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Volume 31, Number 2 February 2021 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Education Shelf Parenting Shelf Art Shelf
Biography Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Military Shelf Travel Shelf General Fiction Shelf
Historical Fiction Shelf Literary Fiction Shelf Romantic Fiction Shelf
Western Fiction Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Business Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Activity Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Woodworking Shelf Cookbook Shelf Gaming Shelf
Library Science Shelf Architecture Shelf Mathematics Shelf
Language Studies Shelf Poetry Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Photography Shelf Economic Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf
Computer Shelf Technology Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

Beyond Fake News
Justin P. McBrayer
Routledge
711 - 3rd Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017-9209
www.routledge.com
9780367483104, $160.00, HC, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Fake-News-Finding-Misinformation/dp/0367483106

Synopsis: The modern world is swimming in misinformation. Conflicting messages bombard us every day with news on everything from politics and world events to investments and alternative health. The daily paper, nightly news, websites, and social media each compete for our attention and each often insist on a different version of the facts. Inevitably, we have questions: Who is telling the truth?; How would we know?; How did we get here?; What can we do?

In "Beyond Fake News: Finding the Truth in a World of Misinformation", Professor Justin P. McBrayer answers these and other queries. The reader is offered a technological and market-based explanation for how our informational environment became so polluted. "Beyond Fake News" also shows how purveyors of news often have incentives to mislead us, and how consumers of information often have incentives to be misled. And it chronicles how, as technology improves and the regulatory burdens drop, our information-scape becomes ever more littered with misinformation.

"Beyond Fake News" argues that even when we really want the truth, our minds are built in such a way so as to be incapable of grasping many facts, and blind spots mar our view of the world. But we can do better, both as individuals and as a society. As individuals, we can improve the accuracy of our understanding of the world by knowing who to trust and recognizing our limitations. And as a society, we can take important steps to reduce the quantity and effects of misinformation.

Critique: We have witnessed over the past four years a massive and deliberate misinformation campaign conducted by a president (Donald J. Trump), reinforced and proliferated by major news outlets (Fox News, OAN), and nationally distributed by social media giants (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). The result has been a more deadly pandemic than otherwise would have occurred, and more devastated economy that would have occurred, and a more violent political division than would have every been possible otherwise. "Beyond Fake News: Finding the Truth in a World of Misinformation" should be required reading for as large a segment of the general populace as possible and a mandatory addition to community, college, and university library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Beyond Fake News" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780367483081, $34.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.20).

Editorial Note: Justin P. McBrayer is Professor of Philosophy at Fort Lewis College, the liberal arts college for the State of Colorado. He is Executive Director for the Society of Christian Philosophers and Co-Editor of A Companion to the Problem of Evil (2013), Introducing Ethics (2013), and Skeptical Theism: New Essays (2014).

Time Smart
Ashley Whillans
awhillans.com
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781633698352, $28.00, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Time-Smart-Reclaim-Your-Happier/dp/1633698351

Synopsis: Four out of five adults report feeling that they have too much to do and not enough time to do it. These time-poor people experience less joy each day. They laugh less. They are less healthy, less productive, and more likely to divorce. In one study, time stress produced a stronger negative effect on happiness than unemployment. How can we escape the time traps that make us feel this way and keep us from living our best lives?

"Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" by Professor Ashley Whillans is the ideal DIY playbook for taking back the time you lose to mindless tasks and unfulfilling chores. Professor Whillans provides proven strategies for improving your "time affluence" and the techniques she reveals will free up seconds, minutes, and hours that, over the long term, become weeks and months that you can reinvest in positive, healthy activities.

"Time Smart" doesn't stop at merely telling you what to do. It also effectively shows you how to do it, helping you achieve the mindset shift that will make these activities part of your everyday regimen through assessments, checklists, and activities you can use right away. The strategies Professor Whillans' presents will help you make the shift to time-smart living and, in the process, build a happier, more fulfilling life.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, as thoughtful and thought-provoking as it is motivationally inspiring, "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly valued addition to community, college, university library Self-Help/Self- Improvement collections in general, and Time Management studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers that "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.23).

Editorial Note: Ashley Whillans is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and a leading voice in time and happiness research. Whillans has worked with groups as diverse as consulting firms, couples, the US military, and women managing vegetable stands in Kenya. She is part of the Global Happiness Council and the Workplace and Well-Being Initiative at Harvard University. Her research has appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, BBC, the Atlantic, and the Economist. She maintains a website at awhillans.com and can be followed on Twitter @ashleywhillans

A Rendezvous to Remember
Terry Marshall & Ann Garretson Marshall
Sandra Jonas Publishing House
www.sandrajonaspublishing.com
9781733338653, $32.95, HC, 378pp

https://www.sandrajonaspublishing.com/a-rendezvous-to-remember

A Rendezvous to Remember: A Memoir of Joy and Heartache at the Dawn of the Sixties will touch readers who like stories of evolving relationships. It opens in 1964 in Boulder, Colorado, where Terry is saying goodbye to Ann, his college best friend and sweetheart, who is on her way to Germany to visit his competitor for her affections: Lieutenant Jack Sigg. Terry is deeply worried that he will lose her forever. This shared memoir moves between Ann and Terry's perspectives, creating clear movement between the two with chapter headings that never leave readers wondering about who is "talking." We also get insight into Jack through his many letters to Ann and the European grand tour the two of them take in his Corvette convertible.

These first-person narratives weave interpersonal interactions into an overall flavor of the times, from politics to social environment. This approach adds a fine inspection not just of the independent lives of two want-to-be lovers separated by their perspectives and backgrounds, but of their lives apart as they reflect on what could have been (and still could be). Descriptions of sentiments rooted in the times are particularly compelling, drawing readers into events, as well as into the emotional responses they elicited, and the resulting challenge to ideals, dreams, and perceptions of the world. The story transcends personal autobiography alone, charting the course of not just two disparate lives, but also a nation. A Rendezvous to Remember is highly recommended reading for anyone who has wondered what coming of age in America in the 1960s was really like. Should social history be this closely inspected from the vantage point of hindsight? The answer from this memoir is a resounding "yes."


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Amazon Jungle
Jason R. Boyce & Rick Cesari
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781631952807, $19.95, PB, 212pp

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Jungle-Survival-Commerce-Marketplace/dp/1631952803

Synopsis: How do you sell on Amazon? Within the pages of "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace", entrepreneurs Jason Boyce and Rick Cesari collaborate to share effective strategies that are the key to Amazon success and reveal the truth about Amazon, which is not widely known.

"The Amazon Jungle" helps Amazon Third-Party Sellers how to start selling on Amazon and how to sell products on Amazon build credibility and staying power by creating a winning brand -- the superpower that can give them back control from this online marketing behemoth. Jason's expertise in identifying winning products on Amazon and Rick's success building brands off of the platform make them a formidable team and the answer to today's question: How to succeed on a platform you can't afford to avoid?

If you're asking, how do I sell on Amazon or how to become an Amazon seller "The Amazon Jungle" is essential and DIY instructional reading.

Critique: Solidly informative, expertly presented, and of immense and enduring value for existing sellers and Amazon beginners alike, "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace" should be considered mandatory reading for anyone wanting to do business on the Amazon website. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, college and university library E-commerce Marketing collections and supplemental curriculum studies collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of entrepreneurs, business owners, authors, publishers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Amazon Jungle: The Truth About Amazon, The Seller's Survival Guide for Thriving on the World's Most Perilous E-Commerce Marketplace" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note: Jason R. Boyce has nearly 20 years of experience as an Amazon Top Seller selling on Amazon, and is founder of a prominent Amazon agency, Avenue7Media. Rick Cesari's innovative Direct-To-Consumer strategies create more sales while built brand awareness for products like GoPro, Sonicare, OxiClean, and the George Foreman Grill. Together, Jason and Rick's DIY 'how to' Amazon book show how to pick a winning product, get it made, become a seller on Amazon, get it listed, and get it selling -- on and off Amazon is the best way for how to sell on Amazon.


The Social Issues Shelf

New Way to Care
John C. Goodman
The Independent Institute
100 Swan Way, Oakland, CA 94621-1428
www.independent.org
9781598133172, $28.95, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Care-America-Better-Social-Safety/dp/1598133179

Synopsis: The COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Recession. The dot-com bust. The early '90s recession. Every decade or so a disaster hits the United States and reminds us that many American families live one calamity away from financial ruin. But what if there were a better way to help families protect themselves from life's risks? And what if that way did not further bloat large government bureaucracies and inflate even more their obscene budgets?

Fortunately, author, economist, policy entrepreneur, and Independent Institute Senior Fellow John C. Goodman, Ph.D., has forged just such a path. In "New Way to Care: Social Protections That Put Families First", Goodman offers a bold strategy for giving Americans more control over their destiny, while still promoting (and at far less expense!) the important social goals that gave rise to government safety-net programs in the first place.

Here are just a few of the life-risks for which Goodman presents practical and effective solutions: Growing too old and outliving one's assets; Dying too young and leaving dependent family members without resources; Becoming disabled and facing financial catastrophe; Suffering a major health event and being unable to afford needed medical care; Becoming unemployed and finding no market for one's skills.

In New Way to Care, Goodman invites us to envision smartly crafted social protections that better serve the nation's families -- and eliminate the risk that America's safety-net expenditures will drive the U.S. economy over a fiscal cliff. The debate in America over social insurance will never be the same.

Critique: Impressively informative, iconoclastic, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "New Way to Care: Social Protections that Put Families First" is an exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Social Issues collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "New Way to Care: Social Protections that Put Families First" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: John C. Goodman is Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, President of the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research, and a regular guest on CNN, PBS, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, and CNBC. He also frequently writes for the Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, USA Today, Forbes, National Review, and Health Affairs. Frequently invited to testify before Congress on health-care reform, Dr. Goodman received his Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University.

Revolutionary Power
Shalanda H. Baker
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
www.islandpress.org
9781642830675, $32.00, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Revolutionary-Power-Activists-Energy-Transition/dp/1642830674

Synopsis: In September 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, completely upending the energy grid of the small island. The nearly year-long power outage that followed vividly shows how the new climate reality intersects with race and access to energy. The island is home to brown and black US citizens who lack the political power of those living in the continental US. As the world continues to warm and storms like Maria become more commonplace, it is critical that we rethink our current energy system to enable reliable, locally produced, and locally controlled energy without replicating the current structures of power and control.

In "Revolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy Transition ", author, academician, political activist and environmentalist Shalanda Baker arms those made most vulnerable by our current energy system with the tools they need to remake the system in the service of their humanity. She argues that people of color, poor people, and indigenous people must engage in the creation of the new energy system in order to upend the unequal power dynamics of the current system.

"Revolutionary Power" is essentially a playbook for the energy transformation complete with a step-by-step analysis of the key energy policy areas that are ripe for intervention. Baker tells the stories of those who have been left behind in our current system and those who are working to be architects of a more just system. She draws from her experience as an energy-justice advocate, a lawyer, and a queer woman of color to inspire activists working to build our new energy system.

Climate change will force us to rethink the way we generate and distribute energy and regulate the system. But how much are we willing to change the system? This unique moment in history provides an unprecedented opening for a deeper transformation of the energy system, and thus, an opportunity to transform society. "Revolutionary Power" shows us how.

Critique: Capably and competently written, organized and presented, "Revolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy Transition" is an impressively informed and informative study. Simply stated, "Revolutionary Power" should engage as wide a readership as possible and is unreservedly recommended for community, governmental, college, and university library Energy Policy, Civil Rights & Liberties, and Discrimination/Racism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Revolutionary Power" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.27).

Editorial Note: Shalanda Baker is a professor at the Northeastern School of Law. Before joining Northeastern's faculty, Professor Baker spent three years as an associate professor of law at the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawai'i, where she was the founding director of the Energy Justice Program. Prior to that, she served on the faculty at the University of San Francisco School of Law. In 2016, she won a Fulbright award and spent a year in Mexico exploring energy reform, climate change and indigenous rights.


The Education Shelf

1st Grade At Home: Reading & Math Skills
The Princeton Review
www.princetonreview.com
9780525571735, $12.99 PB, $9.99 Kindle, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/1st-Grade-Home-Activities-Learning/dp/0525571736

Just in time for COVID's new demands on parents to step into the role of educator is 1st Grade At Home: Reading & Math Skills, one of four books in a new 'Learn at Home' line of materials. Parents interested in helping their kids through elementary school will find this book provides structured grade-level lessons (16 in math and 16 in reading) that reinforce remote learning processes. Activities encourage parents to read aloud and interact with their first-graders as they provide information and activities that include notes on 'what to watch for' and 'what to know' that help parents understand the pitfalls along the way to success. The result is an outstanding approach highly recommended for parents who want to be supportive of newly at-home young learners, but don't know how to achieve these goals.

Doing College Right: A Guide to Student Success
Joe O'Shea
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027
www.tcpress.com
9780807764831, $75.00, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-College-Right-Student-Success/dp/0807764833

Synopsis: How do you know which college is right for you? And what should you do during college to make the most of your time there? In the pages of "Doing College Right: A Guide to Student Success", Joe O'Shea (dean of undergraduate studies and assistant provost at Florida State University) draws upon his years of experience and expertise to helps aspiring students to both choose a college and make key decisions throughout their higher education journey.

Dean O'Shea harnesses the latest research on how students develop and showcases award-winning programs from across the United States that are making a difference in the lives of students. "Doing College Right" is filled with helpful case examples, practical rubrics, and guiding questions to help readers evaluate colleges based on key dimensions of student success, both before and during college. This guide is important reading for prospective students and their families, as well as college admissions staff and high school counselors.

"Doing College Right: A Guide to Student Success": Offers a comprehensive, evidence-based framework to help students and families make decisions about college: Translates the innovations and lessons of the recent student success movement; Examines how colleges can support students, including those from underrepresented and underserved populations; Illustrates the critical roles of higher education institutions in enabling the success of students.

Critique: Exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Doing College Right: A Guide to Student Success" is the ideal instructional guide and reference for college bound students. While especially recommended for highschool guidance offices and community library college reference collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of guidance counselors, parents, and aspiring college students that "Doing College Right: A Guide to Student Success" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780807764824, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.66).

Making the DEC Recommended Practices "Come to Life"
Aaron R. Deris & Cynthia F. DiCarlo
Charles C. Thomas, Publisher
2600 South First Street, Springfield, IL 62704
http://www.ccthomas.com
9780398093464, $38.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Recommended-Practices-Come-Life/dp/0398093466

Synopsis: There is a critical need for highly qualified personnel who will become exemplary professionals in early childhood special education settings. "Making the DEC Recommended Practices "Come to Life": Using Case Method of Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education " by Aaron R. Deris and Cynthia F. DiCarlo presents the use of case method instruction and realistic cases that align with current recommended practices (RP) from the Division of Early Childhood (DEC).

Of special note is an overview of DEC recommended practices explores assessment, environment, family, instruction, interaction, teaming and collaboration, transition, and a chart of cases. The benefits, debates, usage, barriers, framework, recommended practice, and case study rubrics of Case Method Instruction (CMI) are explored, creating guidelines for analysis and the implementation of plans. Each chapter contains two sections that presents cases for birth to age 3, and cases for 3 to 5 year olds.

Fourteen case studies (seven solved and seven unsolved) aligned with RP and DEC are included. The unsolved cases allow the reader to further develop their skills by determining what else could be done or needed to solve the case. These case studies have proposed questions for further thought and discussion.

An Appendix is included that contains research support for the interventions outlined in the case studies. "Making the DEC Recommended Practices "Come to Life": Using Case Method of Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education" will be a significant resource for undergraduates and graduates, university college courses, school districts or organizations that provide training and support for exceptional children.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Making the DEC Recommended Practices "Come to Life": Using Case Method of Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education" is an ideal textbook for Special Education teacher trainer academic and in-service training courses. While a critically important and unreservedly recommended addition to school district, college, and university library Early Childhood Special Education instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Making the DEC Recommended Practices "Come to Life": Using Case Method of Instruction in Early Childhood Special Education " is also readily available in a digital book format from the publisher (9780398093471, $38.95).

Brain-Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools
Maggie Kline
North Atlantic Books
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2607
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623173265, $29.95, PB, 448pp

https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Changing-Strategies-Trauma-Proof-Schools-Heart-Centered/dp/1623173264

Synopsis: More than 32 million children in the US suffer from trauma symptoms. Some have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), like neglect, abuse, violence, and loss, or have experienced distress from medical trauma and social injustice. Toxic traumatic stress shapes the structure and function of both brain and body, which can lead to anxiety, hyperactivity, aggression, shutting down, and acting out -- emotions and behaviors that hinder learning and create classroom chaos.

With the publication of "Brain-Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools: A Heart-Centered Movement for Wiring Well-Being", Maggie Kline (who is a family therapist, trauma specialist, school psychologist, and former teacher), gives her readers whole-brain, heart-centered tools to identify and reverse trauma-driven behaviors so students feel supported and safe.

Offering a unique roadmap will empower educators to facilitate positive school-wide outcomes covers: How trauma alters kids' brains causing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges; Evidence-based somatic, relational, and mindfulness interventions to rewire reactivity; How to manage Pre-K-12 classrooms to promote empathy, cooperation, and belonging; Social equity; practices so kids from all backgrounds feel safe, valued, and joyful; Concrete steps to restore resilience following natural and man-made catastrophes.

Critique: Especially timely with the additional trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning, unstable school in- person accessibility, and economic stresses, "Brain-Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools: A Heart-Centered Movement for Wiring Well-Being" is especially recommended for school district, college, and university library Teacher & Administrator Education, Crisis Management Counseling, and Educational Psychology collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of classroom teachers, school counselors, school administrators and policy makers that "Brain-Changing Strategies to Trauma-Proof Our Schools: A Heart-Centered Movement for Wiring Well-Being" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.99).

College Admissions During COVID
Robert Franek
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
www.PrincetonReview.com
9780525571810, $12.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/College-Admissions-During-COVID-Challenges/dp/0525571817

Synopsis: Students in the entering classes of 2021 and 2022 face a college admissions landscape unlike any before. The massive changes wrought by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have upended once-standard admissions advice, with new questions arising daily.

Fortunately, Rob Franek, editor-in-chief at The Princeton Review and nationally-recognized college admissions expert, draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to answer those questions with straightforward, balanced information that comprises "College Admissions During COVID: How to Navigate the New Challenges in Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid, and More".

"College Admissions During COVID" (a new edition of The Princeton Review's popular College Admissions 101, specifically updated with advice for the current situation) gathers together the 70+ questions that Rob is hearing most frequently from students and parents, and answers them with information garnered from deans, admissions officers, and his own 25+ years of expertise.

Some things remain the same (yes, you should write an essay!), but others have changed (you may have to postpone that campus visit). No matter how crazy things seem, "College Admissions During COVID" will help guide students and their families through this difficult time and set them up for college admission success!

Critique: Comprehensive, informative, up-to-date, throughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "College Admissions During COVID: How to Navigate the New Challenges in Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid, and More" is an absolute 'must' for highschool counselors, community library college admission collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students and their families that "College Admissions During COVID" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The Parenting Shelf

Calm the H*ck Down
Melanie Dale
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9781982114367, $16.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Calm-Down-Lighten-About-Parenting/dp/1982114363

Synopsis: Most of us thought we'd be amazing parents -- and then we had kids. Now we spend what little free time we have comparing ourselves to other parents, comparing our kids to other kids, and panicking that everyone else is nailing it except us. Between constant social media postings to conflicting advice found in parenting books, we often have no choice but to freak out. But there is another way. We all just need to calm the h*ck down.

Melanie Dale (who is a special needs parent, adoptive parent, in vitro parent, and reluctant cheer mom) believes we are all putting too much pressure on ourselves and our kids to be perfect. Instead, she argues, we need to take a step back so we can actually enjoy this journey called parenting.

"Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" is filled with stories from Melanie's own life, as well as real-life research for learning how to lighten up about every aspect of parenting ranging from poopy diapers and germs to family vacations and adolescent angst. She also discusses the pressure to knock it all out of the Pinterest park, the challenge of instilling some kind of faith into your kids, and worrying about their future while still trying to live in the present.

Infused with quirky humor, profound insight, and accessible advice, "Calm the H*ck Down" gives you the permission to finally relax and enjoy this ridiculous thing we do called parenting.

Critique: Deftly written with wit and wisdom, "Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" should be considered mandatory reading by any and all parents -- and those who aspire to one day be parents. While unreservedly recommended for community library Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797107103, $39.99, CD).


The Art Shelf

The Sleeve Should Be Illegal
Michaelyn Mitchell, editor
Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.artbook.com
9783791359908, $29.95, HC, 168pp

https://www.artbook.com/9781942884798.html

Synopsis: In the beautifully illustrated pages of "The Sleeve Should Be Illegal and Other Reflections on Art at the Frick", readers will enjoy exploring the treasures of The Frick Collection as seen through the eyes of a diverse group of contemporary writers, artists and other cultural figures ranging from George Condo, Lydia Davis and Lena Dunham, to Abbi Jacobson and Edmund White

A cultural haven for museumgoers in New York and beyond, The Frick Collection holds masterpieces by some of the most celebrated artists in the Western tradition (among them Bellini, Gainsborough, Goya, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Whistler) installed in a Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue.

"The Sleeve Should Be Illegal and Other Reflections on Art at the Frick" includes 61 reflections on the Frick's preeminent collection, with the contributors writing about an artwork that has personal significance, sharing how it has moved, challenged, puzzled or inspired them. Each text is accompanied by an illustration of the artwork. For example, writer Jonathan Lethem tells how he started going to the Frick as a teenager, to gaze at Hans Holbein's portraits of Thomas Cromwell and Sir Thomas More. Historian Simon Schama revels in Turner's Mortlake Terrace: Early Summer Morning, which reminds him of his own childhood growing up next to the River Thames.

This engaging anthology attests to the inspirational power of art and reminds us that there is no one way to look.

Critique: Eloquently informative and a distinct pleasure to simply browse through one beautifully illustrated page at a time, "The Sleeve Should Be Illegal and Other Reflections on Art at the Frick" is an extraordinary and erudite collection of commentaries that is a 'must' for all dedicated art enthusiasts -- and an enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Jane Culp
Jane Culp, author
Susan Hallsten McGarry, editor
https://janeculpart.com
University of New Mexico Press
MSC05 3185, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9781934491737, $45.00, HC, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Culp-Andreas-Paintings-Drawings/dp/193449173X

Synopsis: Jane Culp's muscular paintings and drawings make palpable the rush she feels when on location interacting with nature. From her modernist perspective she conveys a powerful sense of the moment using surface tension and movement.

"I'm interested in the life and language of form," she explains. "How form talks as it goes into space, how light and distance swallow and selectively magnify the forms, how a rhythmic movement in space releases forms that change direction, split, bulge, and fall back into space."

