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Library Bookwatch

Volume 10, Number 11 November 2015 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Humor Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Science Shelf International Studies Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Civil War Shelf American History Shelf World History Shelf
Biography Shelf Education Shelf Political Science Shelf
Military Shelf Archaeology Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Language Studies Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Gardening Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent
Simon Read
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
9780306823817 $26.99 www.perseusbooksgroup.com

Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent is the true-life story of a lesser-known period in the life of British statesman Winston Churchill (1874-1965). Today Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 (during the harrowing years of World War II), and again from 1951-1955. But before Churchill was a politician who made history, he was a journalist who reported history in the making. When Churchill was in his 20s, he established a reputation as not only a talented war reporter, but also as a strong-willed soldier. Extensively researched, rich in detail, and enhanced with notes, a bibliography, and an index, Winston Churchill Reporting is worthy of the highest recommendation for public and college library biography collections.

On the Origin of Superheroes
Chris Gavaler
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road
Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781609383817 $18.00 www.uiowapress.org

Chris Gavaler (assistant professor of English, Washington and Lee University) presents On the Origin of Superheroes: From the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1, an extraordinary tour of the pop culture mythology of superheroes - including their secret identities, disguises, iconic symbols, origin stories, superhuman powers, and sense of nobility and duty. These key tropes existed ages before Superman's comic book debut; they appear in mythology, folklore, philosophy, even revolutionary manifestos throughout human history. A handful of black-and-white illustrations, a bibliography, and an index enhance this enlightening analysis, created to be thoroughly accessible to cultural studies scholars and superhero fans alike.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games
Robert Denton Bryant & Keith Giglio
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
9781615932290 $24.95 www.mwp.com

Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games is a practical, user-friendly guide to a specialized type of writing - storytelling in the constantly evolving art form of video games. Unlike traditional novel writers, video game writers must collaborate with a potential multitude of programmers, designers, and artists, adapting their interactive story to suit the overall needs of the game while delivering an immersive experience that "pulls in" the game player. Chapters discuss "The No-Act-Fits-All Structure of Video Games", "Writing a Great Playable Character", "Building Your World with the Narrative Design Toolbox", "We Can't All Be Batman: On MMO's and Multiplayer", and much more. Thoroughly accessible to writers of all backgrounds, Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games is an absolute "must-have" for any potential writer in the game industry - from independent game creators to mobile game writers to those seeking opportunities to contribute to triple-A, big-budget console and computer game titles. Highly recommended!

Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book
Terrance Zepke
Safari Publishing
PO Box 4881, Greensboro, NC 27404
9780990765370, $9.95 pbk / $4.95 Kindle, 140pp, www.amazon.com

Terrance Zepke is an award-winning and best-selling author of twenty-eight fiction and nonfiction books of. In "Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book" nicely distills with wit and wisdom what he has learned for his own experience and expertise a series of invaluable 'tips, tricks and techniques" about successfully selling what a self-published author has to offer in a very highly volatile and competitive marketplace. Self-published authors and novice small press publishers will learn twenty-five different ways to increase sales on Amazon.com; fifteen various places for selling a book; utilizing fringe markets; the use of paid promotions, getting media interviews; 'The Real Deal with Book Reviews'; author platforms; acquiring and exploiting free publicity; and a great deal more. Simply stated, "Stop Talking & Start Selling Your Book" (also available in a Kindle edition for $4.99) should be a part of every author's personal instructional reference collection -- even the authors being published by the big New York houses of the publishing world! Full disclosure: there is a positive listing of the Midwest Book Review as a recommended book review resource on page 29.

Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, OH 45242
WritersDigest.com

Three titles from Writer's Digest Books are superb picks for both aspiring and professional authors. Donald Maass' "The Breakout Novelist" (9781582979908, $24.99) is an all-inclusive guide, spiral-bound for ease of reference while working. Maass, an experienced author and literary agent, presents strategies that generations of authors have applied to craft sublime fiction, from core elements (character-building, plot navigation, etc.) to advanced techniques involving point of view, suspense, and the application of voice. Exercises for practicing these techniques round out this excellent resource. Rebecca McClanahan's "Word Painting: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively, Revised Edition" (9781599638683, $18.99) is a specialized guide to mastering the art of evocative writing, from improving one's personal powers of observation to crafting standout metaphors to seamlessly incorporating vivid descriptions into stories, essays, or poems. Enhanced with exercises, Word Painting is a superb self-teaching tool. Chuck Sambuchino's "Get a Literary Agent" (9781599638010, $17.99) focuses on a practical aspect of becoming a successful author - securing an effective literary representative, which is virtually required if one desires the best possible deal with a traditional publisher (particularly in the case of large, established publishing houses). From a step-by-step walkthrough of the submission process and learning how to create polished query letters or book proposals, to forming a solid partnership with one's agent and avoiding common pitfalls, "Get a Literary Agent" is invaluable. All three guides are worthy of the highest recommendation.


