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California Bookwatch

Volume 10, Number 12 December 2015 Home | CALBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Business Shelf Reference Shelf
Sports Shelf Audiobook Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
World History Shelf Photography Shelf Computer Shelf
Terrorism Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Travel Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Crafts Shelf Homeowner's Shelf
Agriculture Shelf Gardening Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Mystery/Suspense Shelf Self-Help Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Education Shelf Social Issues Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Art Shelf Fashion Shelf
Music Shelf Journalism Shelf Woodworking Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

In Order to Live
Yeonmi Park with Maryanne Vollers
Penguin Press
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10014
9781594206795, $27.95, www.penguinpress.com

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom recounts the terrible price of freedom, a notion foreign to Yeonmi Park, whose family endured a brutal world in North Korea. More so than most accounts of life under Kim Jong II, Park's saga depicts a savage world in which her father was imprisoned and tortured for trying to trade on the black market to provide for his wife and two young daughters, and one in which escape into China brought with it even more dangers. Sold into sexual slavery in China, freedom seemed an impossible dream and physical and psychological torture an ongoing way of life which didn't end with their escape from North Korea, but seemed their destiny wherever they went. With her sister missing and her father dead, Yeonmi and her mother continued to endure impossible conditions and fought as hard for food as they did for life itself. In Order to Live is a powerful saga of their journeys, and a testament to the human spirit's ability to endure the impossible. It's a top pick for any who would learn about life in North Korea and on the hard road to freedom.

Still Turning: A History of Aermotor Windmills
Christopher C. Gillis
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
9781623493356, $35.00, www.tamupress.com

The Aeromotor Windmill Company began in Chicago in 1888 and remains the only manufacturer of water-pumping machines: Still Turning covers the company's history from its early roots to modern times, also providing a survey of the American windmill. Fans of American history and culture in general and windmills in particular receive a coverage that is filled with lively history, specifics about windmill engineering and development, and the evolution of a device that continues to dominate the market to this day. The result is a compelling piece that blends technical detail with business and history insights to make for a survey accessible by and recommended for engineers, history buffs and general-interest readers alike.

Walking Distance
David Hlavsa
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25
East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
9781611861860, $16.95, www.msupress.org

Walking Distance: Pilgrimage, Parenthood, Grief, and Home Repairs blends the memoir format with a consideration of love, loss, and journeys and offers a range of characters and relationships that blends a travelogue with spiritual, philosophical, and autobiographical elements. It's about grief, but it's also about joys. It's about life's journeys and walking meditations, and it's about coming to the end of the world and finding something more. Readers who seek a first-person journey melding a range of disparate themes under one cover will relish the author's ability to take the outsider along for his journey, and will find Walking Distance evocative, passionate, and quietly powerful, all at once.

The Biology of Belief, expanded edition
Bruce H. Lipton, PhD
Hay House
PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
9781401948917, $24.99, www.hayhouse.com

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles was originally published, examining the relationship between science and faith and offering much food for thought about relationships between the two. Its appearance crossed the lines between new age and science, and this expanded new edition comes on the 10th anniversary of the original to provide new reflections from former medical school professor and research scientist Lipton, who examines his own experiments and those of other scientists. It's also difficult to neatly peg (and thus, limit) the audience of this guide, which will range from scientists and religious readers to new age and mind/body healers and beyond. Suffice it to say that with its greatly expanded chapters, concepts, and new research and experiments, its contents remain just as relevant and fresh as when they first appeared ten years ago, making this a wide-ranging recommendation for general-interest and specialty holdings alike.