Working in harsh weather conditions that force her to strap her easel to her knees, Culp explores wilderness terrain along the spine of the Sierra Nevada, transporting viewers from her home base north of the Anza-Borrego Desert, through Joshua Tree and Death Valley national parks, up to Tioga Pass, and into Yosemite Valley.

Critique: The profusely and beautifully reproduced paintings comprising "Jane Culp: Echoes of the San Andreas: Paintings and Drawings" perfectly showcase the impressive artistic talents of an American artist. With informative commentary by Stanely Lewis, Larry Groff, and others, "Jane Culp: Echoes of the San Andreas: Paintings and Drawings" is especially and forthrightly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary American Art History collections in general, and Jane Culp supplemental studies lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Jane Culp's journey as an artist began in St. Louis, Missouri, and segued through Yale University when the reign of abstract expressionism yielded to pop art. By the mid-1980s she was dividing her time between New York, San Francisco, and Southern California. Married to New York painter and critic Louis Finkelstein, Culp lived most of the year in Manhattan and summered near the Delaware Water Gap, where they both painted the surrounding landscape. In 2009, after Finkelstein died, Culp moved full-time to an off-grid cabin and studio she built on sixty acres of California high desert that she has transformed into a sanctuary for birds and animals. She has a website at: https://janeculpart.com

A Like Vision: The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson
Ian Dejardin, editor
Sarah Milroy, editor
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773102054, $60.00, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Like-Vision-Group-Seven-Thomson/dp/1773102052

Synopsis: Thomas John Thomson (August 5, 1877 - July 8, 1917) was a Canadian artist active in the early 20th century. During his short career he produced roughly 400 oil sketches on small wood panels along with around 50 larger works on canvas. His works consist almost entirely of landscapes depicting trees, skies, lakes, and rivers. His paintings use broad brush strokes and a liberal application of paint to capture the beauty and colour of the Ontario landscape. Thomson's accidental death at 39 by drowning came shortly before the founding of the Group of Seven and is seen as a tragedy for Canadian art. (Wikipedia)

Collaboratively compiled and deftly co-edited by the team of Ian Dejardin (art historian and executive director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection) and Sarah Milroy (Chief Curator at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection), "A Like Vision: The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson" is a lavish celebration of the legacy of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, Canada's canonical landscape painters. The Group's depiction of the rugged beauty of the Canadian landscape ranging from the coastal mountains of British Columbia, to the north shore of Lake Superior, the villages of rural Quebec, to the rocky, windswept coves of Newfoundland, and charged Canadians to experience their country in a bold new light and changed the face of Canadian art forever. Through their vigorous and expressive painterly style and vibrant colours, the Group of Seven significantly contributed to Canada's sense of autonomy and identity as a modern state in the aftermath of the First World War.

Featuring three hundred full-color images, "A Like Vision" includes a lead essay by Ian A.C. Dejardin, Executive Director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and contributions by a host of artists, curators, and writers. Among them are Indigenous art historian and curator Gerald McMaster, filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal, novelists David Macfarlane and Jane Urquhart, painters John Hartman and Robert Houle, and Inuk writer Tarralik Duffy. One hundred years on from the Group's first exhibition in 1920, A Like Vision is both a chance to review the Group's legacy and a tribute to these giants of Canadian art and culture.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "A Like Vision: The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson" is the perfect introduction to an American readership one of Canada's premier artists whose artistic influence was as substantial as his life and career were so soon and tragically over. Exceptionally informative as a collective enterprise expertly showcasing the life and art of Tom Thomson, "A Like Vision" is forthrightly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections in general, and Tom Thomson supplemental studies reading lists in particular.

Mega Manga Characters
Sergi Camara and Vanessa Duran
Search Press
www.searchpress.com
9781782219170 $19.95

https://www.amazon.com/Mega-Manga-Characters-Sergi-C%C3%A0mara/dp/178221917X

Synopsis: Learn how to draw the main genres of manga characters from scratch with this fantastic guide. Do you want to learn how to draw manga characters from scratch? Then look no further! Aimed specifically at beginners, this book includes examples from the main genres of manga characters and will teach you how to draw different characters in distinct poses. Starting with simple exercises and gradually getting more complicated, there are sections covering Kodomo (child), Shonen (teenage boy), Shojo (teenage girl) and Seinen (youth) characters to practise.

To help you along the way, there are clear step-by-step instructions, with 10 exercises for each genre (except kodomo). Friendly chibis also pop up every so often to offer tips and advice to keep in mind while you are drawing. Extensive advice on finishing techniques ranges from colouring by computer, using pen and ink, paintbrush, felt-tip pen and pencils, both in black and white and colour. For the best start to your manga-drawing journey, this book will inspire you to explore and improve your skills.

Critique: Written for beginning artists, Mega Manga Characters is a guide to drawing characters in various styles of manga (Japanese comics). Artistic conventions for characters in kodomo manga (comics aimed at children), shounen manga (comics aimed at young adult boys), shojo manga (comics aimed at young adult girls), and seinen manga (comics aimed at adults) are all discussed and demonstrated. Step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations make Mega Manga Characters a hands-on instructional treasure for budding artists interested in creating their own manga- style scenes and stories! Highly recommended.

Sketching Techniques for Artists
Alex Hillkurtz
Rockport Publishers
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781631599231, $26.99, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sketching-Techniques-Artists-Studio-Architecture/dp/1631599232

Synopsis: With "Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Lifes, Landscapes, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More" by Alex Hillkurtz (who is a top Hollywood storyboard artist and international workshop instructor), aspiring artists can easily learn dynamic sketching and watercolor techniques for creating cityscapes, landscapes, figures and faces, still lifes, and more, enhancing the story they want to visually tell with form, line, and color.

Novice artists will enjoy discover and mastering creative methods and effective tips for creating dramatic street scenes and vivid landscapes, and capturing dynamic figures and graphic architectural details. "Sketching Techniques for Artists" presents fundamental concepts of sketching with pencil and pen for a number of popular genres. Beginning artists will be taught simple ways to jot down spontaneous ideas in pencil, capture rough details in ink, and add watercolor for extra depth and interest.

Make sketching more enjoyable by adopting innovative techniques that will make a difference in any artists' practice, and artwork. No matter your experience or skill level, student and experienced artists alike will benefit from learning: Compositions that draw the eye; How to avoid common sketching mistakes; Ways to create light and shadow to define shapes and add interest; Successful ways to use negative space; The importance of perspective in creating depth: Easy color washes that create drama.

Critique: An ideal DIY instructional combination of textbook, guide and 'how to' manual, "Sketching Techniques for Artists: In-Studio and Plein-Air Methods for Drawing and Painting Still Lifes, Landscapes, Architecture, Faces and Figures, and More" is exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation making it especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Pastel Drawing and Pen & Ink Drawing collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Nature Painting in Watercolor
Kristine A. Lombardi
www.kristinelombardi.com
Walter Foster Publishing
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781633228863, $21.99, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Painting-Watercolor-contemporary-watercolor/dp/163322886X

Synopsis: With "Nature Painting in Watercolor" aspiring artists can start by learning about the tools and materials needed to paint in watercolor; then dive into a thorough and fun painting techniques section, which covers washes, glazes, how to add detail in watercolor, and much more. Of special note is the section on finding inspiration outside for tips on viewing and gathering natural painting subjects, such as trees, grasses, flowers, and many other plants.

There are also practical suggestions for where to find images online and photos to use as references. Student artists will also learn to sketch and keep a detailed sketchbook -- skills that will help them when they get started on the step-by-step painting projects in the largest section of "Nature Painting in Watercolor".

The step-by-step projects cover popular natural painting subjects, including the ones already listed here as well as rocks, mushrooms, buds, blooms, big and small trees, and forest animals. All are illustrated and painted in the author/artists's signature contemporary watercolor style.

Critique: As fund as it is informative, "Nature Painting in Watercolor: Learn to paint florals, ferns, trees, and more in colorful, contemporary watercolor" is profusely illustrated with thoroughly 'user friendly' step-by-step instructions, making it the perfect DIY manual for artists wanting to work in watercolor with nature themes for their visual inspiration.

Editorial Note: Kristine A. Lombardi is a professional illustrator who began her career in advertising and promotions before leaving the corporate world to focus on design and illustration. The author and illustrator behind several children's books, Kristine has also worked with a variety of well-known clients and teaches art classes at Montclair Art Museum. She also maintains an informative website at www.kristinelombardi.com


The Biography Shelf

Prince Philip Revealed
Ingrid Seward
Atria Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
www.simonandschuster.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9781982129750, $30.00, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Philip-Biography-Ingrid-Seward/dp/1982129751

Synopsis: The son of Greek and Danish royalty, consort to the queen, and the grandfather of Princes Harry and William, Prince Philip has been at the heart of the royal family for decades -- yet he remains an enigma to many.

Now, in the pages of "Prince Philip Revealed", Ingrid Seward, biographer and the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, brings her decades of experience and expertise in covering the royal family to writing a fascinating and insightful biography of Queen Elizabeth II's husband, and father, grandfather, and great-grandfather of the next three kings of England.

From his early childhood in Paris among aristocrats and his mother's battle with schizophrenia to his distinctive military service during World War II and marriage to Elizabeth in 1947, Seward chronicles Philip's life and reveals his many faces -- as a father, a philanthropist, a philanderer, and a statesman. Though it would take years for Philip to find his place in a royal court that initially distrusted him, he remains one of the most complex, powerful, yet confounding members of Britain's royal family.

Critique: A 'must read' biography for all dedicated anglophiles, "Prince Philip Revealed" by Ingrid Seward is as impressively informed and informative as it is inherently compelling a read from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Prince Philip Revealed" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781797118338, $39.99, CD).

Richard III in the North
M. J. Trow
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526777171, $42.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Richard-III-North-M-Trow/dp/1526777177

Synopsis: Richard III is England's most controversial king. Forever associated with the murder of his nephews, the Princes in the Tower, he divides the nation. As spectacular as his death at Bosworth in August 1485 (the last king of England to die in battle) the astonishing discovery of his bones under a Leicester car park five centuries later renewed interest in him and reopened old debates. Is he the world's most wicked uncle; or is he (in the words of the man who most smeared him) 'a prince more sinned against than sinning'?

Richard was not born in the North; neither did he die there, but "Richard III in the North" by historian and biographer M. J. Trow is a detailed look at his life, tracing his steps over the thirty-three years that he lived, and focuses on the area that he loved and made his own. As Lord of the North, he had castles at Middleham and Sheriff Hutton, Penrith and Sandal. He fought the Scots along the northern border and on their own territory. His son was born at Middleham and was invested as Prince of Wales at York Minster, where Richard planned to set up a college of 100 priests.

His white boar device can be found in obscure corners of churches and castles; his laws, framed in the single parliament of his short reign, gave rights to the people who served him and loved him north of the Trent. And when he felt threatened or outnumbered by his enemies during the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses, it was to the men of the North that he turned for support and advice. They became his knights of the body; members of the Council of the North which outlived Richard by a 150 years. They also died with him at Bosworth.

Although we cannot divorce Richard from the violent politics of the day or from events that happened far to the South, it was in the North that Richard's heart lay. The North was his home. It was the place he loved.

Critique: An wonderfully written and informative biography of an English monarch who lived in troubled times, "Richard III in the North" is an especially recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Medieval British History & Biography collections, and is a compelling read that is further enhanced for academia with the inclusion of two Appendices (Richard's Places in the North; The Murders of Richard III), a two page Selected Biography, and a four page Index.

Joan, Lady of Wales
Danna R. Messer
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526729293, $49.95, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Joan-Lady-Wales-Politics-Daughter/dp/1526729296

Synopsis: The history of women in medieval Wales before the English conquest of 1282 is one largely shrouded in mystery. For the Age of Princes, an era defined by ever-increased threats of foreign hegemony, internal dynastic strife and constant warfare, the comings and goings of women are little noted in sources. This misfortune touches even the most well-known royal woman of the time, Joan of England (1191-1237), the wife of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd, illegitimate daughter of King John and half-sister to Henry III. With evidence of her hand in thwarting a full scale English invasion of Wales to a notorious scandal that ended with the public execution of her supposed lover by her husband and her own imprisonment, Joan's is a known, but little-told or understood story defined by family turmoil, divided loyalties and political intrigue.

From the time her hand was promised in marriage as the result of the first Welsh-English alliance in 1201 to the end of her life, Joan's place in the political wranglings between England and the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd was a fundamental one. As the first woman to be designated Lady of Wales, her role as one a political diplomat in early thirteenth-century Anglo-Welsh relations was instrumental. This first-ever account of Siwan, as she was known to the Welsh, interweaves the details of her life and relationships with a gendered reassessment of Anglo-Welsh politics by highlighting her involvement in affairs, discussing events in which she may well have been involved but have gone unrecorded and her overall deployment of royal female agency.

Critique: A seminal, original, and ground-breaking work of simply outstanding scholarship, "Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter" by Danna R. Messer is an extraordinary contribution to community, college, and university library Medieval History & Biography collections. Featuring an informative Introduction, Epilogue, and Conclusion, "Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter" features a two page listing of Abbreviations, twenty-one pages of Endnotes, a six page Selected Biography, and a nineteen page Index. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Joan, Lady of Wales: Power and Politics of King John's Daughter" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Danna R. Messer has published on various aspects of the wives of the native Welsh rulers before 1282, providing a gendered perspective of medieval Welsh politics. As an editor and historian, she is widely involved in medieval history and queenship studies generally, including her roles as Series Editor for Medieval History for Pen and Sword, editor for the Royal Studies Journal and editor for Normans to Early Plantagenet Consorts, the first volume of the forthcoming four-book series, English Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty (Palgrave). She is also Acquisitions Editor for Arc Humanities Press and the Executive Editor for the Encyclopedia of the Global Middle Ages, a partnership project with Bloomsbury Academic and Arc Humanities Press.

Safe: A Memoir
Elspeth Roarke
Brandylane Publishers
5 South 1st Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781947860865, $16.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Elspeth-Roake/dp/1947860860

Synopsis: Elspeth Roake lives in the competitive world of showing horses, aspiring to perfect technique in the ring against a backdrop of long hours, hard work, and frequent travel. On the surface, she is poised and goal-oriented. Only her boss, Leslie, is witness to her depression.

Leslie never shies away from Elspeth's dark moods or tendency to self-harm, and eventually her strength and compassion inspire Elspeth to explore the shadows of childhood trauma which lurk at the back of her mind. But memories slip away even as she reaches for them, and behind closed doors Elspeth's mental state continues to deteriorate.

Over the course of two harrowing years, Elspeth sets increasingly radical goals for herself, determined not to let her illness get the better of her. Yet despite outward success, no ribbon or medal can help her outpace her depression. Finally, at a horse show far from home, Elspeth's battle descends into a matter of life and death, and not even Leslie can help her. Finding herself trapped and sobbing into the sticky floor of a psychiatric ward, she realizes that something has to change.

"Safe" is an intensely personal memoir of brutal and intense honesty, exploring the depths of despair, determination, and self-discovery, and the vital bonds (both human and animal) that make life possible.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, impressively candid, and inherently fascinating, "Safe: A Memoir" by Elspeth Roake is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and personal reading lists for anyone with an interest in the subjects of dealing with Child Abuse, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders. It should be noted that "Safe: A Memoir" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Elspeth Roake spent her childhood on the move, between Canada, Germany, and California, before settling on the East Coast to receive a B.S. in psychology from Vassar College. She has twenty years of experience in the horse show industry, and currently lives with her bunnies in New York State. "Safe: A Memoir" is her first book.


The American History Shelf

Scouting with the Buffalo Soldiers
John P. Langellier
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336, Denton, TX 76203-5017
www.untpress.unt.edu
9781574418118, $34.95, HC, 480pp

https://www.amazon.com/Scouting-Buffalo-Soldiers-Lieutenant-Remington/dp/1574418114

Synopsis: On a hot summer's day in Montana, a daring frontier cavalry officer, Powhatan Henry Clarke, died at the height of his promising career. A member of the U.S. Military Academy's Class of 1884, Clarke graduated dead last, and while short on academic application, he was long on charm and bravado. Clarke obtained a commission with the black troops of the Tenth Cavalry, earning his spurs with these "Buffalo Soldiers."

He evolved into a fearless field commander at the troop level, gaining glory and first-hand knowledge of what it took to campaign in the West. During his brief, action-packed career, Clarke saved a black trooper's life while under Apache fire and was awarded the Medal of Honor. A chance meeting brought Clarke together with artist Frederic Remington, who brought national attention to Clarke when he illustrated the exploit for an 1886 Harper's Weekly. The officer and artist became friends, and Clarke served as a model and consultant for future artwork by Remington.

Remington's many depictions of Clarke added greatly to the cavalryman's luster. In turn, the artist gained fame and fortune in part from drawing on Clarke as his muse. The story of these two unlikely comrades tells much about the final stages of the Wild West and the United States' emergence on the international scene. Along the way Geronimo, The Apache Kid, "Texas" John Slaughter, and others played their roles in Clarke's brief, but compelling drama.

Critique: As inherently fascinating a read as it is informed and informative, "Scouting with the Buffalo Soldiers: Lieutenant Powhatan Clarke, Frederic Remington, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry in the Southwest" is an extraordinary work of historical and meticulous scholarship. Enhanced for academia with the inclusion of ninety-six pages of Endnotes, twenty page Bibliography, and a nineteen page Index, "Scouting with the Buffalo Soldiers: Lieutenant Powhatan Clarke, Frederic Remington, and the Tenth U.S. Cavalry in the Southwest" is a significant and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library 19th Century American History, African American History, and American Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Scouting with the Buffalo Soldiers" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: John P. Langellier received his PhD from Kansas State University with an emphasis on military history. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Fighting for Uncle Sam: Buffalo Soldiers in the Frontier Army; Bluecoats: The U.S. Army in the West, 1848 - 1897; and Custer: The Man, the Myth, the Movies.

The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater
Chris McIlwain
NewSouth Books
105 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
www.newsouthbooks.com
9781588384119, $27.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Souths-Forgotten-Fire-Eater-Alabamas-Disunion/dp/158838411X

Synopsis: In the pages of "The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater: David Hubbard and North Alabama's Long Road to Disunion" by Chris McIlwain is the story of the American Civil War is typically told with particular interest in the national players behind the war: Davis, Lincoln, Lee, Grant, and their peers. However, the truth is that countless Americans on both sides of the war worked in their own communities to sway public perception of abolition, secession, and government intervention.

In north Alabama, David Hubbard was an ardent and influential voice for leaving the Union, spreading his increasingly radical view of states' rights and the need to rebel against what he viewed an overreaching federal government. Historically obscure, Hubbard, the grandson of a Revolutionary War soldier who fought under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812. He was much more than that stereotype of antebellum Alabama politicians, being an early speculator in lands coerced from Native Americans; a lawyer and cotton planter; a populist; an influential member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama; and a key promoter of the very first railroad built west of the Allegheny mountains.

"The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater" is the story of Hubbard's radicalization, describing his rise to becoming the most influential and prominent secessionist in north Alabama. Despite growing historical interest in the "fire eaters" who whipped the South into a frenzy, there has been little mention until now of Hubbard's integral involvement in Alabama's relationship with the Confederacy. Now historian Chris McIlwain offers Hubbard's story as a cautionary tale of radical politics and its consequences.

Critique: An impressive work of meticulous scholarship that is exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The South's Forgotten Fire-Eater: David Hubbard and North Alabama's Long Road to Disunion" is a critically valued and highly recommended addition to community, college, and university library American 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 South's Forgotten Fire-Eater: David Hubbard and North Alabama's Long Road to Disunion" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Chris McIlwain is a lawyer-historian from Tuscaloosa. McIlwain is the author of three books: Civil War Alabama; 1865 Alabama: From Civil War to Uncivil Peace; and The Million Dollar Man Who Helped Kill a President. McIlwain is also a frequent contributor to the Alabama Review and a lecturer on Alabama history at schools, civic groups, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History.


The World History Shelf

The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes
Raoul McLaughlin
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526771087, $26.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Empire-Silk-Routes-Ancient/dp/152677108X

Synopsis: "The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China" by Raoul McLaughlin investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.

The Han Empire of ancient China matched that of Rome in scale and possessed military technology surpassing that of Roman legions. The Han established a system of Central Asian trade routes known as the Silk Road that carried eastern products as far as Persia and the frontiers of the Roman Empire.

"The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes" is the first history to specifically address these subjects in a single comprehensive study. It explores Rome's impact on the ancient world economy and reveals what the Chinese and Romans knew about their rival Empires.

Critique: An impressive body of meticulous scholarship, "The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China" is an extraordinarily informative study and one that is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Roman and Chinese antiquity collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, Raoul McLaughlin was educated at Lagan College, the first Integrated School in Northern Ireland. He studied Archaeology and Ancient History at Queens University Belfast before completing a Masters degree and then a PhD in the study of trade beyond Rome's eastern frontiers.

The Church and the Middle Ages: 1000 - 1378
Steve Weidenkopf
Ave Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
www.avemariapress.com
9781594719530, $17.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Church-Middle-Ages-1000-1378-Cathedrals/dp/1594719535

Synopsis: Few periods of history are more maligned and misunderstood than the Middle Ages -- three-hundred years of division, shifting centers of power, and tensions both within the Church and also between the Church and the secular rulers of the time.

In an engaging and easy-to-understand style, in the pages of "The Church and the Middle Ages (1000 - 1378): Cathedrals, Crusades, and the Papacy in Exile" historian, acadamician and author Steve Weidenkopf highlights some of our greatest saints (Francis, Dominic, Anselm, Aquinas, and Catherine of Siena) and dispels nine commonly accepted misconceptions about the era, which was an exciting period of enduring faith, reform, cultural achievement, as well as defeat and division.

With vibrant accounts of pivotal events and inspiring stories of the people who shaped the Church during the eleventh through fourteenth centuries, Professor Weidenkopf provides a clearer picture of an era where critics used events such as the Crusades and the relocation of the papacy to France to undermine the Church. The period also provided the hallmarks of Christian civilization in the form of universities, cathedrals, castles, and various religious orders.

Professor Weidenkopf also chronicles the development of Christian civilization in Europe and explores the contributions of St. Bruno, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Bridget of Sweden.

In The Church and the Middle Ages, readers will learn that: Most Crusaders were motivated by piety and service, not greed; Heresy was both a church and civil issue and medieval inquisitors were focused on the eternal salvation of the accused; The Church preached against the mistreatment of Jews; Priestly celibacy was practiced long before the twelfth century; Serfs were never kept as slaves.

