals to a more ecological perspective of stewards of the world's ecosystems. In order to consider what the shift might look like, Frid examined Indigenous cultures that have developed unique ways of viewing and managing resources. Their experience, blended with scientific data, might make the difference in helping humans revise their own image of their role in planetary affairs. Ethereal, engaging, and centered in river, wildlife, and natural environments, Changing Tides blends philosophy with social insights key to understanding man's place in the world, and is an outstanding survey recommended for social issues, ecology, and science collections alike.


The Holocaust Studies Shelf

The Anatomy of the Holocaust
Raul Hilberg, Walter H. Pehle, and Rene Schlott, editors
Berghahn Books
20 Jay Street, Suite 512, Brooklyn, NY 11201
www.berghahnbooks.com
9781789203554, $150.00, HC, 258pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Though best known as the author of the landmark 1961 work "The Destruction of the European Jews", the historian Raul Hilberg produced a variety of archival research, personal essays, and other works over a career that spanned half a century. "The Anatomy of the Holocaust: Selected Works from a Life of Scholarship" collects some of Hilberg's most essential and groundbreaking writings (many of them published in obscure journals or otherwise inaccessible to nonspecialists) in a single volume.

Supplemented with commentary and notes from Hilberg's longtime German editor and his biographer, "The Anatomy of the Holocaust" not only offers a multifaceted look at the man and the scholar, but also traces the evolution of Holocaust research from a marginal subdiscipline into a diverse and vital intellectual project.

Critique: Comprised of a seminal body of meticulous historical scholarship, "The Anatomy of the Holocaust: Selected Works from a Life of Scholarship" is a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Holocaust Studies collections and supplemental studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "The Anatomy of the Holocaust" is also available in a paperback edition (9781789204896, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Walter H. Pehle studied in Cologne, Bonn and Dusseldorf, and holds a doctorate in history. From 1977 to 2011 he was an editor for history at the German publisher S. Fischer Verlag. Since 1988 he has served as the acquisitions editor for S. Fischer Verlag's series "The Age of National Socialism", which to date includes over 250 books. His own publications include, as volume editor, the anthology November 1938: From "Reichskristallnacht" to Genocide (Berg, 1991) and, together with Wolfgang Benz, Encyclopedia of German Resistance to the Nazi Movement (Continuum, 1997). He is an honorary professor at the University of Innsbruck.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
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