The Humor Shelf

Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years
Charles M. Schulz
Andrews McMeel Publishing
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9781449471828 $45.00 pbk www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years is a deluxe paperback compilation of specially chosen strips from the long-running, universally beloved "Peanuts" newspaper comic created by Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000). In addition to these selected highlights (with all the chosen Sunday strips reproduced in full color), Celebrating Peanuts: 65 Years intersperses occasional snippets of appropriate comments by Schulz himself concerning his life's work, as well as a brief overview of each decade noting major changes of the strip, such as its introduction of a black character, Franklin, in 1968. Schulz's own words reflect, "...I had always thought that black people might feel I was [adding a black character] in a patronizing or condescending manner. Then, I received two letters from black fathers asking that Peanuts be integrated. That was the turning point." The complete run of Peanuts is far too large to fit into even this gigantic volume (well over 500 pages long!), but Celebrating Peanuts is a wonderful way to page through the evolution, the highlights, and the most cherished memories of Schulz's creative legacy. Highly recommended, especially for gift-giving and public library collections.


The Audiobook Shelf

Magic Shifts
Ilona Andrews
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com
9781480640316, $29.99, www.amazon.com

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate (the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart) are adjusting to a very different pace. While they're thrilled to escape all the infighting, Kate and Curran know that separating from the Pack completely is a process that will take time. But when they learn that their friend Eduardo has gone missing, Kate and Curran shift their focus to investigate his disappearance. Eduardo was a fellow member of the Mercenary Guild, so Kate knows the best place to start looking is his most recent jobs. As Kate and Curran dig further into the merc's business, they discover that the Guild has gone to hell and that Eduardo's assignments are connected in the most sinister way. An ancient and powerful enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it before it takes their city apart piece by piece. With exceptional production values, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of "Magic Shifts" continues author Ilona Andrews thrilling action/adventure Kate Daniels fantasy saga. Dramatically narrated by Renee Raudman, "Magic Shifts" is enthusiastically recommended for all fantasy fans in general, and community library audio book collections in particular. (11 CDs; 14 hours, 17 minutes).

And West is West
Ron Childress, author
Read by Graham Halstead
Highbridge Audio Books
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781622318797 $34.99 www.highbridgeaudio.com

And West is West is a frightening, politically charged novel about corrupt systems and ruthless consequences. Jessica is an Air Force drone pilot in Nevada, ordered to launch a missile against a suspected terrorist halfway across the world even though she realizes innocent women and children will become casualties of the strike. Ethan is a Wall Street "quant", a number-cruncher who devises an algorithm that exploits and worsens international financial instability for short-term gain. Jessica and Ethan are both minor players, forced to shoulder the consequences for cruel deeds they had little control over. Suspenseful and thought-provoking, And West is West is a choice pick for public library audiobook collections. 9 CDs, 10.75 hours.


The Library CD Shelf

Fats Waller Revisited
Dick Wellstood and his "Friends of Fats"
With Jane Harvey on Vocals
Classic Jazz Recordings
50 Executive Blvd., Elmsford, NY 10523
www.innercityjazz.com
$16.95 www.cdbaby.com

Fats Waller Revisited is an album celebrating the music of African-American jazz pianist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (1904-1943). Dick Wellstood and his "Friends of Fats" along with vocalist Jane Harvey bring Waller's classic jazz to life with full musical performances including piano, tenor sax, trumpets, guitar, clarinet, bass, and drums. An ebullient, vivacious collection, Fats Waller Revisited is a treasure for jazz connoisseurs and enthusiastically recommended for public library music CD collections. The tracks are "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (4:17), "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling" (2:23), "Squeeze Me" (4:01), "S'Posin'" (3:10), "Two Sleepy People" (4:31), "Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Saving My Love For You)" (3:43), "Honeysuckle Rose" (4:23), "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (5:04), "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" (3:28).

Musique de Nuit
Ballake Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Six Degrees Records
PO Box 411347, San Francisco, CA 94141-1347
c/o Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
$9.99 CD / $9.49 MP3 www.amazon.com

French cellist Vincent Segal and Malian kora expert Bailake Sissoko present Musique de Nuit, an exquisitely beautiful music CD recorded outside Bamako (the capital of Mali), with ambient noises on the edge of hearing smoothly incorporated into the virtuoso performance. Evoking the almost mystical experience of an impromptu, late-night jam session, Musique de Nuit inspires the listener to muse, reflect, and explore. Highly recommended. The tracks are "Nia Ndou" (6:34), "Passa Quatro" (4:52), "Balazando" (6:26), "N'ka Palema" (7:52), "Diabaro" (5:16), "Super Etoile" (3:55), "Prelude" (1:12), "Samba Tomora" (3:51), and "Musique de Nuit" (2:42).