Critique: An outstanding contribution to community, church, seminary, college, and university library Medieval Studies collections in general, and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Medieval culture in particular, "The Church and the Middle Ages (1000 - 1378): Cathedrals, Crusades, and the Papacy in Exile" is an impressively informative and inherently fascinating read. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, clergy, and non- specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Church and the Middle Ages (1000 - 1378): Cathedrals, Crusades, and the Papacy in Exile" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Steve Weidenkopf is an adjunct professor at Christendom College Graduate School in Alexandria, Virginia. He is the author of several books on Catholic Church history, including The Glory of the Crusades, The Real Story of Catholic History, and Timeless. Weidenkopf has a bachelor's degree in international relations from Syracuse University and a master's degree in theological studies from the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College. He is a member of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and Latin East, has been a guest on EWTN, and writes regularly for Catholic Answers online.

The Highland Battles
Chris Peers
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526741745, $42.95, HC, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Battles-Scotlands-Northern-Frontier/dp/1526741741

Synopsis: The wars fought in Scotland's northern and western highlands between the ninth and fourteenth centuries were a key stage in the military history of the region, yet, until the publication of "The Highland Battles: Warfare on Scotland's Northern Frontier in the Early Middle Ages" by author and historian Chris Peers, they have rarely been studied in depth before. Out of this confused and turbulent period came the more settled and familiar history of the region. The Highlands and islands were controlled by the kings of Norway or by Norse or Norse-Celtic warlords, who not only resisted Scottish royal authority but on occasion seemed likely to overthrow it.

That is why Peers's ambitious groundbreaking study is of such value for he provides a coherent and vivid account of the series of campaigns and battles that shaped Scotland. The narrative is structured around a number of battles (Skitten Moor, Torfness, Tankerness, Renfrew, Mam Garvia, Clairdon and Dalrigh) which illustrate phases of the conflict and reveal the strategies and tactics of the rival chieftains.

Peers also explores the international background to many of these conflicts which had consequences for Scotland's relations with England, Ireland and continental Europe. At the same time he considers to what extent the fighting methods of the time survived into the post-medieval period.

Critique: An impressive work of meticulous scholarship that read with all the fluid narrative style of a novel, "The Highland Battles: Warfare on Scotland's Northern Frontier in the Early Middle Ages" also features four Appendices laying out the kinds of Scotland (844-1286), Norway (872-1280), Orkney (880-1231), the Isles and Man (1079-1265), a three page Bibliography, and a five page Index. An inherently fascinating, skillfully written, adeptly organize, ably presented, and extraordinarily informative read from cover to cover, "The Highland Battles: Warfare on Scotland's Northern Frontier in the Early Middle Ages" is a core addition to community, college, and university library Norwegian, Scottish, and English Medieval History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists for students, academia, history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Chris Peers is a leading expert on the history of ancient and medieval warfare and has written widely on the subject. He has contributed many articles to military history, wargaming and family history magazines, and his major publications include Warlords of China: 700BC-AD1662, Warrior Peoples of East Africa, Soldiers of the Dragon, The African Wars: Warriors and Soldiers of the Colonial Campaigns, Offa and the Mercian Wars: The Rise and Fall of the First Great English Kingdom, and Genghis Khan and the Mongol War Machine.


The Military Shelf

I Somehow Survived
Klaus G. Forg, editor
Greenhill Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781784385453, $32.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Somehow-Survived-Eyewitness-Accounts-World/dp/178438545X

Synopsis: The first in a series of volumes from Greenhill Books, "I Somehow Survived: Eyewitness Accounts from World War II", compiled and edited by Klaus G. Gorg is an extraordinary collection of true stories giving testimony to those who survived World War II. Based on interviews with numerous veterans from across the spectrum of wartime experience, "I Somehow Survived: Eyewitness Accounts from World War II " documents and reflects upon one of the most gruesome times in history.

From anti-partisan warfare in the French mountains and atrocities in East Prussia to the experience of a Norwegian concentration camp, the accounts include rarely heard stories from a range of people caught up in the war. With the distance of time, these survivors have been able to offer new perspectives on their experiences and expose truths they would not have dared admit several decades ago.

German Army officers reveal their role in the Vercors and Kiev massacres. A Luftwaffe officer-applicant who never flew describes service on the ground. And a Norwegian woman writes of marrying a German Kriegsmarine while her mother was in a Norwegian concentration camp for political activity and her father was in hiding from the Gestapo. "I have no objection to your marrying him," her father told her, "I just want them to give us our country back."

Critique: A simply riveting read from cover to cover, and enhanced with the occasional inclusion of black/white photographs and a Translator's Notes section, "I Somehow Survived: Eyewitness Accounts from World War II" is a unique and extraordinary contribution to the growing library of World War II histories and biographies and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections.

Editorial Note: Klaus G. F"rg is a German publisher, photographer, journalist and radio presenter. His great passion for photography can be seen in various illustrated books. F"rg started his career as teacher before working as product manager and editor for different publishing companies. He went on to found five bookstores and in 1993 took over the management of Rosenheimer Verlagshaus from his father.

Countering Hitler's Spies
Stephen Wynn
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781526725523, $34.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Countering-Hitlers-Spies-Intelligence-1940-1945/dp/1526725525

Synopsis: When the military aspect of the Second World War is discussed, especially regarding how the war was won, people tend to talk about Winston Churchill, D-Day, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, the Dam Busters, the Allied bombing of German cities, Montgomery and the North Africa campaign, etc.

However, there is one aspect, rarely mentioned and never quite fully appreciated, which played a massive role in winning the war. The Double Cross system, operated by Britain's MI5, involving capturing German spies who had been sent to the United Kingdom and offering them the opportunity to become double agents and spy for the British against the Germans. Most agreed, although the alternative wasn't that pleasant: refusing to become a spy would have almost certainly resulted in death.

Spies who worked for MI5, especially those who had initially worked for the Germans, carried out sterling work which resulted in the saving of thousands of Allied lives. The success of the D-Day landings at Normandy, for example, was in part due to the excellent work of a double agent, who helped convince Nazi Germany that the Allied invasion of Europe would take place across the English Channel, at Calais.

One double agent was so good at what he did that Germany awarded him the Iron Cross, while Britain made him a Member of the British Empire (MBE).

Critique: An absolutely riveting and impressively informative read from cover to cover, "Countering Hitler's Spies: British Military Intelligence, 1940 - 1945" by Stephen Wynn will prove to be an enduringly welcome and appreciated addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library World War II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Stephen Wynn is a retired police officer having served with Essex Police as a constable for thirty years between 1983 and 2013. He is married to Tanya and has two sons, Luke and Ross, and a daughter, Aimee. His sons served five tours of Afghanistan between 2008 and 2013 and both were injured. This led to the publication of his first book, Two Sons in a Warzone - Afghanistan: The True Story of a Father's Conflict, published in October 2010. Both Stephen's grandfathers served in and survived the First World War, one with the Royal Irish Rifles, the other in the Mercantile Marine, whilst his father was a member of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps during the Second World War.


The Travel Shelf

Scotland: An Outlander Tour
Ali Wood
Cardinal Publishers Group
www.cardinalpub.com
9781916263154, $16.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Scotland-Ali-Wood/dp/1916263151

Synopsis: Scotland is arguably one of the most cinematic countries in the world -- and no-one captures it better on-screen than the hit TV series Outlander. Based on the books of Diana Gabaldon, the show takes you from soaring glens to lonely lochs, medieval castles and ancient monuments. Team this with vibrant cities, jaw-dropping stately homes and some quirky historical sites, and you've the formula for an unforgettable road-trip.

Featuring over 80 meticulously researched film locations, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" includes three self-drive itineraries between Edinburgh, Inverness, Skye and Glasgow, plus detour suggestions for those with extra time.

So versatile is Scotland, that it also stands in for Paris and North Carolina in a great many movies and television shows. So if you are after the Palace of Versailles from S2, Aunt Jocastas River Run plantation in S4 or Frasers Ridge of S5, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" is the ideal travel planning guide. On-screen they might be thousands of miles apart, but on set they can be visited in a day!

Fans thirsty for behind-the-scenes gossip will also enjoy the bonus chapter featuring interviews with the location managers who found themselves on set with the stars!

Critique: Profusely and beautifully illustrated with full color photography throughout, "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" will prove to be a welcome and enduringly appreciated DIY travel planning guide and is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library International Travel Guide collections. It should be noted that "Scotland: An Outlander Tour" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Also very highly recommended is the companion travel guide from the Cardinal Publishing Group -- Ali Wood's "Edinburgh: An Outlander Tour" (9781916263147, $12.95, PB, 26pp / $9.99 Kindle, Amazon.com)

Secret Kansas City
Anne Kniggendorf
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062839, $22.50, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Kansas-City-Wonderful-Obscure/dp/1681062836

Synopsis: All that most visitors know all about Kansas City is it's barbecue, jazz, and football success, but there are hidden gems and wild pieces of trivia around every turn in Missouri's largest city.

Is the giant Hereford bull anatomically correct? Can a seed that's been to outer space still grow into a normal tree? And who really killed President William Henry Harrison? You'll find answers to the questions you didn't know you had in Anne Kniggendorf's"Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure", a unique blend of travel guide and history book.

Readers will learn why three completely unrelated groups have chosen Kansas City as the center of the world and the place you want to be when the world ends. Between these covers, you'll also find castles, a horse buried in a cul-de-sac, a ghost who likes a good laugh, and the world's longest snake.

This is not a tour guide for outsiders, it's a scavenger hunt for dedicated insiders in which longtime Kansas City resident and travel author Anne Kniggendorf will bolster a visitor's (or a native's!) respect for this middle-of-the-map American city.

Critique: Packed from cover to cover with local history and things to do/see/find, "Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure" is a 'must' for anyone wanting to fully explore that Kansas City has to offer its resident citizens and visitors alike. While very highly recommended for any and all community library American Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Secret Kansas City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die
Teri French
Reedy Press
PO Box 5131, St. Louis, MO 63139
www.reedypress.com
9781681062518, $16.00, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/100-Things-Tulsa-Before-You/dp/1681062518

Synopsis: Traveling down Historic Route 66 through the foothills of the Ozarks, you come upon one of America's most beautiful cities -- Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In the pages of "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" travel writer Teri French showcases the art, culture, and people that make Tulsa shine, all while revealing a few of the secrets it hides. This quick-reference travel guide shows the more diverse, eclectic, and fun things to do in Tulsa that should be on every dedicated traveler's bucket list.

"100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" provides genuine insider tips for visiting the Philbrook Museum of Art housed within the old mansion of oil tycoon Waite Phillips. Hum along to This Land is Your Land at the Woody Guthrie center, or check out the new renovations at The Church Studio where music legends like Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt once recorded their famous songs. Don't miss some of the best barbecue where pig country meets cow country, and find locally-owned favorites from Lebanese steakhouses to Coney Island dogs.

Local travel author Teri French is well known for her ability sniff out Tulsan secrets, and her guide will serve as an incomparable resource for visitors and locals alike.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in content, commentary, organization and presentation, "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" is a 'must' for getting the most out of a visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma, be it for business, for pleasure -- or for both! While highly recommended for community library American Travel Guide collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "100 Things to Do in Tulsa Before You Die" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).


The General Fiction Shelf

Dirt Road Main Street
Cynthia L. Clark
Outskirts Press
10940 S Parker Rd, Parker, CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
9781977234506, $18.95 Paper, $3.99 Kindle, 278pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Road-Street-Cynthia-Clark/dp/197723450X

Readers of romantic thrillers who seek a winning combination of intrigue surrounding a romantic fling that haunts years later will find Dirt Road Main Street a cut above the ordinary. Two disparate individuals meet after a music concert in a chance encounter that involves band member Tano giving a lift to stranded girl Holly. Tano is on his way to success in several ways, but as the years pass, he just can't forget his intense ride with Holly and the unrequited possibilities that emerged from that short encounter. And so he throws caution to the wind and decides to track her down with little more to go on than her first name and the tiny town of Sage, Oklahoma, where he left her standing on the dirt road main street.

A series of events evolves from this decision that brings them together, introducing more than one danger into their lives as they struggle with the insanity of the world around them, which threatens to drag them both down. Readers who expect Dirt Road Main Street to be a singular lost-then-found-again love story will be delighted by its complexity. The tale moves from loss and rediscovery to elements of introspection and realization that questions the possibility and validity of love and strength. Holly is no infatuated silly girl, but a strong young woman following her own destiny.

Tano's self-made careers are also something he never contemplated sharing or compromising with another. His pride prevented him from revealing his heart the first time; but even when he embarks on a journey newly determined to pursue a different outcome, he discovers barriers that challenge not just his ability to love, but to survive.

Author Cynthia L. Clark injects just the right degree of physical and emotional connection into her story to give it a compelling romantic focus while maintaining other elements of intrigue and threat that balance out each character's realizations. When Tano left her the first time, it was with the certainty that Holly needs to find her direction first; and that this likely won't involve him. When he pursues her the second time, five years later, it's with the realization that no woman he's met since can compare with the connection they made during that journey. His growth, and hers, are central to the story, giving them the added power to not just pursue a relationship with each other, but survive everything from jilted exes to the threat of violence.

Holly's discovery that Tano is not finished with her is the beginning of a change that ripples through their lives and everyone around them. It also will ripple through readers looking for more than a predictable romance, who will appreciate the elements of suspense added into the mix and the uncertainty of whether Holly and Tano's shared love of music and each other will lead them out of danger and into a life together.

Dirt Road Main Street is nicely steeped in music, action, and emotion. It will delight readers looking for the trappings of a good romance along with the added value of something greater.

All the Cowboys Ain't Gone
John J. Jacobson
Blackstone Publishing
31 Mistletoe Road, Ashland, OR 97520
www.BlackstoneAudio.com
9781799955665, $27.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/All-Cowboys-Aint-Gone-Novel/dp/1799955664

Synopsis: "All the Cowboys Ain't Gone" by John J. Jacobson is the rollicking adventure story of Lincoln Smith, a young Texan living at the beginning of the twentieth century, who thinks of himself as the last true cowboy. He longs for the days of the Old West, when men like his father, a famous Texas Ranger, lived by the chivalric code.

Lincoln finds himself hopelessly out of time and place in the fast-changing United States of the new century. When he gets his heart broken by a sweetheart who doesn't appreciate his anachronistic tendencies, he does what any sensible young romantic would do: he joins the French Foreign Legion.

On his way to an ancient and exotic country at the edge of the Sahara, Lincoln encounters a number of curious characters and strange adventures, from a desert hermit who can slow up time to a battle with a crocodile cult that worships the god of death. He meets them all with his own charming brand of courage and resourcefulness.

Critique: Original, unique, adroitly crafted, and an inherently fascinating read featuring truly memorable characters, "All The Cowboys Ain't Gone" deftly showcases the impressive literary storytelling talents of author John J. Jacobson. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "All The Cowboys Ain't Gone" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Siri, Who Am I?
Sam Tschida
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
www.quirkbooks.com
9781683691686, $15.99, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Siri-Who-Am-I-Novel/dp/1683691687

Synopsis: Mia might look like a Millennial but she was born yesterday. Emerging from a coma with short-term amnesia after an accident, Mia can't remember her own name until the Siri assistant on her iPhone provides it. Based on her cool hairstyle (undercut with glamorous waves), dress (Prada), and signature lipstick (Chanel), she senses she's wealthy, but the only way to know for sure is to retrace her steps once she leaves the hospital.

Using Instagram and Uber, she arrives at the pink duplex she calls home in her posts but finds Max, a cute, off-duty postdoc supplementing his income with a house-sitting gig. He tells her the house belongs to JP, a billionaire with a chocolate empire. A few texts later, JP confirms her wildest dreams: they're in love, Mia is living the good life, and he'll be back that weekend.

But as Mia and Max work backward through her Instagram and across Los Angeles to learn more about her, they discover an ugly truth behind her perfect Instagram feed, and evidence that her head wound was no accident. Did Mia have it coming? And if so, is it too late for her to rewrite her story?

Critique: An original, fun, engaging, contemporary, and deftly crafted novel that fully showcases author Sam Tschida's impressive mastery of narrative driven storytelling, "Siri, Who Am I?" is especially commended for community library Contemporary Women Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Siri, Who Am I?" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Waiting for the Night Song
Julie Carrick Dalton
Forge
c/o Tor/Forge Books
www.tor-forge.com
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250269188, $26.99, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Night-Julie-Carrick-Dalton/dp/1250269180

Synopsis: Cadie Kessler has spent decades trying to cover up one truth. One moment. But deep down, didn't she always know her secret would surface? An urgent message from her long-estranged best friend Daniela Garcia brings Cadie, now a forestry researcher, back to her childhood home. There, Cadie and Daniela are forced to face a dark secret that ended both their idyllic childhood bond and the magical summer that takes up more space in Cadie's memory then all her other years combined.

Now grown up, bound by long-held oaths, and faced with truths she does not wish to see, Cadie must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to protect the people and the forest she loves, as drought, foreclosures, and wildfire spark tensions between displaced migrant farm workers and locals. "Waiting for the Night Song" is a love song to the natural beauty around us, a call to fight for what we believe in, and a reminder that the truth will always rise.

Critique: An extraordinary, eloquent, fully engaging and memorable read from an author with an impressive command of narrative driven storytelling, "Waiting for the Night Song" by Julie Carrick Dalton will prove to be an immediate and enduringly welcome addition to community library Women's Friendship Fiction collections in general, and the personal reading lists of Suspense/Thrillers fans in particular. It should be noted that "Waiting for the Night Song" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250789785, $45.99, CD).

All That We Carried
Erin Bartels
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800739607, $29.99, HC, 360pp

https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Carried-Erin-Bartels/dp/0800739604

Synopsis: Ten years earlier, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a back country hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. Over the years, they grew apart, each coping with the loss in her own way. Olivia plunged herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world -- what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life-coaching business around her cafeteria-style spirituality -- a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

Critique: It is interesting to note that Michigan Notable Book Award winner author and novelist Erin Bartels drew from her personal experience hiking backcountry trails with her sister to write "All That We Carried" with its themes about the complexities of grief, faith, and sisterhood. A deftly crafted, entertaining, thought-provoking novel, "All That We Carried" is especially recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Contemporary General Fiction collections. Furthermore, "All That We Carried" is also readily available for personal reading lists in a paperback edition, (9780800738365, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Minus Me
Mameve Medwed
www.mamevemedwed.com
Alcove Press
https://alcovepress.com
www.dreamscapeab.com/audiobooks
9781643856438, $16.99, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Minus-Me-Novel-Mameve-Medwed/dp/164385643X

Synopsis: Annie and her devoted but comically incompetent childhood sweetheart Sam are the owners and operators of Annie's, a gourmet sandwich shop, home to the legendary Paul Bunyan Special Sandwich -- their "nutritionally challenged continual source of income and marital harmony and local fame."

But into their mostly charmed marriage comes the scary medical diagnosis for Annie--and the overwhelming challenge of finding a way to help Sam go on without her. Annie decides to leave Sam step-by-step instructions for a future without her, and considers her own replacement in his heart and their bed. Her best-laid plans grind to a halt with the unexpected appearance of Ursula, Annie's Manhattan diva of a mother, who brings her own brand of chaos and disruption into their lives.

Critique: "Minus Me" by Mameve Medwed is an impressively, original, deftly crafted, emotionally eloquent, and downright comedic novel about the bonds and responsibilities of marriage, the burdens and tribulations of maternal love, and the courage required to face our inevitably mortality. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Minus Me" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781662071119, $22.99, CD).

This Magnificent Dappled Sea
David Biro
Lake Union Publishing
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781542019811, $14.95, PB, 269pp

https://www.amazon.com/This-Magnificent-Dappled-David-Biro/dp/1542019818

Synopsis: In a small Northern Italian village, nine-year-old Luca Taviano catches a stubborn cold and is subsequently diagnosed with leukemia. His only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant. After an exhaustive search, a match turns up three thousand miles away in the form of a most unlikely donor: Joseph Neiman, a rabbi in Brooklyn, New York, who is suffering from a debilitating crisis of faith.

As Luca's young nurse, Nina Vocelli, risks her career and races against time to help save the spirited redheaded boy, she uncovers terrible secrets from World War II -- secrets that reveal how a Catholic child could have Jewish genes.

Can inheritance be transcended by accidents of love? That is the question at the heart of "This Magnificent Dappled Sea", a novel by author David Biro that challenges the idea of identity and celebrates the ties that bind us together.

Critique: "The Magnificent Dappled Sea by David Biro is a deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that both entertains and provokes thoughtful reflection. The kind of literary work that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf, "The Magnificent Dappled Sea" is unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Magnificent Dappled Sea" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713502364, $14.99, MP3-CD).

Other Fires
Lenore H. Gay
She Writes Press
www.shewritespress.com
9781631527739, $16.95, PB, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Other-Fires-Lenore-H-Gay/dp/1631527738

Synopsis: The troubled marriage of Joss and Phil is fragmented when Phil is injured in a devastating fire and diagnosed with Capgras delusion -- a misidentification syndrome in which a person becomes convinced that a loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter.

Faced with a husband who no longer recognizes her, Joss struggles to find motivation to save their marriage, even as family secrets start to emerge that challenge everything she thought she knew. With two young daughters, a looming book deadline, and an attractive but complicated distraction named Adam complicating her situation even further, Joss has to decide what she wants for her family -- and what family even means.

Critique: A riveting page turner of a novel by an author with the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that will fully entertain and engage the reader from cover to cover, Lenore H. Gay's "Other Fires" is a fully absorbing and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fictions collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in Medical/Psychological themed fiction that "Other Fires" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Lenore Gay is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor with a master's in sociology and rehabilitation counseling. She was an adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Counseling Department for thirty years. She has worked in several agencies and psychiatric hospitals, and for ten years worked at her private counseling practice before becoming Coordinator of VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling Department internship program.

Our Darkest Night
Jennifer Robson
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780063059405, $27.99, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Our-Darkest-Night-Novel-Second/dp/0063059401

Synopsis: It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive -- to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family's farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico's provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow -- and with them his determination to exact revenge.

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart!

Critique: Of special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II based historical fiction, Jewish themed novels, and women's literature, "Our Darkest Night" by Jennifer Robson is a superbly crafted and inherently riveting novel. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Our Darkest Night" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780062674975,$17.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781799946717, $39.99, CD).


The Historical Fiction Shelf

Balkan Glory: Thomas Kydd 23
Julian Stockwin
Quercus
1290 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10104
www.quercus.com
9781473698765, $26.99, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Balkan-Glory-Thomas-Kydd-23/dp/1473698766

Synopsis: In 1811, the Adriatic, (also known as the 'French Lake'), is now the most valuable territory Napoleon Bonaparte possesses. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd finds his glorious return to England cut short when the Admiralty summons him to lead a squadron of frigates into these waters to cause havoc and distress to the enemy.