Hunting with Eagles in the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs
Palani Mohan
Merrell Publishers
8755 Lookout Mountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
9781858946436, $50.00, www.merrellpublishers.com

Hunting with Eagles in the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs is a unique, highly recommended title that examines the bond between bird and man with the Mongolian Kazakh nomads, and is a top pick pairing an oversized visual history with insights on the eagle's natural history and how it's trained to be a hunter working for with the nomadic peoples. From how the eagles are raised and trained to how they are released after six to eight years, Hunting with Eagles in the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs presents an exquisite blend of ninety duotone photos with coverage of both the eagle hunters and why their ways are dying out. From threats to the eagle's environment to the more urban interests of upcoming generations, it is not only a history and a coverage of contemporary eagle hunting, but possibly a tribute to a pursuit that, for various reasons, may no longer be viable. As such, it's an essential acquisition for any collection strong in Mongolian history, culture, and regional wildlife.


The Business Shelf

Beyond Cybersecurity
James M. Kaplan, et.al.
Wiley
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9781119026846, $40.00, www.wiley.com/business

Beyond Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Digital Business would seem to duplicate a topic already well saturated in the field of IT and security applications, but it offers a broader spectrum of analysis and recommendations than many of its competitors and deserves to be on the radar of any business concerned about protecting information assets and online business pursuits. Chapters focus on how a company can craft a cybersecurity program that encourages a collaborative atmosphere between security teams and businesses, and how it can blend in desirable agility and efficiency strategies in the process of making technology both flexible, safe, and secure. Even companies with cybersecurity teams in place will find much of interest here, primarily because the scope moves beyond the 'how to develop a team or process' into the basics of linking overall business goals with security measures. No business with digital applications should be without this specific guide.

Communicate to Influence
Ben Decker & Kelly Decker
McGraw-Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor, New York, NY 10020
9780071829839, $27.00, www.mhprofessional.com

Communicate to Influence: How to Inspire Your Audience to Action offers keys to understanding communication training programs and how they do or do not work, and teaches the authors' 'Dekker Method', a proven model that has been refined for nearly forty years. The authors add further insights to their proven methodology and they cover the realities of better communication as well as common myths. From behaviors and approaches to communication under different situations to case history examples covering everything from team experience and management to motivating and influencing policy makers, Communicate to Influence is a specific approach well recommended for any who would further understand the basics of communication.


The Reference Shelf

Elementary Tagalog
Jiedson R. Domigpe and Nenita Pambid Domingo
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804845144, $29.95, www.tuttlepublishing.com

Elementary Tagalog: Tara, Mag-Tagalog Tayo! Come On, Let's Speak Tagalog! is recommended for any who would learn everyday communication using the Filipino language tagalong, and includes a free MP3 audio cd in its handbook which is designed to help any learner. Unlike other language books the focus is on using lingo that is used in Manila today in everyday settings, and also emphasizes getting up to speed quickly. This handbook can stand alone or, for best effectiveness, be used with the Elementary Tagalog Workbook to polish skills and reinforce lessons. Lessons in this book cover basic grammar, reinforcing instruction through dialogue and exercises and presenting common scenarios where typical everyday language would be applied. The result is a top pick for any do-it-yourselfer who would learn Tagalog and actually apply it to a visit to the Philippines.

Subject Pronoun Expression in Spanish
Ana M. Carvalho, Rafael Orozoco, and Naomi Lapidus Shin, Editors
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
9781626161702, $49.95, www.press.georgetown.edu

Subject Pronoun Expression in Spanish: A Cross-Dialectal Perspective is recommended for any college-level collection strong in Spanish language texts and linguistics, and gathers studies designed to specifically address variations in subject personal pronouns and language development. It analyzes how these pronouns are used in Spanish grammar, it considers the social influences on various expressions of such pronouns, and it gathers leading scholars in Spanish language research who analyze and discuss models of grammar. The result is a powerful survey key to readers with more than a casual interest in Spanish language.