Banda de los Muertos
bandadelosmuertos.com
Barbes Records
barbesrecords.com
c/o Press Junkie PR
$10.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Brooklyn-based Mexican brass band Banda de los Muertos presents their eponymous debut album, celebrating Spanish language, Mexican culture, and the hard work of immigrants who toil day in, day out for a fresh start on life. Powerful and exhilarating, Banda de los Muertos is a "must-have" for brass aficionados! The tracks are "Cumbia de Jacobo" (4:53), "El Sinaloense / El Jalisciense" (4:24), "La Puerta Negra" (2:18), "El Toro Viejo" (2:18), "Tragos Amargos" (3:28), "Culiacan" (3:17), "Las Nubes" (3:41), "El Paso" (2:47), "Te Quiero Tanto" (4:54), "Ay Mexicanita" (3:07), "Tu Recuerdo y Yo" (3:24), and "Arriba Mi Sinaloa" (2:47).

Love Will Find a Way
Mike Love
www.mikelovemusic.com
Privately Published
c/o Press Junkie PR
$16.00 download www.itunes.com

Love Will Find a Way is a reggae album by Mike Love that embraces the Rastafari philosophy of "one love", and resonates with the concept that unconditional love is vital to human beings, especially amid the threats posed by overpopulation, climate change, and the frightening rise of corporate power. The extensive song lyrics (written in a booklet that accompanies the physical album) speak a message of togetherness, harmony, and conservation. Love Will Find a Way is a treasure for reggae connoisseurs, and highly recommended for both personal and public library music collections. The tracks are "Time to Wake Up", "Good News", "Can't Take it With You When You Go", "Let it Rain", "I Love You", "Gonna Make It", "No Regrets", "Step Lightly", "Roll River Roll", "Advaya's Song", and "Love Will Find a Way".

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio
Gerry Gibs, Ron Carter, and Kenny Barron
With guests Roy Hargrove and Cassandra Wilson
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Mixed Media (publicity)
$12.99 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Recorded live in studio, Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio is an album of pop covers from the 50s and 60s, enlivened with a jazz twist and artfully performed by Grammy-nominated group The Thrasher Dream Trio. Evoking fly-high fantasy, fond memories, and fancy flourishes, Gerry Gibs Thrasher Dream Trio reaches out to listeners of all ages and backgrounds. The tracks are "Wives and Lovers" (6:09), "The Summer Knows" (6:01), "The Look of Love" (4:35), "Spartacus Love Theme" (3:38), "On A Clear Day" (6:45), "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top" (3:54), "Alfie" (6:28), "Watch What Happens (instrumental)" (5:23), "Theme From A Man And A Woman" (3:34), "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" (3:24), "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" (5:46), "More (from Mondo Cane)" (4:21), "Watch What Happens (vocal)" (4:06), "Music To Watch The Girls Go By" (4:15), "Girl Talk" (4:44), and "Charade" (4:28). Also highly recommended is the Dave Liebman Group's jazz album, "The Puzzle" ($17.77 CD / $8.99 MP3).


The Library DVD Shelf

The Story of Women and Power
Written and presented by Amanda Vickery
Athena Learning
c/o Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621724421 $34.99 www.acornonline.com

The Story of Women and Power is a documentary about women's fight for equality in Britain, from the mid-1600's onward. Brave individual women profiled include Mary Wollstonecraft, dubbed "the mother of feminism"; Hannah More, who quested for ways that women could enter public life; suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst; and more. Viewers witness a livestock market where men once sold their wives at auction; learn of an early march for women's rights in 1649; and discover a notorious incident in 1738 when the Duchess of Queensberry crashed the House of Lords. Modern-day woman's activists advocate that the fight for full equality is not yet completed, in this fascinating and enlightening chronicle enthusiastically recommended for public library DVD collections. 3 episodes on one DVD, 182 min., widescreen, SDH subtitles.


The Science Shelf

Decoding the Language of Genetics
David Botstein
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard
Woodbury NY 11797-2924
9781621820925 $79.00 www.cshlpress.com

Geneticist and teacher David Botstein presents Decoding the Language of Genetics, a resource written especially for scientists and physicians taken aback by the technical terminology omnipresent in the science of genes. Chapters explain how traits and diseases are inherited, how genes are organized into the genome, and how cells function according to their genetic code. The text is meant to be accessible to scholars of other disciplines, so a basic familiarity with the fundamentals of life science is presumed. "Most mutations, especially those that result in a simple recessive (loss-of-function) phenotype, consist of simple changes in DNA sequence, most commonly single base-pair substitutions. Generally, the consequences of such mutations are deleterious, especially when they occur in sequences that encode proteins." Decoding the Language of Genetics is an invaluable study aid and research tool for students and professionals alike, and highly recommended for public and college library collections.