Kydd is dubbed 'The Sea Devil' by Bonaparte who personally appoints one of his favourites, Dubourdieu, along with a fleet that greatly outweighs the British, to rid him of this menace.

At the same time, Nicholas Renzi is sent to Austria on a secret mission to sound out the devious arch-statesman, Count Metternich. His meeting reveals a deadly plan by Bonaparte that threatens the whole balance of power in Europe. The only thing that can stop it is a decisive move at sea and for this he must somehow cross the Alps to the Adriatic to contact Kydd directly.

A climactic sea battle where the stakes could not be higher is inevitable. Kydd faces Dubourdieu with impossible odds stacked against him. Can he shatter Bonaparte's dreams of breaking out of Europe and marching to the gates of India and Asia?

Critique: An impressively entertaining action/adventure historical novel by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative storytelling style that keeps his readers compulsively engaged from cover to cover, "Balkan Glory" by Julian Stockwin is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Balkan Glory" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781473698802, $15.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $0.99, Amazon.com).

The City of Tears
Kate Mosse
Minotaur Books
c/o St. Martin's Publishing Group
www.minotaurbooks.com
www.macmillanaudio.com
9781250202185, $27.99, HC, 560pp

https://www.amazon.com/City-Tears-Novel-Burning-Chambers/dp/1250202183

Synopsis: In August of 1572, Minou Joubert and her husband Piet traveled to Paris to attend a royal wedding which, after a decade of religious wars, is intended to finally bring peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Also in Paris is their oldest enemy, Vidal, in pursuit of an ancient relic that will change the course of history. Within days of the marriage, thousands will lie dead in the street, and Minou's family will be scattered to the four winds.

Critique: A saga of epic portions, "The City of Tears" by Kate Mosse is a brilliant, original, and inherently riveting historical novel by an author who supplements her impressive narrative storytelling style with a keen respect for historical detail. The second volume in her Burning Chambers series, "The City of Tears" is an especially commended addition to community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The City of Tears" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Macmillan Audio, 9781250751652, $61.99, CD).


The Literary Fiction Shelf

Merlin of the Magnolias
Gardner Landry
Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781626347557, $23.95, HC, 319pp

https://www.amazon.com/Merlin-Magnolias-Gardner-Landry/dp/1626347557

Synopsis: Merlin McNaughton stands out from his fellow Houstonians, both in his physical proportions and his odd preoccupations. Oblivious to these myriad idiosyncrasies, and the depths of his unplumbed emotional needs, he spends his days devouring worlds of food and his nights absorbing data about Earth's magnetic energies including mysterious druidic ley lines. Financial strains upend Merlin's world, so he lands a full-time job at a blimp base. Night flights over the city and his flights of fancy concerning energy vortices keep Merlin's head in the clouds 24/7.

When his computer program foretells a negative energy that may harm the entire city, Merlin wastes no time constructing a portable particle accelerator to reverse the event. But when a major malfunction destroys his meticulous plans, Merlin learns that druidic runes aren't the only things he's been misinterpreting and what's really important is what he's been overlooking all along.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, original, and cleverly original read, "Merlin of the Magnolias" deftly showcases novelist Gardner Landry's impressive mastery of the kind of narrative storytelling style that skillfully engages his reader's rapt attention from cover to cover. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Merlin of the Magnolias" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Come On Up
Jordi Nopca
Bellevue Literary Press
c/o NYU School of Medicine
550 First Ave., OBV A612, New York, NY 10016
www.blpress.org
9781942658801, $16.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Up-Jordi-Nopca/dp/194265880X

Synopsis: What happens when the hopes of a generation are dashed by austerity policies and underemployment? In his short story anthology, "Come On Up" by Jordi Nopca showcases a group portrait of contemporary Barcelona, beaten by the economic crisis and divided by a secessionist movement. Always witty, often absurdist, these stories offer a mesmerizing glimpse into the daily lives of couples, families, and neighbors living the new normal of the 21st century.

A husband seeks revenge on his wife as they stalk author Peter Stamm; an out-of-work bartender fills his empty days by shoving bananas into the tailpipes of parked cars; a mysterious ritual, spied through a neighbor's window, arouses deadly spirits. Masterfully paced, the eleven mordant stories of "Come On Up" draw us into an embattled world whose past is unresolved and whose future is uncertain.

Critique: Eloquent, engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking, author Jordi Nopca is a master of the short story format and "Come On Up" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that this newly translated English of "Come On Up" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Jordi Nopca is the author of two novels. Named a "Young Catalan Writer to Watch" by Culture Trip, his books have received the Proa and Documenta Prizes. Nopca is also an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in Time Out Barcelona and Words Without Borders. Born in Barcelona in 1983, Nopca is editor of the newspaper Ara and its literary supplement Ara Llegim.

Yams Do Not Exist
Garry Thomas Morse
Turnstone Press
https://www.turnstonepress.com
9780888016775, $19.00, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Yams-Exist-Garry-Thomas-Morse/dp/0888016778

Synopsis: Farinata Feck, a poet of mixed heritage, is a man of many appetites; yet he is most consumed by the search to find his romantic ideal. Yo-yoing between Regina and Winnipeg, Farinata crosses paths with colonial ghosts, cosplay enthusiasts, a Faulknerian gossip, a rogue tree-cop, and a sweet potato activist.

A compendium of short stories with equal parts playfulness and decadence, "Yams Do Not Exist" by Garry Thomas Morse renders the Beckettish adventures of the lovelorn libertine with hypnotic surrealism. A dizzying display of literary opulence and allusion, "Yams Do Not Exist" offers a twisting, prairie roadmap to romance that is by turns both hellish and sublime.

Critique: An impressively unique and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover, "Yams Do Not Exist" is an particular and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Yams Do Not Exist" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.16).

Editorial Note: Garry Thomas Morse has published several collections of poetry, notably Discovery Passages, about his Kwakwaka'wakw Indigenous ancestors, short listed for the Governor General's Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, and Prairie Harbour, also short listed for a Governor General's Award. He has twice been short listed for the national Re-Lit Award for fiction, and has served as the Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto and the Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence at the University of Winnipeg.


The Romantic Fiction Shelf

Daughters of Cornwall
Fern Britton
Isis Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785419294, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 430pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785419294

Synopsis: It's 1918 and The Great War is finally over as Clara Carter boards a train bound for Cornwall for the purpose of meeting a family that would once have been hers. But they must never discover her secret!

In 1939 Clara's daughter Hannah has always been curious about her mother's mysterious past, but the outbreak of the Second World War casts everything in a new light. As the bombs begin to fall, Hannah and her brothers are determined to do their bit for the war effort - whatever the cost.

In 2020, Clara's granddaughter Caroline has long been the keeper of her family's secrets. But now, with her own daughter needing her more than ever, it's time to tell the truth -- to show Natalie that she comes from a long line of women who have weathered the storms of life, as hardy and proud as the rugged Cornish coastline.

Critique: A multi-generational saga, this large print edition of "Daughters of Cornwall" by Fern Britton is an impressively original, inherently fascinating, thoroughly entertaining novel that will be a prized edition to personal reading lists and community library Romance Fiction collections.

Night Tide
Anna Burke
Bywater Books
P.O. Box 3671, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106-3671
www.bywaterbooks.com
9781612941813, $16.95, PB, 300pp

https://www.amazon.com/Night-Tide-Seal-Cove-Romance/dp/1612941818

Synopsis: Lillian Lee doesn't believe in love at first sight. Hate is a different story -- and one she is intimately familiar with. Luckily, she hasn't seen her arch-nemesis, Ivy Holden, since graduating from veterinary school five years ago. Since then, while her life isn't going exactly according to plan, she's happy. She has great friends, a job she loves, and the best pets in the world. Most importantly, her life is stable.

Seal Cove, Maine, is the last place Ivy Holden ever expected to end up. But when an unexpected medical condition forces her to relocate to be closer to family, she can't turn down the opportunity. Her new job at Seal Cove Veterinary Clinic has everything she needs: flexibility, proximity to her family's summer home, and the chance to do the work she loves. Unfortunately, it also has Lillian Lee.

Thrown back into one another's orbits, Lillian and Ivy must find a way to work together, despite the treacherous emotions threatening to drown them both.

Critique: An impressively crafted, original, and inherently engaging romance novel by an author with exceptional narrative storytelling skills, "Night Tide" by Anna Burke is a thoroughly entertaining read from first page to last -- making it an exceptional and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists and community library LGBT Contemporary Romance Fiction collections.

Tidewater Bride
Laura Frantz
www.laurafrantz.net
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800739669, $29.99, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Tidewater-Bride-Laura-Frantz/dp/0800739663

Synopsis: Selah Hopewell seems to be the only woman in the Virginia colony who has no wish to wed. True, there are too many men and far too few women in James Towne. But Selah already has her hands full assisting her father in the family's shop. And now she is in charge of an incoming shipment of tobacco brides who must be looked after as they sort through their many suitors.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement. His lands are vast, his crops are prized, and his position as a mediator between the colonists and the powerful Powhatan nation surrounding them makes him indispensable. But Xander is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they've been missing in life has been right in front of them all along?

Critique: Set against the background salty shores of seventeenth-century Virginia, "Tidewater Bride is a deftly crafted historical romance novel that showcases the pride, the honor, and the restorative power of true love. Certain to be an immediately popular and fully entertaining addition to community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for all dedicated romance fiction readers, as well as the growing legions of Laura Frantz fans, that "Tidewater Bride" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780800734961, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Laura Frantz is a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of eleven novels, including An Uncommon Woman, The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, The Lacemaker, and A Bound Heart. She maintains an informative website at www.laurafrantz.net

Goodbye, Orchid
Carol Van Den Hende
Koehler Books
www.koehlerbooks.com
9781646631902, $29.95, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Orchid-Love-Her-Leave/dp/1646631900

Synopsis: One July morning in Manhattan, handsome athlete and entrepreneur Phoenix Walker accompanies his love, half-Asian beauty Orchid, to the airport. Neither believes today is goodbye. But after she leaves, disaster strikes. Phoenix wakes in the hospital, broken, forever changed. He longs for Orchid but remembers the tragedy in her past that makes her panic over images of trauma. Now, he's faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean leaving her without explaining why?

Critique: A deftly crafted and inherently compelling read from first page to last, "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is a unique, eloquent, and expertly presented novel by an author with an impressive talent for the kind of narrative storytelling style that makes for a simply outstanding work of literary romance. The stuff of which major Hollywood movies are made, "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Romance Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Goodbye, Orchid: To Love Her, He Had To Leave Her" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781646631889, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

His Accidental Bride
Carolyn Twede Frank
Covenant Communications
c/o Deseret Books
www.deseretbook.com
9781524413507, $16.99, PB, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Bride-Carolyn-Twede-Frank/dp/152441350X

Synopsis: Dorothy Bednar is living a life she despises. Forced to work as a double-dealing saloon girl, Dorothy has finally had enough. The next train out of town is her ticket to freedom, and Dorothy jumps aboard without a thought for where she's going -- until she meets a kind woman aboard the train. Her fellow passenger was originally traveling to Colorado to marry a man she'd never met, but her cold feet offer Dorothy the perfect opportunity to set up roots somewhere new. Dorothy soon finds herself posing as the mail-order bride -- after all, marrying a stranger can't be worse than what she left behind.

Young Colorado lawyer Ronald Smith is astonished when he spies the lovely woman who comes to greet him -- the woman who is to be his wife. Dorothy is beyond Ronald's wildest dreams, a kindhearted partner eager to be a homemaker and mother. To Dorothy, Ronald is the most gentlemanly man she's ever met -- a man who makes her feel safe and cherished. What begins as a deception soon deepens into true love, but too soon, Dorothy's secret past threatens the beautiful life she's built -- a life that feels truer than anything she's ever known.

Critique: An impressively original and inherently entertaining novel that will hold particular interest for all dedicated romance fiction fans, "His Accidental Bride" by Carolyn Twede Frank is an extraordinarily well crafted story with many a reader-gripping plot twist and turn. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Romance Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "His Accidental Bride" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (9781524413514, $29.99, CD).


The Western Fiction Shelf

The Dark Trail to Nowhere
Harry Jay Thorn
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444845334, $21.49, PB, Large Print, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Trail-Nowhere-Harry-Thorn/dp/1444845330

Synopsis: Lucas Santana is a freelance range detective working for both the US Marshals Service and the Pinkerton Detective Agency in the 1880s. A wanted man in some States, he takes great care where he rides and has a number of off-the-cuff aliases -- and is not too shy about lining his own pockets in order to finance his Wyoming Wildcat ranch. When a number of $20.00 gold coins surface in South Texas, (the loot from a long ago three-quarters of a million dollar heist at the end of the Civil War), both Pinkerton and the US Marshals call on his services to find the source of that gold. The problem is, he is not the only one searching for it. Then, when a fellow female Pinkerton agent is murdered in cold blood, Santana's quest becomes personal and he sets off on the long dark trail to nowhere.

Critique: With this large print paperback edition of "The Dark Trail to Nowhere", author Harry Jay Thorn once again demonstrates his total master of the western action/adventure genre. Certain to be an immediately welcome and enduringly popular addition to the personal reading lists of all dedicated western fans, and highly recommended as a core addition to community library Western Fiction collections.

Stage Road to Denver
Allan Vaughan Elston
Sagebrush Lare Print Westerns
Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785418600, $32.00, PB, Large Print, 282pp

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Denver-Allan-Vaughan-Elston/dp/1785418602

Synopsis: In 1876 the city of Denver is the burgeoning capital of a rough new state. When Terry Woodford rides in with his partner Slim, he dreams of showing Colorado how to save starving cattle by herding them to lush grazing grounds in the mountains over the winter. What he doesn't expect is trouble with Milo Patterson -- a kingpin of the city. By incident and design, Terry learns how Patterson cheated a dying miner, Frank Barber, and his family out of seven quarts of gold stashed on the roof of his cabin. And now Patterson is wooing Frank's beautiful niece, Faith, while running a crooked gambling joint. Terry vows to find the gold and get it back to its rightful owners -- and to put a stop to Patterson's shady dealings once and for all. It's time for a showdown in which only one will walk away.

Critique: With this large print edition of his novel "Stage Road to Denver", once again author Allan Vaughan Elston clearly demonstrates his total mastery of the action/adventure western genre. A simply riveting read with all manner of unexpected and dramatic plot twists and turns, "Stage Road to Denver" is especially commended for personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.

Black Hills Gold
Will DuRey
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444845907, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hills-Gold-Will-Durey/dp/144484590X

Synopsis: Since the signing of the Laramie Treaty, the tribes of the Plains have practised their nomadic lifestyle within the boundaries of the lands set aside for their use. While the Americans (known to the Sioux as the Wasicun) stay away, the tenuous peace is maintained. One word, GOLD! however, uttered at a riverside meeting with Yellowstone Kelly raises Wes Gray's concern that white men might soon breach the borders of the Great Sioux Reservation and bring with them the turmoil of war. The object of their trespass? To gain access to gold -- for which men will risk all and kill anyone who stands in their way.

Critique: Another adroitly crafted and inherently riveting read from the pen of western novelist Will DuRey, this large print edition of "Black Hills Gold" from the Linford Western Library series is unstintingly recommended for both the personal reading lists of all dedicated western fans, as well as community library Western Fiction collections.

Dead Man at Snake's Creek
Rob Hill
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444845945, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 232pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444845945

Synopsis: Ten years ago, Johnny Hartford left Credence, Texas to become a Pinkerton Agent in Chicago. Now on his return, everything has changed: his dying father will barely speak to him, his brother is running wild, and longhorn rustling is rife. Determined to make amends with his family and catch the cattle thieves, Hartford turns to old Sheriff Milton for help -- but then Dumford, a prominent local rancher, is shot in the back out by Snake Creek, and Hartford discovers that almost everyone in the town has a reason for wanting him dead, things get deadlier and deadlier.

Critique: Another deftly scripted and original action/adventure novel by a true master of the genre, "Dead Man at snake's Creek" by Rob Hill is a compelling read from first page to last. Of special note is the completely unexpected revelation regarding the killing at Snake Creek at the end of this compelling western adventure. This large print edition of "Dead Man at Snake's Creek" from the Linford Western Library collection is wholeheartedly recommended for both the personal reading lists of dedicated western buffs and community library Western Fiction collections.

Long Rider
Colin Bainbridge
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781444845389, $22.50, PB, Large Print, 218pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781444845389

Synopsis: Wes Stretton has ridden a long way from Texas in order to gain vengeance on Yoakum, whom he holds responsible for killing his friend in a range war. The trail takes him to the town of Buckstrap, where he meets the enigmatic Lana Flushing and walks straight into a range war between rival ranches, the Bar Seven and the Sawtooth. Someone knows of his arrival, however, and is out to bushwhack him. Then Rimmer, the foreman of the Sawtooth, is ambushed and shot. But was Stretton the intended target? And is Yoakum the culprit - or are things not quite what they seem?

Critique: Simply stated, "Long Rider" by Colin Bainbridge, is another terrific western from a master of the genre. This large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library is a fully compelling and exceptionally entertaining read from cover to cover -- making it a 'must' for the personal reading lists of all true western fans and community library Western Fiction collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

A Life for a Life
Lynda McDaniel
Independently Published
www.lyndamcdanielbooks.com
9780997780802, $14.95 PB, $4.99 Kindle, 327pp

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Mystery-Appalachian-Mountain-Mysteries/dp/0997780800

Della Kincaid has been a crime reporter for decades, honing her craft until she needs a break from her profession. A move to a quiet mountain community seems just the ticket for peace and quiet...or, is it? A Life for a Life presents a mystery steeped in fine contrasts between past and present, rural and urban life, a quiet lifestyle versus a vivid sense of purpose, and community involvement. All these elements place Della in the hot seat of contention. A startling prologue sets the scene, opening not with Della's perspective (as so many authors might have chosen), but from a teenager's viewpoint when newcomer Della Kincaid buys his father's store. From the opening line, readers know they're in for a unique voice and a compelling treat: "My life was saved by a murder. At the time, of course, I didn't understand that. I just knew I was having the best year of my life. Given all the terrible things that happened, I should be ashamed to say it, but that year was a blessing for me." The prologue introduces co-writer Abit, who reflects on the spring when everything changes. This contrasts neatly with the opening of the first chapter, which embraces Della's point of view.

The first-person reminisces of 1985's life-changing events then evolves to provide a solid foundation for exploring the unexpected, from murder to the North Carolina mountain communities that confront an unprecedented threat and danger. As Abit and Della form an unlikely association and travel through the world of accused murderers released and unidentified dangers, Abit's regional colloquialisms spice the story and contrast nicely with Della's staid approach and observations. As events unfold, this sense of place, time, and community brings the story to life in a realistic, refreshing fashion that draws readers into not just the mystery, but the conflicts that lie at the heart of each character's life. Della finds past and present on a collision course, and Abit's world changes. Lynda McDaniel's ability to probe life as well as death makes this murder mystery a delight. It's a fantastic probe into the lives of everyone involved in a life-changing situation that grabs the reader's heartstrings and tugs on them to the unexpected conclusion.

Mystery readers will find A Life for a Life a real treat, highly recommended for its fine attention to both detail and the psyches of investigators who confront themselves as much as the threat at hand.

Either Side of Midnight
Benjamin Stevenson
Aurora Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781520368566, $11.99, PB, 451pp

https://www.amazon.com/Either-Side-Midnight-Tori-Clare/dp/1520368569

Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old Naomi Stone is snatched from her husband at knife point on the night of their wedding and taken to a deserted cemetery, she knows her life is finished. Drugged and disorientated, she loses consciousness as she lies in an open grave with a gun to her head.

But the following day, she mysteriously awakes to find herself unharmed and secured to a bed. She's in a beautiful bedroom in a secluded cottage in open countryside. Only one person knows she's there -- the man in the balaclava who's holding her, feeding her, revealing nothing.

Naomi senses the unfolding of a plan. She should be on honeymoon in the Caribbean. Instead, she's trapped with an emotionless psycho with no hope of escape -- and his voice is chillingly familiar. Who is he? What does he want? What's happened to her husband? Where is she? Will anyone find her before it's too late?

Critique: A deftly crafted suspense thriller of a novel by an author with a genuine flair for chilling originality and the kind of narrative storytelling skills that make for a genuinely riveting read from cover to cover, this large print paperback back edition of "Either Side of Midnight" by Benjamin Stevenson is particularly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

A Christmas Railway Mystery
Edward Marston
Isis Large Print
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
www.ulverscroftusa.com
9781785418075, $TBA, PB, Large Print, 390pp

https://www.ulverscroft.com/title.php?sqlCmd=isbn%3D9781785418075

Synopsis: December, 1860: The morning shift at the Swindon Locomotive Works is about to begin, and an army of men is pouring out of the nearby terraced houses built by the GWR. Frank Rodman should have been among them, but he is destined for the grave sooner than he might have expected -- or he will be, once his missing head is found. However, Christmas is fast approaching, and the last thing Inspector Colbeck needs is a complex case, mired in contradictions. As he wrestles with one crime, he is alarmed to hear of another -- the abduction of Superintendent Tallis. Colbeck and Leeming find themselves in a hectic race to solve a brutal murder before rushing off to Kent in a bid to save the superintendent's life.

Critique: Recommended as a core addition to community library Large Print shelves in general, and Mystery/Suspense collections in particular, this Isis Large Print edition of "A Christmas Railway Mystery" by Edward Marston is a deftly crafted and inherently riveting novel that will entertainingly engage the dedicated mystery buff from first page to last.

Miami Noir: The Classics
Les Standiford, editor
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781617759536, $43.95, HC, 338pp

https://www.amazon.com/Miami-Noir-Classics-Akashic/dp/1617759538

Synopsis: With the publication of "Miami Noir: The Classics", Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, first launched in 2004 with the publication of Brooklyn Noir. Each volume in the 'Noir' series comprises stories set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city.

Expertly compiled and edited by Les Standiford, "Miami Noir: The Classics" features noir fiction from nineteen authors that include: Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Elmore Leonard, Lester Dent, Zora Neale Hurston, Brett Halliday, Damon Runyon, Edna Buchanan, James Carlos Blake, Douglas Fairbairn, Charles Willeford, T.J. MacGregor, Lynne Barrett, Les Standiford, Preston L. Allen, John Dufresne, Vicki Hendricks, Christine Kling, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, and David Beaty.