The Sports Shelf

Fight Like a Physicist
Jason Thalken, PhD
YMAA Publications
PO Box 480, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-0480
9781594393389, $16.95, www.ymaa.com

Fight Like a Physicist is a pick for martial arts collections and offers a different approach than most in considering the physics behind martial arts. Also unexpected is the dash of humor added into the mix in the process of understanding basic fighting physics and how it can be applied in the ring. From how a working knowledge of momentum contributes to better fighting strategies to energy use, flexibility, issues of knockout punches and brain damage, and the results of different kinds of blows, this is not only a physics guide that lends to better skills in ring and on the street, but offers the unusual side benefit of exploring exactly how and why different fighting tactics hold different results.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Murder House
David Ellis
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9781478904014, $35.00, www.hachetteaudio.com

Therese Plummer and Jay Snyder's rendition of The Murder House is just exquisite, offering a narrative that spices the story of a house's dangerous secret, a local detective back from New York City who seeks a quieter world, and a murder that takes her on a journey too similar to her New York encounters. As Jenna investigates the mansion's dark past, she comes to find more secrets, more trouble, and more danger surrounding the mansion's mystery. Add more murders and you have a riveting listen that is replete with engrossing intrigue and mystery hard to stop listening to and even more captivating than the written word.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Companion Piece
L.M. Myles and Liz Barr, Editors
Mad Norwegian Press
1150 46th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50311
9781935234197, $19.95, www.madnorwegian.com

Companion Piece: Women Celebrate the Humans, Aliens and Tin Dogs of Doctor Who requires only a prior familiarity with and interest in Doctor Who to prove compelling, and brings together an anthology of women writers and media professionals who consider the women, aliens, and more who have been the Doctor's companions and adversaries throughout his various incarnations and series episodes. From feminist themes and analysis of events to analysis of the various female characters and companions who have interacted with the Doctor over time, Companion Piece is a collection that challenges philosophical and feminist viewpoints alike, occasionally surprising even their creators with the focus and direction they took. The result isn't a general-interest read, but is especially recommended for Doctor Who fans who already are familiar with the series and its characters and changes, and who seek an in-depth series of essay analyses with a decidedly feminist approach.

A Borrowed Man
Gene Wolf
TOR
c/o Tor/Forge Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
9780765381149, $25.99, www.tor-forge.com

A Borrowed Man provides a new science fiction novel set in the 22nd century and telling of E.A. Smithe, a clone who lives in a public library on a shelf, and whose persona is based on a deceased mystery writer. Smithe is library property - but when the father of a wealthy library patron vanishes and his daughter investigates, who better to consult than the personality famous for solving murder mysteries? Thus science fiction meets mystery in a satisfyingly unique blend of investigation and intrigue that skirts the border of the two genres to offering something that relies on elements from both but takes the results one step beyond in a powerful read recommended for fans of sci-fi and detective works alike.


The World History Shelf

The Perilous Catch
Mike Smylie
The History Press
9780752498003, $27.95, www.thehistorypress.co.uk

The Perilous Catch: A History of Commercial Fishing is recommended not for general-interest nautical readers but for those interested in the history of Britain's commercial fishing. It charts shipwrecks, fishermen lost at sea, commercial fishing hazards, and the evolution of fishing methods through the decades, covers vibrant fishing industries of bygone centuries and the changes they faced. The focus on commercial fishing history in Britain makes for a survey that is specific and allows for good depth, making this a special pick for any sports or history holding interested in British history or commercial fishing developments in particular.

Writing the War
Anne Kiley and Thomas Pellechia with David Kiley
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781633881044, $25.00, www.prometheusbooks.com

Writing the War: Chronicles of a World War II Correspondent offers a journalist's viewpoint of the war and how a blossoming love resulted in separation when the world got in the way of romance. All this takes the form of a collection of letters between Charles Kiley and Billee Gray. Charles was a soldier and journalist and the only reporter allowed access to Eisenhower's staff, and Billee saw vast changes at home as the war effort ramped up. The dual focus on soldier and civilian experiences provides a rare contrast in experience and creates a powerful saga highly recommended as something different for any World War II collection.

Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny
Michael Broers
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781605988726, $35.00, www.pegasusbooks.com

Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny is historical biography writing at its best, and is part of a projected two-part series on Napoleon: the first to use his newly released personal correspondence compiled by the Napoleon Foundation in Paris. By using Napoleon's own writings rather than the impressions and encounters of others, Broers succeeds in compiling a life story that not only tells of one leader's brutal determination, but the origins of his attitudes and approaches. Providing this history in the man's own words allows for an exceptional blend of research and source material supporting background, and makes for a lively and detailed account that better explains his influences and reasons for his choices. Any in-depth history collection strong in Napoleon's life and times must have this definitive, unusual work.


The Photography Shelf

Digital Black & White Landscape Photography
Gary Wagner
Amherst Media
175 Rano Street, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14207-2176
9781608959211, $34.95, www.amherstmedia.com

Digital Black & White Landscape Photography: Fine Art Techniques from Camera to Print explores the processes behind the author's favorite images and covers everything from camera functions and options to optimizing a digital image. It comes replete with first-person discussions of insights the author gained from his landscapes and his depictions of them, and it comes packed with examples of these black and white images as it discusses approaches to both shooting and post production processing. The result is a survey highly recommended for any aspiring black and white photographer looking for more than the usual coverage of camera functions and scene set-up, who wants after-shoot image manipulation insights, as well.


The Computer Shelf

Murach's Beginning Java with NetBeans
Joel Murach and Michael Urban
Murach
4340 North Knoll Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722
9781890774844, $57.50, www.murach.com

Programmers who would use the NetBeans IDE to develop and debug Java applications should begin with the basics - and that means Murach's Beginning Java with NetBeans. It teaches the basics of how to create an application that uses business objects and adopts a step-by-step approach to absorbing core skills through routines that rely on the Java API and object-oriented programming basics. While programmers may have some of this background at hand, the specifics on creating and writing databases for this platform offers advanced to intermediate Java programmers an opportunity to grow their skills. Sample exercises reinforce basic skill sets and prompt users to move ahead by using NetBeans to teach Java specifics, and offer more than the usual Java instructional language guide. The result is a 'must' for any who would take the powers of NetBeans and apply it to Java objectives.

Toad for Oracle Unleashed
Bert Scalzo and Dan Hotka
Sams
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780134131856, $49.99, www.informit.com/sams

Toad for Oracle Unleashed offers the latest guide to Version 12.x of Toad for Oracle, and includes step-by-step formulas, screen shots, and exercises designed to reach developers who want to work with better routines for the program. It analyzes all of Toad's components, offering coding and applications design concerns that can apply to problems ranging from code integrity issues to automating performance. From saving data in various formats to automating design and developing script, Toad for Oracle Unleashed is packed with important keys to success and is a recommended pick for any developer with some Toad basics who wants to customize and streamline better code.

The Scrumban [R]Evolution
Ajay Reddy
Addison-Wesley
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780134086217, $39.99, www.informit.com/aw

The Scrumban [R]Evolution: Getting the Most Out of Agile, Scrum, and Lean Kanban joins others in the 'Agile Software Development Series' and is a recommendation for any software engineering collection strong in Agile practices. It provides programmers with a combination of proven Lean/Agile basics paired with a survey of Scrumban's principles and uses real-world applications to teach how Agile methods apply in a range of situations. Chapters offer basics for users new to Scrum, for those who seek measurable results and measurement approaches, and for software engineers who interested in getting up to speed quickly in Scrumban environments. From productivity and risk metrics to managing change, this is a solid reference that blends business basics with important keys to applying Agile principles in a software environment.


The Terrorism Studies Shelf

Language of Terror
Wesley Kendall, et.al.
Rowman & Littlefield
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781442235823, $75.00, www.rowman.com

Language of Terror: How Neuroscience Influences Political Speech in the United States provides an intriguing blend of science and political analysis with a dose of linguistics added to the mix, and will delight college-level readers in all disciplines who are also interested in insights about terrorism and security. It's a research piece that considers how political speech can be used to influence voters through behavioral approaches, and it considers specific kinds of political approaches and communication routines that have been crafted to elicit selected responses from audiences. In the process of explaining and exploring this, each chapter offers a speech, analyzes its content, and pairs it with two case studies considering its impact. The result is a study no college-level communications or political science collection should be without.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Morning Homilies II
Pope Francis
Orbis Books
Price Building Box 302, Maryknoll NY 10545-0302
9781626981478, $18.00, www.orbisbooks.com

