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California Bookwatch

Volume 6, Number 10 October 2011 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Parenting Shelf Crafts Shelf
Art Shelf Audiobook Shelf Military Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Education Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Nautical Shelf Computer Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Music Shelf Photography Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Political Science Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Christian Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Wine Shelf Business Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Travel Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Language Studies Shelf
Technology Shelf Science Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Automotive Shelf World History Shelf
American History Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Architecture Shelf Botany Shelf
Gardening Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Literary Studies Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf Biography Shelf Fiction Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Sports Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Calendar Shelf California Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Reeds Knot Handbook
Jim Whippy
Paradise Cay Publications
Box 29, Arcata, CA 95518-0029
9780939837939, $9.95, www.paracay.com

Reeds Knot Handbook is a recommended acquisition for any nautical reference library and provides a visual pocket guide to knots, splices, and common knotting connections used on board and at the dock. Each knot receives a double page spread with a clear photo of both finished product and its construction, along with step-by-step directions on how to tie it. Information also covers its strength and weakness in a guide perfect for all users.

How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone
Rosie Garthwaite
Bloomsbury
175 - 5th Avenue, Suite 300, New York NY 10010
9781608195855, $16.00, www.bloomsburyusa.com

How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone: The Essential Survival Guide for Dangerous Places is for any working in or traveling through a potential war zone, and tells how to survive volatile conditions. It comes from a journalist who offers advice gained from her own experiences and those of colleagues, and covers everything from avoiding land mines and hostage situations to uncovering safe food and lodging under conditions of war. Collections strong in journalism, world travels or social issues alike will find this a fine pick.

Wiley CPA Exam Review V. 2, 38th edition
O. Ray Whittington, CPA, PhD and Patrick R. Delaney, CPA, PhD
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470923849, $59.95, www.wiley.com

Wiley CPA Exam Review V. 2: Problems and Solutions appears in an updated 38th edition to address the constantly-changing format and content of the CPA exam, so it's a 'must' for any reference holding appealing to CPA exam students. This 38th edition is fully revised and updated to reflect all these changes and is a 'must' for any seeking to pass the CPA exam. It's packed with selected problems from all four examination sections, features over 100 simulations and offers a 'solutions approach to each problem, updating unofficial answers to blend with the latest laws. Over 3,700 questions and 100 simulations make this a real winner!

Graphic Standards Field Guide to Commercial Interiors
Corky Binggeli
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470412954, $75.00, www.wiley.com

Graphic Standards Field Guide to Commercial Interiors is a pocket field guide tote for any who find themselves working in the field and needing immediate reference. This would include architects, builders, commercial construction managers and designers - a wide audience needing immediate references to questions on everything from acoustics to evaluating existing structures and recommending modifications for clients. Sidebars of detail and at-a-glance information make this a top selection for any reference library catering to commercial contractors.

2012 International Residential Code
International Code Council Inc.
ICC
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
9781609830427, $102.00, www.iccsafe.org

Any collection strong in building codes and residential building safety will find the 2012 INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE FOR ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS to be a top pick for a reference section. Over 904 pages packed with detail offers tables of information and construction diagrams and examples illustrating all aspects of the latest international code, making this a 'must have' for contractors, building professionals, architects and any library catering to them.

Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
www.westviewpress.com

Michael Boylan's CRITICAL INQUIRY: THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENT (9780813344522, $25.00) is a pick for any seeking instruction on more effective persuasion techniques. It considers the logic and basis of effective communication, defining the nature and uses of argument and debate, and showing how to analyze and interact in a more critical, effective manner. Students and debate participants alike will appreciate the specifics on making a critical, reasoned response and a title that uses advertisements from print media to illustrate its ideas. J. Steve Ott and Lisa A. Dickie edit the second updated edition of UNDERSTANDING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS: GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP, AND MANAGEMENT (9780813344683, $45.00), an updated classic analysis of the basic functions and issues affecting modern nonprofits. From twenty new essays by professionals in the field to readings on nonprofit behaviors, new issues affecting them, and keys to understanding their structure and purposes, this identifies priority issues and implications for change and is a recommendation for business and social issues collections at the college level.

ESRI Map Book Volume 26
ESRI Publishers
380 New York St., Redlands, CA 92373-8100
9781589482845, $24.95, www.esri.com

Any working with GIS applications in mapping will welcome this fine survey that pairs full-color maps with keys to how GIS is being used in a variety of areas, from tourism and urban change to government accountability and the work environment. Even more important the maps come from applications around the world and provide a diverse range of GIS-based cartography and how GIS user's data contributes resources to promote different objectives. Any library strong in either cartography or GIS applications needs this.

Gun Digest 2012, 66th edition
Dan Shideler, Editor
Gun Digest Books
700 E. State St., Iowa, WI 54990-0001
1440214476, $32.99, www.gundigeststore.com

Gun Digest 2012 appears in a revised updated 66th edition to include new feature articles, new product reports, and a catalog packed with black and white and color illustrations helping identify guns and their values. Any reference library strong in firearms needs this update: the 2012 edition offers the latest in-depth articles on trends and models, covering collectibles and the latest manufacturing developments alike. From tactical firearms to history and shooting, this reference is not to be missed!

The Worlds of Back to the Future
Sorcha Ni Fhlainn, Editor
McFarland & Company
Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786444007, $38.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com

The Worlds of Back to the Future provides a fine set of college-level, critical essays examining the cultural and historical importance of the Back to the Future trilogy, offering representation of the books from literary, philosophical and cultural perspectives and providing in-depth analysis on their emotional and social impact. Any science fiction or film collection will find this an outstanding survey packed with insights perfect for a film analysis course in general or any close examination of the three movies.

The Murder of the Century
Paul Collins
Crown
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307592200, $26.00, www.crownpublishing.com

THE MURDER OF THE CENTURY took place in 1897 when pieces of a dismembered body appeared all over New York. Baffled police detectives also were challenged by the involvement of two battling media moguls, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, who turned their high-profile case into big news. Reenactments of the murder were staged in Times Square, and a cop, a cub reporter and an eccentric professor all competed to solve the crime. The sensational events that followed are captured in a vivid account in The Murder of the Century, highly recommended for any true crime library.

Southwest Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide, 5th edition
Kathy J. Rygle & Stephen F. Pedersen
GemStone Press
9780943763750, $14.99, www.gemstonepress.com

The 5th updated edition of the regional Southwest Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide has been expanded and updated to cover all the basics of how to dig and mine gems and minerals in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and more. From the basics of equipment and methods to places to dig and mine and mine tours, this offers fine keys to any who would become amateur prospectors.

Unofficial Harry Potter Sweet Shoppe Kit
Dinah Bucholz
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor
Avon, MA 02322
1440527717, $24.95, www.adamsmedia.com

Unofficial Harry Potter Sweet Shoppe Kit isn't a book alone but its tie-in to the Harry Potter series is fantastic, making this the perfect accessory gift for any Potter fan. It offers a book of over thirty recipes for candy sweets and pairs that with candy and lollipop molds based on the Potter series, broom-shaped lollipop sticks, and bags with ties for sharing treats. Learn how to create magical candy with an outstanding and fun how-to kit that is highly recommended for the entire family and all ages!

You Unstuck
Libby Gill
Solas House
853 Alma St., Palo Alto, CA 94301
9781932361681, $16.95, www.solashouse.com

YOU UNSTUCK: MASTERING THE NEW RULES OF RISK-TAKING IN WORK AND LIFE provides a powerful personal growth survey that teaches how to work through negative beliefs and perceptions to achieve goals. From rebuilding spirit after losing a job or loved one to avoiding 'stress creep' and overcoming fatigue, this embraces positive growth and is a fine pick for any self-help collection.

The Triple Agent
Joby Warrick
Doubleday
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780385534185, $26.95, www.doubleday.com

THE TRIPLE AGENT THE AL-QAEDA MOLE WHO INFILTRATED THE CIA comes from a prize-winning reporter who examines the CIA's undercover war against al-Qaeda, and how this war was compromised by a young man who won the confidence of hardened terrorists and spymasters alike. His encounters inside al-Qaeda promised to make him an invaluable double agent - but his ultimate goal was far different. 200 interviews conducted throughout the Middle East and across the U.S. contribute to a detailed report of eye-opening undercover espionage and makes a vivid choice for all kinds of collections.

The Mad Bomber of New York
Michael M. Greenburg
Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016-8810
9781402774348, $22.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

The Mad Bomber of New York tells of early terrorist plots in New York from the early 1960s on up, from the Sunday Bomber who left bombs on subway platforms to The Weather Underground and other groups. But aside from the background history of bombers in general, this focus is on one George Metesky, known as "The Mad Bomber", who between 1940 and 1957 placed some 33 bombs in the most populous areas of New York City. It got so that people were afraid to be in communal spaces. Surprisingly, this is the only book ever solely devoted to The Mad Bomber, and provides a gripping account suitable for any general-interest or New York collection.

Stop Calling Him Honey and Start Having Sex!
Maggie Arana and Julienne Davis
Health Communications Inc.
3201 SW 15th St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
0757315313, $14.95 www.hcibooks.com

Stop Calling Him Honey and Start Having Sex admonishes women to change everyday habits and adopt attitudes that will lead to a sexier relationship - with one's spouse. Ironically, pet names of affection are the first step to losing sexual drive - as well as intimacy in personal grooming. Chapters tell how healthy sexual drives are killed - and what to do about it. Couples who no longer have sex will find this a lively revitalizing guide to making positive changes and identifying sex-limiting habits.

Precious Objects
Alicia Oltuski
Scribner
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781416545125, $24.00, www.simonandschuster.com

PRECIOUS OBJECTS: A STORY OF DIAMONDS, FAMILY, AND A WAY OF LIFE surveys the evolution of the historic diamond district in New York, an area where over ninety percent of all diamonds enter the U.S. This book comes from the daughter of a diamond dealer, a journalist whose background and profession both lend to a probe of the diamond industry. Her summer job at her father's office in the district lent to an interest in the science, history and mystique of the diamond - and to PRECIOUS OBJECTS, which should be in any library from general collections to those strong in jewelry history.

The Book of Ice
Paul D. Miller
Mark Batty, Publisher
68 Jay Street, Suite 410, Brooklyn, NY 11201
9781935613145, $29.95, www.markbattypublisher.com

THE BOOK OF ICE doesn't neatly fit into any single genre: at once an art book, a science book, and a study of Antarctica, this mixes essays, photos, interviews, architectural plans and more to tell the story of Antarctica. Original artwork and archival materials blend in a fine new vision of the continent, revealing its artistic and human connections alike. Science, nature and arts libraries alike will find it a compelling addition!

Vision in Design: A Guidebook for Innovators
Paul Hekkert and Matthija van Dijk
BIS Publishers
www.bispublishers.nl
bis@bispublishers.nl
9789063692056, $59.00, www.amazon.com

Vision in Design: A Guidebook for Innovators provides a fine guide to the Vision in Product design approach, a method that supports innovative visionary designs. It's an approach that takes in the future world and its likely goals, and creates a method that can be applied across the board in all kinds of design processes. Chapters discuss human-product interactions, assessing present and future design community needs, considering interactive relationships between form and words, and more.

Walker Evans: Cuba
Essay by Andrei Codrescu
J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
9781606060643, $24.95, www.gettypublications.org

Walker Evans: Cuba packs in over seventy photographs from Walker Evans' journey to Cuba, providing a paperback accompanied by a fine essay by noted writer and commentator Andrei Codrescu. Codrescu argues that what Walker Evans observed and captured in Cuba may not be what he was supposed to see, or what his publisher expected him to find: it considers individual photos to show how Evans was combining his art with social observation that would ultimately make him a name in the photography world. Any definitive Walker Evans library needs this collection!

Conran Octopus
publisher@philips-maps.co.uk
http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Two fine 'Essential' arts titles by Terence Conran offer fine basic guides to understanding color for those interested in interior design. ESSENTIAL COLOR (9781840915730, $20.00) discusses color basics, from how color works and basic color groups for the home to creating tones and working with different textures and materials. The focus on interior color that works makes for an outstanding guide. ESSENTIAL CHILDREN'S ROOMS (9781840915686, $20.00) surveys the layout, fixtures, and more for children's rooms, offering options for changing spaces in the modern home for all ages of child. Room designs that can easily change but offer longevity in purpose are the focus of a book that tells how to keep surfaces plain and create rooms kids can enjoy. Interior designers will find these fine basic library picks.


The Parenting Shelf

Plugged-In Parenting
Bob Waliszewski
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781589976245, $13.99, www.tyndalehouse.com

PLUGGED-IN PARENTING: HOW TO RAISE MEDIA-SAVVY KIDS WITH LOVE, NOT WAR focuses on how parents can make media choice that bring a family together. Chapters cover choosing family-friendly values and drawing the line on programming that doesn't support these values, covering two dozen kinds of media conflicts that often arise in families and providing keys to building family entertainment. God and values are incorporated into this master plan for family interactions.


The Crafts Shelf

Easy Beading V. 7
BeadStyle Magazine
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780871164209, $29.95, www.kalmbachbooks.com

Step-by-step photos for each project in Easy Beading V. 7 are accompanied by materials and techniques guides, supply lists, and design notes to encourage beaders to make lovely bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. Over 80 top projects have been selected from BeadStyle magazine and provides a wide range of beading ideas meant to teach basic techniques as well as produce superior jewelry. Any collection strong in jewelry-making guides - especially those seeing popularity with BeadStyle Magazine - need this!

Classical Elegance
Maggie Meister
Lark Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
9781600596919, $27.95, www.larkcrafts.com

CLASSICAL ELEGANCE: 20 BEADED JEWELRY DESIGNS offers a fine collection of projects blending multiple beadweaving stitches and is a pick for any jewelry-making library. It provides 20 designs detailing her special techniques, creating jewelry works of art that any can easily reproduce. Designs are packed with color images and include all the descriptions and basics that make them easy to reproduce.


The Art Shelf

Frank Vining Smith: Maritime Painting in the 20th Century
James A. Craig
Hard Press Editions/Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953294, $65.00, www.hudsonhills.com

Frank Vining Smith: Maritime Painting in the 20th Century could also have been featured in our Arts Shelf section but is reviewed here for its special importance to any nautical library, as well. Frank Vining Smith was celebrated as "the ultimate in marine painting", capturing old sailing vessels in the early 20th century and enjoying a popularity that saw his works exhibited in galleries across the country. He trained under the finest artists in America - and this catalog of his many works offers a fine survey of his entire career and his exquisite focus on maritime vessels. The full page color plates are not to be missed!

Graffiti Alphabets
Claudia Walde
Thames & Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
9780500515693, $40.00, www.thamesandhudson.com

Graffiti Alphabets: Street Fonts from Around the World packs in over four hundred illustrations in color and black and white to provide classic graffiti lettering and experimental typographical forms to be found in graffiti art. Claudia Walde spent over two years collecting alphabets by over 150 street artists from thirty countries so she could create a volume illustrating their different lettering choices: each artist was instructed to design all twenty-six letters of the Latin alphabet within the limits of a single page of the book. Their choices are stunning and unique, making this a pick for any arts collection.

Raw Art Journaling
Quinn McDonald
North Light Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1440308551, $24.99, www.createmixedmedia.com

Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art provides a fine raw-art journal coverage that teaches how to embrace art and make meaning with words. From capturing the moment in a single sentence to creating poems, uncovering images in photos, and blending creativity with freedom, this teaches how to make the most of an art journal and even shows how to use a computer to keep the journal effective and secret. Any arts or general lending library will find this a fine pick!

Caterpillage
Harry Berger, Jr.
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
9780823233137, $35.00, www.fordhampress.com

Caterpillage: Reflections on Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still Life Painting provides a fine study of 17th century Dutch still life painting history and is a recommendation for any college-level arts collection interested in European art history in general or still life in particular. The author's previous studies of portraiture contribute to a different way of viewing still life works, exploring the impact of the genre's approach and underlying message in context of Dutch productions. A fine, scholarly pick for any serious art history holding.

Adornment: The Art of Barbara Natoli Witt
Lois Sherr Dubin
Hudson Hills Press
Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
9781555953348, $50.00, www.hudsonhills.com

Adornment: The Art of Barbara Natoli Witt comes from a jewelry expert and author whose jewelry art has graced many collections. Her interest in global cultures and in weaving their traditions into her art forms influenced her approach to designing necklaces and other lavish items, here displayed in full color with accompanying notes on their influence and creation. Any library interested in jewelry art will find this a winner!

Days of the Cougar
Dian Hanson, Editor
TASCHEN America
107 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012
9783836519793, $39.99, www.tachen.com

DAYS OF THE COUGAR: THE OUTRAGEOUS VISUAL DIARY OF SEXUAL ADVENTURER LIZ EARLS is a recommendation for any arts collection interested in artistic yet graphic representations of sexuality. Liz Earls is a 'cougar' who in mid-life came to realize she didn't want to be 'fat and forty'. Her physical and psychological transformations are here charted in an eye-opening visual color photo exploration recommended for college-level arts and sexuality collections.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Latehomecomer
Kao Kalia Yang
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781611744491, $34.95, www.highbridgeaudio.com

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir is narrated by the author and provides a remarkable account of the Hmong experience in this country. Thousands of Hmong made their journey to America, but their history and culture remains largely unknown. This vivid memoir shares her family's story and tells of the Thai family's escape from Laos, life in refugee camps, and challenges in coming to America in a vivid audio recommended for any general lending collection.

Those Guys Have All the Fun
James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781609410759, $34.98, www.hachetteaudio.com

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN provides a powerful in-depth survey read by James Andrew Miller, Matt McCarthy and Joan Baker and is a powerful history of the rise of television sports reporting. It use over five hundred interviews with ESPN's great producers and creators to tell the history behind the network, secrets behind its success, and the scandals and victories that have marked its rise in popularity. Any interested in television history in general or sports reporting in particular will find this a winner.

The Pearl
John Steinbeck
Penguin Audio
c/o The Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780142429204, $19.95, www.penguin.com

Hector Elizondo provides a powerful reading of Steinbeck's classic THE PEARL which tells of a diver who finds a pearl that could change his impoverished life. His dream and discovery leads to a web of suspicion and danger that indeed will change his life - and not for the better. THE PEARL is all the more powerful for this unabridged classic narration, highly recommended for any audio collection.