Critique: An exceptional treat for all dedicated fans of noir fiction, "Miami Noir: The Classics" is especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Miami Noir: The Classics" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781617758065, $17.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Death of a Messenger
Robert McCaw
Oceanview Publishing
1620 Main Street, Suite 11, Sarasota, FL 34236
www.oceanviewpub.com
9781608094035, $26.95, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Messenger-Kane-Hawaiian-Mystery/dp/1608094030

Synopsis: On the island of Hawaii, an anonymous 911 caller reports a body at Pohakuloa, the Army's live-fire training area. Hilo Chief Detective Koa Kane, a cop with his own secret criminal past, finds a mutilated corpse -- bearing all the hallmarks of ancient ritual sacrifice.

Kane encounters a host of obstacles as he pursues the murderer -- including an incompetent local medical examiner, hostility from both haoles (Westerners) and sovereignty advocates, and a myriad of lies. Kane races to discover whether the victim stumbled upon a gang of high-tech archaeological thieves, or learned a secret so shocking it cost him his life and put others in mortal danger.

Will Hilo's most respected detective stop this sadistic fiend -- or will the Pohakuloa killer strike again, with even deadlier consequences?

Critique: With one deftly crafted cliffhanger of a plot twist after another, "Death of a Messenger" by mystery novelist Robert McCaw is an inherently riveting read from cover to cover. While "Death of a Messenger" is especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated suspense/thriller buffs that McCaw's latest novel is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49).

A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night
Lorenz Heller (aka Fredrick Lorenz)
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781944520991, $19.95, PB, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rage-Sea-Party-Every-Night/dp/1944520996

Synopsis: A RAGE AT SEA: Frank Dixon has just lost his ship in a crap game, and is about to lose his woman as well, when Addams offers him a job captaining the Almacor. All he has to do is take the owner and his drunken guests around the Caribbean. Trouble is, Dixon hates Addams - doesn't trust him, knows that Addams will sabotage him if he can. But Dixon only has this one chance to climb out of the bottle, one shot at redemption, and agrees to helm the yacht. Thank goodness he has young Wirt aboard. There's one seaman he can trust. It's not long before the drinking starts, the owner takes a swing at Wirt, and all hell breaks loose. Dixon knows that Addams is only waiting for his opportunity to stab him in the back, and this could be it.

A PARTY EVERY NIGHT: Vance is the perfect bartender -- tall, good-looking, funny, he charms them all. Particularly the waitress, Cora. But Vance only has eyes for Maddie. Unfortunately, Maddie is married to the town lush, Wes Elwood. Almost every night, you will find Maddie and Wes at Vance's bar, belting down the Scotches and hating one another with a white heat. Tonight is different. Tonight Wes disappears in his car, and no one can find him. After closing, Vance takes Maddie out to all the after-hours bars looking for him, but all they get is one run-around after another, and no Wes. Then Wes is found drowned. And that's when Durkin steps in, a cop who collects facts like some people collect stamps. Durkin has his own idea of what happened to Wes, and as far as he's concerned, all those facts lead him back to Vance.

Critique: Stark House Press is the premier publisher of 'time lost' mysteries by some of the best novelists to every publish in the Mystery/Suspense genre. Enhanced for contemporary readers with an informative introduction by Nicholas Litchfield, "A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night" showcases for a new general of mystery lovers the storytelling talents of Lorenzx Heller writing under the pseudonym of Frederick Lorenz and originally published in 1953 and 1956 respectively. While especially recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections, it should be noted for the personal reading list of all suspense/thriller fans that this new edition of "A Rage at Sea / A Party Every Night" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Frederick Lorenz was born Lorenz F. Heller in West Hoboken, New Jersey on October 5, 1910, studied journalism at Rutgers and worked on various New Jersey newspapers. He then ran away to sea and became an able seaman on a freighter before jumping ship and returning to start writing fiction. Heller published his first novel, Murder in Make-Up, in 1937 and continued to write under a variety of names, including Laura Hale, Larry Heller, Lorenz Heller and Larry Holden, working with publishers like Pyramid, Popular Library, Beacon and Eton Books. He also wrote TV scripts under the name Burt Sims. As Frederick Lorenz he turned out seven sharp crime novels for Lion Books in the 1950s. Heller eventually settled in the Venice, Florida area where he supported himself entirely on his writing. He died on December 12, 1965.

Surrender the Dead
John Burley
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780062431875, $17.99, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Dead-Novel-John-Burley/dp/0062431870

Synopsis: When Erin Reece left Wolf Point fifteen years ago after graduating high school, she'd planned to never set foot in her childhood hometown again. But an urgent phone call from her father's doctor leaves Erin with no choice but to return to a place filled with painful memories and wounds that never closed. Two decades ago, people in Wolf Point started disappearing without a trace (including Erin's mother) and no explanation was ever found.

It's been years since the last disappearance, but the town is still steeped in suspicion and haunted by the ghosts of the missing. No one is thrilled to see Erin back, including her former best friend, Robbie, who has changed from a spirited, fearless boy to a reclusive shut-in.

Then a body is discovered, buried in a makeshift grave for years on the Reece family's land. The police reopen their investigation, and the evidence against Erin's father is damning. After such a long time without answers, the community wants justice. It's up to Erin to clear her father's name, but the path to the truth will force her to unearth long-buried secrets and confront a terrible evil. Because in Wolf Point, everyone knows more than they are letting on

Critique: A deftly crafted suspense thriller of a novel with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller coaster, "Surrender The Dead" by John Burley will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense/Thriller fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Surrender The Dead" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9781799947431, $34.99, CD).


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Wrath of N'kai
Josh Reynolds
Aconyte Books
https://aconytebooks.com/aconyte-books
9781839080111, $16.95, PB, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Wrath-Nkai-Arkham-Horror-Novel/dp/1839080116

Synopsis: Countess Alessandra Zorzi, international adventurer and thief, arrives in Arkham pursuing an ancient body freshly exhumed from a mound in Oklahoma, of curious provenance and peculiar characteristics. But before she can steal it, another party beats her to it. During the resulting gunfight at the Miskatonic Museum, the countess makes eye contact with the petrified corpse and begins an adventure of discovery outside her wildest experiences. Now, caught between her mysterious client, the police, and a society of necrophagic connoisseurs, she finds herself on the trail of a resurrected mummy as well as the star-born terror gestating within it.

Critique: A deftly crafted fantasy fiction set in the literary world of H. P. Lovecraft, "Wrath of N'kai" by novelist Josh Reynolds to the every growing body of Arkham based horror fantasy. Highly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the legions of Lovecraft fans that Josh Reynold's "Wrath of N'kai" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.95).

Editorial Note: Josh Reynolds is the author of over thirty novels and numerous short stories, including the wildly popular "Warhammer: Age of Sigmar" and "Warhammer 40,000".

Serpent Daughter
D. J. Butler
Baen Books
PO Box 1188, Wake Forest NC 27588
www.baen.com
9781982124977, $15.99, PB, 608pp

https://www.amazon.com/Serpent-Daughter-D-J-Butler/dp/1982124970

Synopsis: Sarah Calhoun has taken her father's throne and ascended into her goddess's presence in Unfallen Eden as her father never did -- and Sarah Calhoun is dying.

Her uncle Thomas Penn isn't done with her. Armed with new powers conferred upon him by the Necromancer and with new allies won via his impending marriage, Penn aims to remove Sarah from her throne - and from the world of the living. In the meantime, Sarah has fallen out with one of her best allies. Against Sarah's advice, her brother Nathaniel heads into Imperial Philadelphia with the reckless and likely impossible aim of healing the Emperor Thomas.

On the shores of the northern seas, agents of Franklin's Conventicle with an unlikely connection to the Emperor struggle to win allies among the pole-dwelling giants, who are torn between seizing land covertly from the Firstborn of the Ohio and entering the war openly on the side of Simon Sword. In the west, the Heron King rides an explosive storm into war, crushing the mortal kingdoms in his path and bearing down on Sarah's Cahokia.

To survive (and to gain the strength she needs to fight this impossible war) Sarah must unite the Moundbuilder kings to enact an ancient rite that will propel her beyond mortality. To do so, she must not only win over doubters among the Firstborn kings, but she must also beat back a rebellion among the Handmaids of her goddess -- for there are some of the goddess's priestesses who long for the dark days of human sacrifice, and who are willing to throw Sarah herself upon the altar.

Critique: No one is as original and talented when it comes to crafting an action/adventure fantasy world and novel than D. J. Butler. The fourth and newet addition to Butler's simply outstanding 'Witchy War' series, "Serpent Daughter" is an inherently riveting and compulsive page turner of an entertaining read from cover to cover. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fans that "Serpent Daughter" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

The Children of D'Hara
Terry Goodkind
Head of Zeus Ltd.
www.headofzeus.com
9781789541335, $32.95, HC, 912pp

https://www.amazon.com/Children-Dhara-Terry-Goodkind/dp/1789541336

Synopsis: In 1994, Terry Goodkind's novel "Wizard's First Rule" first introduced Richard Cypher, a young woodsman seeking answers and vengeance in the aftermath of his father's murder, and Kahlan Amnell, a mysterious young woman pursued by a bloodthirsty tyrant's assassins.

The Sword of Truth is one of the most ambitious fantasy series ever written. It was a decades-long masterwork that has been translated into 20 languages and sold 26 million copies. After 16 volumes and one novella, it concluded in 2016 with Warheart.

"The Children of D'Hara" picks up immediately after the conclusion of the Sword of Truth series. This is the first collected volume of the series, featuring episodes 1-5: The Scribbly Man, Hateful Things, Wasteland, Witch's Oath, and Into Darkness.

Critique: An original, landmark collection that is extraordinarily ambitious, complex, and entertaining, "The Children of D'Hara" is a massive saga that 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 Heroic Fantasy fans that "The Children of D'Hara" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.89).

Holes in the Veil
Beth Overmyer
Flame Tree Press
www.flametreepress.com
9781787585836, $24.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Holes-Veil-Goblets-Immortal-Overmyer/dp/1787585832

Synopsis: Having killed his lifelong enemy, Aidan Ingledark finds himself in possession of a map to the Questing Goblet, one of the Goblets Immortal that gives the drinker luck beyond measure. Meraude seeks this Goblet to wipe out magic-kind. Aidan and his traveling companion are determined to find it first but they must battle through illusion and doubt.

Jinn's a Sightful seeking the Summoner. She wants to kill her mother, but her foresight ends in darkness. Can she enlist Aidan's help and change her fate? The threat of Meraude and her dominion are imminent!

Critique: A riveting good read from cover to cover, "Holes in the Veil" (the sequel to "The Goblets Immortal") is another extraordinary and deftly crafted action/adventure fantasy from the mind and imagination of fantasy author Beth Overmyer. While an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fiction fans that "Holes in the Veil" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781787585812, $14.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $6.99).

Editorial Note: Flame Tree Press is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

Baen Books
P.O. Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
www.baen.com

https://www.amazon.com/Sassinak-Anne-McCaffrey/dp/198212492X

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-World-Sean-Patrick-Hazlett/dp/1982124911

Two new sci-fi titles offer intriguing stories from well-known writers and promise to give genre fans exciting new tales to enjoy.

Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon's Sassinak (9781982124922, $16.00) tells of preteen Sassinak who was twelve when the slavers raided her world. Sassy is no victim, however, but a spirited young woman determined to make her own way in the world as a free woman. From her strength to her friendship choices, Sassy waits for freedom, only to find it poses new challenges as she becomes a fleet captain on a pirate-chasing ship who is facing unemployment when her prey becomes scarce.

Fans of military sci-fi with a weird twist will appreciate the collection Sean Patrick Hazlett edits in Weird World War II (9781982124915, $16.00), which provides twists on alternate history scenarios that involve various scenarios based on a war with the Soviet Union that evolved into a battle on the astral plane. Mike Resnick, T.C. McCarthy, David Drake, and other Baen mainstays join forces to provide riveting short stories that traverse the boundaries of physical, historical, and psychic battles. Both are intriguing reads.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs
Gregory Cleveland, OMV
Pauline Books & Media
50 St. Paul's Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3433
www.pauline.org
9780819812452, $19.95, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beholding-Beauty-Mary-Song-Songs/dp/0819812455

Synopsis: Christian mystics have often used the Song of Songs, a classic love poem in the Bible, to express their intense longing for God. In his captivating and original book, "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs", Father Gregory Cleveland, OMV shows how the image of the Bride in the Song of Songs can help you to understand and grow in relationship with Mary the Mother of God. As you read about Mary's mystical union with the Holy Trinity, you will also learn more about the beauty of your own call to grow in union with God!

Critique: Of particular relevance and interest to all members of the Roman Catholic community, "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs" is a truly exceptional, inspired and inspiring study. While "Beholding Beauty: Mary and the Song of Songs" is especially and enthusiastically recommended for church, seminary, community, and academic library Biblical Studies collections, it should be noted that it is also readily available for the personal reading lists of clergy, laity, seminary students, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

The Grace of Beauty
Melannie Svoboda, SND
Twenty-Third Publications
1 Montauk Avenue, #200, New London, CT 06320
www.23rdpublications.com
9781627855419, $14.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Beauty-Mystery-Power-Delight/dp/1627855416

Synopsis: In a world beset by the ugliness of war, greed, pandemic, and injustice, we all need to seek, find, and let our hearts rest in the experience of beauty. Not the beauty found in fashion magazines, but the true beauty, ever ancient, ever new, sought by St. Augustine and countless philosophers, artists, musicians, poets, and holy people throughout the centuries.

"The Grace of Beauty: Its Mystery, Power, and Delight in Daily Life " by Melannie Svoboda is a beautiful book that engagingly explores the mystery, power, and grace of the beauty our souls seek, the kind of beauty that evokes a whispered Wow! or heartfelt, Thank you, God! Our experience of beauty, says Sr. Melannie, has the power to realign our mind and heart toward the Source of all Beauty, our Beloved God.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "The Grace of Beauty: Its Mystery, Power, and Delight in Daily Life" is especially and unreservedly recommended reading for clergy, seminary students, and all other members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations.

Editorial Note: Melannie Svoboda, SND, is the author of "Hanging Onto Hope" and "Everyday Epiphanies" and many other books from Twenty-Third Publications. She currently writes, directs retreats, and gives talks on contemporary spirituality.

The God of the Old Testament
R. W. L. Moberly
Baker Academic
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
9781540962997, $34.99, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/God-Old-Testament-Encountering-Christian/dp/1540962997

Synopsis: Professor Walter Moberly is a well respected Old Testament theologian known for his creative, accessible, and provocative writing. His Old Testament Theology has been well received. "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is written in his characteristic style that deftly combines biblical criticism with constructive theology and engages both Jewish and Christian interpretations.

In the pages of "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" Professor Moberly offers the reader informative commentaries on eight pivotal Old Testament passages that unpack the nature of God in Christian Scripture, demonstrating a Christian approach to reading the Old Testament that holds together the priorities of both scholarship and faith.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is an extraordinary, inspired and inspiring study that is especially recommended for personal, professional, community, church, seminary, college, and university library Old Testament Studies collections. It should be noted for seminary students, clergy, theologians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.47).

Editorial Note: R. W. (Walter) L. Moberly (born 26 March 1952) is an English theologian and professor of theology and biblical interpretation at Durham University. He was awarded an M.A. at Oxford and both an M.A., Ph.D. Cambridge, UK. He is also an ordained priest in the Church of England.

My Wynter Season
Jonathan Pitts
Harvest House Publishers
PO Box 41210, Eugene, OR 97404-0322
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
9780736981354, $15.99, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/My-Wynter-Season-Seeing-Faithfulness/dp/0736981357

Synopsis: When Jonathan Pitts took Wynter, his wife of 15 years, into his arms for their anniversary dance, he had no idea that within a month he would be on a completely different journey, navigating life after Wynter's sudden death at the age of 38.

One moment he was married to a successful author and magazine publisher, and putting the finishing touches on their book about marriage. The next he was a widower and a single father of four grieving daughters. Without warning, the future his family had planned together dissolved, leaving Jonathan trying to answer the question that echoed through his daughters' hearts and his own: How could a loving God allow this unspeakable loss?

"My Wynter Season: Seeing God's Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief" is Jonathan's immensely personal story of losing the most wonderful gift he had ever been given and his journey toward understanding life without her. Yet in the wilderness of his grief, Jonathan found himself surrounded by God's extravagant love, and came to truly understand Christ's life-giving promise that death is not the end.

Critique: Eloquent, engaging, and ultimately inspiring, "My Wynter Season: Seeing God's Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to the personal reading lists of all members of the Christian community (and anyone else) who are struggling, especially in this time of pandemic, with the loss of a loved one. While very strongly recommended for church and community library Death/Dying/Grieving collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "My Wynter Season" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Jonathan Pitts is an author, speaker, and executive pastor at Church of the City in Franklin, TN. Prior to pastoring, Jonathan was executive director at The Urban Alternative, the national ministry of Dr. Tony Evans in Dallas, Texas.

Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth
Thaddeus J. Williams
Zondervan Academic
c/o Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
9780310119487, $22.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Injustice-without-Compromising-Truth/dp/0310119480

Synopsis: Social justice is not optional for the Christian. All injustice affects others, so talking about justice that isn't social is like talking about water that isn't wet or a square with no right angles. But the Bible's call to seek justice is not a call to superficial, kneejerk activism. We are not merely commanded to execute justice, but to "truly execute justice". The God who commands us to seek justice is the same God who commands us to "test everything" and "hold fast to what is good".

Drawing from a diverse range of theologians, sociologists, artists, and activists, "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice", by Thaddeus Williams, makes the case that we must be discerning if we are to "truly execute justice" as Scripture commands. Not everything called "social justice" today is compatible with a biblical vision of a better world. The Bible offers hopeful and distinctive answers to deep questions of worship, community, salvation, and knowledge that ought to mark a uniquely Christian pursuit of justice.

The social justice topics specifically addressed include: Racism; Sexuality; Socialism; Culture War; Abortion; Tribalism; Critical Theory; and Identity Politics.

In "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth", Williams transcends our religious and political tribalism and challenges readers to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice. He presents a compelling vision of justice for all God's image-bearers that offers hopeful answers to life's biggest questions.

Critique: Timely and timeless, in this current period of pandemic, economic inequality, racial discrimination, and violent political division, "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice" is deserving of as wide a readership as possible and should be a part of every church, seminary, community, college, and university library Religious Ethics, Ethics in Christian Theology, and Christian Social Issues collections and supplemental curriculum studies list. It should be noted for seminary students, clergy, and all other members of the Christian community (regardless of denominational affiliations) that "Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Thaddeus Williams (Ph.D., Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) loves enlarging students' understanding and enjoyment of Jesus at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, where he serves as assistant professor of Systematic Theology for Talbot School of Theology. He has also taught Philosophy and Literature at Saddleback College, Jurisprudence at Trinity Law School, and as a lecturer in Worldview Studies at L'Abri Fellowships in Switzerland and Holland, and Ethics for Blackstone Legal Fellowship the Federalist Society in Washington D.C.

Eldercare as Art and Ministry
Irene V. Jackson-Brown
Church Publishing Incorporated
www.churchpublishing.org
www.theartofeldercare.com
9781640653078, $14.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Eldercare-Art-Ministry-Irene-Jackson-Brown/dp/1640653074

Synopsis: "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" by Irene V. Jackson-Brown broadens and deepens an understanding of eldercare as an art and as a Christian ministry. As art, eldercare requires creativity, imagination, and perseverance. As a Christian ministry it is considered in its fullest meaning, to include guiding, administering, serving, waiting upon, or acting as a loved one's agent. Through stories, lessons, and poignant vignettes, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" calls each one of us whether young or older, ordained or laity, fortunate or less fortunate, prepared or not to serve and care for an aging loved one. For lay people and professionals, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is a guide to navigate the challenges of eldercare and to find meaning in this important work.

Critique: Offering a timely and timeless message to all members of the Christian community, "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is exceptionally well written, organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. While especially recommended for senior citizen community center, public community, seminary, and church library Christian Living & Eldercare collections, It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Eldercare as Art and Ministry" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.49).

Editorial Note: Irene V. Jackson-Brown received the gift of eldercare when she became a caregiver for both parents and two aunts. She now serves and advocates for families and older adults about aging issues and challenges. As a senior-serving professional, she holds certifications from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors (CSA), the Association of Aging Life Care Professionals (ALCA), formerly the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, and the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP). She is a caregiver, author, speaker, and consultant through her Washington DC based company, Jackson-Brown Associates, LLC (www.theartofeldercare.com).

Devoted to God's Church
Sinclair B. Ferguson
Banner of Truth
PO Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013
www.banneroftruth.org
9781848719767, $15.00, PB, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Devoted-Gods-Church-Christian-Fellowship/dp/1848719760

Synopsis: Being a Christian is not an individualistic or isolated activity. Believing also involves belonging. Being a Christian, by definition, involves belonging to the church.

"Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship" by Professor Sinclair Ferguson is not volume of ideas about how your church ought to change or what it needs to do in order to grow or to be successful. Rather it is about how we, personally, fit into our own church. There are hallmarks of church life that should be stamped on all our churches because they are applicable everywhere and anywhere -- New Testament values for any size of church, in any part of the world, at any time.

"Devoted to God's Church" will ably serve to help new Christians understand what it is to be part of a church, and will also be a refreshing reminder to every practicing Christian of what it should look like to belong to the family of God.

Critique: Inspired and inspiring, "Devoted to God's Church: Core Values for Christian Fellowship" is especially and unreservedly recommended for the personal reading list of all members of the Christian community regardless of denominational affiliations and will be of immense interest to seminarians and clergy.

Editorial Note: Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is a Ligonier teaching fellow and distinguished visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and he has written more than two dozen books, including The Whole Christ, The Holy Spirit, In Christ Alone, and, with Dr. Derek Thomas, Ichthus: Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour.


The Business Shelf

The Harvard Business Review Family Business Handbook
Josh Baron & Rob Lachenauer
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781633699052, $50.00, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Business-Review-Family-Handbook/dp/1633699056

Synopsis: Though "family business" may sound like it refers only to mom-and-pop shops, businesses owned by families are among the most significant and numerous in the world (think Walmart!). But surprisingly few resources exist to help navigate the unique challenges you face when you share the executive suite, financial statements, and holidays. How do you make the right decisions, critical to the long-term survival of any business, with the added challenge of having to do so within the context of a family?

"The Harvard Business Review Family Business Handbook: How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise" brings you sophisticated guidance and practical advice from family business experts Josh Baron and Rob Lachenauer (who can be connected with at banyan.global or on LinkedIn, as well as followed on Twitter @BanyanFBA). Drawing on their decades-long experience working closely with a wide range of family businesses of all sizes around the world, they present proven methods and approaches for communicating effectively, managing conflict, building the right governance structures, and more.