The International Studies Shelf

Japan's Postwar Military and Civil Society
Tomoyuki Sasaki
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781472525550 $112.00 www.bloomsbury.com

After Japan's defeat in World War II, its "peace constitution" renounced war as a sovereign right and outlawed the nation from having war potential. However, Japan maintained a world-class military organization dubbed the Self-Defense Forces (SDF). Japan's Postwar Military and Civil Society is an in-depth scrutiny of the relationship between civilian Japanese society and the SDF, from the 1950's to the present day. Chapters discuss SDF recruitment, its work in civil engineering and disaster relief, anti-SDF litigation, state financial support for communities with SDF bases, and much more. A thoughtful, scholarly account, heavily researched with extensive notes and an index, Japan's Postwar Military and Civil Society is a welcome addition to international studies shelved and college library collections.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Cervantes's Eight Interludes
Edited and translated by Charles Patterson
Applause Books
c/o Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10010
9781495013034 $16.99 www.halleonard.com

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) is the legendary Spanish author of the classic novel "Don Quixote", but he was also an accomplished playwright. Cervantes's Eight Interludes is an anthology of eight of Cervantes' brief, comedic plays originally published in 1615. ("Interludes" were originally meant to be performed in between acts of longer plays, but each stands out well on its own). The plays are rife with raucous characters from the more questionable layers of Renaissance Spanish society, including pimps, prostitutes, con artists, hicks, adulterous wives, incensed husbands, and more. Superbly translated into modern English, Cervantes' Eight Interludes is eyebrow-raising, raucous, and thoroughly accessible to contemporary readers.


The Civil War Shelf

"To Prepare for Sherman's Coming"
Wade Sokolosky and Mark A. Smith
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
9781611212662 $27.95 www.savasbeatie.com

"To Prepare for Sherman's Coming": The Battle of Wise's Forks, March 1865 scrutinizes a battle late in the American Civil War. At the time of the Battle of Wise's Forks, the Confederacy was running out of food and resources, and its morale was draining away. Confederate General Braxton Bragg clashed with Major General Jacob D. Cox, in a bold plan devised by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to buy precious time. Bragg successfully halted Cox at Wise's Forks for four days, giving Johnston the opportunity he needed to prepare for the much larger Battle of Bentonville. Occasional black-and-white photographs and maps illustrate this meticulous accounting of a battle of key strategic importance, that may well have significantly prolonged the war. Enhanced with a bibliography and an index, "To Prepare for Sherman's Coming" is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and public library Civil War and military history shelves.


The American History Shelf

Lion in the Bay
Stanley L. Quick with Chipp Reid
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612512365 $32.95 www.nip.org

Lion in the Bay: The British Invasion of the Chesapeake, 1813-14 is a heavily researched, close analysis of the Chesapeake Bay conflict during the War of 1812. During the war, the British adopted a strategy fo raiding the Chesapeake area in order to turn local residents against the Madison administration and divert regular soldiers from the Canadian campaign, but was this plan ultimately successful? The American response to the Chesapeake incursion was unfortunately plagued with incompetence; how could it have been improved, or provided a better defense? Thorough notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of American military history, and its lessons to be learned for the future.


The World History Shelf

The Italian Baroque Table
Tomasso Astarita
ACMRS Publications
Arizona State University
PO Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
http://acmrs.org/publications
9780866985109, $59.95, 308pp, www.amazon.com

Impressively informed and informative, "The Italian Baroque Table: Cooking and Entertaining from the Golden Age of Naples " is a unique and very welcome contribution to the popular Italian culinary and cultural traditions during the 1600s. Deftly organized by academician and historian Tomasso Astarita into two major sections (The Fat of the Land: Cooking Without Limits; Lean Cuisine: Cooking for Lent), "The Italian Baroque Table" is enhanced with the inclusion of an informative introduction (Antonio Latini and Italian Cooking); numerous illustrations, a ten page listing of Works Cited; an eight page Index of Ingredients; and an eighteen page Index of Names and Places, "The Italian Baroque Table" is a masterpiece of original and seminal scholarship that is enthusiastically recommended for community and academic library 17th Italian History reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Biography Shelf

Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism
John Norris
Viking Books
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780525429715 $28.95 www.penguin.com

Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism is the biography of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mary McGrory (1918-2004), well-known for her syndicated column and her fearless criticism of those in power. From her first assignment covering the Army-McCarthy hearings, to her columns mourning President Kennedy's death and her controversy-stirring criticism of President Bush in the wake of the September 11th attacks, Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism covers the storied career of a woman who defied glass ceilings. Bobby Kennedy consulted with her; Lyndon Johnson tried to seduce her; and Nixon put her on his infamous "enemies list". Yet her personal life sometimes bore a high price for her tireless work. Enhanced with notes, a bibliography, and an index, Mary McGrory: The First Queen of Journalism is highly recommended for public and college library biography collections.