Robopocalypse: A Novel
Daniel H. Wilson
Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 8th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307913906, $40.00, www.randomhouse.com/audio

ROBOPOCALYPSE: A NOVEL receives a powerful narration by reader Mike Chamberlain, whose longtime experience as an audio narrator lends spice and action to the story of robots that have helped society - until someone turns the helpers into mass murderers. It's a man/machine war that evolves in ROBOPOCALYPSE, packing in strong action, characters, and scenarios that are chilling and often unexpected. Any who enjoyed Asimov's 'robot' series and who enjoy mystery and detective influences in their science fiction will find this fast-paced and involving!

Hotwire
Alex Kava
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1441812903, $29.98, www.brillianceaudio.com

HOTWIRE provides a new spellbinding Maggie O'Dell novel and receives a vivid reading by Tanya Eby, experienced in voiceover and audio narration, who lends a fine touch to this thriller revolving around Special Agent Maggie, who investigates the deaths of three teens only to find them linked to biological warfare. A teen film party turns deadly when Maggie discovers more are targeted for death in this chilling thriller.


The Military Shelf

Silent Killers
James P. Delgado
Osprey Publishing
4402 - 23rd Street, Suite 219
Long Island City, NY 11101-5058
9781849083652, $24.95, www.ospreypublishing.com

SILENT KILLERS: SUBMARINES AND UNDERWATER WARFARE considers the history and development of the sub and its role in naval warfare, offering a fine account that is packed with technology accounts of all the sub developments. From wooden to iron and steel hulls to hand-cranked propulsion, this traces the evolution of the submarine and its continuing importance in military strategy, making for a top pick for any military history holding.

Standard Catalog of Military Firearms
Philip Peterson
Gun Digest Books
http://www.gundigeststore.com/contact
9781440214516, $32.99, www.gundigestbooks.com

Over 2,000 models of military firearms issued between 1870 to modern times are detailed in "Standard Catalog of Military Firearms: The Collector's Price and Reference Guide ", which comes packed with the latest prices and plenty of keys to identification. Black and white photos throughout accompany military firearm history and development, and comes from a master gunsmith who is a federally-licensed dealer with more than 25 years of experience in military firearms and collectibles. The blend of history and collector's guide makes for a fine pick for any military collection.

Tiger Tank
David Fletcher, David Willey, Mike Hayton
Zenith Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760340783, $28.00, www.zenithpress.com

TIGER TANK OWNER'S WORKSHOP MANUAL is a pick for any military collection interested in in-depth coverage of military equipment. It reviews one of the most feared battle tanks of World War II, discussing its armaments, evolution and history. It focuses on acquiring, owning and operating such a tank and thus provides a more technical survey of the Tiger Tank than a general history would offer. Any would-be tank owner or military collection interested in in-depth coverages will find this a winner!


The Environmental Studies Shelf

America's Climate Choices
Committee on America's Climate Choices
National Academies Press
Box 741500, Atlanta, GA 30374-1500
0309145856, $29.95, www.national-academies.org

America's Climate Choices is a set of activities convened in response to a Congressional request to study global climate change, and postulates that the risks of climate change provide motivation to act now to limit its impacts. Actions detailed here are designed to reduce vulnerability, not erase the problem: college-level collections strong in environmental protection and climate change will find this a solid discussion of the problems and policies involved in instigating an active risk management framework.


The Education Shelf

Alternative Approaches to Assessing Young Children, 2nd edition
Angela Losardo and Angela Notari Syverson
Brookes Publishing Company
Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
1598570870, $39.95, www.brookespublishing.com

The second updated edition of Alternative Approaches to Assessing Young Children provides a fine text for educators developed by two top early childhood special educators, updated to reflect 10 years of changes in legislation, research and demographics. Six popular alternative assessment methods link assessment with intervention strategies and offer guidelines for these assessments using current best practices. Any educator's collection - particularly those dealing with special education and early education - needs this.

Well Spoken
Erik Palmer
Stenhouse Publishers
Box 11020, Portland, ME 04104-7020
9781571108814, $16.00, www.stenhouse.com

WELL SPOKEN: TEACHING SPEAKING TO ALL STUDENTS provides a fine inspirational read showing teachers at all grade levels how to teach speaking in any classroom. Strategies for blending speaking skills no matter what the topic make for chapters strong in the basics of building a good speech and performing it well: skills that will serve students well from their school to adult lives. A top pick for any who would learn the basics of good speaking!

Beyond the Bubble Grades 4-5
Maryann Wickett & Eunice Hendrix-Martin
Stenhouse Publishers
Box 11020, Portland, ME 04104-7020
9781571108180, $24.00, www.stenhouse.com

Beyond the Bubble Grades 4-5: How to Use Multiple-Choice tests to Improve Math Instruction shows teachers how to use multiple-choice testing results to better assess a student's real math knowledge. It goes beyond the checkbox in such tests to reveal patterns in answers and common misconceptions in math, showing how to create follow-up questions that identify math problems. Five strands - number, measurement, algebra, geometry and probability - receive six problems per strand with in-depth assessments of objectives, a sample question, and strategies students use in problem-solving. Teachers will find this a winner!

Teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood
Sally Moomaw
Brookes Publishing
Box 10624, Baltimore MD 21285-0624
1598571192, $39.95, www.brookespublishing.com

Teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood provides early childhood teachers with an important text on how to teach basic math concepts to preschool and kindergarten students. It provides a tested program developed by the author, a nationally respected expert with over 20 years of classroom experience, and surveys basic math ideas and strategies for imparting them. From critical skills to assessments, this gives teachers basics on blending math lessons with daily routines and is a fine pick for any early childhood educator's reference collection.

Living Like a Child
Enrique C. Feldman
Redleaf Press
10 Yorkton Court, St. Paul, MN 55117
9781605540337, $19.95, www.redleafpress.org

LIVING LIKE A CHILD: LEARN, LIVE AND TEACH CREATIVELY offers master ideas for teachers who want to learn how to encourage kids in their childlike love of learning new things. Early childhood education collections will welcome an exploration of arts-based, holistic teaching options that help support a child's overall academic and social development. The title pairs techniques with measurable data and packs in play-based practices that have proven most effective. Any education holding will welcome this!

The End of Molasses Classes
Ron Clark
Touchstone
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10020
978451639728, $23.00, www.simonandschuster.com

The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck provides over a hundred solutions for parents and teachers concerned with developing innovative methods for enlivening classroom teaching. It's the answer for 'stuck' classrooms with bored kids and frustrated teachers and comes from an author who left his own classroom in East Harlem, New York to teach a different approach to education. The author's still teaching - and has hosted over 10,000 educators at the Ron Clark Academy. Specific strategies for encouraging lively classrooms make this a top winner!

Journey to Literacy: No Worksheets Required
Krista Flemington, et.al.
Pembroke Publishers
c/o Stenhouse Publishers
Box 11020, Portland, ME 04104-7020
9781551382616, $24.95, www.pembrokepublishers.com

Journey to Literacy: No Worksheets Required offers Kindergarten teachers proven strategies for creating classrooms where kids are actively engaged, using play learning and analysis to engage early learners. From visual arts and drawing to home and dramatic play, this encourages teachers to create 'centers' of activity where kids learn listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. A top pick for any early learning library!

More Tales for Trainers
Margaret Parkin
Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100
Philadelphia, PA 19102
9780749460853, $34.95, www.koganpage.com

More Tales for Trainers: Using Stories and Metaphors to Influence and Encourage Learning provides a fine expanded sequel to TALES FOR TRAINERS and is a recommended college-level pick for any collection seeing popularity with the prior guide. It describes storytelling's use as a tool for problem solving and sharing knowledge at the adult level, surveying a trainer's routines and delivering advice on how to use storytelling to achieve maximum impact. Any interested in business or educational training options need this survey!

The Active Workshop
Ron Nash
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
9781412989015, $28.95, www.corwin.com

The Active Workshop is a recommendation for educators who would rather demonstrate than tell students - and who want to create interactive workshops as a result. Brain-compatible teaching strategies, checklists, and techniques for having participants do most of the work compliment methods for assessing presentations and applying them to the workshop environment. Teachers interested in active workshop construction will relish this!

The Algebra Solution to Mathematics Reform
Frances R. Spielhagen
Teachers College Press
1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York NY 10027
9780807752319, $24.95, www.tcpress.com

The Algebra Solution to Mathematics Reform: Completing the Equation tells how to increase math achievement among all students and shows teachers how to change math tracking policies to provide algebra instruction to all students by at least the 8th grade. Chapters follow the success of a large school district that saw much success in changing how algebra as taught, and uses interviews with teachers and students to show how everyone was involved in changing policy.

11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT, 2012 Edition
Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780375428371, $22.99, www.princetonreview.com

11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT appears in its 12th updated edition to offer 11 practice tests and an overview of the SAT and PSAT environments, and is a 'must' for any high school test reference collection. All the basics of the tests are covered in chapters that consider problems, answers, and which provide in-depth explanations of how to best take the test for optimum results. There is an incorrect answer sheet for grading included - so user, beware - but the basic format and options are well presented.

Rising to New Heights of Communication and Learning for Children with Autism
Carol L. Spears, et.al.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849058377, $21.95, www.jkp.com

Rising to New Heights of Communication and Learning for Children with Autism: The Definitive Guide to Using Alternative-Augmentive Communication explains the basics of using the new AAC approach to help autistic kids integrate home and school learning and perceptions. Any working with autistic children will find this packed with keys to exploring and integrating a child's academic, communication, and social skills, with chapters offering plenty of case history examples of the entire process. Educators and parents alike will find this a fine pick!


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Rule 34
Charles Stross
Ace
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780441020348, $25.95, www.penguin.com

RULE 34 is a pick for science fiction and mystery collections alike, blending law-enforcement ideas and crime-solving with a futuristic setting in a sequel to Charles Stross' hit HALTING STATE. His futuristic thriller tells of the Rule 34 Squad, responsible for monitoring the Internet and following trends to determine illegal activities. Here the murder of three ex-cons leads to a dangerous international investigation in a riveting thriller recommended for any general lending library.

The War That Came Early: The Big Switch
Harry Turtledove
DelRey
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780345491862, $27.00, www.delreybooks.com

The War That Came Early: The Big Switch provides the third volume in Turtledove's latest alternate history title, this reworking World War II. It asks what if Neville Chamberlain had stood up to Hitler in 1938, imagines Hitler in a battle he cannot win with his genocidal approach not working well, and it provides a fine set of alternate history characters to further the series that began with WEST AND EAST and HITLER'S WAR. Prior readers of these - and collections seeing interest in them - will find this an outstanding continuation of the saga.

Supernatural Noir
Ellen Datlow, Editor
Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
10956 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222
9781595825469, $19.99, www.darkhorse.com

SUPERNATURAL NOIR is dark fantasy at its best, and is thus recommended for any science fiction and fantasy collection. Its short stories are a fine blend of horror and fantasy and offers a wide range of tales by such names as Lucius Shepard, Joe R. Lansdale, Elizabeth Bear, and more. From a detective caught between a war between two worlds to a truly dark carnival that goes a step beyond Ray Bradbury, this is packed with diverse stories and haunting scenarios.

Exiled: Clan of the Claw
S.M. Stirling, et.al.
Baen Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439134412, $25.00, www.baen.com

Exiled: Clan of the Claw provides a fine set of short stories set in a universe where dinosaurs survived and kept evolving - as did mammals. Here the dinosaurs are smaller, smarter, and use magic against their cat enemies. Encounters and battles for control of the planet make for vivid stories by Harry Turtledove and many other notable names in a collection perfect for science fiction holdings!

The Knowledge of Good & Evil
Glenn Kleier
Tor Books
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9780765323774, $24.99, www.tor-forge.com

The Knowledge of Good & Evil provides an involving survey revolving around the question of afterlife and tells of a man driven to find out exactly what happens in the afterlife. Based on a true story, it tells of a theologian, Father Thomas Merton, who experienced a vision that led him to the afterlife: a vision that revealed a secret he died for. Here the story centers around a journal he left behind with the secret - and a hunt for the truth that will change and shatter lives. A gripping novel of fantasy and intrigue evolves suitable for any general lending library.

The Falling Machine
Andrew Mayer
Pyr
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616143756, $16.00, www.pyrsf.com

THE FALLING MACHINE; THE SOCIETY OF STEAM, BOOK ONE tells of a teen socialite who dreams of becoming a hero in 1880, where women's opportunities are vastly limited. When she witnesses a murder and decides to uncover the truth, she joins with a mechanical man known as The Automaton to search for the truth. The setting - in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of a Fortified Steam substance that allows ordinary people to hold extraordinary abilities, makes for unusual and vivid reading recommended for any science fiction library.

Icons
Jim Lee & Bill Baker
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9781845765194, $39.95, www.titanbooks.com

Icons: The DC Comics & Wildstrom Art of Jim Lee deserves ongoing recommendation and mention as an outstanding collection of Lee's work, providing nearly 300 pages in full color outlining the progress of his career. Lovely artwork captures Jim Lee's sketches, layouts, and completed results, all packaged with solid binding and high-quality paper to make the illustrations 'pop'. The placement of black and white pencil sketches alongside color completed results is particularly high-impact. Any science fiction and fantasy library and many an art holding must have this!

Downpour
Kat Richardson
Roc
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451463982, $24.95, www.penguin.com

DOWNPOUR: A GREYWALKER NOVEL blends fantasy and mystery in the sixth book of Kat Richardson's popular Greywalker series featuring Seattle P.I. Harper Blaine. Her ability to move between the world of the living and the cross-over zone of the supernatural lends to her investigative skills and in this case draws her to the Olympic Peninsula where she meets an accident victim's ghost who claims it was murder. Gripping, fast-paced action promises appeal beyond science fiction audiences and into mystery fans seeking something different in a recommendation for any general interest collection!

Bury Elminster Deep
Ed Greenwood
Wizards of the Coast
P.O. Box 707, Renton, WA 98057
0786958154, $25.95, www.wizardsofthecoast.com

Bury Elminster Deep: The Sage of Shadowdale provides the next book in the Shadowdale series and tells of the most famous wizard from the Forgotten Realms series who faces his old enemy anew. Elminster has survived as magical ash and arises to battle the vampiric Lord Manshoon in this second book of the series by the Forgotten Realms creator. Familiarity with the prior book, Elminster Must Die, is a 'must' for a complete appreciation of the atmosphere here, which provides an ongoing wide set of characters, subplots, and language specific to the series. A top pick for any fantasy collection seeing popularity with the prior book!


The Nautical Shelf

Get Rid of Boat Odors
Peggie Hall
Seaworthy Publications
626 W. Pierre Lane, Port Washington WI 53074
9781892399151, $19.95, www.seaworthy.com

Get Rid of Boat Odors: A Boat Owner's Guide to Marine Sanitation Systems and Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor tells how to eliminate annoying odors on a boat by treating the source instead of the odor. All kinds of marine sanitation issues and odor-causing problems are covered in a fine survey of how to resolve odor problems, accompanied by extensive appendices providing detailed contacts for equipment, schematics for most major brands and models of marine toilets, and more. Boat owners and any working in the boating industry will find this primer a 'must'.


The Computer Shelf

Designed For Use
Lukas Mathis, Edited by Jill Steinberg
Pragmatic Programmers
P.O. Box 293325, Lewisville, TX 75029-3325
9781934356753, $35.00, www.pragprog.com

DESIGNED FOR USE blends basic techniques with insights on how to make usability the basis of any design project. Chapters explain how to make products more user-friendly with approaches that can be used during the entire design process, from storyboarding to usability tests. From writing usable text to illustrations, this tells what to look for in a design, what to avoid, and how to implement best practices throughout the design process. Any computer programmer needs this.

Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual
David Sawyer Mcfarland
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9781449397975, $49.99, www.oreilly.com

Dreamweaver CS5.5: The Missing Manual is a fine survey for any web design collection strong in Dreamweaver applications, and covers all the important things you need to know to build skills and websites using Dreamweaver's systems. From adding instant interconnectivity and going mobile with websites built for smartphones to noting undocumented workarounds and tips for streamlining projects, this survey of Dreamweaver CS5.5 packs in black and white screen shots, tips on basic and advanced levels of the program for all users, provides sidebars of information such as understanding parameters for templates, and more. Any working with the Dreamweaver program needs this!

Maya Studio Projects: Photorealistic Characters
Todd Palamar
Sybex
c/o Wiley-Blackwell
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
9780470944974, $49.99, www.sybex.com

Maya Studio Projects: Photorealistic Characters is a 'must' for any photography or computer collection, and tells how to create realistic characters using Maya 2012. It features a character creation from start to scratch, teaching how to build the body, use Maya to help the character show emotion, create body parts and clothing, and animate using Performance Capture. A companion DVD features real videos with tools, professional shaders, and more. Packed with step-by-step instruction and photo examples throughout, this Maya project book is a top recommendation for arts, computer and film collections alike!

HTML5 & CSS3 For the Real World
Alexis Goldestein, Louis Lazaris, Estelle Weyl
Sitepoint
Pier 38, The Embarcadero SUITE 315
San Francisco CA 94107 USA
9780980846904, $39.95, www.sitepoint.com

HTML5 & CSS3 For the Real World provides computer programmers and collections with applied techniques that can be used for a variety of projects, adding source code available for download for all projects. Learn how to use HTML5 video, set type, build modern web apps, and create dynamic graphics with SVG and canvas in a title that pairs best practice techniques with working code suitable for a range of website-building applications.

Getting Started with IBM WebSphere sMash
Ron Lynn, Karl Bishop, Brett King
IBM Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
013701970X, $54.99, www.ibmpressbooks.com

Getting Started with IBM WebSphere sMash provides a fine survey of WebSphere sMash applications that comes from experts and provides a tutorial geared to creating the latest web applications quicker than one could using Java or .NET choices. Sample projects are based on real-world applications and users thus learn to install, configure and develop using WebSphere sMash's ability to streamline common web applications. Chapters also include agile best practices and how to gain consistently better web applications in a top pick for any serious computer programming collection.

The New Digital Shoreline
Roger McHaney
Stylus Publishing
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2102
9781579224608, $29.95, www.styluspub.com

The New Digital Shoreline is a recommendation not just for computer libraries, but for any involved in education and social issues. It surveys the future of public universities and how they can attract tech-savvy individuals through engaging new programs and incorporating new trends in higher education needs. Educators receive chapters that consider the various forces driving these new goals and audiences, considering what different interests tech-savvy students bring to the university structure and how the characteristics of Web 2.0 translate to a completely different set of higher education requirements. Not just for educators nor computer readers, this discussion should be in any college-level collection.