Morning Homilies II is a recommendation for any Catholic or Christian collection strong in collections of sermons, and gathers morning homilies from Pope Francis from September 2013 to January 2014. These take the form of short essays of several pages in length which address specific concerns of scripture and teaching, from prayers for peace in the Middle East to advice on how to defeat the devil and how to adopt a Christian lifestyle. Its wide-ranging discussions and insights make for a guide that can be used to either understand Pope Francis' approach or better understand the interpretations and applications of scripture.


The Travel Shelf

On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel
Andrew Humphreys
The American University in Cairo Press
420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2729
9789774166938, $34.95, www.aucpress.com

In 1869 Thomas Cook arrived in Egypt with a group of thirty, hired two steamers, outfitted them for luxury travelers rather than the usual Spartan adventurer approach, and introduced a new style of travel upon the Nile to his visitors and to those who resided in the region. His venture would open the mystique of the Nile to new eyes and fostered some sixty years of Nile journeys that took the adventure of the times and introduced it to a new class of voyageur. On the Nile in the Golden Age of Travel uses period photography, vintage photos, ads and stories to capture the experiences and lure of the times. Where other books would focus on exploration-style journeys, this book's survey of travel's appeal to a new class of wanderer creates a outstanding visual and written piece unparalleled in its scope, presentation or subject. No travel history collection or any gathering focusing on Egypt should be without it.


The Needlecraft Shelf

25 Cozy Crocheted Slippers
Kristi Simpson
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
9780811714082, $21.95, www.stackpolebooks.com

25 Cozy Crocheted Slippers: Fun & Fashionable Footwear for the Whole Family provides a fun gathering of booties, slippers, loafers and slipper socks that can be easily made by crocheters of all skills levels, and is recommended for holiday and general gift-giving. The author has designed patterns that are modern and accessible, and has been a top online pattern seller for years, publishing her patterns in major crochet magazines and producing several books on different topics. This latest packs in clear directions and full-page color photos of finished projects in a fun compilation that requires only basic knowledge of crochet techniques and instruction abbreviations to prove accessible.


The Crafts Shelf

100 Amazing Paper Animal Snowflakes
Marion T. Nichols
Quarto
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
9781631590986, $19.99, www.quartoknows.com

100 Amazing Paper Animal Snowflakes comes from an artist and teacher who takes paper cutting beyond the usual geometric patterns to show how to create animal designs. This takes the form of full-sized templates that can be photocopied and cut and they also range in complexity so the very young and older kids can enjoy putting them together. From elephants and sperm whales to Bactrian camels, loons, and elk, this is a wonderful set of paper cutting projects the entire family can enjoy, and is recommended as a wide-ranging project guide for this audience.


The Homeowner's Shelf

Microshelters
Derek "Deek" Diedricksen
Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
9781612123530, $18.95, www.storey.com

Microshelters: 59 Creative Cabins, Tiny Houses, Tree Houses, and Other Small Structures is a recommendation for any who dream of tiny, alternative structures and moves beyond the usual picture book survey to explore microshelter construction and how they work. The author has led building and design workshops and researched such little places in the course of hosting, building a designing places for the HGTV series Extreme Small Spaces and Tiny House Builders, and his microshelter discussion blends biographical sketches of owners who succeeded in alternative living spaces and building with tips on how readers can design and make their own microshelter. Packed with color photos and lively stories, this is an engrossing discussion highly recommended for any general lending library.