The Missing Kennedy
Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff
Bancroft Press
PO Box 65360, Baltimore, MD 21209
9781610881746 $27.50 www.bancroftpress.com

Penned by the niece Sister Paulus, of Rosemary Kennedy's primary caregiver for thirty-five years, The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women is a remarkable biography about a little-known member of the celebrated and politically powerful Kennedy family. Rosemary (Rosie) Kennedy (1918-2005) was the first daughter of a wealthy Bostonian couple, and older sister to President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator Ted Kennedy. Rosie had intellectual disabilities, and was a slow learner prone to emotional outbursts. She underwent one of America's first lobotomies; her father Joseph Kennedy was assured that the operation would normalize Rosie's life, but instead it dramatically worsened her condition. She was isolated from her family in a Catholic-run home for the mentally ill in rural Wisconsin; doctors had warned that any family visits would be disruptive to Rosie. Yet after Joseph Kennedy's stroke in 1961, the Kennedy family resumed face to face contact with Rosie. The Missing Kennedy is a testimonial grounded in the private notes of Sister Paulus and author Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff's personal visits to Rosie. Nearly one hundred never-before-seen black-and-white photographs round out this unforgettable true-life story.

Forks in the Trail
Jack Ward Thomas
Boone and Crockett Club Collection
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
www.booneandcrockettclub.com
9781940860145 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Forks in the Trail: A Conservationist's Trek to the Pinnacles of Natural Resource Leadership is an extraordinary memoir by hunter, horseback rider, and field biologist Jack Ward Thomas, who served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service from 1993-96. He presents a vivid account of the life experiences in the natural world that motivated him, as well as his harrowing years on the top environmental job. His tenure included a fracas over the habitat of endangered spotted owls, and the tragic deaths of 14 wildland firefighters in 1994. Profound, poignant, and unforgettable, Forks in the Trail is a testimony of not only conservation, but also love and respect for nature itself. Also highly recommended is Thomas' "Wilderness Journals: Wandering the High Lonesome" (9781940860169, $24.95), a journal-style memoir that focuses on Thomas' adventures amid the panoramic American West, and Thomas' "Hunting Around the World: Fair Chase Pursuits from Backcountry Wilderness to the Scottish Highlands" (9781940860183, $24.95), a candid testimony of responsible hunting and ardent conservationism.


The Education Shelf

Teaching Undergraduate Science
Linda C. Hodges
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive
Sterling, VA 20166-2012
9781620361764 $29.95 www.styluspub.com

Linda C. Hodges (Director of the Faculty Development Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County) presents Teaching Undergraduate Science: A Guide to Overcoming Obstacles to Student Learning, a straightforward resource created especially for science and engineering faculty stymied by disengaged and dispirited undergraduate students. Hodges offers new methods to better understand the daily struggles that students undergo, and evidence-based teaching strategies. Chapters discuss ways to motivate and help students learn on their own, as well as learn from problem solving, laboratory work, and research; teaching students to write like professional scientists; making choices in what to teach and how to teach it; and much more. For example, a common roadblock for teachers who assign science problems in homework or testing is that their students will "plug and chug", plugging in the first equation that seems appropriate, without thinking about or learning from the problem. "Problem solving does not automatically help students learn content... Teaching problem solving as a process through a combination of modeling behavior, homework strategies, and class activities can indeed deepen students' conceptual understanding and promote their critical thinking abilities." Highly recommended.

Specific Learning Difficulties
Diana Hudson, author
Jon English, illustrator
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849055901 $19.95 www.jkp.com

Specific Learning Difficulties: What Teachers Need to Know is a guide for educators with specific chapters focusing on individual learning disabilities: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Asperger syndrome, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Additional chapters offer more information on how to help learning disabled students with organizational skills, as well as exams and revision. Tips, tricks, techniques, and practical suggestions make Specific Learning Difficulties invaluable for every teacher, tutor, coach, or educator who works with learning disabled students. "How can I spot a student with dysgraphia? The student is probably bright and eloquent but consistently hands in work that looks untidy and is well below the quality that you would expect. If you watch them write, you may notice that the process can be laborious and their posture and pen grip look awkward. They are slow to copy from the board or from a book and they may complain of an aching hand."