Facebook Application Development for Dummies
Jesse Stay
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470768730, $29.99, www.wiley.com

Facebook Application Development for Dummies tells how to program applications with Facebook in mind, offering keys to everything from creating an effective HTML tag to welcome visitors to a facebook page to blending in a Web site that connects visitors with their Facebook friends. Chapters offer keys to integrating Social Plugins, creating quick apps, and more - and also cover common pitfalls and concerns. Any developer working with Facebook will find this a winner!

Introducing Microsoft WebMatrix
Laurence Moroney
Microsoft Press
c/o O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
9780735649705, $39.99, www.oreilly.com

Introducing Microsoft WebMatrix offers the first book packed with tools for building a data-driven website using the free downloadable Microsoft WebMatrix, and is a fine pick for any web programmer's reference collection. It tells how to write server-side code using either ASP.NET or PHP, teaches the basics of building a database application to create, update, delete or access records, shows how to use social networking on a website, and more. From accepting payments with PayPal to using WordPress, this is packed with user guides to free online services key to any website endeavor.

Visual Perception from a Computer Graphics Perspective
William B. Thompson, et.al.
AK Peters
c/o CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Pkwy, NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton FL 33487
9781568814650, $69.95, www.crcpress.com

Visual Perception from a Computer Graphics Perspective provides a fine introduction to human visual perception suitable for readers studying computer graphics and visualization. College-level collections will find this offers in-depth survey of material properties, image statistics, spatial cognition and more, with chapters emphasizing visual performance and a basic understanding of how images are not only formed but perceived and used by the end-user.

Animation:Master: A Complete Guide
David Rogers
Charles River Media
25 Thomson Place, Boston MA 02210
1584504757, $49.95, www.charlesriver.com

Animation: Master: A Complete Guide packs in a complete guide to a 3D program that's both affordable and easily used by students and professional animators alike, and is a fine pick for computer and film animation libraries. It provides the only detailed guide to using the latest version of Animation: Master, covering its latest features and basic 3D concepts using a blend of tutorials and examples. Any collection strong in the program or in basic animation concepts will find this packs in details and accompanies them with a fine CD-ROM of information.

Joomla! Explained
Stephen Burge
Addison-Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0321703782, $34.99, www.informit.com/aw

Joomla! Explained offers a fine hands-on, step-by-step survey of Joomla's web management potentials and bypasses the usual in-depth confusion of other titles oriented to professionals or programmers already family with the complex program. Web developers will find this ideal for beginners; it covers the Basics of Joomla and how it works, starting with basic installation and moving to more complicated navigation processes, and it provides details on customization and using Joomla templates. A fine pick for any computer developer using Joomla for the first time!

Metasploit
David Kennedy, et.al.
No Starch Press
38 Ringold St., San Francisco CA 94103
9781593272883, $49.95, www.nostarch.com

METASPLOIT; THE PENETRATION TESTER'S GUIDE offers a fine guide to the Metasploit framework and discusses exploiting and sharing vulnerabilities. Metasploit is used by security professionals but has many opportunities for new users working with computer systems, and this is the place to start. From circumventing security controls and launching attacks from inside the network to writing a fuzzer and more, any interested in network security will find this a top guide covering all the technical potentials of Metasploit.

Adobe Dreamweaver C S5.5
David Powers
Adobe Press
1249 - 8th St. Berkeley CA 94710
032177325X, $39.99, www.adobepress.com

Adobe Dreamweaver C S5.5: Designing and Developing for Mobile with jQuery, HTML5 and CSS3 Studio Techniques is a definitive guide to designing for mobile devices using Dreamweaver CS5.5, and uses a series of practical examples to show web designers and developers how to optimize an existing website for display on all kinds of mobile media devices including tablets and phones. The focus is on using jQuery Mobile and covers all the latest new code that can improve the entire process. PhoneGap is used to convert a jQuery Mobile web application into one that can be used on an iPhone or Android alike. A top pick for any programmer's library!

Official Ubuntu Book, 6th edition
Benjamin Hill, et.al.
Prentice-Hall
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780132748506, $39.99, www.prentice-hall.com

The 6th updated edition of Official Ubuntu Book comes from leading Ubuntu community programmers and leaders and covers Ubuntu 11.4, from basic installation to games, development, and cloud storage. Learn how to customize Ubuntu, use Ubuntu Server, and enjoy an accompanying DVD that includes the complete Ubuntu Linux operating system for installation on PC platforms. Any Ubuntu collection will find this a solid addition.

Specification by Example
Gjko Adzic
Manning Publications
30 Amberwood Pkwy, Ashland, OR 44805
9781617290084, $49.99, www.manning.com

Specification by Example: How Successful Teams Delivery the Right Software outlines a collaborative approach for specifying tests and requirements and presents seven patterns that make for precise software development standards. Chapters come from the real-world experiences of teams around the world who test and delivery software and pair case studies of large to small set-ups with keys to understanding the parameters of the entire validation process. Tips on avoiding bad practices and common pitfalls make this a top recommendation for any in-depth software development collection.

Character Development in Blender 2.5
Jonathan Williamson
Course Technology
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
9781435456259, $44.99, www.courseptr.com

Character Development in Blender 2.5 is written for beginning Blender artists and game developers and is a pick for computer and game artist collections alike. It covers all the basics of character development in Blender 2.5 and offers step-by-step instructions in a tutorial designed for either self-study or classroom use. An accompanying CD-ROM holds the Blender 2.5 software and sample art, making this an all-in-one package perfect for any Blender artist.


The Social Issues Shelf

Arrival City
Doug Saunders
Pantheon Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780375425493, $27.95, www.pantheonbooks.com

ARRIVAL CITY: HOW THE LARGEST MIGRATION IN HISTORY IS RESHAPING OUR WORLD documents the growth of the 'arrival city' that exists on the outskirts of the urban area and are places where newcomers come to establish new lives in this country. Arrival cities are nothing new: they've been around for centuries. What is new is a focus on how these 'arrival cities' can be supported to assure a prosperous middle class develops in them. Chapters trace the major influences on their evolution in a title key for any urban planning or social issues collection.

Creative Capacity Development: Learning to Adapt in Development Practice
Jenny Pearson
Kumarian Press, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781565493292, $24.95, www.kumarian.com

Creative Capacity Development: Learning to Adapt in Development Practice offers a different view on how to 'break' the poverty cycle, and focuses on how creative risk-taking can revive development work and make it more effective in urban settings. It comes from the Director of Cambodia's leading capacity-building NGO, VBNK, and it explores her perceptions and achievements in establishing development work that embraces a variety of approaches and solutions rather than a singular path. College-level urban development and social issues courses will welcome this survey!

Seize Freedom!
Thaddeus G. McCotter
ISI Books
3901 Centerville Road
Wilmington, DE 19807-1938
9781935191667, $26.95, www.isibooks.com

Seize Freedom! American Truths and Renewal in a Chaotic Age shows how ideology has led to a Washington that is disjointed, dysfunctional, and fractured - and it comes from a U.S. Representative who calls for an end to the ideology that brought us to this place. Chapters show why the war on terror is really a war for freedom - and explains why China should be of greater interest as an American perception of threats than it already is. Faith, family and community are the foundations of American strength - and SEIZE FREEDOM calls for a return to these values in a recommendation for social issues and political studies collections.

Future Minds
Richard Watson
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
20 Park Plaza, Suite 1115A
Boston, MA 02116
9781857885491, $19.95, www.nicholasbrealey.com

FUTURE MINDS: HOW THE DIGITAL AGE IS CHANGING OUR MINDS, WHY THIS MATTERS AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT uses the latest research to consider ways screen culture is changing our futures and choices. Questions such as are we becoming addicted to data and how can we clear a 'blocked brain' offer answers keyed to reclaiming the time to think more deeply and makes a strong recommendation for any interested in promoting the health of the human brain and thought processes.

Stuff Parisians Like
Olivier Magny
Berkeley
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780425241189, $15.00, www.penguin.com

STUFF PARISIANS LIKE: DISCOVERING THE QUOI IN THE JE NE SAIS QUOI comes from a native Parisian who owns one of the city's hippest wine bars and has a blog on the title topic. His book surveys everything socially and culturally Parisian, offering a blend of humor and observation that helps readers understand the Parisian psyche. Any intending to visit the city and many who would better understand its people will find this a light, culturally refreshing set of insights perfect for any general lending collection's travel section.

Boycott Divestment Sanctions
Omar Barghouti
Haymarket Books
PO Box 180165,Chicago, IL 60618
9781608461141, $16.00, www.haymarketbooks.org

Boycott Divestment Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights comes from an independent Palestinian commentator and human rights activist who here shows how BDS efforts helped topple apartheid in South Africa - and can do the same to stop Israel's occupation and apartheid against Palestinians. This collection fuels the debate over Israel's policies and prejudices and advocates and encourages a movement based on Palestinian rights and concerns. Any collection strong in Middle East issues will find this thought-provoking.

Is My Cell Phone Bugged?
Kevin Murray
Emerald Book Company
c/o Greenleaf Book Group Press
PO box 91869, Austin, TX 78709
9781934572887, $17.95, www.greenleafbookgroup.com

Is My Cell Phone Bugged?: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Mobile Conversations Private is an important, key pick for any who worry about privacy issues in our modern society. It outlines the threat of cell phone usage and privacy issues in business and personal transactions, attacking the myths that cell phones are secure and discussing eavesdropping, text message security, hackers, and more. Any owner of a cell phone concerned about security must have this eye-opening expose.

Delayed Justice
Jack Branson and Mary Branson
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781616143923, $26.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

DELAYED JUSTICE: INSIDE STORIES FROM AMERICA'S BEST COLD CASE INVESTIGATORS provides true crime collections with fine examples of cold cases that remain solved for many years - and how law enforcement professionals who revive abandoned cases use new methods to achieve justice. It documents the efforts of such investigators, considering how cold case processes differ and why detectives can achieve success years later. College-level criminal justice collections and general libraries seeing interest in true crime accounts will find this a fascinating collection.

The Struggle for Civil Society in Central Asia: Crisis and Transformation
Charles Buxton
Kumarian Press
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781565492998, $24.95, www.kpbooks.com

The Struggle for Civil Society in Central Asia: Crisis and Transformation is a fine recommendation for any college-level collection strong in Central Asian history and social issues. It provides a history of the different crises that have marked the region, surveys how civil society was established, and considers social and economic impacts of world politics in the evolution of Central Asia. College-level collections strong in Asian history, politics and social order will welcome this discussion.

Survive the Bomb
Eric G. Swedin, Editor
Zenith Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760340318, $17.00, www.zenithpress.com

Survive the Bomb: The Radioactive Citizens Guide to Nuclear Survival collects Civil Defense brochures and pamphlets which often offered a cheerful perspective on nuclear war and its survival, in a strange approach that peaked in 1962 with the Cuban Missile Crisis and lasted to the fall of the Berlin Wall. From reproductions of ads and pamphlets to a set of Civil Defense carrying cards for the wallet and instructions for building a fallout shelter, this documents the sentiments and thoughts of an unusual era.

Tropic of Chaos
Christian Parenti
Nation Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
9781568586007, $25.99, www.nationbooks.org

Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence comes from an award-winning writer who argues that the new era of climate war has begun - and may blend poverty, inequality and violence with its changing weather problems. It reports from postcolonial states in the planet's mid-latitudes and documents humanitarian issues affected by climate change, and uses a blend of research and investigative reporting to identify issues in climate change politics and economics. History blends with social issues in this hard-hitting survey of political and economic responses to climate change.

Alone and Invisible No More
Allan S. Teel, MD
Chelsea Green Publishing
Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
9781603583794, $17.95, www.chelseagreen.com

Alone and Invisible No More: How Grassroots Community Action and 21st Century Technologies Can Empower Elders to Stay in Their Homes and Lead Healthier, Happier Lives provides a comprehensive review of the current state of elder care in modern America. Currently elder care is too expensive and unsustainable, undermining elderly Americans and ultimately bankrupting them. Here a physician describes an alternative course of action that has proved viable for dozens of elderly residents in Maine. His plan can easily be expanded to other Americans and those approaching retirement age need this survey of how the techniques can avert financial and personal disaster.

Literacies of Power, new edition
Donaldo Madeco
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813343389, $34.00, www.westviewpress.com

Literacies of Power examine the ways American schools and social institutions foster ignorance, and this expanded new edition offers additional commentary on how cultural literacy is restricted and undermines independent, critical thinking processes. College-level audiences will find chapters packed with examples from around the world on how barriers to cultural literacy have been overcome - and will appreciate the new concluding chapter specifically addressing the role of schools in the process of promoting political strategies. A key acquisition for any collection interested in the challenges of promoting critical thinking processes.

The Third Wave
Alison Thompson
Spiegel & Grau
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780385529167, $24.00, www.spiegelandgrau.com

THE THIRD WAVE: A VOLUNTEER STORY offers a fine blend of autobiography and accounts of humanitarian volunteer Alison Thompson's work helping in southern Asia in 2004 after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the region. She set up a field hospital in a small coastal town and soon found herself in charge of a refugee camp caring for over 3,000 people. She stayed 15 months rather than her initial 2-week plan: this documents her field experiences and achievements and is perfect for social issues and general library collections alike.

Forbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse
Suraya Sadeed with Damien Lewis
Voice
c/o Hyperion Books
77 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023-6298
9781401341312, $24.99, www.everywomansvoice.com

Forbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse details the author's many dangerous rescue missions to bring aid to orphans and widows and to educate via the underground schools she founded in Afghanistan, and is a pick for Middle East and world issues libraries alike. Suraya trafficked crash across borders, slipped past the Taliban, and founded the Help the Afghan Children organization: her compelling story brings to life the many human rights issues affecting Afghanistan women and children and makes for a compelling story.

What Adolescents Ought to Know
Jennifer Burek Pierce
University of Massachusetts Press
Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558498921, $24.95, www.umass.edu/umpress

What Adolescents Ought to Know: Sexual Health Texts in Early Twentieth-Century America explores the evolution of printed materials for adolescents on the topic of sex, from a single treatise written by a medical researcher and free for all to commercial writings for teens about sex. It's also a history of the evolution of sex education in America, covering evolving issues in information, representation, and more. Any collection strong in adolescent social issues and the history of sex education will find this a fine study.

Mercenaries, Pirates, Bandits and Empires
Alejandro Colas and Bryan Mabee
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd St., New York NY 10023
9780231702089, $55.00, www.cup.columbia.edu

Mercenaries, Pirates, Bandits and Empires: Private Violence in Historical Context deserves ongoing recommendation as a fine addition to any social or political science collection and provides college-level readers with a fine analysis of the issues and history of private violence. Such acts receive historical connections and coverage and a history that analyzes its growth and evolution around the world in nine chapters recounting the making of warlords, smugglers and other mercenary groups. Any collection strong in issues of social and political violence will find this an involving survey.

America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb
Peter Ferrara
Broadside Books
c/o HarperCollins
10 East 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
9780062025777, $25.99, www.harpercollins.com

America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb: How the Looming Debt Crisis Threatens the American Dream - and How We Can Turn the Tide Before It's Too Late offers a fine, conservative solution to rescue our nation from financial crisis. It comes from a former senior staff member in the White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan, and provides keys to changes that will result in maximum long-term economic growth AND a balanced budget. From adopting a tax system that rewards economic building to closing outdated bureaucratic systems, this is packed with reform suggestions key to recovering America's financial foundations. Any social or political issues library needs this!

After America
Mark Steyn
Regnery Publishing Inc.
One Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington DC 20001
9781596981003, $29.95, www.regnery.com

AFTER AMERICA: GET READY FOR ARMAGEDDON blends humor with a social and political argument that Washington's spending habits will have to stop, because the world will run out of money - literally. We are experiencing the decline of America and years ahead may see even bigger changes: AFTER AMERICA documents these possibilities and comes from an immigrant humorist who believed America was the world's last great hope.

Flashes of a Southern Spirit
Charles Reagan Wilson
University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602-4901
0820338303, $24.95, www.ugapress.uga.edu

FLASHES OF A SOUTHERN SPIRIT: MEANINGS OF THE SPIRIT IN THE U.S. SOUTH comes from a prime practitioner of southern studies and gathers his best essays discussing everything from southern literature to music, culture, and self-taught art. Different incarnations of southern spirit in the arts and in religion are surveyed in essays that consider how southern identity is revealed, making this a special pick for any collection strong in southern history and culture.


The Music Shelf

Flying V Explorer, Firebird
Tony Bacon
Backbeat Books
7777 West Bluemound Road, Milwaukee WI 53213
9781617130083, $24.99, www.backbeatbooks.com

Flying V Explorer, Firebird offers a history of how three radical guitar designs changed the industry and produced a new generation of makers and players. It's paired with interviews with some of the great makers and players and offers a fine story tracing the innovations of the guitar from early to modern times. Color and black and white photos of players and their guitars compliment a powerful collection perfect for any lending library strong in musical instruments, rock music, and guitar history and culture.

David Bowie: Starman
Paul Trynka
Little, Brown
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780316032254, $25.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

David Bowie: Starman provides a powerful biography that chronicles Bowie's lasting influence on the entertainment world, from movies to music, and offers an analysis of his music, life, and more. Over 250 new interviews with bandmates, family, former loves and professionals provide a well-rounded survey of the Bowie legend, making this a top pick for any rock music history library and any interested in Bowie's life.

Nica's Dream
David Kastin
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393069402, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com

NICA'S DREAM: THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF THE JAZZ BARONESS provides a fine, in-depth biography of one of the most elusive personalities in 20th century music. It's a pick for avid jazz fans who know the name of Nica, who left her family, moved to Manhattan, and made a name for herself in its nightclubs. Her associations with jazz 'greats' resulted in a score of compositions written in her honor and NICA'S DREAM traces her life, her influences on these greats, and the experience of jazz music in the 1950s. A powerful survey, this is recommended for jazz and American popular history collections alike.

Tom Waits on Tom Waits
Paul Maher Jr, Editor
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin St., Chicago IL 60610
9781569763124, $19.95, www.chicagoreviewpress.com

Tom Waits on Tom Waits: Interviews and Encounters is a pick for any popular music collection and provides a fine selection of over fifty interviews culled from more than 500 available. Tom Waits has granted many interviews during the course of his music career - and many of them reflect on his life, times, and music as well as non-musical ideas. Any who would know 'the' Tom Waits will find this a solid survey blending memoir with biography, with a fine editing job by Paul Maher Jr. lending to many insights.