This impressively informative instructional volume presents: A new perspective on what makes family businesses succeed and fail; A framework to help you make good decisions together: Step-by-step guidance on managing change within your business family; Key questions about wealth, unique to family businesses, that you can't afford to ignore; Assessments to help you determine where you are -- and where you want to go; Illustrative stories of real companies ranging from Marchesi Antinori to Radio Flyer; Chapter summaries you can use to reinforce what you've learned. This an invaluable and comprehensive guide with you to help you build, grow, and position your family business to thrive across generations.

Critique: Expertly written, organized and presented, "The Harvard Business Review Family Business Handbook: How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise" is comprehensive, insightful, practical, and essential for any entrepreneur or family business owner. While unreservedly recommended for community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Harvard Business Review Family Business Handbook: How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781633699045, $29.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.74).

Editorial Note #1: Josh Baron is a cofounder and Partner at BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors. He works with the leaders of family businesses to define their purpose as owners and establish the structures, strategies, and skills they need to accomplish their goals. A sought-after speaker who also teaches at Columbia Business School, Baron is a frequent contributor to HBR.org.

Editorial Note #2: Rob Lachenauer is a cofounder, Partner, and CEO of BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors. Lachenauer, who works around the world helping business families thrive, is also a frequent contributor to HBR.org. He is the coauthor, with George Stalk, of Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win?

Exit Rich
Michelle Seiler Tucker & Sharon Lechter
An Ink Original
c/o Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO Box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
www.greenleafbookgroup.com
9781732510289, $27.95, HC, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Exit-Rich-Method-Business-Profit/dp/1732510288

Synopsis: Too many entrepreneurs push off planning for the sale of their business until the last moment. But for a business to sell for what it's really worth (or even more!) owners need to prepare for the sale from the very start.

In "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit", author and mergers/acquisitions authority Michelle Seiler Tucker joins forces with Sharon Lechter (who is a finance expert and the author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad") to create an ideal guide and manual for all business owners whether they're gearing up to sell a business now or just getting started building out their company into something to sell for a profit in the future.

Seiler Tucker's two fold approach to selling your business for maximum profit combines two of the most powerful elements of her mergers and acquisitions toolkit: the ''ST GPS Exit Model'' to help business owners set goals for the sale before their business hit the market, and the ''6 P Method'' to help them objectively evaluate their business's worth, before their potential buyers do. Combined, these tools provide invaluable insight into the process of preparing a business for sale, finding the right buyers, and staging the sale itself.

Throughout "Exit Rich", Sharon Lechter's wisdom peppers each chapter in the ''Mentoring Corner'' section, providing forward-thinking entrepreneurs with the perspective that they need to take control of their business's future and exit rich.

"Exit Rich" is a rich resource for any business owner looking to: Objectively evaluate their business before a sale; Improve their chances of finding the right buyer; Sell their business for maximum profit.

Critique: Filling a gap that college/university business schools too often neglect, "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit" is essential reading for any business owner who wants to maximize the value that selling their business enterprise can acquire for them. Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, and while unreservedly recommended for corporate, community, and college/university library Business Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Exit Rich: The 6 P Method to Sell Your Business for Huge Profit" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Quantum Marketing
Raja Rajamannar
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781400223954, $27.99, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Marketing-Mastering-Tomorrows-Consumers/dp/1400223954

Synopsis: As technology has continually evolved in the last several decades, marketing has had to change with it, evolving through four significant stages that build on the strategies and tools of the previous era. What happens next in the fifth stage, or Fifth Paradigm, will not be an evolution, but a revolution. Almost everything about how marketing is done today, including the very notion of a brand itself, will require a complete re-imagination.

As Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard (one of the world's most recognizable and decorated brands) Raja Rajamannar shares the forward-thinking ways all businesses must rethink their entire marketing landscape to remain relevant and be successful in the pages of "Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow's Consumers".

"Quantum Marketing covers: Understanding the evolution of marketing and how to be at the forefront of future change; Getting clarity on the right marketing strategies and tactics to pursue amidst an ever-evolving industry; Achieving breakthroughs in innovative thinking in order to compete in modern business; Gaining perspective from top marketers across industries.

"Quantum Marketing" is especially relevant for entrepreneurs and business owners/managers who seek to understand how rapidly marketing is evolving, what some of the smartest people in the discipline are doing to get ready for this dramatic shift, and what the new world will look like for companies, consumers, and society at large as the race to develop revolutionary marketing strategies reaches a whole new level.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, impressively well written, organized and presented, "Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow's Consumers" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, entrepreneurs, business owners and managers that "Quantum Marketing" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713571162, $27.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Raja Rajamannar is Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Mastercard, and president of the company's healthcare business. He also serves as president of the World Federation of Advertisers. Recognized by Adweek as one of the industry's most tech-savvy CMOs, Raja has been lauded among the top 5 World's Most Influential CMOs by Forbes, top 10 World's Most Innovative CMOs by Business Insider; Global Marketer of the Year by the World Federation of Advertisers, and the Marketer of the Year by the ANA Educational Foundation in 2019. His work has been featured by Harvard Business School and Yale School of management case studies, and taught at more than 40 top management schools around the world.

The Business of We
Laura Kriska
HarperCollins Leadership
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9781400216802, $19.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Business-We-Three-Step-Process-Workplace/dp/140021680X

Synopsis: In today's workplace, cross-cultural collaboration is essential to the survival of any business. Unfortunately, bringing together people from a variety of backgrounds can lead to "us vs. them" misunderstandings and clashes that work against the goals of the company.

Too often, well-intentioned consultants and HR representatives attempt to solve these problems with a band-aid approach to situations that warrant comprehensive solutions. Diversity in virtually every U.S. organization has increased over the past twenty years, yet the closest we have come to a workplace best practices guide is online diversity training courses or methods of coaching "problem" executives to be more sensitive. Neither of these avenues leads to meaningful change.

In the pages of "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace", Laura Kriska teaches leaders in any organization how to prevent "us vs. them" culture clashes by promoting inclusion in their organization to increase employee retention and productivity and to prevent misunderstandings that lead to lost time and increased legal risk.

Critique: Informative and comprehensive, "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace" is exceptionally well written, organized and presented making it a unique and invaluable addition to community, corporate, college, and university library Contemporary Business Management collections in general, and supplemental curriculum reading lists in the specific areas of Financial Auditing, Global Marketing, Human Resources & Personnel Management in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of business students, academia, entrepreneurs and corporate executives that "The Business of We: The Proven Three-Step Process for Closing the Gap Between Us and Them in Your Workplace" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781713570981, $24.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Laura Kriska is a leading cross-cultural consultant with more than thirty years of experience bridging gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies on four continents helping thousands of professionals build trust across Us versus Them differences based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, age or any factor of identity. Her WE-building framework provides practical and actionable insights for creating a more inclusive and productive world. She regularly speaks on the topic of inclusion and conducts bilingual training sessions around the globe. Considered an authority on cultural integration, she is a regular lecturer and a TEDx speaker. She was the first American woman to work in Honda Motor Company's Tokyo headquarters -- this experience is the basis of her first book "The Accidental Office Lady".

The Live Enterprise
Jeff Kavanaugh & Rafee Tarafdar
www.jeffkavanaugh.net
McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
9781264264339, $27.00, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Live-Enterprise-Continuously-Evolving-Organization/dp/126426433X

Synopsis: For decades, business and governmental leaders of large, complex organizations have been rightfully encouraged to run their organizations like lean, agile startups. More often than not, they place their bets on trends like digital transformation or design thinking. Well-intended, yet in isolation they are not enough.

There's another, better way to drive durable, effective change in any organization, and it's been proven effective by global IT and business consulting leader Infosys. The Live Enterprise operating model provides a clear path to transform large complex businesses into agile, digital ecosystems that evolve with changing market needs and scale to any size.

"The Live Enterprise: Create a Continuously Evolving and Learning Organization" shows how to apply the benefits of the startup operating model and more. This groundbreaking guide addresses issues critical to transform large organizations, such as: Create an organizational structure that drives collaboration, innovation, strategic alignment, and new culture across distributed interconnected teams; Respond quickly yet thoughtfully and scientifically to opportunities to create valuable new employee and customer experiences; Re-engineer value chains to see what's missing, what can be improved, and what can be eliminated to generate exponential value; Automate systems so routine decisions can be acted upon with maximum human intuition and minimum human intervention.

Groundbreaking in theory and long-term strategy, "The Live Enterprise" is a game-changing guide includes practical steps that organization leaders can take now for immediate, concrete results, all while laying the groundwork to operate with agility in the future.

The application of Live Enterprise enabled Infosys to make the kinds of changes during the COVID crisis to not only survive but drive outstanding financial results. Now, this innovative approach can be utilized to position any company for the highly unpredictable future ahead.

Critique: Impressively informative, thoughtful, innovative and cutting edge, "The Live Enterprise: Create a Continuously Evolving and Learning Organization" is an extraordinary approach to organizational management and highly recommended for corporate, community, college, and university library Business Management & Decision Making collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and corporate executives that "The Live Enterprise" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.12).

Editorial Note #1: Jeff Kavanaugh is the global head of the Infosys Knowledge Institute, the research and thought leadership arm of Infosys, a leading digital services and consulting firm. Over the last 25 years, he has advised many of the world's leading manufacturers and high-tech companies. Jeff is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. He serves on the board of the Institute of Business Analytics at Indiana University and the Marketing Analytics Board at the University of Texas at Dallas. He maintains an informative website at www.jeffkavanaugh.net and can be followed on Twitter at @jeffkav.

Editorial Note: #2: Rafee Tarafdar is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Strategic Technologies Group at Infosys, where he builds deep architecture, technology, and programming capabilities.

Killer Visual Strategies
Amy Balliett
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
9781119680222, $30.00, PB, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Visual-Strategies-Amy-Balliett/dp/1119680220

Synopsis: 91% of today's audiences prefer visual content as their first form of information delivery. And a staggering 94% of first impressions of a brand or product will be based entirely on the design of that visual content. That's why in any business enterprise we need to use visual storytelling to help us establish and strengthen relationships, engage distracted audiences, and bring clarity to complexity.

"Killer Visual Strategies" by Amy Balliett examines how visual communication has transformed how brands connect with their customers and colleagues alike. In addition to providing actionable rules to follow for creating high-impact visual content, "Killer Visual Strategies" also explores the latest trends, including visual search, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), as well as what lies ahead in this dynamic field!

Applicable to a wide range of professions where visual content is now vital to sharing a message, "Killer Visual Strategies" covers: Best practices for modern visual communication; Inspiration from outstanding and groundbreaking visual examples; The latest trends in visual communication; A comprehensive breakdown of how it affects marketing, sales, design, HR, and more!

Critique: Presenting the evolution of visual communication as a fundamental part of how a story is told, "Killer Visual Strategies" is an ideal textbook for MBA courses in Business Project Management, Running Meetings & Presentations, and Corporate Communication Reference. While recommended as a core addition to corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, corporate executives, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Killer Visual Strategies" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.00).

Editorial Note: Amy Balliett is the CEO and founder of the creative content agency, Killer Visual Strategies (formerly Killer Infographics). Considered an expert in her field, Balliett speaks at dozens of conferences each year including SXSW, Adobe MAX, SMX, and more. She is also a regular teacher at The School of Visual Concepts, a guest lecturer at several colleges and universities, a LinkedIn Learning instructor, and the author of Killer Visual Strategies: Engage Any Audience, Improve Comprehension, and Get Amazing Results Using Visual Communication. She can be followed on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyballiett and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/amyballiett


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Divine Fire: The Book of the Future
Paulinne Delcour-Min
Ozark Mountain Publishing, Inc.
PO Box 754, Huntsville, AR 72740
www.ozarkmt.com
9781940265827, $17.50, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Fire-Future-Lives-Changing/dp/1940265827

Synopsis: Based on a search for hidden knowledge by Paulinne Delcour-Mine, "Divine Fire: The Book of the Future: Past & Future Lives Changing Our Time Line" offers a spellbinding trip to the future.

Hypnotherapy sessions exploring future lives, parallel lives, extraterrestrial experiences, crystal skulls, and spiritual alchemy were undertaken in the hopes of transforming the looming potential disaster unfolding around us in the world today, and turning it into the beginning of a Golden Age.

"Divine Fire" is about transformation and transcendence. The primary message is that we can make the difference -- and there has never been a more important time to unlock our destinies!

Critique: A welcome and inherently engaging contribution to the growing field of metaphysical studies, "Divine Fire: The Book of the Future: Past & Future Lives Changing Our Time Line" is especially well written, impressively informed and informative, exceptionally thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as inspired and inspiring. While very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Metaphysical Studies collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Divine Fire" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Paulinne Delcour-Min, BA Hons, PGCE, was born in Chester, England. She initially trained as an artist, but her interest in meditation led to life-changing encounters with angels and inner guides. While studying with the National Federation of Spiritual Healers (NFSH), Britain's largest and oldest healing organization, Paulinne came to understand that our previous lives often affect our current ones. Problems can often have their roots in the past.

House Magic
Aurora Kane
Wellfleet Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781577152118, $19.99, HC, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/House-Magic-Handbook-Sanctuary-Mystical/dp/1577152115

Synopsis: "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" by Aurora Kane presents home protections for every living space that bring together the traditions of earth magic, meditation, herbalism, self-awareness, astrology, and feminist spirituality. From the evil eye to stagnant energy, learn how to transform any space into a sacred sanctuary using the power of crystals, herbs, and flowers. By first learning the ancient histories of home magic spells, their origins, and their practices, "House Magic" presents spells and protections to produce fundamental manifestations in each space within the home including Clearing, Protection, Comfort, Harmony, and Balance.

A profusely illustrated mystical handbook and guide includes: Manifesting a magical life with intentions, altars, and colors; Meditating with the earth and the moon to bring specific intentions into your space; Blessing and protecting a house from evil spirits, and create a harmonizing home with charming symbols like dream catchers, runes, hamsa, and triquetra symbols; Using old traditions and objects like brooms and candles to bless a home; Inviting household spirits such as the Bean-Tighe, Domovoi, and Gaelic Goddess Brigid for protection; Decluttering and utilizing feng shui for any residential space.

Critique: Exceptionally informative, superbly organized, deftly presented, "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" is a thoroughly effective and 'user friendly' instructional guide that will be a prized addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Studies collections. It should be noted for metaphysical students and practitioners, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject that "House Magic: A Handbook to Making Every Home a Sacred Sanctuary" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).

Editorial Note: Aurora Kane is also the author of Moon Magic, as well as a practicing witch and herbalist with many decades (some say centuries) of experience in casting and conjuring. She is a founding member of the Coven of the Moonbeam Ravine.

The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year
Anjou Kiernan
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915
www.quartoknows.com
9781592339839, $26.99, PB, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Witch%C2%BFs-Wheel-Year/dp/1592339832

Synopsis: Lavishly illustrated and photographed, "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: : Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" illustrates spells and practices that will help the metaphysical practitioner to incorporate the old magick of the seasons into modern life.

Accompanying each turn of the Wheel as it cycles through the holidays of Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain are: Feast recipes; Fertility spells; Protection amulets; Home wards; Divination rituals; Prosperity charms, and so much more!

From the bright blessings of the Yuletide solstice to the fertile flower magick of Beltane to the thinning of the veil on Samhain, each transition lends itself to a unique catalog of spells, altars, and practices that you can use all year long.

Critique: Unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" is an impressively informative and instructive DIY manual that will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly valued addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Metaphysical Collections in general and Contemporary Wiccan Studies reading lists in particular. It should be noted for metaphysical students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Ultimate Guide to the Witch's Wheel of the Year: : Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Anjou Kiernan is the hedgewitch and herbal alchemist behind Light of Anjou, a witchery shop and virtual sacred space for magic and mysticism. She has been toiling in potions and occult writing since the age of 16 and has continued her journey in witchcraft on a magically-minded homestead in the rolling hills of mid-Maine. Anjou has been named as one of Refinery29's "Magical Women You Really Should Be Following on Instagram." Her writing and photography of unique altars and sacred spaces have attracted a broad audience and customer base on both Instagram (@lightofanjou) and her online witchery shop (lightofanjou.com).She is also the author of "The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft and the Book of Altars and Sacred Spaces".


The Self-Help Shelf

The Power of Writing It Down
Allison Fallon
www.allisonfallon.com
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
www.zondervan.com
www.brillianceaudio.com
9780310359340, $25.99, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Writing-Down-Simple-Reimagine/dp/0310359341

Synopsis: For anyone who's trying to make sense of their life, who wants to get unstuck from the patterns that hold them back, hear this incredible news: everything you need for the freedom you want is entirely within reach. This practice and pathway is free, it's readily available every day of your life, it takes just minutes of your time, and anyone can do it.

Author, writing coach, and speaker Allison Fallon's life transformed when she discovered the power of a daily writing practice. As it turns out, using your words is one of the most powerful means you have for unlocking your life. "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" is your guide to this transformative tool available to us all.

In as little as five to twenty minutes a day, scientific research shows this daily practice can help you: Identify your ruts and create new neurological grooves toward better habits; Find fresh motivation and take ownership of your life; Heal from past pain and trauma; Relieve anxiety and depression; Contextualize life's setbacks and minor frustrations; Live a more confident, balanced, and healthy life; and so much more!

Drawing from years of coaching hundreds through the writing process (from first-timers to New York Times bestselling authors) Allison shares tried and tested practices for getting started, staying inspired, and using this simple habit to shift how you feel and show up to your life. Pen and paper is simply the method, but the reward is the real magic: new depths of self-discovery, creativity, and intentionality for living.

Critique: Originally intended as a DIY general self-help/self-improvement instructional guide and manual, "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" will prove to be of extraordinary value to all aspiring writers with hopes and ambitions of publication for their work. Writing is by its very nature an isolating activity. But it is also one of the most effective techniques for self-awareness and catharsis in this current ages of pandemic, economic struggle, social conflict, and political instability. While especially recommended for community, college, and university library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Billiance Audio, 9781713571360, $25.99, MP3-CD).

Editorial Note: Allison Fallon is an author, speaker, and founder of Find Your Voice, a community that supports anyone who wants to write anything. In addition to her books "Packing Light" and "Indestructible", she has helped leaders of multi-national corporations, stay-at-home moms, Olympic gold medalists, recovering addicts, political figures, CEOs, and prison inmates use the Find Your Voice method as a powerful tool to generate positive change in their lives. She maintains an informative website at www.allisonfallon.com

How to Stay Calm in Chaos
Julie M. Gentile
www.JulieGtheYogi.com
MSI Press
1760-F Airline Hwy, #203, Hollister, CA 950243
http://msipress.com
9781950328413, $12.49, PB, 56pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Stay-Calm-Chaos-Self-Care/dp/1950328414

Synopsis: In this current age of pandemic, social/political unrest, economic stress, self-care is more important now than it has ever been. Effective self-care is exactly what to turn to when you need to stay calm in chaos. A quick and easy DIY read, "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide" goes beyond the basics of eating well, exercising, and getting quality sleep.

Packed with smart self-care strategies, this instructional guide can help you get through each day of the week: Sunday: Stay Present; Monday: Stay Motivated; Tuesday: Stay Flexible; Wednesday: Stay Realistic; Thursday: Stay Supported; Friday: Stay Connected; Saturday: Stay Resilient.

Whether you write it out, sweat it out, breathe it out, or let it go, the mind-body-spirit practices comprising "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide) can help you cope with the ever-changing landscape we are living in.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, concise, comprehensive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide" is especially recommended for personal, professional, and community library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections and reading lists.

Editorial Note: Julie M. Gentile is the author of 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas and author of How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide; creator of the Stand Up for Your Self-Care blog and YouTube Channel, a yoga teacher; and a working mama. She has been leading yoga classes since 2011 to inspire students to nourish their minds, bodies, and spirits. Her own practice, which began in 2008, empowers her to live well as a busy mom. Anyone cearn more about Julie at www.JulieGtheYogi.com, subscribe to her Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel for yoga and self-care videos, and stay connected with her on Instagram @juliegtheyogi and Facebook /juliegtheyogi.

The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success
Jim Olayos
Regent Press
2747 Regent St., Berkeley, CA 94705
www.regentpress.net
9781587905384, $19.95, PB, 197pp

https://www.amazon.com/Kindness-Formula-Caring-Success/dp/1587905388

Synopsis: Just when, in this time of pandemic, economic stress, social unrest, and political upheaval, we need an uplifting book that offers a practical yet inspiring roadmap to restoring our culture, "The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success" by Jim Olayos is now available.

A lifelong quest to simply make a better world by Jim Olayos is manifested so eloquently in "The Kindness Formula". On every page, in each personal anecdote and in each word, you witness the author's compassion, love of life and genuine good nature. All the lessons, including those that are deeply personal, are shared in the most positive and inspirational way so others may benefit.

A guide to achieve success and happiness through simple daily acts of kindness and in a time where social and emotional learning is at the forefront of educational curriculums and goals, "The Kindness Formula" answers the call with a message of finding strength of character, empathy, responsibility and goal setting through life's basic lessons.

A unique self-help book that allows for a personal assessment in an engaging and positive way. "The Kindness Formula" leads you on a special path to success through positive character traits and good deeds. It speaks to a different view of success and how a kind and compassionate outlook can provide the keys to personal fulfillment.

Critique: Thoroughly 'user friendly' in commentary style, organization and presentation, "The Kindness Formula: Caring + Kindness = Success" will prove to be an immediately welcome and enduringly valued addition to community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, as well as personal and professional reading lists in the fields of Medical Developmental Psychology, Psychology Education & Training, and Popular Developmental Psychology.

Editorial Note: Jim Olayos has touched the lives of more than 20,0000 children since he founded The Future Stars Sports Academy and Children's Foundation in 1997. Part of the Academy's instruction is Lessons of Life, a unique character building program that instructs children on the fundamentals of being a good person. USA Today bestowed its Most Caring Coach Award on Jim and the New York Daily News named him Coach of the Year. World Kindness USA has recently recruited Jim as a National Board Member for Athletics. He earned the Sportsman Award of the Greater Bridgeport Athletic Association, was voted one of the 100 Most Influential People in Connecticut High School Sports, and was honored by The YMCA of Connecticut with its Distinguished Service Award. The New York Times has also featured the Lessons of Life program and Jim's sports academy and foundation.

Burnout to Breakthrough
Eileen McDargh
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
1333 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland CA, 94612
www.bkconnection.com
9781523089468, $17.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Breakthrough-Building-Resilience-Recharge/dp/1523089466

Synopsis: The World Health Organization has classified burnout as a health problem. In the pages of "Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters", motivational speaker Eileen McDargh proposes that to tackle it, we must learn to break out of energy-draining thoughts and behaviors.