The Political Science Shelf

Anything for a Vote, revised and updated edition
Joseph Cummins
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
9781594748325 $19.95 www.quirkbooks.com

Now in a revised and updated edition with chapters on the 2008 and 2012 elections, Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns lives up to its title as a chronicle of political mudslinging (and much, much worse!). Every American presidential campaign is contemplated, all the way back to the time of founding President George Washington (who had to oversee a divisive political quarrel between Alexander Hamilton's Federalists and Thomas Jefferson's Republicans). Chronicling incidents of foul language, sordid behavior, outright slander or libel, and even electoral fraud, Anything for a Vote reminds the reader that "dirty politics" in America is nothing new - not that it deserves to be quietly tolerated! Anything for a Vot is highly recommended, especially for public library political science collections. "Among other things, according to Conyers, Republicans engaged in a deceptive direct-mail practice called 'caging' to trim Democratic voters off the rolls. In the summer of 2004 the GOP, using ZIP codes, sent registered letters to 200,000 newly registered voters in urban areas more likely to vote for Kerry. Thirty-five thousand people who had refused to sign the letters or whose mail came back marked "undeliverable" were knocked off the voter rolls just two weeks before the election."

The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK
Sean J. Savage
Excelsior Editions
c/o State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
www.sunypress.edu
9781438457031, $34.95, 362pp, www.amazon.com

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963), commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the establishment of the Peace Corps, developments in the Space Race, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Civil Rights Movement, and increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War all took place during his presidency. But before he became president of the United States, he was a young senator from Massachusetts. "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" by Sean J. Savage (a political analyst for the news media, and a Professor of Political Science at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana) is a 362 page compendium organized into ten informative chapters (JFK and Massachusetts Politics; JFK and New England Economics; JFK and the St. Lawrence Seaway; JFK and the Politics of 1956; JFK and the 1958 Elections; JRK and the Politics of 1959; From New England to the Nation: 1960) that follows the political evolution and progress of Kennedy that was to one day see him in the most powerful political office the nation has to offer. Enhanced with the inclusion of a Photo Gallery; a list of abbreviations; an informative Preface and Epilogue; a thirty-three page Photo Gallery; fifty-six pages of Notes; a sixteen page Selected Bibliography; a four page list of Photographic Credits; and a thirty-seven page Index, "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" is an impressive and seminal work of scholarship. Very highly recommended for community and academic library 20th Century American Political Science reference collections in general, and JFK supplemental studies reading lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Senator from New England: The Rise of JFK" is also available in a Kindle edition ($24.07).


The Military Shelf

Storming the City
Alec Wahlman
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
9781574416190 $29.95 www.unt.edu/untpress

Storming the City: U.S. Military Performance in Urban Warfare from World War II to Vietnam examines the nightmare problem of urban warfare, and how the American military confronted it in four specific mid-twentieth century battles: Aachen 1944, Manila 1945, Seoul 1950, and Hue 1968. American forces were ultimately successful in each battle due to two key factors: transferable competence and battlefield adaptation. Yet overall tactical performance declined in each of these battles. What lessons can be learned from these episodes of military history, and how can they aid American military forces in a future where the landscape of the world, and therefore also warfare, is increasingly urbanized? Enhanced with extensive notes, a bibliography, and an index, Storming the City is erudite, analytical, and carries within the potential to save soldiers' lives.


The Archaeology Shelf

The Neanderthals Rediscovered, revised edition
Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
9780500292044 $16.95 www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Now in a revised and updated edition, The Neanderthals Rediscovered: How Modern Science is Rewriting Their Story examines what archaeological research, including advances in DNA technology, has revealed about the Neanderthal - a species very similar to homo sapiens, that appears to have evolved in Europe parallel to homo sapiens in Africa. The latest evidence reveals that Neanderthals were more like us that one might guess; they buried their dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals, used red pigment, and had a spoken language. Both species journeyed into Asian territory, but the Neanderthals became extinct in prehistory. Was their extermination due to maladaption, inbreeding, or violent conflict with homo sapiens? Does the presence of a small amount of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans imply that interbreeding took place, and if so, then during what prehistoric period did this happen? Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate this fascinating survey, thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds and highly recommended especially for public library archaeology collections.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Career Success in Health Care, third edition
Bruce J. Colbert & Elizabeth D. Katrancha
Delmar Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
www.cengagebrain.com
9781285866888, $92.95, 302pp, www.amazon.com