Fever
Susan Whitall with Kevin John
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9780857681379, $25.99, www.titanbooks.com

FEVER: LITTLE WILLIE JOHN: A FAST LIFE, MYSTERIOUS DEATH AND THE BIRTH OF SOUL tells of a black musician who lived for only 30 years but whose blues influences changed rock n roll music forever. His talents evolved from the church and from the nightclubs of Detroit: he had 15 hit singles in the American rhythm and blues chart, and his songs were covered by many artists who went on to become famous with his original recordings. Any music collection seeking comprehensive coverage of popular rock's evolution must have this!


The Photography Shelf

Fantastic Plastic Cameras
Kevin Meredith
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9780811877534, $16.95, www.chroniclebooks.com

Fantastic Plastic Cameras offers a fun guide to the most popular plastic camera models and combines tips for using and shooting with them with tons of quirky, fun photos by Kevin Meredith. These soft-focus presentations demonstrate just how versatile and amazing toy cameras can be, refuting the idea that only the professional camera can capture a polished image. Any collection strong in photography and many a general-interest or arts library will find this a fun, appealing guide.

Marketing Fine Art Photography
Alain Briot
Rocky Nook
26 West Mission St., Suite A
Santa Barbara CA 93111-2432
9781933952550, $44.95, www.rockynook.com

MARKETING FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY provides a fine survey teaching how to take control of selling, packed with field-tested marketing techniques from a fine landscape photographer who sells his prints. From offering quality and unique works to his own marketing system that allowed the author to get out of debt and pay for his own studio and home, this covers all the basics of fine art photography: from its perception and creation to its marketing.

Vintage Lighting
Christopher Grey
Amherst Media
Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
9781608952212, $34.95, www.amherstmedia.com

Any photographer who would create vintage lighting in a modern portrait studio will find this a solid guide to understanding the lighting techniques of other eras using modern cameras and production tools. A decade-by-decade examination of different techniques from the 1910s to the 1960s accompanies a fine guide to creating period backgrounds, handling film grain and vintage special effects, and making the most of clothing, styles and more. Professionals will appreciate the specific keys to tailoring vintage affects.

The Mythic City
Donald Albrecht
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East 7th St, New York NY 10003
9781616890155, $29.95, www.papress.com

THE MYTHIC CITY: PHOTOGRAPHS OF NEW YORK BY SAMUEL H. GOTTSCHO, 1925-1940 is a recommendation for both New York City history holdings and photography art libraries alike. It documents the works of an architectural photographer who during the lat 1920s and 30s created a classic portrait of the city based on Manhattan's new skyscrapers and buildings. His approach provided an artistic documentation of the city and created a style and approach that influenced many.

Profitable Wedding Photography
Elizabeth Etienne
Allworth Press
307 West 36th St., 11th Floor, NY, NY 10018
9781581157642, $24.95, www.allworth.com

Profitable Wedding Photography comes from a photographer who explains how she handled a difficult bride's demands - and how to remain professional and clear even when a bride is unreasonable and demanding. Over twenty years in the wedding photography industry has led to every type of encounter - and to a book which considers all aspects of running a wedding photography business, from contracts and model releases to creating a business website. Any photography collection will find this filled with solutions to common wedding-specific issues.

Photoshop Compositing Secrets
Matt Kloskowski
Peachpit Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0321808231, $49.99, www.peachpit.com

Any working with Photoshop who wants in-depth detail on compositing, one of the latest Photoshop trends, will find this packed with keys to the entire process behind creating convincing, captivating composites. From using selections to moving backgrounds, handling lighting and shadowing, and special effects, this offers full-color, packed pages alternating screen shots with polished results and providing step-by-step basics that build knowledge. A 'must' for any using Photoshop!


The Library DVD Shelf

10 Minute Solution: Best Belly Blasters
Jessica Smith, et.al.
Anchor Bay Entertainment
2401 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200
Troy, MI 48084-3304
www.anchorbayentertainment.com
013132296197, $14.98, www.amazon.com

10 Minute Solution: Best Belly Blasters provides an outstanding collection of ten-minute exercises focusing on belly blaster ab toning, featuring six of the best workouts in one DVD. Any who do home exercise will find this a specific, fine set of workouts with various trainers demonstrating movements. It's also the first '10 Minute Solution' DVD to include six workout segments instead of five. Any home exerciser needs these tips!

Train to Cheer
Stacey DelPreore
Train 2 Be Fit
254 Kinderkamack Rd. Suite 1, River Edge NJ 07661
No ISBN DVD, $19.99

Train to Cheer: Strength and Conditioning includes vivid music by Miley Cyrus, Dot Dot Dot, Black Eyed Peas and more and pairs the music with a strength and conditioning program packed with energizing routines. Verbal positive encouragement and reinforcement is accompanied by exercises developed specifically for cheerleaders and dancers, with the purpose of increasing cardio and muscular endurance. An outstanding pick for any seeking an energetic home exercise program!


The Political Science Shelf

A Nation Like No Other
Newt Gingrich
Regnery Publishing
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
9781596982710, $29.95, www.regnery.com

A Nation Like No Other offers Newt Gingrich's focus on American Exceptionalism and our unique birth as a nation, supporting the contention that this country's exceptional greatness lies in its founding principles. Unlike any nation before or since, it's united by these beliefs and civil rights - and this title offers a fine focus on how these rights are enacted in society and in political circles alike. Any political studies collection will find Gingrich's assessment and history a popular lend.

Freedom at Risk
James L. Buckley
Encounter Books
900 Broadway #601, New York NY 10003
9781594034787, $25.95, www.encounterbooks.com

FREEDOM AT RISK: REFLECTIONS ON POLITICS, LIBERTY, AND THE STATE comes from an author who has held high office in each branch of the federal government - and who thus holds unique knowledge about how they individually work and jointly interact. His analysis of how regulation works and how judicial activism, environmental regulation, religion and civil rights interact with governmental processes makes for a fine essay collection perfect for any political science library.

Achieving Democracy
Mary Fran T. Malone
Continuum Publishing Group
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038
9781441181824, $39.95, www.continuum-pub.com

Achieving Democracy: Democratization in Theory and Practice is a fine recommendation for college-level political studies shelves, offering a strong survey of various theories of democratization, their applications in a range of real-world scenarios, and offering world-wide case study examples of democratization processes at work. Students are invited to test the theories and analysis in different world scenarios in a primer that goes far in considering all the processes of democracy around the world.

The U.S. Intelligence Community, 6th edition
Jeffrey T. Richelson
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder CO 80301
9780813345116, $49.00, www.westviewpress.com

The 6th updated edition of The U.S. Intelligence Community continues to provide college-level political science readers with a powerful survey of the US intelligence community, updated to reflect the latest state of organizations and activities. It's been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest information in military and civilian intelligence organizations and how information is collected, and will be a key acquisition for any military or political studies collection.

Tiger Trap
David Wise
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue S., New York NY 10003
9780547553108, $28.00, www.hmhpub.com

TIGER TRAP: AMERICA'S SECRET SPY WAR WITH CHINA is based on rare insider sources and uncovers the successes of American national security penetration that the Chinese may have achieved. From how the CIA learned that China had uncovered details of America's mot advanced nuclear warhead to how Chinese intelligence penetrated both the CIA and the FBI, this provides the first in-depth account of Chinese espionage operations in the U.S. and abroad, and documents the escalating espionage war between the two nations. Any collection strong in Chinese or international issues will find this a top reference.

American Individualism
Margaret Hoover
Crown Forum
c/o Crown Publishing
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307718150, $24.99, www.crownpublishing.com

American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party comes from a woman who served on the staff at the White House and on two presidential campaigns. Her survey is both sympathetic to the ideals of conservatism yet makes a case for how the party can capture new young voters by making fundamental changes. Hoover believes the Republican party is positioned to offer many solutions - but that it has lost its youth audience. Chapters document how to regain this audience in a recommendation for any political studies shelf.

Subversion Inc.
Matthew Vadum
WND Books
2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW, #351
Washington, DC 20006
9781935071143, $25.95, www.wnd.com

Subversion, Inc.: How Obama's ACORN Red Shirts are Still Terrorizing and Ripping Off American Taxpayers comes from an investigative journalist who provides a history of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, providing a close, critical look at community organizers within the group. He exposes its links to violence, voter fraud and corruption and devotes his investigation to how the 'urban radicals' of ACORN do business. An intriguing, penetrating discussion for any who have more than casual familiarity with the group and its purposes.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Blessings and Baby Steps
Rabbi Ilana Berenbaum Grinblat
Behrman House
11 Edison Place, Springfield, NJ 07081
9780874418781, $14.95, www.behrmanhouse.com

Blessings and Baby Steps: The Spiritual Path of Parenthood provides a fine guide to parenting young children and discusses the basic questions of finding meaning in everyday life. All faiths will benefit from a survey that shows how children can change life and affect parental perceptions of time, money, love, family and God. Discussions reveal spiritual lessons in all parenting experiences and make this a fine pick for any spirituality collection catering to parents and families.


The Philosophy Shelf

More Than Matter?
Keith Ward
William B. Eerdmans
2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802866608, $20.00, www.eerdmans.com

More Than Matter: Is There More to Life Than Molecules provides a fine survey of human consciousness and comes from a philosopher who questions materialism and makes a case for how human consciousness transcends physiology. It explores and develops the idea that mind can triumph over matter - and goes further to pursue ideas of what is good in life. Readers interested in philosophy or spirituality alike will find this a top pick!


The Christian Studies Shelf

Earthen Vessels
Matthew Lee Anderson
Bethany House
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington MN 55438
9780764208560, $14.99, www.bethanyhouse.com

Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter to Our Faith explores how our bodies interact with our faith, and how new generations of Christians have been shaped by this connection. How can we push back and find a deeper understanding of God in our physical lives? This offers a focus that promotes giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to Christ in a recommendation for any Christian collection.

Turning Points in Baptist History
Michael E. Williams Sr. & Walter B. Shurden, Editors
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon GA 31207
9780881462449, $30.00, www.mupress.org

Turning Points in Baptist History: A Festschrift in Honor of Harry Leon McBeth covers pivotal moments in Baptist history and offers brief overview chapters designed as an introductory study for students and ministers alike. It's arranged in chronological order so Baptist faith and its evolution can be understand as a narrative, and is written to honor the historical writing of H. Leon McBeth, using his themes as starting points for discussions. Any spiritual collection including Baptist history needs this.

Is God a Christian?
Kirby Godsey
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207-0001
9780881462425, $19.95, www.mupress.org

Is God a Christian? Creating a Community of Conversation offers a fine survey of the Christian perception that God is a Christian - and asks if that assumption is true. It also seeks to open conversation about other world religions and provides chapters considering God's diverse presence in the world, how to develop different communities of belief, and how to listen to other religious to understand foreign faiths linked by a basic belief in God. A powerful survey, this is recommended for any scholarly Christian collection.

Fear No Evil
Brady Boyd
Zondervan
5300 Patterson Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310327707, $29.99, www.zondervan.com

FEAR NO EVIL: A TEST OF FAITH, A COURAGEOUS CHURCH, AND AN UNFAILING GOD deserves ongoing recognition as a fine personal account of senseless tragedy and how God supported the pastor's congregation in the face of grief. In 2007 a gunman fired on the campus of New Life Church after Sunday service, killing two teens and challenging the then-new pastor's mission. His account of how the church handled personal suffering and loss makes for a gripping survey that provides Biblical insights to help believers move forward. Recommended for any Christian collection.

Judgment Day
Paul Collins
Orbis Books
Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302
9781570759208, $22.00, www.orbisbooks.com

JUDGMENT DAY: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE ON EARTH assesses current ecological challenges to the planet and reviews religious worldviews and thinking that have contributed to ecological issues around the planet. If religious thinking has contributed to the problem - there are also counterbalancing religious approaches that can help resolve the issues. Historian Paul Collins has written eleven books on religion and the environment, and here provides a fine alternative theology connected to saving the earth and ultimately the human race. Spirituality collections concerned with social and environmental issues will find this compelling!


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Every Man, God's Man
Stephen Arterburn and Kenny Luck with Mike Yorkey
WaterBrook Press
c/o Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
9780307729507, $16.99, www.waterbrookmultnomah.com

Every Man, God's Man: Every Man's Guide to Courageous Faith and Daily Integrity is for any man who feels incomplete in his religious faith. It teaches how to become more family with God on a daily level, offering encouragement and guidelines to paths that lead to God. Case histories and first-person examples compliment discussions of methods and approaches that form a fine workbook for spiritual growth.

The Source Field Investigations
David Wilcock
Dutton
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3657
9780525952046, $25.95, www.penguin.com

THE SOURCE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS: THE HIDDEN SCIENCE AND LOST CIVILIZATIONS BEHIND THE 2012 PROPHECIES comes from a researcher who proves that 2012 is not the end of the world, but the beginning of a Golden Age for mankind. It provides a scientific focus to the conclusion that civilization is actually heading toward an unprecedented level of spirituality, and it surveys teleportation and time travel, spontaneous evolution, and interplanetary climate change to consider scientific facts and how they translate to a new era. New age and science libraries alike will appreciate this studied approach.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Art of Beef Cutting
Kari Underly
Wiley Publishing
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118029572, $50.00, www.wiley.com

THE ART OF BEEF CUTTING: A MEAT PROFESSIONAL'S GUIDE TO BUTCHERING AND MERCHANDISING is intended for serious home chefs who want to understand all the basics of butchery. Over 450 color photos of every cut of beef accompany step-by-step directions for cutting, holding discussions of the best beef-cutting tools and cooking methods. The chapters begin with the entire carcass and moves to individual cuts, explaining their use, offering cost-saving secrets to shoppers choosing beef cuts for recipes, and discussing nutrition and safety alike. It comes from a life-long butcher whose family history is steeped in the topic and is a 'must' for any serious home cook seeking a basic primer on meat cutting and use.

Well, Shut My Mouth!
Stephanie L. Tyson
John F. Blair
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
0895875470, $19.95, www.blairpub.com

WELL, SHUT MY MOUTH! THE SWEET POTATOES RESTAURANT COOKBOOK provides a fine account of a culinary odyssey that took the author from South Carolina throughout the South on a journey that eventually brought her back to her native Winston-Salem to fall in love with a former rooming house that needed lots of work. Stephanie and her partner Vivian Joiner would create Sweet Potatoes and see it become a beloved eatery: her cookbook gathers inspiring Southern dishes from her establishment and provides fine black and white photos from the restaurant to accompany such dishes as Bourbon Pecan Pie and Crab Fritters. Any collection strong in regional Southern dishes will find this appealing!

Paradise Kitchen
Daniel Orr
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
9780253356086, $29.95, www.iupress.indiana.edu

Paradise Kitchen: Caribbean Cooking with Chef Daniel Orr comes from a chef who spent years working in high-stress Manhattan kitchens before returning to the Caribbean and discovering its foods and culture: his cookbook packs in local recipes and innovations along with cultural insights and tales. Cooks interested in Caribbean fare will find this offers many innovations on tropical themes, from a Coconut Martini to Orr's creative innovations based on Caribbean ingredients. Any ethnic cookery collection needs this!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home
Jeni Britton Bauer
Artisan Books
c/o Workman Publishing Company
225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014-4381
9781579654368, $23.95, www.artisanbooks.com

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home packs in over a hundred artisanal recipes for ice creams designed with home machines in mind, and for ice cream makers who want different flavor options. From Kona Stout, Gorgonzola Dolce and Honeyed Peanut Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles to Passion Fruit Frozen Yogurt, this is packed with delicious options not to be found in other basic ice cream books. Any dessert collection will benefit from Jeni's unusual recipes.

Weber's Time to Grill
Jamie Purviance
Sunset
http://www.sunset.com/contact-us
0376020601, $24.95, www.sunset.com

Weber's Time to Grill covers all the basics of grilling dinners and was created to pack in recipes that save time without sacrificing flavor. Many grilling dishes involve prep and marinating time: this tells how to speed up slow-cooked ribs, marinate in 5-30 minutes, and more. Color photos throughout accompany a set of mobile tools that can be accessed on any smartphone, grocery lists for each recipe, and more. A satisfyingly different approach to recipes and dishes!

Everyday Raw Express
Matthew Kenney
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423618911, $19.99, www.gibbs-smith.com

Everyday Raw Express: Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less comes from a chef and food writer who has appeared on numerous TV shows and been nominated for culinary awards. EVERYDAY RAW EXPRESS provides recipes based on his passion for raw food, offering dishes ranging from salads and appetizers to a walnut, tahini and mushroom version of Spaghetti and Meatballs. What makes his raw dishes so appealing is an attention to quick dishes a busy home cook can easily produce. While ingredients tend to the specialty (nori seaweed sheets, tahini, agave and miso for example), well-stocked groceries should carry much of what is needed. Any collection strong in vegetarian cooking will relish this!

Peas and Thank You
Sarah Matheny
Harlequin
233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York NY 10279
9780373892402, $21.95, www.harlequin.com

Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love packs in over eighty family-friendly dishes and anecdotes and tells how to transition families to meatless meals. The author decided to go meatless - and guessed her family would be skeptical. Her focus on meals that are family favorites pair with 'Pea' photos and tales, showing how cooking meatless can be fun for kids and adults alike. Color photos throughout add alluring, enticing and mouth-watering excitement.

Flavors First
Vikas Khanna
Lake Isle Press
cp NBN Books, Distributors
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781891105470, $24.95, www.nbnbooks.com

FLAVORS FIRST: AN INDIAN CHEF'S CULINARY JOURNEY comes from an Indian chef who aims to help home cooks integrate Indian cuisine in a home kitchen, and is a top recommendation for a range of home cooks from relative newcomers to Indian fare to seasoned chefs. What sets this apart from others is an attention to mixing traditional Indian dishes with new invocations: thus you'll find Samosas and Garlic Naan mixed with dishes such as Masala-Honey Cornish Hen or Saffron, Cranberry and Cardamom Pulao. Simply outstanding, and a top pick for all ethnic culinary collections!

Cooking Light: The Gluten-Free Cookbook
Cooking Light
Oxmoor House
PO Box 11095, Des Moines, Iowa 50336-1095
0848734351, $21.95, www.oxmoorhouse.com

Cooking Light: The Gluten-Free Cookbook packs in over 150 gluten-free dishes for all meals, pairing dairy-free recipes with a gluten-free kitchen guide to preventing cross-contamination and producing foods the entire family can enjoy. Color photos accompany all dishes, from Grilled Halibut with Three-Pepper Relish to Grilled Plum and Prosciutto-Stuffed Pork Chops. Any home cook interested in gluten-free dishes must have this!