Resilience, she argues, is strictly a matter of energy management -- by better managing your energy, you can both build resiliency and overcome burnout. Breakthrough happens when our energy is consciously distributed to what matters most in our lives. So after a short survey that will tell you where you fit in a burnout and resiliency profile, McDargh helps pinpoint the causes of your burnout and examine the energy demands that keep you from refueling and recharging. She provides an in-depth energy analysis and gives you the keys to master the four dimensions that can give you a resilience breakthrough: head, heart, hands, and humor.

McDargh also guides the reader through the process of identifying energy drains and implementing strategies for handling them, whatever phase of life you are in. Her intention is to help you not only to successfully manage work and life demands but also make even larger strides in understanding how to put together a life by design and not by default.

Critique: Expertly written, exceptionally 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Burnout to Breakthrough: Building Resilience to Refuel, Recharge, and Reclaim What Matters" is an ideal instructional guide that is as practical and effective as it is motivationally inspiring. While highly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Burnout to Breakthrough" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Eileen McDargh is CEO (chief energy officer) at the Resiliency Group, where she draws on practical business know-how, life experience, and years of consulting to major national and international organizations that have included global pharmaceuticals, the US Armed Forces, health-care associations, and religious institutions. In 2019, Global Gurus ranked her number one on its World's Top 30 Communication Professionals list following a global survey of 22,000 business professionals.

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief
Emily Thiroux Threatt
Mango Publishing
www.lovingandlivingyourwaythroughgrief.com
9781642504828, $18.95, PB, 244pp

https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Living-Your-Though-Grief/dp/1642504823

Synopsis: In the pages of "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief", Emily Threatt guides and lightens the journey to positivity for those who feel the pain of loss, whether it is the loss of a loved one, a job, a marriage, a house, a pregnancy, a nest egg -- anyone or anything that we loved and that is no longer in our lives. "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" provides strategies to embrace the process of learning how to start living again.

"Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" also includes 26 practices and stories from people who have been through the grieving process and have come out on the other side feeling renewed: one for every week of the year.

Mourning and coping with grief looks different for everyone. Emily has organized "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" with this in mind, giving 26 different options to try in any given moment including: Meditating and allowing space for mindful grieving, sadness and loneliness; Finding joy and gratitude in the dark moments; Learning what can be said to others so that they can better understand and help in a recovery journey.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" is an ideal instructional guide for dealing with grief and is particularly timely in this present era of pandemic that has resulted in the loss of half a million Americans and more. Deserving of as wide a readership as possible in these particularly troubled times, and while especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Grief & Bereavement and Stress Management Self-Help collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Emily Thiroux Threatt is a textbook author and lecturer with extensive personal experience in the grieving process due to the deaths of her two husbands, as well as her father, mother, aunts, uncles and many friends. She has learned to face life with love, optimism, and joy. In turn, she has created a unique program called, "Writing Your Way Through Grief" to help others through the grieving process.

Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships
Allison Jones
http://theallisonjones.com
Barnes & Noble Press
https://press.barnesandnoble.com
9781663539632, $19.99, PB

https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Twice-Cut-Once-Relationships-ebook/dp/B08GL5G76M

Synopsis: The principle message throughout Allison Jones' "Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is that there is an insidious and destructive force in each of our lives that we rarely investigate. That oftentimes we accept it because it comes with people, situations and circumstances that are familiar. It's what we've become accustomed to and accept as the status quo. It is a blueprint that brings pain, often unbearable at times; along with self-defeating patterns that over time can become difficult to recognize or acknowledge. It strips us of our internal balance and peace of mind, devastating the mind, body, and spirit. It is something only you have the power to change, yet many times you choose to stay in its grip, almost seeking it out, even as it causes great damage to your personhood. It is a self-made, self-destructive affliction, created by your own willingness to stay locked into the lure of it, even as it works against your health and well-being. It is being involved in toxic relationships!

Allison Kelly Jones' reveals the reality of how we are both co-creators of toxic behavior as well as targets of such behavior, she provides a no nonsense approach to dealing with situations, environments and relationships that require further examination to live authentically and boldly. Asking the hard questions is the key to a more rewarding and fulfilling life and those questions need to be asked and answered if you are not being true to yourself and need to find clarity and closure in relationships.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' in content, commentary, organization and presentation, "Measure Twice, Cut Once, Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is a powerfully effective and easy read that will help to identify toxic behaviors and how to self-correct while teaching others how you want to be treated. While especially and highly recommended for community, college, and university library Self-Help/Self-Improvement collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Measure Twice, Cut Once: Navigating Negativity in Toxic Relationships" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Allison Jones maintains an informative website at: http://theallisonjones.com


The Activity Shelf

Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles
Charles Preston, editor
AKA Associates Inc.
www.akabooks.com
9781734048353, $9.95, PB, 72pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quote-Acrostic-Favorites-Features-Rewarding/dp/1734048352

Synopsis: Selected by former USA Today crossword puzzle editor Charles Preston, these acrostic puzzles comprising "Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles" reveal wise and witty sayings on topics from business and humor to history and sports. Players will enjoy cracking the clues in the word column; transferring them to the diagram; and discovering quotations from people like Dave Barry, Bette Davis, Nora Ephron, Steve Martin, Carl Sagan, and more. These 50 favorite puzzles feature a number of topics including "Comfort Food," "Leadership," "Precious Lesson," "Senior Moment," and "True Happiness."

Critique: The eighth and most recent volume in the simply outstanding AKA Associates acrostic puzzle series, "Quote Acrostic Favorites: Features 50 Rewarding Puzzles" offers hours and hours of wordsmith fun for all word puzzle enthusiasts from the novice beginning to the experienced player.

Editorial Note: Charles Preston, Crossword Puzzle Editor of USA Today and Dow Jones's National Observer for over a decade, is a distinguished crossword puzzle expert. He has compiled more than 100 puzzle books. Mr. Preston is a syndicated puzzle master and his work appears in dozens of leading newspapers and magazines across the country, including the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the San Francisco Chronicle.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

The Disney Bros.
Alex Nikolavitch, author
Felix Ruiz, illustrator
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing, New York, NY 10038
www.nbmpub.com
9781681122663, $19.99, HC, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Bros-Fabulous-Comics-Biographies/dp/1681122669

Synopsis: After the bankruptcy of his first two companies, the young Walt Disney decides to call on his older brother Roy to start a new business to be called the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studios. The combination of their opposing talents, one artistic (Walt), the other managerial (Roy), will give birth to an entertainment giant despite the difficult nature of Walt. Little by little, Walt will push his brother into the shadows and sink into chronic depression and excessive consumption of alcohol -- but all this will not prevent him from producing the greatest masterpieces of animation history.

Critique: Using a graphic novel format, "The Disney Bros.: The Fabulous Story of Walt and Roy" by the team of author/biographer Alex Nikolavitch and artist/illustrator Felix Ruiz is an impressively informative and highly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library American Biography collections. It should be noted for the legions of Walt Disney fans that "The Disney Bros." is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, comiXology, $13.99).

Rivers Of London: The Fey and the Furious
Ben Aaronovitch, author
Andrew Cartmel, author
Lee Sullivan, illustrator
Titan Comics
https://titan-comics.com
9781785865862, $16.99, PB, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-London-Furious-Ben-Aaronovitch/dp/1785865862

Synopsis: Trouble never lies far from the race track. When a flash car belonging to a young boy racer from England washes up in the Netherlands with a bag load of unusual cargo in the form of unicorn horns, it's evident there is more than meets the eye happening at street races held in an Essex car park.

Enter Detective Inspector Peter Grant. Fresh from suspension, he takes to the track in his orange 'asbo' Ford Focus to try and infiltrate the big leagues. But Peter soon finds himself sucked back into an Otherworld -- a real-life and quite lethal fairyland!

Critique: The eighth volume of the simply outstanding Rivers of London graphic novel series of action/adventure fantasy from Titan Comics, "The Fey and the Furious" is an inherently compelling and beautifully crafted story from first page to last. While an unreservedly recommended addition to personal and community library graphic novel collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of all dedicated fantasy fans that "The Fey and the Furious" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $10.99).

The Route 66 List: Oklahoma/Texas
Eric Stalner
Cinebook Ltd.
www.cinebook.com
c/o National Book Network (dist.)
www.nbnbooks.com
9781849184632, $11.95, PB, 48pp

https://www.amazon.com/Route-66-List-Oklahoma-Texas/dp/1849184631

Synopsis: Four years have passed since Rob Poliac fled the house where two FBI agents died and his father Alex was shot by the Clown -- and his real boss, Laura Kensington. He now lives under an assumed name with Carl, an old friend of Alex's. But when his guardian dies, the young man finds himself the owner of the infamous List 66. Little by little, against his better judgement, he begins to investigate the names on it.

Critique: The fourth volume in author and illustrator Eric Stalner's 'The Route List' series of action packed graphic novels that include Communist sleeper agents, ruthless assassinations, and a wealth of unexpected plot twists, "Oklahoma/Texas" is a riveting good read from first page to last and highly commended for inclusion into community library graphic novel collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Route List: Oklahoma/Texas" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle/comiXology, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Paris-born Eric Stalner began his comic career as one half of a creative team with his brother. Together they drew, and sometimes wrote, from 1989 to 2000, with series such as Le Boche and Le Fer et le Feu. After the team split up, he partnered with different authors, most often Pierre Boisserie, with whom he created La Croix des Cazenac, and participated in Didier Convard's series Le Triangle Secret.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Wife Upstairs
Rachel Hawkins, author
Read by Emily Shaffer, Lauren Fortgang, and Kirby Heyborne
Macmillan Audio
https://us.macmillan.com/audio
9781250752468 $39.99

https://www.amazon.com/Wife-Upstairs-Novel-Rachel-Hawkins/dp/1250245494

Synopsis: Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates - - a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates' most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can't help but see an opportunity in Eddie - - not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she's always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie's heart before her past - - or his - - catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won't stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature's most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

Critique: Now available in an unabridged audiobook edition read by a stellar trio of performers, The Wife Upstairs is a compelling original novel about a love triangle that crosses class boundaries. A down-on-her-luck dog walker falls for a recently widowed man amid the moderately wealthy estate of her clients, but can she ever measure up to the legend of a wealthy, self-made entrepreneurial woman? A dash of feminist sensibility enhances this wry, witty, delightful romantic drama.


The Library CD Shelf

Just Passing Thru
Miles Donahue
Whaling City Sound
http://whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos (dist.)
https://naxosusa.com
$16.99 / $8.91 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Passing-Thru-Miles-Donahue/dp/B08P8D71WB

Just Passing Thru is the latest music album by Miles Donahue. The songs feature Miles Donahue on saxophones, trumpet, and keyboards; Joe Santerre on electric bass; Larry Finn on drums; Ricardo Monzon on percussion; Alain Mallet on keyboards; with Mike Stern on guitar. The result is a versatile fusion that crosses boundaries of style and substance, from jazz to rhythm & blues to elements of rock and soul, and more. A captivating original treasury, Just Passing Thru is highly recommended. The tracks are "hear My Words", "Living Room Blues", "Killing Me Softly", "Just Passing Thru", "Donny's Groove", "A Man of Few Words", "7/9/65", "Railroaded", and "Ireland".

American Standards
Ian Fisher
www.ianfishersongs.com
Austro Vinyl
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/American-Standards-Ian-Fisher/dp/B08K4P2Q21

American Standards is a music CD fusion of worldwide influences with American roots and country, by creator Ian Fisher. Fisher's ties to Nashville as well as his experiences touring Europe, North America, and Africa show through the songs and the lyrics, which touch upon what drove Fisher to emigrate. Fisher is raw, candid, and uncensored; it should be noted that the song "AAA Station" in particular is not FCC compliant for American radio. American Standards is heartfelt, powerful, and highly recommended. The tracks are "Maybe a Little More", "Endless Drive Thru", "AAA Station", "American Standards", "Early Morning Haze", "Be Thankful", "In Front of Another", "One Foot (ft. Pressyes)", "Melody on Tape", "Melody in Nashville", "Three Chords & The Truth", "It Ain't Me", "Winterwind", "Only Chruch with a God I Pray To", and "Ghosts of the Ryman".

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno
Free Dirt Records
freedirt.net
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Vivian-Leva-Riley-Calcagno/dp/B08P8CVVPW

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno is a self-titled, old-soul roots album showcasing the extraordinary talent of a college- graduate duo. The songs reflect the musical tradition of Appalachia - vibrantly expressive, emotionally moving, and utterly unforgettable. Highly recommended, especially for connoisseurs of the genre! The tracks are "Will You", "Leaving On Our Minds", "Hollowed Hearts", "On the Line", "Red Hen", "Biding All My Time", "Love and Chains", "On Account of You", "My Teardrops Say", "You Don't See Me", and "Good and Gone".


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Liberating Yourself from Lyme, second edition
Vir McCoy & Kara Zahl
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781644111550, $18.99, PB, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Liberating-Yourself-Lyme-Integrative-Intuitive-dp-1644111551/dp/1644111551

Synopsis: Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia bacterium which is spread by ticks. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migrans, that appears at the site of the tick bite about a week after it occurred. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. Approximately 70 - 80% of infected people develop a rash. Other early symptoms may include fever, headache and tiredness. If untreated, symptoms may include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, or heart palpitations, among others. Months to years later, repeated episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. Occasionally, people develop shooting pains or tingling in their arms and legs. Despite appropriate treatment, about 10 to 20% of people develop joint pains, memory problems, and tiredness for at least six months. (Wikipedia)

For some people, recovering from a Lyme disease infection can become an endless battle with physical, mental, and neurological symptoms, especially if it's not diagnosed early. After they both contracted Lyme in 2001, Vir McCoy and Kara Zahl embarked on standard antibiotic protocols. Soon they both began to have intuitive or sensory impressions about specific remedies their bodies needed, the nature of the disease, and why they were chronically ill. Backing up their intuitive impressions with scientific evidence, they developed a protocol that brought them each a full recovery after nearly 10 years battling chronic Lyme.

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Liberating Yourself from Lyme: An Integrative and Intuitive Guide to Healing Lyme Disease" provides a medically intuitive approach to Lyme in which McCoy and Zahl share their personal Lyme journeys and their integrative healing protocol that bridges the scientific and the spiritual. They explore the peculiarities of Lyme disease, including how Lyme is often misdiagnosed, giving it time to establish itself deep within the body's organs and nervous system, and examine in detail new and standard remedies, with thorough scientific references.

They also share the spiritual/psychological strategies they successfully employed against Lyme and its coinfections and explain how to increase your sensitivity to what your body is telling you to discover natural remedies and healing actions unique to your individual symptoms. Outlining a program of herbs, diet, and exercise that can work in tandem with traditional Lyme treatments, they also explore how to help the body get rid of this pathogen that possesses an incredible ability to adapt to various treatments and thwart their effectiveness.

Expanding beyond Lyme, McCoy and Zahl offer self-help meditations to help you heal on a deeper level and explain how to access the "holographic medicine chest" to draw on for stronger immunity, energetic healing, and support at any time.

Critique: Thoroughly 'reader friendly' and comprehensively informative in organization and presentation, this new edition of "Liberating Yourself from Lyme: An Integrative and Intuitive Guide to Healing Lyme Disease" should be a part of every community, college, and university library Health/Medicine collection. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of health care professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Liberating Yourself from Lyme: An Integrative and Intuitive Guide to Healing Lyme Disease" is also readily available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $12.99).

Editorial Note #1: Vir McCoy is a teacher, healer, author, lecturer, musician, and ecologist who works both as a bodywork healer and as a field biologist and botanist focusing on endangered species.

Editorial Note #2: Kara Zahl is a healing arts practitioner, yoga instructor, and intuitive counselor with a bodywork practice combining massage and energy work modalities.

True Wellness For Your Gut
Catherine Kurosue, MD, LAc, author
Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT, author
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
www.ymaa.com
9781594397455, $17.95, PB, 160pp

https://www.amazon.com/True-Wellness-Your-Gut-Digestive/dp/1594397457

Synopsis: "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" by Catherine Kurosue and Aihan Kuhn deftly combines the best that Eastern and Western medicine have to offer in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, and obesity. By blending modern research with ancient practices, "True Wellness For Your Gut" will help readers stay positive and keep motivated along their journey toward better health and overall well-being.

The authors (who have helped thousands of people through the use of surgery, pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, herbs, qigong, tai chi, meditation, and life-style counseling) explain how Western medicine has substantiated a long-held understanding of the gut held by Eastern medicine -- that digestive health significantly impacts and is impacted by sleep, emotions, movement, food, and social support.

The authors informatively discuss how sleep, exercise, nutritious food, stress management, acupuncture, and qigong favorably impact the gastrointestinal system. These modalities restore balance in the nerves, hormones, and neurotransmitters that improve digestion and metabolism. A special section is devoted to discussing the human gut microbiome, the bacteria we harbor in our intestines, and how the microbiome is essential to our health.

"True Wellness for Your Gut" includes a step-by-step guide and qigong exercises designed to promote overall gastrointestinal health.

Critique: Of immense interest and value to both medical professionals and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" is an especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university library Health/Medicine collections. It should be noted for medical students, academia, medical professionals, and anyone having to deal with intestinal health issues that "True Wellness For Your Gut: Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Digestive and Metabolic Health" is also readily available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $8.49).

Editorial Note #1: Catherine Kurosu, MD, LAc, graduated from the University of Toronto School of Medicine in 1990 and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in 1995. In 2006, she became a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. 2009, she was certified as a medical acupuncturist through the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Helms Medical Institute. Dr. Kurosu is a diplomate of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture. She has a master of science in Oriental medicine, from the Institute of Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Honolulu. 2015, she became a licensed acupuncturist. 2018 she became a diplomate in Oriental medicine through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Editorial Note #2: Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT, graduated from Hunan Medical University in China in 1982. Since 1992 she has focused on holistic healing. In her practice, she has accumulated much success with holistic medicine patient care and education work. Her patients benefit from self-improvement with physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, as well as special exercises to enable them to participate in their own healing. She incorporates tai chi and qigong into healing methodologies, changing the lives of those who have struggled for many years with little relief from conventional medicine. Dr. Kuhn offers wellness programs, natural healing workshops, and professional training programs. These highly rated programs have produced many quality teachers and therapists. She is president of the Tai Chi and Qi Gong Healing Institute a nonprofit that promotes natural healing and prevention.


The Woodworking Shelf

3D Printers for Woodworkers
Henry Doolittle
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781933502038, $17.95, PB, 122pp

https://www.amazon.com/3D-Printers-Woodworkers-Short-Introduction/dp/1933502037

Synopsis: The rapidly advancing technology of 3D printing isn't just for technology fans -- a 3D printer is also the ideal tool for the traditional woodworker. Why waste money buying tools and parts when you can fabricate them yourself with your own 3D printer? A dedicated woodworker can now save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by making their own tools -- what's more, anyone can 3D print their own custom woodworking tools and parts that meet any unique need with the instructional guidance of Henry Doolittle's "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction".

The perfect DIY introduction to 3D printing for the woodworking hobbyist, covering the history and development of 3D printing and offering detailed comparisons of 3D printer models so woodworkers can confidently choose the right 3D printer for their needs, "3D Printers for Woodworkers" also includes numerous screenshots for tools useful to woodworkers, plus information on 3D printing molds and hardware such as drawer pulls, hinges, slides, and shims.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, comprehensive in scope, and thoroughly user-friendly in organization and prsentation, "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction" is especially and unreservedly recommended for all woodworkers, novice or professional, who want to save time and money while producing exceptional results with the employment of this new 3D Printing technology. A core addition to personal, professional, community, and technical college Woodworking, it should be noted that "3D Printers for Woodworkers: A Short Introduction" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.49).

Editorial Note: About twenty years ago Henry Doolittle bought a small lathe and took up woodturning as a hobby. The lathe got him started in woodworking. About six years ago he picked up a CNC router and started making jigs and fixtures, which in turn led to his interest in using 3D printers in the craftsman's shop. Using the 3D printer, he has been able to print his own woodworking tools, a process which this DIY instructional guide and manual details.


The Cookbook Shelf

Asian Green
Ching-He Huang
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9780857836342, $24.99, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Green-Everyday-recipes-inspired/dp/085783634X

Synopsis: Authentic Asian cuisine has always included a variety of meat and dairy free recipes. Focusing entirely on these plant- based dishes, "Asian Green: Everyday plant based recipes inspired by the East " draws inspiration from across Asia to showcase recipes for simple, everyday, healthy home cooking that features protein-rich ingredients such as tofu, seitan, pulses, beans and grains.

The inspiration behind "Asian Green" is Ching-He Huang's husband, Jamie. From birth, he suffered from asthma and eczema but three and a half years ago, three months after adopting a vegan diet, he was cured. Ching has always believed in the age-old Chinese maxim that "food is medicine", and having experienced first-hand the transformation of her husband's health, she firmly believes in the healing power of plants to reduce inflammation, to restore, nourish and replenish.

"Asian Green" is a compendium of inspiring, quick and simple recipes, perfect for vegetarians, vegans and people looking to reduce the amount of meat in their diets.

Critique: Beautifully illustrated throughout, "Asian Green: Everyday plant based recipes inspired by the East" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and instructive presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended to family, professional, and community library Vegetarian Cookbook collections. It should be noted for the personal use of family cooks and professional chefs that "Asian Green" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Ching-He Huang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. An Emmy-nominated TV chef, her culinary ethos is to use fresh, organic, ethically sourced ingredients to create modern dishes that fuse Chinese tradition with innovation. Her TV series include Chinese Food Made Easy, Chinese Food in Minutes, Exploring China and Ching's Amazing Asia. She is the author of several cookbooks including Wok On, Stir Crazy, Eat Clean: Wok Yourself to Health, Exploring China, Ching's Fast Food, Everyday Easy Chinese, Ching's Chinese Food in Minutes, Chinese Food Made Easy and China Modern. She appears regularly on TV in both the UK and US, including BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, ITV's This Morning and NBC's Today show.


The Gaming Shelf

The NES Omnibus: The Nintendo Entertainment System and Its Games, Volume 1 (A-L)
Brett Weiss
Schiffer Publishing
https://www.schifferbooks.com
9780764360688 $49.99

https://www.amazon.com/NES-Omnibus-Nintendo-Entertainment-L/dp/076436068X

Synopsis: Featuring a 1200-word foreword by The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg, The NES Omnibus: The Nintendo Entertainment System and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A-L) by gaming historian Brett Weiss covers the first half of the NES library in exhaustive and engaging detail: every U.S. release from A to L. More than 350 games are featured, including such iconic titles as Castlevania, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Duck Hunt, Final Fantasy, and The Legend of Zelda. Each game, whether obscure or mainstream, is given the spotlight.