Developing interpersonal skills and establishing a "brand" as a professional early in a medical student's academic career will directly affect their future success. With its unique "worktext" format, this newly revised third edition of "Career Success in Health Care: Professionalism in Action" will help to sharpen interpersonal skills to showcase the reader as a top-performing student as well as a top-quality job candidate. Drawing from their many years of teaching, clinical experience, and conducting workshops concerning the behavioral domain, Bruce J. Colbert (Associate Professor and Director of the Allied Health Care Department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) and Elizabeth D. Katrancha (Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) have created a work-text packed from cover to cover with real-life examples, clear direction, and step-by-step assistance in assessing the reader's current state of professionalism and creating effective action plans for improvement. Equipping the reader with both academic and life skills, "Career Success in Health Care" will enable the reader to reach his or her full potential. Very highly recommended for community, medical school, and academic library Jobs/Careers reference collections in general, and Health Care career supplemental studies lists in particular, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Career Success in Health Care" is also available in a Kindle edition ($37.50 Rental, $73.49 Purchase).


The Cookbook Shelf

Make It Easy
Jane Lovett
New Holland Australia
c/o Fox Chapel Publishing Company
1970 Broad Street N., East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com
9781847739230, $24.99, www.amazon.com

"Make It Easy" is a beautifully illustrated and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly" 192 page compendium of simple, nutritious, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying dishes that can be prepared in advance, that making cooking for friends and family a stress-free and fun experience. Ranging from simple starters to quick suppers to more elaborate meals, all the dishes are contemporary, seasonal and fresh and aim to keep ingredients to a minimum. Ranging from Twice-Baked Roquefort Souffles; Salmon En Croute with Lime and Coriander Sauce; Mediterranean Rack of Lamb Platter; and Vietnamese Herby Chicken with Nutty Green Rice Salad; to Raised Pork Pie; Roast Butternut Squash with Blue cheese, Parma Ham and Walnuts; and Ginger Creams with Pistachio Brittle, "Make It Easy" is an impressive collection of recipes deftly organized by category: Simple soups and starters; Meat, poultry and seafood; Weekend lunches; Desserts; Quick salads, nibblies and drinks. Also available in a paperback edition (9781504800549, $19.99), "Make It Easy" is highly recommended for personal, family, and community library cookbook collections.

Seasons To Taste
Jonathan Bardzik
Story Farm
www.jonathanbardzik.com
9780990520597, $40.00, www.amazon.com

"Seasons To Taste: Farm-Fresh Joy For Kitchen & Table" by professional storyteller, cook, and author Jonathan Bardzik is a gorgeously illustrated, 320 page culinary compendium of delicious, nutritious, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes arranged and presented by the seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes range from a Wild Rice cider Pilaf; Apricot Chile Glazed carrots; Wild Mushroom & Gruyere Frittata; Sirloin, Asparagus & Portabella with Bearnaise; and Honey & Chive Glazed Pork; to Cantaloupe Soup with Cherry Red Wine Syrup; Sauteed Chard with Mexican Chorizo; Curried Zucchini Red Pepper Soup; Turnip Potato Latkes; Gram's Red Cabbage with Beer Braised Brats; and Pumpkin Lamb Sausage Pizza. Of special note are the succinct commentaries that accompany each recipe. A pure pleasure to browse through and exceptionally practical to plan menus with, "Seasons To Taste: Farm-Fresh Joy For Kitchen & Table" is very highly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections.

Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos
Elizabeth Kurtz
Feldheim Publishers
208 Airport Executive Park, Nanuet, NY 10954
http://www.feldheim.com
9780692450277, $34.99, www.amazon.com

Shabbat, also known as Shabbos, is Judaism's day of rest and seventh day of the week, on which religious Jews remember the Biblical creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and the Exodus of the Hebrews, and look forward to a future Messianic Age. An integral part of Shabbos is the family meal. "Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos" by Elizabeth Kurtz is a beautifully illustrated, 352 page culinary compendium showcasing 'kitchen cook friendly' kosher dishes appropriate for the weekly Shabbos observance and celebration. The recipes range from Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Fig-Shallot Marmalade; Velvety Corn Soup; Roasted Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms and Artichokes; and Root Bear Braised Beef Ribs; to Acorn Squash Stuffed with Jeweled Israeli Couscous; Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie; Pearl Barley Salad with Roasted peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Olives; and Red Velvet and Cream Cheese Brownies. A pure pleasure to browse through and inspiring to plan menus with, "Celebrate: Food, Family, Shabbos" is very highly recommended for personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Pharmacology For Women's Health, second edition
Mary C. Brucker & Tekoa L. King
Jones & Bartlett Learning
5 Wall Street, Burlington, MA 01803
9781284057485, $99.95, www.jblearning.com