Walk Off Weight Quick & Easy Cookbook
Heidi McIndoor, MS, RD with Prevention Editors
Rodale Press, Inc.
400 South Tenth Street, Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
9781605293042, $24.99, www.rodale.com

Walk Off Weight Quick & Easy Cookbook provides a quick, easy cookbook packed with over a hundred dishes to melt pounds. It comes paired with a walking program and workouts and provides over 150 gourmet recipes for the active walker, from breakfast to dinner. Any interested in a complete weight loss program that goes beyond the usual cookbook-alone approach will find this an inviting starting point, as will any general lending library.

Plancha
Liliane Otal
Agate Surrey
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf St., Evanston IL 60202
9781572841185, $21.00, www.agatepublishing.com

PLANCHA: 150 GREAT RECIPES FOR SPANISH-STYLE GRILLING is one of the only books available in this country that is solely devoted to this style of Spanish flat-slab grilling. Over 150 recipes are quick, easy, and require little in the way of specialty ingredients. Any interested in either barbecue or Spanish regional cooking will find this is filled with recipes on the Spanish tradition of plancha cooking. Tips on how to buy and maintain a plancha accompany dishes that require only about 20 minutes to complete. Very highly recommended for any general ethnic cookery or barbecue book collection!

Perfect Pops
Charity Ferreira
Chronicle Books
650 - 2nd St., San Francisco CA 94107
9781452101927, $16.95, www.chroniclebooks.com

PERFECT POPS: THE 50 BEST CLASSIC & COOL TREATS comes with recipes and tips and offers 50 recipes that toe the line between old fashioned and traditional. It takes the popsicle a step further than the usual fruit and juice combination, offering tips and techniques for innovations such as Lavender Lemonade or Chocolate-Raspberry. Any interested in innovative pops will love PERFECT POPS: THE 50 BEST CLASSIC & COOL TREATS!


The Wine Shelf

Naked Wine
Alice Feiring
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Books Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
9780306819537, $24.00, www.dacapopress.com

NAKED WINE: LETTING GRAPES DO WHAT COMES NATURALLY offers a fine survey of the natural wine movement and the author's own experiences at making wine without additives. She's a noted journalist whose exploration of natural wine-making offers many assessments of the industry as a whole, from differences between natural and organic wines and winemaking efforts to the influence of big business interests in wine production choices. A top pick for any wine and food collection!


The Business Shelf

The Employer's Legal Handbook, 10th edition
Attorney Fred S. Steingold
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
1413313906, $49.99, www.nolo.com

The 10th updated edition of The Employer's Legal Handbook should be in any business collection and many a general-interest lending library, covering the latest, always-changing employment laws and showing how to assure a fair workplace is maintained. Use this guide to answer basic workplace rights issues, which covers all employment law currently in place form health care and privacy to handling workers with disabilities and firing for cause. A fine reference for any employer or HR department.

I'm Feeling Lucky
Douglas Edwards
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
9780547416991, $27.00, www.hmhbooks.com

I'M FEELING LUCKY: THE CONFESSIONS OF GOOGLE EMPLOYEE NUMBER 59 comes from one of Google's early employees who offers his insider's vantage point of the dramatic rise to power of the Google business. Google always embraced extremes and innovation, with its young leaders seeking an idealistic exploration of the new internet environment. Douglas Edwards provides a dramatic, moving account of what it was like to be involved in such a company, offering readers of business books and general nonfiction a vivid page-turner sure to capture attention and interest.

Mother Teresa, CEO
Ruma Bose & Lou Faust
Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650
San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
9781605099514, $21.95, www.bkconnection.com

MOTHER TERESA, CEO: UNEXPECTED PRINCIPLES FOR PRACTICAL LEADERSHIP considers the leadership principles of the saint and how they translate into business and everyday life. The focus is on how the Mother Teresa 'brand' holds implications for a global audience of diverse cultures and industries, with chapters considering how she made her decisions and how she led with a simple vision. Her strategies translate into eight principles covered here for any business manager or business book collection.

The European Union Explained, second edition
Andreas Staab
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton St., Bloomington IN 47404-3797
9780253223036, $21.95, www.iupress.indiana.edu

The European Union Explained offers a fine introduction to the European Union and will appeal to a range of collections, from political science and business holdings to college-level collections strong in the media. This updated second edition provides explanations of basic terms, different frameworks for understanding the Union's creation and purposes, and surveys of the evolution and purposes of the EU. Business collections strong in European business interests will find this a particularly useful reference.

Safety Net
James K. Glassman
Crown Business
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307591265, $23.00, www.crownbusiness.com

SAFETY NET: THE STRATEGY FOR DE-RISKING YOUR INVESTMENTS IN A TIME OF TURBULENCE offers a fine survey on how to build an investing 'safety net' that gives gains for growth but protects in a downturn. From developing criteria for stock assessments and investing in bonds to owning funds based on other currencies, SAFETY NET provides a practical strategy for any who would re-assess investments during turbulent times.

Power Genes
Maggie Craddock
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422166949, $26.95, www.hbr.org/books

POWER GENES: UNDERSTANDING YOUR POWER PERSONA - AND HOW TO WIELD IT AT WORK provides a fine assessment of personal interactions at work and how they relate to childhood dynamics, and surveys how to kick old habits that no longer serve a positive purpose. From workers who want to please or charm to personalities that seek dominance, this outlines four power types, explains how to self-diagnose, and explores how to avoid the destructive tendencies associated with each power type so that positive business change can be enacted. A top pick for any business library!

Designing for Growth
Jeanne Liedtka and Tim Ogilvie
Columbia Business School Publishing
61 West 62nd St., New York NY 10023
9780231158381, $29.95, www.cup.columbia.edu

Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers offers a fine survey of a hot business trend, design thinking or the ability to turn abstract ideas into business applications. The techniques and approaches of design thinking are surveyed in a collection packed with useful approaches to business practices, helping managers turn abstract concepts into daily tools. Highly recommended!

The Best Digital Marketing Campaigns in the World
Damian Ryan and Calvin Jones
Kogan Page USA
1518 Walnut Street, Suite 1100
Philadelphia, PA 19102
9780749460624, $29.99, www.koganpage.com

The Best Digital Marketing Campaigns in the World: Mastering the Art of Customer Engagement offers a fine collection from international successful digital marketing campaigns, and is a pick for any business collection. It shows how all kinds of businesses have used social media, forums, online video and email to attract customers, and it provides case studies that come from top creative marketing endeavors. No business library should be without this!

Understanding China's Economic Indicators
Tom Orlik
FT Press
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0132620197, $49.99, www.ftpress.com

Any investor interested in China's economics must have the comprehensive survey Understanding China's Economic Indicators: Translating the Data into Investment Opportunities. It helps investors understanding all kinds of Chinese economic indicators, from GDP growth and inflation to unemployment, bonds, production and more. Indicators are outlined with in-depth discussions on investment opportunities indicated by each, making this a top pick for any who would invest in Chinese concerns.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Sugar Nation
Jeff O' Connell
Hyperion Books
77 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023-6298
9781401323448, $24.99, www.hyperionbooks.com

SUGAR NATION: THE HIDDEN TRUTH BEHIND AMERICA'S DEADLIEST HABIT AND THE SIMPLE WAY TO BEAT IT began when the author, who was thin and exercised regularly, was diagnosed with pre-diabetes - a disease associated with obesity. His search to understand diabetes is detailed in SUGAR NATION, a powerful investigation blending the author's own experience with his research into diabetes and its causes and treatments. His findings - that diabetics can lead normal, healthy lives without drugs - offer hope to any who would consider lifestyle changes to keep Type 2 Diabetes at bay.

The Wild Life of Our Bodies
Rob Dunn
Harper
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022-5299
9780061806483, $26.99, www.harpercollins.com

The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today uses basic evolutionary biology to show how humans have become disconnected from nature. Our obsession with removing germs from our bodies has resulted in antibacterial drugs and cleaning products and new diseases with greater resistance. THE WILD LIFE OF OUR BODIES offers insights into how we have separated ourselves from nature - and how to regain strength, health, and a better perspective on human/nature connections in the process. Any health or general lending collection as well as science holdings will find this a lively discussion.

Live Raw
Mimi Kirk
Skyhorse Publishing
307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018
9781616082741, $16.95, www.skyhorsepublishing.com

LIVE RAW: RAW FOOD RECIPES FOR GOOD HEALTH AND TIMELESS BEAUTY is a recommendation for any alternative health shelf, and provides a fine survey of how eating a vegetarian, preferably raw vegan diet, can slow the aging process. From detoxifying cleaning programs and daily eating to over 120 raw food recipes for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, this packs in plenty of keys to better living and using raw food programs.

Homeopathy for Today's World
Dr. Rajan Sankaran
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
9781594774034, $18.95, www.healingartspress.com

Homeopathy for Today's World provides a fine book offering insights on how a trained homeopath can decode words and gestures used to describe pain and health conditions, allowing patients to probe their experience of stress and illness and identify the right plant or mineral that can be used in treatment. The focus on understanding and learning one's 'inner song' to reduce negativity and stress makes this a top pick for any alternative healing library.

Radical Medicine
Louisa L. Williams, M.S., D.N.C., N.D.
Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
1594774110, $75.00, www.healingarts.com

Radical Medicine: Cutting-Edge Natural Therapies That Treat the Root Causes of Disease offers a very different approach to uncovering the root causes of a range of chronic diseases from Alzheimer's to heart attacks, offers natural treatments to counter the toxic results of everyday life from dental amalgams to vaccinations, and outlines a program for getting to the root causes of diseases rather than treating symptoms. It comes from a naturopathic physician who explains how to fight degenerative diseases and explores the idea that teeth treatments are one of the root causes of other disease patterns in the body. Its assessment of holistic, natural therapies makes for a powerful body of knowledge key to any natural healing collection.

Epigenetics
Richard C. Francis
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393070057, $25.95, www.wwnorton.com

EPIGENETICS; THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY OF INHERITANCE provides science, health and general interest readers with the first book on the new field of epigenetics. From genetic influences on reproduction and health to how epigenetic effects alter gene behavior without changing the genetic code, this surveys influences on generations and consider how environmentally induced epigenetics produce variety and change. Epigenetic effects are reversible, and this book offers insights on how epigenetic engineering will be changing the face of medical treatments in the future.

An Anatomy of Addiction
Howard Markel
Pantheon
c/o Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780375423307, $28.95, www.randomhouse.com

An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine comes from a medical historian and documents the years-long cocaine use of Freud and surgeon Halsted. It discusses the physical and emotional damage caused by the 'wonder drug' of their times, and considers how each man's purpose and approaches changed the world in spite of their addiction. Medical, biography and general-interest collections will find the writing lively and compelling.

Pediatric Nursing, 3rd edition
Nicki L. Potts and Barbara L. Mandleco
Delmar
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
1435486722, $147.95, www.cengage.com/delmar

The third updated edition of Pediatric Nursing: Caring for Children and Their Families offers an excellent survey to caring for pediatric clients and uses a holistic, family-oriented approach to the care of children in all state of health. New to this edition is expanded coverage of obesity, surveys of ethical theories in nursing, the latest research in drugs and ADD, expanded coverage of depression and other behaviors, and much more. Any college-level nursing reference library will appreciate the extensive survey of all the issues affecting the nursing profession as a whole, and will come to consider this a top library reference!

Callous Disregard
Andrew J. Wakefield
Skyhorse Publishing
555 - 8th Avenue #903, New York NY 10018
9781616081690, $26.95, www.skyhorsepublishing.com

CALLOUS DISREGARD: AUTISM AND VACCINES - THE TRUTH BEHIND A TRAGEDY comes from an academic gastroenterologist author who received his medical degree in 1981 and who asks if the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe and if it can cause autistic regression. He published an early report identifying possible problems and evoked a storm of controversy as a result with his recommendation for single vaccines. CALLOUS DISREGARD documents his concerns and is a 'must' for any collection where parents are concerned about vaccine safety.

Real Behavior Change in Primary Care
Patricia J. Robinson, PHD, et.al.
New Harbinger
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland CA 94609
9781572248328, $59.95, www.newharbinger.com

Real Behavior Change in Primary Care: Improving Patient Outcomes & Increasing Job Satisfaction is a fine pick for any healthcare professional and focuses on acceptance and commitment therapy which has shown fine results with patients in helping them manage diabetes, chronic pain and more. Health care professionals learn how to teach patients the ACT techniques that help them become aware of avoidant behaviors that hinder good health, with chapters providing links between mind and body health objectives. Any involved in patient care, education and primary care needs this specific guide to successful behavior modification.

Hormones of Life
Christer Nordlund
Science History Publications
Box 1240, Sagamore Beach, MA 02562-1240
9780881354751, $34.95, www.shpusa.com

Hormones of Life: Endocrinology, the Pharmaceutical Industry, and the Dream of a Remedy for Sterility 1930-1970 provides a well-written story of Gonadex, drug developments, and the origins and development of the modern pharmaceutical industry today. Gonadex was supposed to be a cure for sterility: today few recall the drug's name. It was on the market for decades despite never showing results. This considers the realm of reproductive endocrinology development and hormone therapies and reveals the process of research and development as a whole. Any serious medical library needs this history, reminding of how the modern pharmaceutical industry developed.

Wrong Medicine, 2nd edition
Lawrence J. Schneiderman, MD and Nancy S. Jecker, PhD
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
080189851X, $30.00, www.press.jhu.edu

The second updated edition of WRONG MEDICINE: DOCTORS, PATIENTS, AND FUTILE TREATMENT is a 'must' for any college-level collection strong in medical ethics, and is written by a physician and a philosopher expert in medical ethics. Key topics include the right to life and debates on euthanasia, the management of critically ill patients, and more, with case histories supplementing social, legal and ethical concerns. Based on the latest research, this documents a range of issues modern health care professionals face.

The Color of Atmosphere
Maggie Kozel, MD
Chelsea Green Publishing
Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001
9781603582971, $17.95, www.chelseagreen.com

The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor's Journey In and Out of Medicine blends autobiography with insights into the changing medical history as it documents the author's change from an idealistic young pediatrician through her Navy experience with universal health coverage to private practice. Her changing perceptions and experiences observe the changes affecting the health care system in America today, making this a top reference for any serious medical issues collection as well as many a general interest library.

Dictionary of Developmental Disabilities Terminology, 3rd edition
Pasquale J. Accardo & Barbara Y. Whitman
Brookes Publishing
P.O. Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781598570700, $39.95, www.brookespublishing.com

Dictionary of Developmental Disabilities Terminology, 3rd edition offers a fine survey for any collection concerned with children with special needs, offering over 4,000 disability terms with jargon-free definitions. 800 new entries reveals the latest development in the disability field, with easy entries covering assessment tools, new medications, recent legislation, medical issues and cross-references of synonyms. A top pick for any library concerned with education, health, or children's needs!


The Travel Shelf

Mousejunkies!, 2nd edition
Bill Burke
Travelers' Tales
853 Alma St., Palo Alto CA 94301
9781609520229, $19.95, www.travelerstales.com

Mousejunkies! More Tips, Tales & Tricks for a Disney World Fix appears in its second updated edition to provide a fine survey of everything you need to know for a perfect vacation. This comes from the Disney fans who go year after year and spend all their time planning their next trip, and making the most of Disney World. From beating crowds and using passes to best times to go, what to bring, and more, this offers everything you need to know to plan a better Disney World experience and is a 'must' for any general lending library with a strong domestic travel collection.

National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of Canada
National Geographic Books
1145 - 17th St. NW, Washington DC 20036-4688
www.nationalgeographic.com/books
9781426208058, $26.00, www.amazon.com

Guide to the National Parks of Canada is the perfect take-along tote for any planning an outdoor visit to Canada, offering the first official guidebook of National Geographic to profile all 42 of the country's national parks. It packs in color photos and practical destination information and is written by Canadians who are experts in the country's national parks. Each park receives a history, discussion of natural wonders, and practical tips on getting there, when to go, where to stay, and activities. Highly recommended for any planning a visit!

Lonely Planet Turkey
James Bainbridge, et.al.
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781741797244, $25.99, www.lonelyplanet.com

LONELY PLANET TURKEY offers a rich history, pull-out and smaller regional maps (over 112 maps!), and surveys by eight authors representing six months of research into independent travel throughout turkey. It provides an excellent blend of cultural observations and destination-oriented details, offering many fine keys to understanding the peoples and unique opportunities of Turkey as a whole. Joining others in Lonely Planet's fine series, this covers everything the independent traveler needs to know and is a top pick for any heading to Turkey.

Wanderlust
Elisabeth Eaves
Seal Press
1700 - 4th St., Berkeley CA 94710
9781580053112, $16.95, www.sealpress.com

WANDERLUST: A LOVE AFFAIR WITH FIVE CONTINENTS provides a powerful survey documenting the author's love of travel and exploration. Her desire to explore and experience the unfamiliar resulted in journeys around the world from the Middle East to the South pacific. She backpacked through Yemen, worked in Pakistan, and sailed to Fiji. Her observations of an independent woman on the road will provide lively documentation for any armchair or would-be destination traveler, and for collections catering to them.

Maya Roads
Mary Jo McConahay
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
9781569765487, $16.95, www.chicagoreviewpress.com

MAYA ROADS: ONE WOMAN'S JOURNEY AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE RAINFOREST provides a powerful travel memoir for any armchair reader concerned with Central America, and is a pick for a range of collections from travel libraries to those strong in social issues in the region. The author's three decades of traveling, working and living in remote Central America locales contributes to a powerful account of Maya life in the jungle, which is as affected by poverty and violence as it is by jungle living's challenges. A vivid, moving exploration of modern Mayan concerns!


The Money/Finance Shelf

The New Bankruptcy, 4th edition
Attorney Stephen R. Elias
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
1413313914, $24.99, www.nolo.com

The New Bankruptcy: Will It Work For You? Teaches all the basics about the revised laws regarding Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, showing how to wipe debt, keep assets, and understand the new qualification procedures. It provide a thorough assessment of how to understand and best use the latest laws, covering how repayment plans work in Chapter 13, how bankruptcy affects homeowners, and more. It's a top reference choice that any general lending collection needs!