In addition to thorough gameplay descriptions, the book includes reviews, memories, historical data, quotes from vintage magazines, and, best of all, nostalgic stories about many of the games from programmers, authors, YouTube celebs, and other industry insiders. The book also features more than 1,500 full-color images, including box art, screenshots, and vintage ads. Nostalgic story contributors include such industry pros as "8-Bit" Eric Perez (YouTube personality), David Warhol (legendary Intellivision programmer), Steve Woita (Atari, Genesis, and PS1 programmer), Sean Tiedeman (director of The King of the Arcades), Shane Stein (Executive Producer of The Game Chasers movie), Greg Sewart (former Previews and Reviews Editor for Electronic Gaming Monthly), and many others.

Critique: The first volume of a two-volume omnibus covering all Nintendo Entertainment System video games (including unlicensed NES cartridges!), The NES Omnibus Volume 1 (A-L) is a grand retro tour showcase. Every NES game starting with the letter "A" through the letter "L" is given its own entry with full-color photographs of the cartridge and gameplay screenshots; many reproductions of video game magazine advertisements are also included. The text describes each showcased game, including the quirks of its gameplay, its critical reception, and its unique features. Commentary from retro gaming enthusiasts, drawn from their personal experience with classic, not-so-classic, and downright obscure NES games, round out this treasury. The NES Omnibus Volume 1 (A-L) is a "must-have" for NES video game connoisseurs and collectors, as is the forthcoming NES Omnibus Volume 2 (M-Z).


The Library Science Shelf

Visual Research Methods
Shailoo Bedi & Jenaya Webb, editors
Facet Publishing
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
9781783304578, $136.26, HC, 213pp

https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Research-Methods-Introduction-Information/dp/178330457X

Synopsis: Of particular value in the field of library science, Visual research methods (VRM) comprise a collection of methods that incorporate visual elements such as maps, drawings, photographs, videos, as well as three-dimensional objects into the research process. In addition, VRM including photo-elicitation, photovoice, draw-and-write techniques, and cognitive mapping are being leveraged to great effect to explore information experiences to investigate some of the central questions in the field; expand theoretical discussions in LIS; and improve library services and spaces.

"Visual Research Methods: An Introduction for Library and Information Studies" is the first instruction guide and manual to focus specifically on visual methods in LIS, providing a comprehensive primer for students, educators, researchers and practitioners in the field of library science. Contributed chapters comprising "Visual Research Methods" showcase examples of VRM in action and offer the insights, inspirations, and experiences of researchers and practitioners working with visual methods.

Critique: A seminal and significant curriculum textbook, "Visual Research Methods: An Introduction for Library and Information Studies" is a core and unreservedly recommended addition to the Library Science collections of community and academic library systems. Ideal for library in-service training programs, it should be noted for library science students, academia, and professional librarians that "Visual Research Methods: An Introduction for Library and Information Studies" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781783304561, $69.99).

Editorial Note #1: Dr. Shailoo Bedi works at the University of Victoria (UVic) as both Director, Academic Commons and Strategic Assessment with the Libraries as well as Director, Office of Student Academic Success with Learning, Teaching Support & Innovation.

Editorial Note #2: Jenaya Webb is the Public Services and Research Librarian of the Orlando Institute for Studies in Education, Library of the University of Tornto.


The Architecture Shelf

Crossings: Dominique Coulon & Associes
Dominique Coulon
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781948765312, $59.95, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Crossings-Dominique-Coulon-Associ%C3%A9s/dp/1948765314

Synopsis: "Crossings: Dominique Coulon & Associes" takes a new look at the eclectic work of architect Dominique Coulon in terms of his production of public buildings and illustrates the complexity of his architectural approach. Coulon plays with context, light, and materiality to produce public places that are detailed and welcoming. The areas he proposes affect and accompany the body. His architecture is part of a dynamic relationship, mobilizing the senses to propose a specific universe, which may be cheerful, or dramatic. These spaces serve the public dimension of his architecture. Of special note are the contributions of Luca Merlini, Claude Bonnet, Daniel Payot, Alexandra Pignol, Etienne Butzbach, Richard Scoffie.

Critique: Impressively and profusely illustrated in full color throughout, as well as thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "Crossings: Dominique Coulon & Associes" is an extraordinary and invaluable contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Architectural Studies collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.

Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico
Fernanda Canales
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781945150883, $46.00, PB, 350pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shared-Structures-Intimate-Space-Housing/dp/1945150882

Synopsis: "Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" by Fernanda Canales questions the common tools used to conceive and represent housing projects. This seminal study attempts to collate the discourses of different authors in order to trace the meaning of privacy within shared structures.

The global phenomenon of massive urbanization that originated in Latin America manifested itself in Mexico at an unseen scale and has since been a testing ground for novel housing and urban solutions. The geographic, social, and economic diversity of Mexico constitute a prime example of the challenges inherent to meeting individual needs in an increasingly crowded world. The drawings and essays comprise new ways of looking at theories and buildings in order to redefine the connection between housing and the city.

The research comprising "Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" is centered in drawings of 70 housing projects, creating a common language highlighting different attempts at reinventing the house not as isolated battles but as part of a strategy for reimagining how we want to live. "Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" effectively showcases the pivotal voices that have shaped major cities through housing projects and explores how policies and ideas transform into built form, and how in turn buildings shape societies.

"Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" also showcases projects and theories from authors and architects such as Luis Barrag n, Juan O Gorman, Mario Pani, Tatiana Bilbao, Alberto Kalach and Mauricio Rocha. It also includes works from Christofer Alexander and Alejandro Aravena.

Critique: A seminal case study that analyzes the relationship between ideas and houses, "Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" has a specific focus on the last 100 years of housing projects in Mexico and ranges from the space that lies between bedrooms, to that of streets and of society itself, and from the space that first appears as a graphic representation, to its ultimate role in defining a city. An invaluable work of meticulous and detailed scholarship in the field of architecture and architectural history, "Shared Structures, Intimate Space: Housing in Mexico" is specifically and unreservedly recommended for professional, college and university library Residential Architecture History and Urban Design Studies collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Fernanda Canales founded her practice in 2002 committed to architecture, urban design and research. She holds a PhD degree cum laude in Architecture (ETSAM, Madrid), her Bachelor degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City and her MA at the ETSAB (Barcelona). She received the Career Award and Best Young Architect in Mexico (CAM) and was awarded fellowships by the National System of Creators and the Young Creator. Other recognitions include: ArchDaily Building of the Year, The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Award, Concrete WAN Awards and IIDA Design Award. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the world. She is author of books such as Vivienda Colectiva en Mexico (Gustavo Gili, 2017), Architecture in Mexico 1900-2010 (Arquine, 2013), Central de Arquitectura (Arquine, 2009), and coauthor of Arquitectos del Siglo XX en Mexico (Arquine, 2017, 2011) and O Neil Ford Duograph 4: Mexico (The University of Texas at Austin, 2012). She has been a professor of theory and urban design at the Universidad Iberoamericana and UNAM as well as a visiting critic and invited professor abroad.


The Mathematics Shelf

Real Analysis: With Proof Strategies
Daniel W. Cunningham
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9780367549657, $99.95, HC, 281pp

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Analysis-Strategies-Textbooks-Mathematics/dp/0367549654

Synopsis: Typically, college undergraduates see real analysis as one of the most difficult courses that a mathematics major is required to take. The main reason for this perception is twofold:

1. Students must comprehend new abstract concepts.

2. Students must learn to deal with these concepts on a level of rigor and proof not previously encountered.

A key challenge for an instructor of real analysis is to nd a way to bridge the gap between a student's preparation and the mathematical skills that are required to be successful in such a course. "Real Analysis: With Proof Strategies" provides a resolution to the "bridging-the-gap problem." The book not only presents the fundamental theorems of real analysis, but also shows the reader how to compose and produce the proofs of these theorems. The detail, rigor, and proof strategies o ered in this textbook will be appreciated by course instructors and students alike.

Critique: "Real Analysis: With Proof Strategies" by Professor Daniel W. Cunningham explicitly shows the reader how to produce and compose the proofs of the basic theorems in real analysis and is eminently suitable for junior or senior undergraduates majoring in mathematics. While especially recommended for college and university library Mathematics collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists and curriculum textbook selections that "Real Analysis: With Proof Strategies" is also readily available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $74.99).

Editorial Note: Daniel W. Cunningham is a Professor of Mathematics at SUNY Buffalo State, a campus of the State University of New York. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also a member of the Association for Symbolic Logic, the American Mathematical Society, and the Mathematical Association of America.


The Language Studies Shelf

Augury Is For The Birds
Emma Vanderpool
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
www.bolchazy.com
9780865168756, $15.00, PB, 57pp

https://www.bolchazy.com/Search.aspx?k=Augury+Is+for+the+Birds

Synopsis: Marcus, a young Roman boy, couldn't care less about birds or their significance, even if they convey the divine will of Jupiter himself! He'd much rather train as a Roman soldier, just like his dad Titus. His dad, however, has other plans: he has arranged for Marcus to learn the ins and outs of interpreting bird signs from skilled augur Lucius. As Marcus finds, deciphering the gods' plans for the future is hard enough -- will he and his dad ever be able to come to an understanding about his own future?

Critique: With black/white illustrations by artist/illustrator Lydia Koller and in the Latin language, "Augury Is For The Birds" (Marcus de Avibus Discit) by Emma Vanderpool is a unique, entertaining, and effective approach for students of Latin in which they will enjoy learning about the ancient Roman practice of augury, or bird divination. With an informative introduction by Robert Patrick, "Augury Is For The Birds" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, highschool, college, and university library Latin Studies collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists.


The Poetry Shelf

The Poetry of Capital: Voices from Twenty-First-Century America
Benjamin S. Grossberg, & Clare Rossini, editors
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299330446, $22.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Capital-Voices-Twenty-First-Century-America/dp/0299330443

Synopsis: What do we talk about when we talk about money? As the forty-four poet contributors to "The Poetry of Capital: Voices from Twenty-First-Century America" shows that the answer is everything. From the impact of global economic crises to local tag sales, from the subversive effects of dark money on politics to the freedom granted by a summer job, from sweatshops where our clothes are produced to the malls where they are sold, this volume gets to the heart of Americans' relationships to capital as only poetry can.

Expertly compiled and co-edited by Benjamin S. Grossberg and Clare Rossini, "The Poetry of Capital" is comprised of poems reflecting the broad themes of labor, history and economic forces, social equity, and the environment. In addition, each poet was asked to provide a brief prose comment to introduce their work. Some give broad statements on the nature of wealth in America today; others are intimate, offering insight into how life experiences inform their writing; still others reflect on the art of poetry itself and its unique power to speak to economic pressures of the moment.

The roster of contributors to "The Poetry of Capital" include Mary Jo Bang, Xochiquetzal Candelaria, Alan Chazaro, Mark Doty, Denise Duhamel, Tony Hoagland, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorianne Laux, Kimiko Hahn, Sharon Olds, George Perreault, Robert Pinsky, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Afaa Michael Weaver, David Wojahn, and others.

Critique: Nicely illustrated with black/white photographs of each poet contributor, "The Poetry of Capital: Voices from Twenty-First-Century America" is a unique volume of poetry with a singular and collective purpose -- to examine the role of economic capitalism in the lives of people and the conduct of nations. A unique and inherently fascinating read, "The Poetry of Capital" will prove to be a valued and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library collections.

Editorial Note #1: Benjamin S. Grossberg is the director of creative writing at the University of Hartford. His books include Space Traveler and Sweet Core Orchard, winner of a Lambda Literary Award. His latest collection is My Husband Would.

Editorial Note #2: Clare Rossini is an artist-in-residence at Trinity College, where she teaches classes in literature and creative writing and directs a program that places Trinity students in core-city public school classrooms. Her books include Lingo, Winter Morning with Crow, and Selections from the Claudia Poems.

The Magpie and the Child
Catriona Clutterbuck
Wake Forest University Press
PO Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
www.wfu.edu/wfupress
9781930630956, $13.95, PB, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/Magpie-Child-Catriona-Clutterbuck/dp/1930630956

Synopsis: In the pages of "The Magpie and the Child", author and poet Catriona Clutterbuck tells a compelling story of great loss, love, and learning. The first half of the volume starts from the days before the poetic journey, in a sort of pre-exploration of events before they were events, moving to and through the death of her child Emily at almost eleven years old from an unsuspected heart condition. The poems speak, lament, and sing among the metaphors and religious resonances that such mourning must inspire.

The thieving magpie of the prefatory title poem pecks at its own image in the glass while the poet daubs the hope of intervening blood on the "trembling lintel of faith." The volume is filled with self-examination, suffering, remembered conversations with the living child, and very real ones with the dead, each of which record the steps of the emotional journey.

The second half of "The Magpie and the Child" is an extended sequence taking the form of a fragmented diary, one that captures the pain of loss in a skeptical age yet insists on the ritual compensation of belief. In the rigors of its form, the depth of its despair, and the necessary belief in the meaning of its artistic act, Clutterbuck's poetry carefully and beautifully maintains this very delicate balance.

Critique: An absorbing, eloquent, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought provoking read, "The Magpie and the Child" is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community, college, and university library Contemporary Literary and American Poetry collections.

Editorial Note: Born in 1964, Catriona Clutterbuck grew up in a farming family in County Tipperary, close to the area where she now lives. She worked as a primary school teacher from the mid-1980s to the early '90s, before completing postgraduate studies in the University of Oxford. Her poems have been published in Boyne Berries; Crannog; Cyphers; Oxford Poetry; Poetry Ireland Review; Staying Human: New Poems for Staying Alive (edited by Neil Astley, Bloodaxe, 2020); The Blue Nib; The Honest Ulsterman; Oxford Poets 2007: An Anthology (edited by David Constantine and Bernard O'Donoghue, Carcanet, 2007); The Kilkenny Anthology (edited by MacDara Woods, 1991); The May Anthology of Oxford and Cambridge Poetry (edited by Seamus Heaney, 1993); The Steeple; Windows Authors and Artist Introductions Series (edited by Heather Brett, 1994); and elsewhere. Her chapbook, Ghosts in my Heels (South Tipperary Arts Centre and Start magazine), was published in 2005. She was the winner of the 1995 Richard Ellmann Prize (in association with Oxford Poetry) and her work was selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions Readings in 2006. She teaches Irish literature at University College Dublin.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Saving America's Amazon
Ben Raines
NewSouth Books
105 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
www.newsouthbooks.com
9781588383389, $35.00, HC, 200pp

https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Americas-Amazon-Ben-Raines/dp/1588383385

Synopsis: The most diverse forests and aquatic systems in our nation is to be found in the state of Alabama. Described as America's Amazon, Alabama has more species per square mile than any other state. Its rivers are home to more species of fish, crayfish, salamanders, mussels, snails, and turtles than any other aquatic system in North America. And the contest isn't even close.

California, for instance, has nine species of crayfish, while Alabama has eighty-four. The Colorado River system, which drains seven Southwestern states, is home to 26 species of fish, while Alabama's rivers are home to 350 species. But the wild places of the state are also under siege.

Alabama has suffered more aquatic extinctions than any other state. In fact, nearly half of all extinctions in the United States since the 1800s happened in Alabama, which has been logged, mined, and poisoned by a succession of industries.

"Saving America's Amazon" by Ben Raines is compelling portrait of the rough history of Alabama's rivers and the lands they flow through, Raines makes a case that more has been lost in Alabama than any other state thanks to the destructive hand of man. The version of Alabama that exists in the mind of the public (lynchings and fire hoses, cotton fields and steel mills) all come from things that have been done to Alabama, and has for too long overshadowed the stunning natural splendor of the place.

"Saving America's Amazon" highlights this other Alabama, a wild place of incredible diversity, of ancient gardens and modern Edens. The ascendant view among scientists today is that Alabama's wild places should be treasured and protected as one of the richest and most diverse regions on the globe, an internationally important "biodiversity hotspot."

But that is not what is happening on the ground in Alabama, which spends less on environmental protection than any other state. Instead, the constant stream of newly discovered species struggles to keep pace with the number of creatures being declared forever lost. The time of reckoning is here for the people of Alabama, who must decide whether their state will wear the crown for being the most diverse place on the continent, or the crown for the place with the most extinctions.

One thing is certain, Alabama cannot lay claim to both crowns forever.

Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout in full color, "Saving America's Amazon" is an extraordinary and remarkable informative environmental history and will prove to be a welcome and clarion call to environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration. Exceptional and ultimately inspiring, "Saving America's Amazon" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Environmental Studies collections and should be on the personal reading lists of every Alabama state government policy maker.


The Photography Shelf

The Perfect Shot
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
www.lonelyplanet.com
9781838690434, $35.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Shot-Lonely-Planet/dp/1838690433

Synopsis: Revealing the best of Lonely Planet's travel photography from across the globe, "The Perfect Shot" is a full color pictorial volume that does more than merely display beautiful photographs of classic scenes and locations. The featured Lonely Planet photographers, in their words, share the back stories of how they got the perfect shot, making this an inspirational and illuminating photography book for every kind of traveler with a camera.

Showcasing more than 200 photographs from renowned photographers such as Philip Lee Harvey and Jonathan Gregson, readers will discover the stories behind what makes a good photo and exactly how each photograph was taken. From off-the-map locations barely touched by tourism, to iconic cityscapes and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, readers will be transported on a photographic journey all around the world.

Critique: An armchair travelers' true delight to browse through one page at a time, "The Perfect Shot" will have immense appeal and value for aspiring photographers and inspire camera equipt travelers anywhere and everywhere around the world. Simply stated, "The Perfect Shot" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Photography collections.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Freedom From the Market
Mike Konczal
The New Press
120 Wall Street, floor 31, New York, NY 10005
www.thenewpress.com
9781620975374, $25.99, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Market-Americas-Liberate-Invisible/dp/1620975378

Synopsis: Health insurance, student loan debt, retirement security, child care, work-life balance, access to home ownership -- these are the issues driving America's current political debates. And they are all linked, as revealed by a single question: Should we allow the free market to determine our lives?

In the pages of "Freedom From the Market: America's Fight to Liberate Itself from the Grip of the Invisible Hand" noted economic commentator Mike Konczal answers this question with a resounding no. "Freedom from the Market" blends passionate political argument and a bold new take on American history to reveal that, from the earliest days of the republic, Americans have defined freedom as what we keep free from the control of the market. With chapters on the history of the Homestead Act and land ownership, the eight-hour work day and free time, social insurance and Social Security, World War II day cares, Medicare and desegregation, free public colleges, intellectual property, and the public corporation, Konczal shows how citizens have fought to ensure that everyone has access to the conditions that make us free.

At a time when millions of Americans (and more and more politicians) are questioning the unregulated free market, "Freedom from the Market" offers a new narrative, and new intellectual ammunition, for the fight that lies ahead.

Critique: An invaluable, thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to the national dialogue brought about by the pandemic driven economic hardships currently experienced by the American public, "Freedom From the Market: America's Fight to Liberate Itself from the Grip of the Invisible Hand" is enhanced for academia with the inclusion of a twenty-four page Bibliography, twenty-two pages of Notes, and an eight page Index. Very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary Economics collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject that "Freedom From the Market: America's Fight to Liberate Itself from the Grip of the Invisible Hand" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15.33).

Editorial Note: Mike Konczal is a director at the Roosevelt Institute, where he focuses on economics, inequality, and the role of public power in a democracy. He is a co-author, with Joseph Stiglitz, of Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy. Described as having "a cult following among progressives" by the New York Times Magazine, his writing has been featured in the Washington Post, Vox, Dissent, and The Nation. He is a sought-after commentator on the U.S. economy and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, All Things Considered, Planet Money, and Lovett or Leave It.


The Political Science Shelf

How We Vote: Innovation in American Elections
Kathleen Hale & Mitchell Brown
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781626167780, $34.95, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/How-Vote-Innovation-Elections-Management/dp/1626167788

Synopsis: The idea of voting in a democratic society is simple, but the administration of elections in ways that ensure access and integrity is complex. In "How We Vote: Innovation in American Elections", Kathleen Hale and Mitchell Brown collaboratively explore how election officials work, how ballots are cast and counted, and how jurisdictions try to innovate while also protecting the security of the voting process.

Election officials must work in a difficult intergovernmental environment of constant change and intense partisanship. Voting practices and funding vary from state to state, and multiple government agencies, the judicial system, voting equipment vendors, nonprofit groups, and citizen activists also influence practices and limit change. Despite real challenges and pessimistic media assessments, Hale and Brown demonstrate that election officials are largely successful in their work to facilitate, protect, and evolve the voting process.

Using original data gathered from state and local election officials and policymakers across the United States, Hale and Brown analyze innovations in voter registration, voting options, voter convenience, support for voting in languages other than English, the integrity of the voting process, and voting system technology. The result is a fascinating picture of how we vote now and will vote in the future.

Critique: Incredibly timely in view of the scandalous attempts by Donald Trump and his supporters to corrupt the American voting process and results in order to hold on to presidential power in a manner unique with respect to the past 200+ years of American democracy, "How We Vote: Innovation in American Elections" deserves as wide a readership as is possible. While an essential and core addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental officer holders, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "How We Vote: Innovation in American Elections" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $30.99).


The Computer Shelf

Angular and Deep Learning Pocket Primer
O. Campesato
Mercury Learning
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
www.merclearning.com
9781683924739, $39.95 PB, $34.95 Kindle, 342pp

https://www.amazon.com/Angular-Learning-Pocket-Primer-Computing/dp/1683924738

Adding to the 'Pocket Primer' series is a fine introduction to basic deep learning approaches to Angular 10 applications, offering computer users a fast way to applying knowledge to real-world activities. Computer users should expect discussions of basic deep learning concepts, accompanied by algorithms and code files that demonstrate how these concepts work in the Angular 10 environment. Chapters cover TensorFlow 2 and Keras as they examine subjects such as pipes and UI controls, data binding models, architectures for deep learning, and creating histograms, heat maps, and more. Those seeking a quick learning approach to Angular and the deep learning environment will find this pocket primer's examples and references lend nicely to refresher courses and new introductions alike.


The Technology Shelf

Plasma Antennas, second edition
Theodore Anderson
Artech House
685 Canton St, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630817503, $169.00, HC, 388pp

https://www.amazon.com/Plasma-Antennas-Second-Theodore-Anderson/dp/1630817503

The second updated edition of Plasma Antennas offers an updated survey on antenna beams and physics, offering details about many of the new smart plasma antenna systems and their applications to everything from GPS to 5G networks. The science and operations of plasma antennas are described in detail and supported by charts, math, and science; but the focus on the latest series of plasma antennas and their revolutionary applications in a variety of endeavors makes for a second edition that has been extensively revamped. The schematics, charts, and color photos illustrating basic plasma antenna concepts leave nothing to wonder and are invaluable in exploring the plasma antenna's expanding uses. This should be on the shelf of any antenna engineer student or practicing engineer.


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


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