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Pharmacology for Women's Health" is collaborative compiled and co-edited by Mary C. Brucker (Assistant Professor, Adjunct Nurse-Midwifery/WHNP Program, Georgetown University, Washington, DC) and Tekoa L. King (Health Sciences Clinical Professor, School of Nursing, University of California - San Francisco). Offering a unique 1212 page text that discusses pharmacology as it specifically relates to women's health issues, the "Pharmacology For Women's Health" provides cutting edge information that reflects the changing field of pharmacology. "Pharmacology For Women's Health" includes new pharmacological agents for common conditions, changes in indications, the use of vaccines, updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and the effects of the Affordable Care Act. "Pharmacology For Women's Health" also includes new resource boxes in each chapter for easy access to more information. Informed and informative, "Pharmacology For Women's Health" is impressively well organized and presented, making it an ideal textbook for Medical Studies and Nurse Practitioner academic curriculums, as well as Women's Health Issues supplemental studies reading lists. No medical school or university library Health/Medicine reference collections can be considered complete or up to date without the inclusion of "Pharmacology For Women's Health".


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Daniel Port Omnibus 2
Peter Rabe
Stark House Press
1315 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501
www.starkhousepress.com
9781933586663, $23.95, 338pp, www.amazon.com

Peter Rabe aka Peter Rabinowitsch, (1921 - 1990), was a German American writer who also wrote under the names Marco Malaponte and J. T. MacCargo (though not all of the latter's books were by him). Rabe was the author of over 30 books, mostly of crime fiction, published between 1955 and 1975. The newest addition to the outstanding 'Stark House Noir Classics' series, "Daniel Port Omnibus 2" is comprised of three of Rabe's best crime fiction stories: The Cut of the Whip; Bring Me Another Corpse; Time Enough to Die. Enhanced with an informative introduction by Rick Ollerman (The End of Daniel Port), "Daniel Port Omnibus 2" will be of immense interest to crime noir novel enthusiasts and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.


The Language Studies Shelf

Hmong Picture Dictionary
Mao Amy Yang-Lee
Master Communications
2692 Madison Road, Suite N1-307, Cincinnati, OH 45208
www.master-comm.com
9781604801590, $19.95, 72pp, www.amazon.com

Hmong Picture Dictionary was specially created for home and educational setting among Hmong families and at schools. Whether a self learner or as part of a school classroom curriculum, the "Hmong Picture Dictionary" will be valuable resource for inter-generational communication and relation development among the Hmong in English speaking countries. The dictionary features: Brief History of the Hmong; Tone Markers; Consonants; Vowels; Tone combination; The Body and helpful phrases; Clothing; Numbers and helpful phrases; Colors and helpful phrases; Motions/Emotions with simple sentences; Fruits and helpful phrases; Vegetables; School; Animals; At Home; Location; Nature; Types of Weather; Seasons and helpful phrases; The Market; Family / Relations; Opposites; Traveling Phrases; Verb List; Hmong Names; and a Complete Index. Thoroughly 'user friendly' throughout, the "Hmong Picture Dictionary" is very highly recommended.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease
Douglas W. Esson
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com
9781118840771, $129.99, www.amazon.com

The "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" by Douglas W. Esson (a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and clinical director at Eye Care for Animals in Tustin, California), provides an image-rich resource for diagnosing and treating ophthalmic conditions in clinical practice. This 344 page compendium deftly presents more than 600 high-quality color photographs depicting commonly encountered ocular conditions in dogs and cats Included are multiple images for each disease to show varying presentations Organized for easy reference, covering the most commonly encountered conditions first, "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" specifically designed for daily use in a busy clinical setting, thereby allowing practitioners to quickly find and compare images as they see their cases. Of special note is that the "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" provides a concise summary of the most clinically relevant information on diagnosing and managing ophthalmic disease. The "Clinical Atlas of Canine and Feline Ophthalmic Disease" should be considered an essential, core addition to professional, veterinary clinic, and academic library Veterinary Medicine reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.


The Gardening Shelf

The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers, second edition
Lizz Shepherd
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
www.atlantic-pub.com
9781620230145, $14.99, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply" by container gardening expert Lizz Shepherd is a 288 page compendium of practical 'do-it-yourself' information presented in eleven thematic chapters: Why Garden in Containers?; What Should I Grow?; Choosing and Preparing Containers for Growing; Tools; Soil and Amendments; Start with Seeds or Start with Plants?; Growing Herbs in Containers; Growing Vegetables in Containers; Growing Fruits in Containers; Growing Flowers in Containers; Maintaining Your Plants. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction; an encouraging Conclusion; an appendix (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; a four page Bibliography; a two page Author Biography; and a three page Index, "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers" is complete course of instruction and particularly recommended to the attention of the non-specialist general reader with an interest in container-based gardening. This new edition of "The Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Flowers, Fruits, and Herbs from Containers" will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Gardening instructional reference collections.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
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