The Language Studies Shelf

Working Portuguese for Beginners, Teacher's Edition
Monica Rector, et.al.
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
9781589016873, $74.95, www.press.georgetown.edu

Working Portuguese for Beginners provides a fine Teacher's Edition offering up some twenty-four lessons paired with objectives for acquiring Portuguese language skills. Lessons cover business tasks in Brazilian Portuguese, offering dialogues, vocabulary lists, course directions, and lessons geared for classroom and independent learners alike. An accompanying DVD-ROM offers teaching activities, keys to customized grading options, directions to online exercises for students, and more.

Basic Spoken Chinese
Cornelius C. Kubler
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804840156, $49.95, www.tuttlepublishing.com

Basic Spoken Chinese comes with an audio CD that provides over 6 hours of native-speaker audio to accompany clear explanations in English to help with Chinese pronunciation, grammar and culture. Some 40 videos on another disc with dozens of native speakers filmed on location accompany a book that helps reinforce basic spoken Chinese, providing beginners keys to basic understanding and fluency in spoken Mandarin. Any Chinese language learner should have this, and any reference library catering to them must have it!


The Technology Shelf

Wavelets: A Primer
Christian Blatter
AK Peters, Ltd.
63 South Avenue, Natick, MA 01760
1568811950, $49.00, www.akpeters.com

Wavelets: A Primer is a fine recommendation for any college-level collection strong in engineering, and grew out of a short course for math students on the subject of wavelets. Illustrations, examples, and discussions offer a fine introduction to the field and is a pick for math students who have knowledge of analysis with little practical applications.

HTC Thunderbolt for Dummies
Dan Gookin
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781118076019, $24.99, www.wiley.com

HTC Thunderbolt for Dummies offers a visual approach for any programmer working with hardware for handheld devices. It teaches step-by-step tips for managing smartphones form email to using maps and playing games and shows how to manage the HTC ThunderBolt smartphone. Step-by-step examples, color screen shots throughout, and keys to understanding all the icons and customization techniques for a ThunderBolt smartphone make this a top reference for any owner of the phone who wants in-depth details on customization.

Heating and Air Conditioning, 5th edition
Delmar
c/o Cengage Learning, Inc.
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902
1111127093, $23.95, www.trainingbay.cengage.com

Delmar's ASE TEST PREPARATION TEST A7: HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING offers practice exams, key features and surveys that review what to expect when taking an ASE exam, and provides the latest keys to each task involved in answering all ASE questions - here covering heating and air conditioning. It uses all ASE-style exam questions in practices and provides detailed explanations of all answers for maximum comprehension in a reference highly recommended for any ASE test collection.

Klystrons, Traveling Wave Tubes, Magnetrons, Crossed-Field Amplifiers, and Guyrotrons
A.S. Gimmour, Jr.
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062 USA
1608071847, $159.00, www.artechhouse.com

Klystrons, Traveling Wave Tubes, Magnetrons, Crossed-Field Amplifiers, and Guyrotrons provides an excellent in-depth college-level engineering collection reference that considers tubes used for high-power applications. Some fifty years of the author's industry experience lends to a thorough resource that introduces newcomers to the basics of tube engineering while providing working professionals with coverage of all major tube classifications. From coaxial magnetrons to handling noise effects, this is a solid reference recommendation for any engineering library.

Electromagnetic Scattering and Material Characterization
Abbas Omar
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062 USA
1596932163, $139.00, www.artechhouse.com

Electromagnetic Scattering and Material Characterization is based on over 30 years of the author's experience and provides a comprehensive analysis of electromagnetic fields and their scattering by material objects. From radiation to approaches for computing electromagnetic fields and assessing their behaviors, this technical college-level engineering recommendation packs in over 400 equations and in-depth analysis of resonators, guided waves and more. Any engineering student and many a science holding will find this technical, specific, and a key reference.


The Science Shelf

Capturing Carbon
Robin M. Mills
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd St., New York NY 10023
9780231701860, $35.00, www.cup.columbia.edu

CAPTURING CARBON: THE NEW WEAPON IN THE WAR AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE considers the issue of low-carbon alternatives and whether they are actually safe or eco-friendly. Chapters suitable for college-level environmental issues holdings examine the need for new technology in capturing carbon and come from a longtime energy professional with a background in both geology and economics. His expertise lends to a powerful analysis perfect for science and technology holdings.

Boneheads: My Search for T. Rex
Richard Polsky
Council Oak Books
2 West 6th St., Suite 262, Tulsa OK 74119
9781571782533, $25.00, www.counciloakbooks.com

Boneheads: My Search for T. Rex deserves ongoing recognition as a fine and funny account of the author's involvement with fellow 'Boneheads' - dinosaur hunters - in South Dakota's badlands. This particular group is intent on unearthing a T. Rex skeleton - and consists of a modern stone-age family of odd personalities who join forces based on their mutual obsession with fossils. A hilarious, moving account will find its place in any general lending library!

The Beginning of Infinity
David Deutsch
Viking Press
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780670022755, $30.00, www.penguin.com

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World comes from an award-winning British physicist in quantum computation who examines the philosophy of science and makes involving conclusions in the nature of human choice and results. History, art, science and more are connected to different scientific fields in a book that surveys explanations and changes linked to concepts of how ideas hold a key place in the universe. Science and general-interest holdings alike will welcome this survey!

The Manga Guide to Relativity
Hideo Nitta, et.al.
No Starch Press
38 Ringold St., San Francisco CA 94123
9781593272722, $19.95, www.nostarch.com

The Manga Guide to Relativity is highly recommended for lay audiences who want to learn science through an easy cartoon/manga approach to the subject. From basic formulas and calculations to the history of experiments and theories in relativity, black and white manga comics accompany discussions, charts and easy diagrams that use a visual and pop culture approach to address a challenging topic. Any general collection for lay readers will find this a fine, popular approach!

The Optimism Bias
Tali Sharot
Pantheon
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780307378484, $25.95, www.pantheonbooks.com

THE OPTIMISM BIAS: A TOUR OF THE IRRATIONALLY POSITIVE BRAIN comes from a prominent neuroscientist who investigates the bias towards optimism and how the brain generates hope. From differing brains and approaches of optimists and pessimists to how emotions hamper the ability to recall, this offers a blend of science and psychology to offer many insights into brain functions and the inherent traits of optimism or negativity. General collections as well as psychology or science holdings will appreciate the involving approach.

The Whole-Brain Path to Peace
James Olson
Origin Press
6-A Meadow Way, Fairfax CA 94930
9781579830557, $21.95, www.thewholebrainpath.com

The Whole-Brain Path to Peace offers the latest brain research science with attention to how it relates to lifestyle, politics and cultural choices that lead to peace. Those who live holistically draw from the right brain; scientists and businesspeople are among those who are left-brain oriented. THE WHOLE BRAIN PATH TO PEACE discusses managing both hemispheres of the brain for better results, investigating how each brain's thought processes affect interactions and peaceful progression. The product of integrating two very different processes will lead to peace: that's the contention of a fine blend of science, philosophy and social issues recommended for new age and general libraries alike.

The Advanced Smart Grid: Edge Power Driving Sustainability
Andres Carvallo and John Cooper
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062 USA
9781608071272, $89.00, www.artechhouse.com

The Advanced Smart Grid: Edge Power Driving Sustainability provides an insider's reference on the evolution of smart grids in our times, surveying the components that go into such grids from power plant and transmission substations to meter automation and considering the technology's evolution. Explanations of how an advanced smart grid differs and uses smart technology and management for energy storage and distribution uses the design and construction of the first citywide smart grid in the country as a case study. Any college-level technology collection will welcome this!

Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone
Marc Hendrix
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
9780878425761, $24.00, www.mountain-press.com

Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone focuses on the geologic wonders that is Yellowstone National Park and comes from a geologist who surveys over twenty different geologic locations within the park. Yellowstone's history is told from the geologic viewpoint and surveys earthquakes, volcanoes, and upheavals both pre-human and since human awareness. It's intended for the destination-oriented reader planning a trip to Yellowstone and provides a road map of geologic wonders that can be observed today, with the help of GEOLOGY UNDERFOOT IN YELLOWSTONE. Any library strong in geology and travel will welcome this guide.

Fatal Invention
Dorothy Roberts
New Press
38 Greene Street, 4th Floor, New York NY 10013
9781595584953, $29.95, www.thenewpress.com

FATAL INVENTION: HOW SCIENCE, POLITICS, AND BIG BUSINESS RE-CREATE RATE IN THE 21ST CENTURY provides a major, ground-breaking assessment of race and bioethics and argues that race does not exist on a genetic level. This is a view supported by scientists even as elements of society continues the belief that biological race exists. Race does exist socially and politically. This title examines connections between identity and genetics and is the first book to trace the evolution of racial science and biotechnology based on genetics. Any collection serious about race and genetics connections must have this!

Dolphin Diaries
Dr. Denise L. Herzing
St. Martin's Press
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780312608965, $26.99, www.stmartins.com

DOLPHIN DIARIES: MY 25 YEARS WITH SPOTTED DOLPHINS IN THE BAHAMAS comes from a doctor who has studied dolphins, founded the Wild Dolphin Project, and researched dolphin behavior as early as 1985 with a pod of wild spotted dolphins in the Bahamas. Her involvement with three generations of dolphins provides a fine account of her research and encounters, and her two-way communication project with the dolphins, and makes for lively reading for general and science collections alike.

The Authentic Animal
Dave Madden
St. Martin's Press
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780312643713, $26.99, www.stmartins.com

THE AUTHENTIC ANIMAL: INSIDE THE ODD AND OBSESSIVE WORLD OF TAXIDERMY explores the history and culture of taxidermy and explores the lives of taxidermists who made their mark by recreating animals and environments for the public. His investigation of how the taxidermist creates the 'authentic animal' that looks realistic makes for chapters reflecting five years of research into taxidermy in a fine survey of the topic and its culture. Science and general collections will find it accessible to newcomers.

The Sun's Heartbeat
Bob Berman
Little, Brown
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9780316091015, $25.99, www.hachettebookgroup.com

THE SUN'S HEARTBEAT AND OTHER STORIES FROM THE LIFE OF THE STAR THAT POWERS OUR PLANET provides an excellent survey that is the result of three decades of growing fascination with the sun. Facts about the sun and how it affects life on Earth are provided in a scientific survey accessible to non-scientist lay audiences in general collections, offering insights into how the sun's behavior affects human life and endeavors. A fine pick for any collection strong in popular astronomy!


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

Crazy4Cult: Cult Movie Art
Gallery 1988
Titan Books
144 Southwark Street, London SE1 OUP, UK
9780857681034, $34.95, www.titanbooks.com

Crazy4Cult: Cult Movie Art offers a fine set of insights into cult movies and comes from the annual Crazy 4 Cult art show at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles. Any who can't make the show will find this a fine survey of the best of the first four years of the show, packing in full color images of art from over 150 artists inspired by movies ranging from Blade Runner and Jaws to Tron, Donnie Darko, and Pulp Fiction. While this could have been featured in our 'Arts' section, it's reviewed here to assure film collections won't miss its fabulous details and representations of classic cult films.

Master Shots V. 2
Christopher Kenworthy
Michael Wiese
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781615930555, $26.95, www.mwp.com

Master Shots V. 2 provides a fine sequel to the first Master Shots and goes deeper into the topic, surveying directors' secrets for enlivening dialogue and using popular films to explore techniques to set up camera and actors for better dialogue and drama. Any film director or cinematographer or writer will find this packed with practical applications for improving dialogue, discussing specific shots, their challenges, and improvement possibilities.

Reality TV
Troy DeVolld
Michael Wiese
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781932907995, $24.95, www.mwp.com

Reality TV: An Insider's Guide to TV's Hottest Market provides a powerful performing arts guide to television production and is a 'must' for any serious television and film collection. It covers the basics of Reality shows and how the production teams work, showing how to write and produce a Reality show and providing film students with details on how to cross into the genre from regular television production. Chapters offer samplings of notes from the field, keys to production differences in Reality TV, and options all film producers and writers will find key to success.

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit
Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
Touchstone
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781439186756, $23.99, www.simonandschuster.com

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too provides an insider's account on how to structure, pitch and create best-selling movies, and is a 'must' for any film collection. It's a practical guide to writing hit movies that make a lot of money and as such, offers keys to conquering the Hollywood studio system. From lunching with key personalities to getting paid for work, this covers everything from formatting a script correctly - something almost nobody does - to making the pitch and learning what differentiates professionals from would-bes. Its pages packed with practical tips are simply invaluable.

Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood
Ron Backer
McFarland & Company
Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786448647, $45.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com

Mystery Movie Series of 1940s Hollywood focuses on 19 series - over a hundred forty films - and provides plenty of film data for features such as The Shadow, the saint, The Falcon, Inner Sanctum and more. Each series provides a review of source material, films within the series, performers and critical assessment of the films, also offering comparative details between the film and its source. Vintage black and white photos accompany discussions of themes, side plots, and more and contribute to a top pick for any in-depth film collection.

The Art of Cars
Ben Queen with Karen Paik
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
9780811878913, $40.00, www.chroniclebooks.com

The Art of Cars packs in a fine collection of new characters and explore the art and story development that built the latest Cars 2 animated production. Ben Queen was the screenwriter on the film and he provides a complete coverage of its evolution, from its early pencil drawings and sketches to storyboards, color scripts, and more. Any fan of the Cars movies will find this a 'must' keepsake detailing its entire production, worthy of inclusion in film and arts holdings alike.

Television as Digital Media
James Bennett and Niki Strange, Eds.
Duke University Press
Box 90660, Durham, NC 27708-0660
9780822349105 $26.95, www.dukeupress.edu

Scholars from Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. combine television studies with new media studies in a technical college-level assessment analyzing digital television and its role in digital culture. The scholarly essays offer not just analysis but a new critical paradigm for thinking about the future of television studies as a whole, with explanations of how hybrid cultural and technological forms are spreading across all kinds of platforms beyond TV, from mobile phones to games and iPods. Any college-level media arts collection must have this.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Horses Never Lie, 2nd edition
Mark Rashid
Skyhorse Publishing
307 West 36th St., 11th Floor, New York NY 10018
9781616082413, $24.95, www.skyhorsepublishing.com

HORSES NEVER LIE: THE HEART OF PASSIVE LEADERSHIP appears in a revised, updated second edition and is a pick for business and general libraries alike. It offers seven sections based on the author's own struggles and successes training horses, reflecting on lessons learned during the process that apply equally to horse training and business leadership. Don't anticipate information on tack or training tools for passive leadership: do anticipate a thorough review of attitude and how it makes a different throughout the entire process.

100 Top Consultations in Small Animal General Practice
Peter Hill, et.al.
Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
9781405169493, $61.99, www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

100 Top Consultations in Small Animal General Practice comes from experts who provide a basic guide to the most common problems encountered in small animal general practice. 100 scenarios cover the basics of how to make a diagnosis, which interventions are most appropriate in general practice, and everything from annual health to euthanasia. Sidebars of 'low cost options' and 'what if it doesn't get better' notes accompany color photos and in-depth discussions perfect for any veterinary reference collection.

Wiley-Blackwell
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Duncan & Prasse's VETERINARY LABORATORY MEDICINE CLINICAL PATHOLOGY, 5TH EDITION by Kenneth S. Latimer (9780813820149, $79.99) appears in full color throughout and provides a fine review of clinical chemistry, hematology and more covering all major domestic species. Its purpose is to help readers locate answers to common clinical questions, and it provides both introductory surveys and updates reflecting the latest diagnostic methods and knowledge. Links to a companion website provide full reference to all downloadable details in a highly recommended guide for any vet collection. Donald C. Plumb's VETERINARY DRUG HANDBOOK, 7TH EDITION (9780470959640, $79.99) provides the latest vet drug information in a solid reference for practicing vets and college collections alike. Monographs on each drug discuss uses, indicators, contra indicators, and doses for dogs and cats, small mammals, ruminants and more. Sidebars of prescriber highlights accompany in-depth details in a 'must' for any vet's library. Blackwell's FIVE-MINUTE VETERINARY CONSULT: SMALL MAMMAL, 2ND EDITION edited by Barbara L. Oglesbee (9780813820187, $99.99) pulls together a wide range of treatment details on veterinary medicine for small and exotic mammals and is a 'must' for any practicing vet's library. Sections are organized by species, are alphabetical, and lends to a quick resource for the diagnosis and treatment of small mammals. This second edition includes online access to handouts that can be used in the vet clinic for clients.

An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches
Ekaterina Smirnova
Mark Batty Publisher LLC
68 Jay Street, Suite 410, Brooklyn, NY 11201
9781935613183, $17.95, www.markbattypublisher.com

An Illustrated Guide to Cockroaches provides an excellent guide to the cockroach and describes different species of roaches, from the Madagascar hissing cockroach to other roaches around the world. Stories about roaches in space and more accompany the author's graphic designs and pairs art with science in a lively format certain to appeal to general audiences as well as specialty collections.

The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs
Judy Burris & Wayne Richards
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781603429856, $24.95, www.storey.com

The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs is a pick for any home and garden collection, comes from a sibling author-photographer team, and offers a close focus on common backyard bugs. Each is displayed close-up in its natural surroundings accompanying many details on its natural history and backyard environment. The result is an outstanding pick for any science or home and garden general lending collection.


The Automotive Shelf

How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Big-Blocks on a Budget
David Vizard
Car Tech Books
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
9781934709382, $24.95, www.cartechbooks.com

The Chevy big block has powered many a muscle car as it is; but with a rebuild it can become even bigger - and a rebuild can be achieved on a budget by consulting How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Big-Blocks on a Budget. Chevy heads suffer from poor port design and valve positioning: a rebuild involves addressing these and other inherent design flaws to obtain maximum performance. Chapters provide all the basics on locating aftermarket parts, matching them to the Chevy, and making changes. Any library strong in auto repair and modification references must have this illustration-filled how-to.

Jaguar XJ220
Mike Moreton
Veloce Publishing
Parkway Farm Business Park, Middle Farm Way
Poundbury, Dorchester, DT1 3AR, England
info@veloce.co.uk
9781845842505, $49.95, www.veloce.co.uk

Jaguar XJ220 - The Inside Story provides a fine survey of the Jaguar XJ220 car that evolved from a 1988 concept car to a finished model of some 350 limited edition cars that sold out in a day. Author Mike Moreton was headhunted for the Jaguar project and here provides the inside story of this high-tech car's development. Add pages packed with color photos and history throughout and you have a powerful, involving auto coverage perfect for any transportation collection.

Phil Hill: A Driving Life
Phil Hill
David Bull Publishing
4250 E. Camelback Road, Suite K. 150
Phoenix, AZ 85018
1935007076, $75.00, www.bullpublishing.com

Phil Hill: A Driving Life is simply a 'must have' for any automotive history library and for fans interested in Formula 1 and other auto racing histories. Phil Hill won the 1961 Formula One and multiple other victories at big-name tracks: here his experiences and knowledge are presented in a series of 26 articles that originally appeared in Road and Track Magazine. They describe his experiences as a driver, car history and technical features, and more, and are accompanied by oversize pages packed with color photos by Phil Hill's longtime friend and editor John Lamm. Very highly recommended as a top reference for any serious auto history holding!

Performance Automotive Engine Math
John Baechtel
S-A Design
c/o Cartech Books
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
9781934709474, $29.95, www.cartech.com

Performance Automotive Engine Math discusses parts of the engine using math common to any discussion of competitive performance engines, and is a recommendation for any automotive history collection. Auto enthusiasts will enjoy a fine survey of math based on various engine parts and how they work, and will appreciate a survey that includes plenty of cut-aways and illustrations to formulas that relate directly to automotive performance specs. A 'must' for any auto enthusiast's library!


The World History Shelf

Carthage Must Be Destroyed
Richard Miles
Viking Press
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780670022663, $35.00, www.penguin.com

Centuries before Christ's birth, Carthage was a powerful city-state that battled with Rome for decades for control of the Classical World. Much of this battle has been presented with a decidedly Roman viewpoint: CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED: THE RISE AND FALL OF AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION uses new archaeological research to provide an alternate view of Carthage and its role in the late Bronze Age world, charting the struggle between Carthage and the Romans and offering a fine focus on a lost empire's lasting legacy.

A History of the Modern Middle East, 4th edition
William L. Cleveland and Martin Bunton
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813343747, $50.00, www.westviewpress.com

The 4th updated edition of A History of the Modern Middle East offers a comprehensive work analyzing modern Middle East history from the Ottoman and Egyptian reforms through the American invasion of Iraq. It covers two centuries of the region's many changes, offering a blend of social and political history that takes into account world influences and developments. A new chapter devoted to America's influence in the region covers the aftermath of the Iraq war and Iranian nuclear interests in this powerful pick for any college-level collection seeking an introductory text.


The American History Shelf

The Secret History of the First US Mint
Leonard Augsburger and Joel J. Orosz
Whitman Publishing
3101 Clairmont Rd Suite C, Atlanta, GA 30429
9780794832445, $24.95, www.whitmanbooks.com

The Secret History of the First US Mint: How Frank H. Stewart Destroyed - And Then Saved - A National Treasure tells the story of a high-school dropout who wrote the history of the country's first coin factory, buying the old Mint, preserving it - and ultimately failing. Any interested in coin history and collecting will find this filled with insights on how Stewart struggled to preserve the Mint in a history that pairs written word with vintage photos, sketches and illustrations from a range of archival material. Any collection strong in U.S. history and coin collecting must have this in-depth survey!

The Middle East and the United States, 5th edition
David W. Lesch and Mark L. Haas, Editors
Westview Press
2465 Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301
9780813345291, $50.00, www.westviewpress.com

The Middle East and the United States appears in a 5th updated edition that includes entirely new chapters covering Bush, Obama, the Arab-Israeli conflict, US-Syrian and Iranian relations, and more. Discussions of the influence of the U.S. in the region and its relationship with al-Qaida compliment ten revised chapters that update relationships into the Obama administration. An outstanding college-level survey of the changing relationships between the two administrations!

Anything Goes
Lucy Moore
The Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012
9781590204399, $15.95, www.overlookpress.com

ANYTHING GOES: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE ROARING TWENTIES provides a fine social history of 1920s America, packed with the rise of Hollywood, gangster crime, political trials and events, and more. Stories of the people and events that characterized the Jazz Age make for a fine survey of an era of passion and change that energized America. This lively coverage is suitable for history and general lending collections alike!

Mightier Than the Sword
David S. Reynolds
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393081329, $27.95, www.wwnorton.com

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: UNCLE TOM'S CABIN AND THE BATTLE FOR AMERICA provides a fine review of how Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling title contributed to the human rights movement in America - and continues to have an impact on modern times. From how Uncle Tom's Cabin fueled initial debates over slavery to modern responses and impacts, this provides both a literary and historical approach to the novel and is recommended for both college-level literature and history holdings alike!

The Bronco Bill Gang
Karen Holliday Tanner and John D. Tanner
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806141657, $29.95, www.oupress.com

THE BRONCO BILL GANG is a fine recommendation for any college-level collection strong in early American Western history and culture and documents the short career of 'bronco Bill' and his gang. It considers his outlaw history, how he became notorious, the gunfights that immersed the West, and how Bronco Bill affected New Mexico and Arizona history and development. A fine, vivid study for any college-level Western American history holding.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Do You QuantumThink?
Dianne Collins
SelectBooks
1 Union Square West, Suite 909
New York City, NY 10003
9781590790748, $24.95, www.selectbooks.com

Do You QuantumThink? New Thinking That Will ROCK Your World is a pick for any new age collection and blends science, philosophy and spirituality for a hard-hitting survey of innovations that will free readers from limiting ideas and cover the basic principles for more positive living. It shares the author's discovery that a critical missing link can help make sense of changing times, and more importantly it draws connections between this link and alternative ways of perceiving the world and its events. A fine 'must' for any new age lending library!


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Minding Closely
B. Alan Wallace
Snow Lion
Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
1559393696, $24.95, www.snowlionpub.com

MINDING CLOSELY: THE FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS is a fine recommendation for Buddhism Studies collections alike, and explains the theory and applications of mindfulness, the direct path to enlightenment. These are techniques which cross beliefs and ideologies to teach how to mind the body as we relax and differentiate awareness with reactions. Any interested in Buddhist thought, meditative practices or mindful thinking will find this a specific reference filled with exercises and insights.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Wonderful 1 Fabric Curves
Kay Nickols
AQS Publishing
Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
9781574326475, $24.95, www.americanquilter.com

Wonderful 1 Fabric Curves features a range of options that can be created using one block and unlimited designs, showing how different template placement changes the look of the blocks and allows more than one quilt to be made with the same border print. 27 quilts can be produced using just two templates with this book, which shows how to pair fabrics and layouts for maximum results.

Beautiful Wild Flower Applique
Zena Thorpe
AQS Publishing
Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
9781604600032, $26.95, www.americanquilter.com

Beautiful Wild Flower Applique comes from an award-winning quilter and member of the Master Quilter's guild and presents botanically correct appliqued flowers in patterns that can adapt to a range of projects. Full-sized patterns accompany instructions for a wildflower wallhanging and over 30 original patterns for flower ranging from sundew and Lincoln Bells to Angelica. Any working with applique will find this a winner, packed with lovely flower arrangements!

Seamless (or Nearly Seamless) Knits
Andra Knight-Bowman
Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Ave NE Suite 102
Bothell, WA 98011-9511
9781604680287, $24.99, www.martingale-pub.com

Seamless (or Nearly Seamless) Knits is a top pick for any knitting collection and provides a survey of projects designed for knitting either in one piece or in pieces. Nineteen women's garments in different sizes pair color photos with step-by-step knitting instructions and make for a collection that focuses on knits both stylish and easy to produce. Any library looking to add knitting titles will find this a winner!

Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Ave NE Suite 102
Bothell, WA 98011-9511
www.martingale-pub.com

McCalls's RED, WHITE, AND SOMETIMES BLUE (9781604680515, $24.99) gathers quilts from the pages of McCall's Quilting and provides seventeen project designs featuring red-white and blue-white designs. A wide range of themes work within these classic colors, while quilts use both patchwork and applique designs and provide fun applications and mixes of theme and colors. Any quilting collection interested in expanding possibilities for projects will welcome this survey. Quilting collections will also welcome That Patchwork Place's ALL-TIME FAVORITE SCRAP QUILTS (9781604680539, $24.99) packing in nearly twenty quilt projects with step-by-step instructions and lovely photos of how scrap quilts evolve. These projects come from a range of quilt experts and provide a satisfyingly diverse set of approaches to scrap quilts. Also recommended is That Patchwork Place's JELLY BABIES: ADORABLE QUILTS FROM 2 1/2" STRIPS (9781604680560, $24.99), offering quilters modern unique designs for baby quilts that use precut strips. Some 14 'welcoming quilts' for babies present a range of styles and tips for quick construction perfect for a new baby's arrival. Tammy Johnson and Avis Shirer's FARM GIRL QUILTS: CELEBRATING THE COUNTRY LIFE (9781604680614, $24.99) offers a fine selection of designs based on light and bright color blends on country-style quilts, with 12 patchwork and applique designs inspired by the Iowa farms where the authors grew up making for a range of projects. Descriptions of country life and how they translate to quilt designs accompany color photos, full-page patterns, and step-by-step instructions perfect for quilters seeking country theme inspirations.

Thimbleberries Small Wonders
Lynette Jensen
Landauer Publishing
3100 - 101st St., Urbandale IA 50322
9781935726043, $29.95, www.landauercorp.com

Thimbleberries Small Wonders offers over forty quilting ideas for the home, from table runners and wall quilts to pillows and notebook covers, and is an outstanding pick for any quilter who wants to produce decorative items for the home. Color photos pack a presentation that covers cutting assembly and style options in a pick recommended for quilters seeking wider applications for their skills.

Harvesting Color
Rebecca Burgess
Artisan Books
225 Varick Street, New York NY 10014-4381
9781579654252, $22.95, www.artisanbooks.com

HARVESTING COLOR: HOW TO FIND PLANTS AND MAKE NATURAL DYES provides a fine survey packed with color photos and keys to identifying nearly forty plants that yield lovely dye shades. Her master dye recipes for creating eco-friendly dyes accompany chapters of knitting projects that can be completed using the dyed wools. The focus on seasonal harvests and dying methods that are environmentally friendly makes for an outstanding reference for any needleworker looking to hand-dye wools.

Contemporary Irish Knits
Carol Feller
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470889244, $24.99, www.wiley.com

Contemporary Irish Knits packs in some 20 projects that make use of cabled Aran stitches but tailor them in new modern ways that blend traditional construction and stitch patterns with contemporary designs. Color photos and black and white knitting patterns accompany step-by-step instructions on how to produce cardigans, a cable-and-lace wrap, and many more. Any knitting collection will benefit from these fine projects!


The Architecture Shelf

Get Your House Right
Marianne Cusato & Ben Pentreath, et.al.
Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016-8810
9781402791031, $19.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

GET YOUR HOUSE RIGHT: ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS TO USE & AVOID is a top pick for any home reference library, surveying the basics of architectural construction and offering applied field tips to concepts of balance, harmony, and the overall construction process. From window choices to handling attic spaces, this pairs sidebars of 'what to know' tips on specific construction needs to discussions on how to assess a house's requirements. Any involved in remodeling will find this a 'must'!

The Vintage House
Mark Alan Hewitt and Gordon Bock
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393706192, $49.95, www.wwnorton.com

Both architecture and home and garden collections will benefit from THE VINTAGE HOUSE: A GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL RENOVATIONS AND ADDITIONS. It provides homeowners with a fine collection of renovations and historic preservation considerations, exploring how homes grow and change and how to handle common issues involved in changing an old house, from changing floor space to additions. The focus is on retaining historic character throughout the process, with chapters packed with sustainable building options and analysis of many different options.

Understanding Green Building Materials
Traci Rose Rider, et.al.
W.W. Norton
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393733174, $24.95, www.wwnorton.com

Understanding Green Building Materials is a pick for architects, home designers and builders, and homeowners who want to understand the choices involved in 'green' building materials. A number of new products and manufacturers are being constantly introduced to the market as options, leaving professionals to constantly re-evaluate products and standards. This primer accompanies Traci Rose Rider's UNDERSTANDING GREEN BUILDING GUIDELINES and summarizes the materials, their pros and cons, and explains how to use and choose them.

Deck Ideas You Can Use
Chris Peterson
Creative Publishing International
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
33 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
9781589236578, $14.99, www.creativepub.com

Deck Ideas You Can Use: Creative Deck Designs for Every Home & Yard is the perfect pick for homeowners who wish to either remodel or build a deck, and offers a book packed with solutions and ideas specific to solving typical deck design issues. From size and shape concerns to which materials to use and how to customize a deck plan, this comes packed with options and photos accompanying specific ideas from seasoned deck builders and professional designers alike.


The Botany Shelf

North American Wildland Plants, 2nd edition
James Stubbendieck, et.al.
University of Nebraska Press
1111 Lincoln Mall Suite 400, Lincoln, NE 68588-0630
9780803235472, $35.00, www.nebraskapress.unl.edu

The second updated edition of North American Wildland Plants: A Field Guide offers descriptions of some of the most important wildland plants in North America and is intended for those with limited botanical knowledge and professionals alike. Two hundred species of wildland plants were selected for this book because of their abundance, desirability or poisonous properties, and feature illustrations geared to use of the book as a field guide. Each plant description includes identification, illustrations, and a general distribution map. A 'must' for any home and garden or botany collection.


The Gardening Shelf

The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds
Robert E. Gough
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781603425742, $24.95, www.storey.com

The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Trees, and Shrubs teaches the basics of how to collect and save seeds from all kinds of plants, pairing basic seed biology and collecting processes with tips the average gardener can easily follow. Chapters provide species-specific directions, step-by-step collecting instructions, and add lovely color illustration throughout in a pick recommended for any basic gardening collection.

Native Plants for Your Maine Garden
Maureen Heffernan
Down East Books
PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843
9780892727865, $24.95, www.downeast.com

Native Plants for Your Maine Garden is for any Maine gardener interested in adding native flowering perennials, grasses, shrubs or trees known for cold hardiness and noninvasive qualities. It comes from the executive director of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and teaches all the basics on pairing plant qualities with suitable locations. Two sample garden designs for very different environments accompany her in-depth tips on making the most of Maine's challenging gardening conditions.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Rare Coin Investing
David L. Ganz
Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1440213585, $24.99, www.shopnumismaster.com

Any who want to learn how to invest in rare coins will find RARE COIN INVESTING a powerful exploration. It tells how to add rare coins to an investment portfolio and how to begin investing with as little as, $100 for a coin, and surveys the basics of what it takes to build a great collection with low-cost coins. Color photos and illustrations throughout accompany a top recommendation for any coin collector who would learn the basics of identification and valuing.

Quarterama
Garrett Burke
Newtona
9780984562404, $50.00

QUARTERAMA: IDEAS & DESIGNS OF AMERICA'S STATE QUARTERS provides a built-in album for collecting all 1999-2009 quarters along with a history of American quarter development and collecting. The stories behind the quarter's development compliment a collection created by concept designer Garrett Burke and his team, and surveys the ideas and designs of state quarters across the country. It's intended as a gift book for any coin collector and packs in lovely art with foldouts that follow the quarters from sketches to minting. Collectors will relish this lavish blend of history and practical coin collecting facts.

Warman's Vietnam War Collectibles
David Doyle
Krause Publications
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
0896896048, $24.99, www.krausebooks.com

Warman's Vietnam War Collectibles could have been featured in our Military Shelf section, but is reviewed here for its importance to military memorabilia collectors. Over 1,000 color photos profile clothing, helmets, vehicles, gear, currency and more combining history with valuations of items from all branches of service. Arranged by branch of service, this provides an overall history along with the latest collectible values, and is a fine pick for both collectors and military enthusiasts alike.

Collecting China
Vimalin Rujivacharakul
University of Delaware Press
200A Morris Library
181 South College Avenue
Newark, DE 19717-5267
9781611490060, $65.00, www2.lib.udel.edu/udpress

Collecting China: The World, China, and a History of Collecting offers a fine survey of the history of collecting china and offers fifteen essays from major academics and museum curators to outline a history of multicultural collecting and global objects with Chinese connections. Chapters discuss the history and origins of Chinese items from the eighteenth to 20th centuries, weaving in Chinese history with an overall history of collecting and discussing China's place in the world art and trade market. Collections strong in Chinese history and culture as well as Chinese collecting need this!

Rare Finds
Jerry Heasley
CarTech Books
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
9781934709528, $29.95, www.cartech.com

RARE FINDS comes from a veteran automotive journalist who has been documenting his finds of antique and amazing muscle cars in the barns, garages, and fields of America. His stories of his discoveries have appeared in automotive and collector's magazines for years, so it's a pleasure to see RARE FINDS, which gathers all the amazing stories under one cover. Any fan of muscle cars will find this a fascinating collection of tales about the cars' histories and culture, and will welcome this collection with its fine color photos of muscle car classics.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little
Christopher Johnson
W.W. Norton & Company
500 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
9780393077407, $19.95, www.wwnorton.com

Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little comes from a linguist and a verbal branding expert who provides a different approach to language, grammar and style in a field guide meant to close the gap between how language is used and discussed. Microstyle is about language as it evolves in real life, and this book provides analysis of meaning, sound, structure and social content to provide real-world examples of how a dynamic language continually evolves. From the importance of getting meaning into micromessages to using the small message to tap into associations, this provides a fine survey key to any literary shelf.

The Gutenberg Revolution
Richard Abel
Transaction Publishers
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway NJ 08854-8042
9781412818575, $29.95, www.transactionpub.com

The Gutenberg Revolution: A History of Print Culture describes the history and impact of the radical printing revolution, starting his narrative from the eighth century to the Renaissance and considering the new Christian and classical world fostered from the new print era. Gutenberg's innovation truly changed the world: this focuses on how the Cultural Revolution was shaped by printing and is a scholarly survey recommended for history and literary collections at the advanced high school to college levels.

University of Massachusetts Press
Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
www.umass.edu.umpress

Barbara Hochman's UNCLE TOM'S CABIN AND THE READING REVOLUTION: RACE, LITERACY, CHILDHOOD AND FICTION 1851-1911 (9781558498945, $28.95) is a fine pick for college-level students of American literary history and culture. It surveys how UNCLE TOM'S CABIN became a racialized book more widely known than read, showing how its approach and information became increasingly important for its ideas, facts and images that children of ex-slaves could use to understand their place in American culture. The evolution of the novel's audience from 1850s avid readers among whites to 1890s black and white audiences who approached the novel in new ways makes for a fine analysis of how changing social and cultural conditions influenced the novel's contentions and message. College-level students analyzing Uncle Tom's Cabin must have this. John S. Bak and Bill Reynolds edit LITERARY JOURNALISM ACROSS THE GLOBE: JOURNALISTIC TRADITIONS AND TRANSNATIONAL INFLUENCES (9781558498778, $28.95), a fine college-level survey recommended for journalism and social issues holdings as well as literary shelves. It traces the long international history and progress of the discipline of literary journalism, with essays considering different international perspectives to its heritage and development.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Writer's Compass
Nancy Ellen Dodd
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati OH 45235
9781599631974, $19.99, www.writersdigestbooks.com

The Writer's Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages breaks down the novel-writing process to a seven-stage series of steps and teaches writers to visualize their story's progress using these steps. From forming stories and building strong foundations to building a complete draft in seven stages, this provides structure and a seasoned approach to writers and especially recommended for new writers who will appreciate the 'story map' approach to viewing the entire novel from start to finish.


The Biography Shelf

Real Girl Next Door
Denise Richards
Gallery Books
c/o Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
9781451633214, $26.00, www.simonandschuster.com

Real Girl Next Door provides a fine memoir of a reality television star, Denise Richards, and tells how her dreams of making it big in Hollywood lead to a high-profile divorce from Charlie sheen, single motherhood, and more. Her experiences moving from a small town to Hollywood's spotlight and her relationships and challenges makes for a vivid insider's account of Hollywood politics and experiences - and a perfect pick for any general lending library where patrons are interested in Hollywood personalities and lives.

Thunder Dog
Michael Hingson with Susan Flory
Thomas Nelson Publishers
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
9781400203048, $22.99, www.thomasnelson.com

THUNDER DOG: THE TRUE STORY OF A BLIND MAN, HIS GUIDE DOG & THE TRIUMPH OF TRUST AT GROUND ZERO provides a vivid story of a district sales manager who was in the World Trade Center during the attack. Michael Hingson is blind - and he here details his courageous guide dog who would help him survive an unbelievable ordeal. Any general lending library will find this a powerful testimony of courage and faith.

States of Confusion
Paul Jury
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor
Avon, MA 02322
1440512787, $21.95, www.adamsmedia.com

States of Confusion: My 19,000-Mile Detour to Find Direction tells of a post-college experience where author Paul hates his job and has no idea what to do with his life. So he decides to hit forty-eight states in forty-eight days, leaving behind a dead-end job and questionable life in search of adventure. His journey will take him into different worlds across the U.S., lead to run-ins with police in several states, and ultimate provides him with answers to his questions in this riveting account of transition points, change, and personal and physical journeys.

A Year and Six Seconds
Isabel Gillies
Voice
c/o Hyperion Books
77 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023-6298
9781401341626, $21.99, www.hyperionbooks.com

A Year and Six Seconds: A Love Story picks up where Isabel Gilles' HAPPENS EVERY DAY left off: with her penniless, jobless, and moving in with her parents with her two young children after a seemingly-idyllic marriage ends. Her memoir shows how she recovered with the help of friends and family, and how she evolved a relationship with her ex to help her kids adjust. Simply outstanding, this will find a place in any general lending library and will offer much inspiration to women facing vast changes in their lives.

There You Have It
John Bloom
University of Massachusetts Press
Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558498372, $24.95, www.umass.edu/umpress

THERE YOU HAVE IT: THE LIFE, LEGACY AND LEGEND OF HOWARD COSELL provides the first full-length biography of the lawyer-turned-sports journalist whose social commentary changed the face of American sports reporting. His early interest in a legal career changed when he became a pioneering sports broadcaster, and his techniques of conducting locker room interviews with professional athletes and taping his interviews changed the industry standards. This is a pick for a range of collections, from sports libraries to those specializing in media and broadcast history. It's a lively read for a range of audiences!

Dog Days
Dave Ihlenfeld
Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10018-8810
9781402798030, $14.95, www.sterlingpublishing.com

DOG DAYS: A YEAR IN THE OSCAR MAYER WIENERMOBILE provides a fun travelogue/biography and tells what happens when a college grad who has no idea what to do decides to drive a 27-foot-long fiberglass hot dog around the country. It wasn't his dream to drive the Wienermobile around the country - but it became a year-long, expenses-paid road trip of the author's lifetime, and his humorous, lively memoir is a fun read highly recommended for any general-interest collection!


The Fiction Shelf

Witches of East End
Melissa de la Cruz
Hyperion
77 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023-6298
9781401323905, $23.99, www.hyperion.com

Witches of East End blends themes of magic and romance in a most intriguing fashion and is set in a quiet hamlet of North Hampton where birds are dropping dead from the sky and fish are being poisoned. Even the people of the village are suffering, drawing longtime resident Joanna Beauchamp and her daughters, immortal witches who have lived there for centuries, into a dangerous plot that threatens their ability to lead quiet lives undercover. Melissa de la Cruz made her name in young adult writing, but here proves her ability to spin a complex, involving plot based on adult characters. Any general lending library will relish this!

Flashback
Dan Simmons
Reagan Arthur Books
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-0010
9780316006965, $27.99, www.ReaganArthurBooks.com

Fans of Dan Simmons and newcomers alike will find this title engrossing and hard to put down, providing a thriller set in the near future of a bankrupt America whose population lives for a drug that allows users to relive the best moments of their lives. The drug is Flashback, and when a cop using flash is hired to investigate the murder of a top government advisor's son, he finds Flash may be the key to not just the murder, but the entire nation's future. Riveting and masterful, this is a pick for any general lending library's fiction collection.

Terror on the Border
EE Hunt
Unrivaled Books
3201 SW 15th St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
9781613601013, $16.95, www.unrivaledbooks.com

Terror on the Border is a 'must' for any collection strong in Mexican-American border and social issues, exploring Mexican cartels and their activities and connections to business interests. TERROR ON THE BORDER illustrates this growing problem of business involvement in cartels through the fictional story of an innocent Mexican girl, Juanita, victim of human trafficking, and the ex-sniper American husband who become involved in border issues, kidnapping and hostage situations, and a huge battle between cartels and special interest groups.

Half Life
Roopa Farooki
St. Martin's Press
175 - 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0312577915, $15.99, www.stmartins.com

HALF LIFE tells the story of Aruna Ahmed Jones, a woman who leaves her stylish lie in London to fly to Singapore to face the death of her father and the relationships she fled so many years before. Add the dual story of Hari Hassan, a Bengali poet who was Aruna's lover's father, and you have two vivid narratives and a journey around the world that comes to life for any general collection strong in literary novels.

How to Be an American Housewife
Margaret Dilloway
Berkeley
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014-3658
9780425241295, $15.00, www.penguin.com

It's rare to see a fist novel become one of the best-reviewed books of the year; but this happened last year with Margaret Dilloway's HOW TO BE AN AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, and the appearance of this coming-of-age story in paperback continues to be a top pick for discriminating novel collections. A young Japanese war bride and her grown daughter explore their relationship and cross-cultural experiences in a moving story inspired by the author's own experience with a mother who was a Japanese war bride. Highly recommended!

American Suite
Diana E. Sheets
Jorge Pinto Books Inc.
151 East 58th St., New York NY 10022
9781934978337, $19.95, www.pintobooks.com

AMERICAN SUITE provides an intriguing multicultural comedy and tells what happens to a traditional WASP family when it becomes mixed with other ethnic groups. It focuses on a woman's search for identity against this backdrop, presenting the diaries of three very different women who reflect upon and experience very different lives while running in the same circles of connection. AMERICAN SUITE is at once intriguing, romantic, analytical and revealing: a treasure trove of emotional experience recommended for any novel collection.

Thunder of Heaven
Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310326373, $24.99, www.zondervan.com

Thunder of Heaven provides a Joshua Jordan novel, joins 'The End' series, and blends scriptural prophecy with an end-of-the-world scenario in which hero Joshua Jordan faces the end of days as told by Revelation. It's set in the near future and chronicles events that will lead to the rapture and the last days of mankind, and will be a gripping read for both religious Christians and readers who enjoy works about survival and cataclysm.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Sleight of Paw
Sofie Kelly
Obsidian
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
9780451234537, $7.99, www.penguin.com

This second book in a fun series returns small town librarian Kathleen and her two magical cats to new audiences as it tells of an elderly woman's murder and the involvement of the magical two cats in a puzzling thriller. Prior fans and newcomers alike will find this filled with fun twists and turns of plot as it follows Kathleen's efforts to uncover the truth in a satisfying mystery recommended for any general collection.


The Sports Shelf

Rhythms of the Game
Bernie Williams, Dave Gluck, and Bob Thompson
Hal Leonard
33 Phymouth St., Suite 302, Montclair, NJ 07042
9781423499473, $24.99, www.halleonardbooks.com

Rhythms of the Game: The Link Between Musical and Athletic Performance provides a fine survey of baseball great Bernie Williams and how his musical training influenced his performance, in an unusual autobiography that draws connections between music and athletics. Conversations and sidebars reveal the many connections between musical training and baseball, from practicing versus performance and relationships between the two in reaction time to learning teamwork and collaborative playing. A fine pick for sports and music collections alike!

Cyclopedia
Michael Embacher
Chronicle Books
9781452101675, $35.00, www.chroniclebooks.com

CYCLOPEDIA provides a fine chronicle of cycling and bicycle design over the past century and comes from a longtime bike enthusiast and collector who pairs lovely photos with insights about bicycle history and development. Any cyclist will find this a fine pictorial survey of the bike's evolution, with each bike photo accompanying technical specs and a history of its style and development. Bernard Angerer's photos are gorgeous displays in a title suitable for sports and general-interest holdings alike.

All In
Gene Chizik and Mack Brown
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781414364353, $24.99, www.tyndale.com

ALL IN: WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THE BEST details the evolution of Gene Chizik, who went from being a maligned coach to a top coach of an undefeated team. Football fans will appreciate the candid insights about the evolution of his coaching career, detailing strategies, approaches to success, failures, and translation to life achievements. A 'must' not just for sports collections, but for any interested in tackling life's obstacles.

The Impossible
Cole Louison
Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437
9780762770267, $16.95, www.lyonspress.com

THE IMPOSSIBLE: RODNEY MULLEN, RYAN SHECKLER, AND THE FANTASTIC HISTORY OF SKATEBOARDING follows the development, background, culture, marketing and growth of the global sport of skateboarding and is a powerful pick for any interested in the sport. It follows the careers of some of the great players in the sport, who became celebrities and helped promote skateboarding to the pastime it has become today. Any general-interest collection will find this a lively documentation of the sport's evolution and its key players!

Developing Swimmers
Michael Brooks
Human Kinetics
Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
9780736089357, $18.95, www.hkusa.com

DEVELOPING SWIMMERS: A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR IDENTIFYING, TRAINING, AND COACHING EXCELLENCE provides a fine comprehensive, long-term plan from a swim coach who shares his secrets and strategies for building athletes and swim teams from novices to champions. From establishing realistic, challenging short- and long-term goals to creating positive practices for teams and individuals, this packs in all the keys to successful swim team coaching and is a recommended pick for any athletic education collection.

Beyond the Scoreboard
Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
Human Kinetics
Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
145041303X, $19.95, www.hkusa.com

Beyond the Scoreboard: An Insider's Guide to the Business of Sport comes from a sport business analyst for Fox, Bloomberg and more, and examines behind-the-scenes business deals affecting sports, from player contracts and facility development to event bidding. Chapters cover the politics and business of sports events development, and provide players and viewers with an accurate survey of what is involved in sports business. Any sports collection will find this an unusual reference!

Surfing in Hawaii 1778-1930
Timothy Tovar DeLaVega
Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
0738574880, $21.99, www.arcadiapublishing.com

Surfing in Hawaii 1778-1930 comes from a surf historian and Kauai resident who has involved a team of surfing historians in the effort to capture literally centuries of surfing images from ancient rock etchings to modern times. More so than any other surfing book, this provides a wide-ranging account blending surfing's evolution with Hawaiian history and culture, and is a top pick for any collection strong in either topic. The vintage images and accompanying details are just amazing!


The Martial Arts Shelf

Facing Violence
Rory Miller
YMAA
Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894
1594392137, $18.95, www.ymaa.com

FACING VIOLENCE: PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED is one of the most important titles a general lending library can carry. It covers the ethical, emotional, physical and legal aspects of self-defense, surveying marital arts and law enforcement alike and discussing seven elements that must be addressed to bring self-defense training to a successful conclusion. From violence dynamics in self-defense to recognizing signs of an attack before it happens, FACING VIOLENCE covers all aspects of fighting, from freezing to keeping self-defense in line with how violence happens in real-world scenarios, and is key to any lending library.

Sunset Tai Chi
Ramel Rones with David Silver
YMAA
1594392129, $20.95, www.ymaa.com

Sunset Tai Chi: Simplified Tai Chi for Relaxation and Longevity offers a different approach to Tai Chi, linking the martial arts philosophy to stress relief to provide beginners or intermediate level students with keys to calming and preventing stress-related illness. From preventing injuries to boosting natural healing, this blends martial arts with overall health and fitness and makes for a top pick for any health or martial arts library.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Bonefish Fly Patterns, revised edition
Dick Brown
Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437
9780762770045, $49.95, www.lyonspress.com

Bonefish Fly Patterns has been revised and updated to offer a wide range of details from a world-renowned fly fisherman. Nearly two hundred designs - almost a quarter new to this edition - cover patterns from saltwater anglers, pioneers, and solitary anglers alike. Their authors fish hard, often, and catch more fish than most - and they have a range of flats flies often seen by no other angler. Any fly fishing collection should consider this a 'must have' reference!


The Calendar Shelf

Andrews & McMeel
1130 Walnut Street
Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Andrews McMeel Publishing has a fine selection of calendars, many based on their popular comic strips which provide outstanding wall and desk calendars. Some of the best for 2012: THE NON SEQUITUR 2012 CALENDAR (9781449404383, $13.99), offering a focus on daily life's ironies and oddities. This comes in a desk calendar format featuring a full-color strip every day. Andrews McMeel produces exceptional weekly wall calendars, too, based on their popular strips. Three top recommendations for 2012: fans of Scott Adams' 'Dilbert' will appreciate I IMPROVED MY RATE OF DOING NOTHING (9781449403959, $13.99), which pairs a large-size single panel from the strip with a smaller size full-length strip and a fine calendar with large date boxes. Stephen Pastis' PEARLS BEFORE SWINE (9781449404499, $13.99) uses the same format: a lovely color large-size, stand-alone joke accompanied by a smaller entire strip containing the entire joke, and good-sized boxes. Scott Hilburn's calendar format is different: THE ARGYLE SWEATER WEEKLY WALL 2012 ORGANIZER (9781449404710, $14.99) holds monthly grids, contains 54 weekly pages and 16 monthly pages, features a different color cartoon for each week, and includes year-at-a-glance at the bottom. All are outstanding calendar picks!


The California Shelf

Justinian Caire and Santa Cruz Island
Frederic Caire Chiles
The Arthur H. Clark Company
2800 Venture Drive
Norman, OK 73069
9780870624001, $34.95, www.ahclark.com

Justinian Caire and Santa Cruz Island: The Rise and Fall of a California Dynasty is the incredible true story of the family that owned Santa Cruz, a gigantic private property island off the coast of California. Although the island's history is traced from the era its native Chumash population resided there to when The Nature Conservancy acquired it at the end of the twentieth century, the primary saga is that of Justinian Caire and his family. Caire created a prosperous ranching business on the island, grounded in sheep, cattle, and wine; chapters draw upon letters and diaries of family members as they follow the family's daily life and how they weathered economic ups and downs from the mid-nineteenth to the twentieth century. The Caire family story ends with bitterness, division, and a lawsuit conducted by "daughters against mother" as the family squabbled over ownership of property that was valuable but not easily saleable; in the long run, the island was eventually sold to provide for legal fees. Justinian Caire and Santa Cruz Island is ultimately a striking true story of human ingenuity, greed, and the fallout thereof, highly recommended.

Fight Your Ticket & Win in California, 14th edition
Attorney David W. Brown
Nolo Press
950 Parker St., Berkeley CA 94710
9781413313963, $29.99, www.nolo.com

Fight Your Ticket & Win in California appears in its 14th updated edition and is a 'must' for any California collection appealing to consumers. Any who just got a traffic ticket and want to fight it will find this packed with details, from an explanation of what law was violated and whether it will raise insurance rates to how to defend yourself against most charges, from speeding and running a red light to reckless or drunk driving. California's driving laws constantly change, and this 14th edition has been extensively updated to reflect the latest changes.

101 Road Patrol Tales
E. W. Tompkins
Craven Street
c/o Linden Publishing
2006 S. Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
9781610350006, $16.95, www.cravenstreetbooks.com

Away from the lights of the cities, life can get a bit weird. "101 Road Patrol Tales: Memoirs of a Chippie of the California Highway Patrol" is a memoir from E. W. Tompkins as he recollects his multi-decade career on seeing the very strange people behaving oddly in California's highways. From the gruesome to comedic to the expected and unexpected, "101 Road Patrol Tales" will provide much entertainment and is very much strongly recommended reading.

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

Lydia B. Zaverukha and Nina Bogdan's RUSSIAN SAN FRANCISCO (0738571679, $21.99) is a fine selection for Russian history and California collections alike. It comes from two San Francisco natives whose parents arrived there after World War II and it packs in vintage images from private collections and local libraries alike to provide a visual history of the Russian influence on San Francisco's history and culture. Any San Francisco or Russian history holding needs this! Ben Koning and Anneke Mertzwork with the Sunnyvale Historical Society in adding SUNNYVALE (073857435X, $21.99) to the other 'Images of America' titles. Vintage photos from a wide range of public and private collections contribute to a history of how Sunnyvale was founded, grew, and changed. California collections will find this a vivid, solid account of Sunnyvale's many changes! Pam Vaughan, et.al.'s BISHOP (0738581836, $21.99) surveys the history of the wayside town of Bishop, located in Eastern California's remote (and much-contested) Owens Valley. It comes from a retired history teacher and photo curator and offers a fine history consisting essentially of rare vintage photos of individuals and town scenes. A top pick for any interested in California small-town history! The Fortuna Depot Museum, et.al.'s FORTUNA AND THE EEL RIVER VALLEY (0738575224, $21.99) provides a fine historic coverage packing in vintage images from the collections of community members and archives to consider the Eel River Valley's evolution. These images provide a fine backdrop of Eel personalities and are accompanied by brief historic descriptions.


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

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


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