The Agriculture Shelf

The Complete Guide to Small-Scale Farming, second edition
Melissa Nelson, DVM
Atlantic Publishing Group
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781620530091, $14.99, www.atlantic-pub.com

The Complete Guide to Small-Scale Farming: Everything You Need to Know About Raising Beef and Dairy Cattle, Rabbits, Ducks, and Other Small Animals joins others in the 'Back to Basics Building' series to provide a blend of agricultural insights and discussions of the business and science of animal management and agriculture on a small scale. This revised second edition is a recommendation for newcomers to livestock and tells how to choose breeds, create the conditions to make them more productive, and how to keep records and butcher the animals. From common diseases to equipment, it offers chapters assuming no prior farming experience or knowledge and steps the novice through the process of building and managing a small farm.


The Gardening Shelf

The Seed Garden
Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel
Seed Saver's Exchange
c/o Chelsea Green Publishing
85 North Main Street, Suite 120, White River Junction, VT 05001
www.chelseagreen.com
9780988474918, $29.95, www.seedsavers.org

The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving is no light overview, but an in-depth and well-detailed coverage of seed saving history, methods, and how to save seeds for specific plants, and belongs on the shelves of any gardener or naturalist interested in preservation. Chapters compliment species-by-species profiles with lessons on how to plant and manage seed crops with an eye to understanding genetic inheritance, preservation and cultivation methods, storing seeds, and using crops. With color photos throughout and many specifics on the history, botany and methodology of seed saving, readers will find The Seed Garden an outstanding, detailed and in-depth survey highly recommended for botany and gardening holdings alike.

Grow Your Own Natural Garden
Carol Klein
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781845339562, $34.99, www.octopusbooksusa.com

Grow Your Own Natural Garden: Taking Inspiration from Nature advocates something slightly different in the world of gardening guides: using inspiration from the wild successes in nature to help identify a background space's optimum conditions, then picking plants that flourish there naturally. Chapters provide discussions of different habitats and use case study backgrounds to show how this can be accomplished, considering everything from the sea garden to using exposed places to maximum advantage. From forests and meadows to rocky and rough places, discussions center around pairing environment with plants for optimum results. Add pages packed with color photo garden examples and you have a lively survey that offers gardeners an alternative to manicured, forced plantings.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Dairy Good Cookbook
Lisa Kingsley, Editor
Andrews McMeel
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2109
9781449465032, $25.00, www.andrewsmcmeel.com

The Dairy Good Cookbook: Everyday Comfort from America's Dairy Farmers provides a survey of modern dairy farms through recipes created by the farmers themselves, and features a selection of farm family profiles and family photos to accompany recipes. From Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese and an Orange Cream Chiller with Strawberries drink to Lemon-Berry Crepes, this is an appealing blend of farm and dairy knowledge and winning dishes and should find its place not just in cookbook collections, but in any general-interest agriculture discussion.

Mamushka: A Cookbook
Olia Hercules
Weldon Owen
415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
9781616289614, $35.00, www.weldonowen.com

Mamushka: A Cookbook: Recipes from Ukraine & Eastern Europe pairs a family tribute with an exploration of Ukraine customs and culinary history, and provides a range of intriguing recipes from this heritage that range from Honey Cake and Soviet Goose Noodles to Mutton in Cilantro and Apricot Jam. A healthy dose of color photos throughout spices recipes that are prefaced by notes from the author's family and cultural traditions. With so much going on in the way of diverse dishes, one might expect a complex production; but the joy of Mamushka is that the dishes are relatively simple and easy to make, making it an acceptable presentation for any who seek a blend of traditional European dishes and easy-make instructions.

Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex
Cappy Lawton and Chris Waters Dunn
Trinity University Press
One Trinity Place, San Antonio, Texas 78212
9781595347510, $39.95, www.tupress.org

So many books on Mexican and Tex-Mex foods are on the market that one might wonder at the need for yet another; but Enchiladas: Aztec to Tex-Mex stands out from the crowd in several ways. First, it appears in an oversized format and takes a single classic food - enchiladas - and uses it to profile Mexican culinary history. Secondly, it comes from a collaborative effort by a famous restaurateur and a songwriter/food writer who pair traditional and modern recipes for enchiladas with some fifty color photos. Finally, it adds anecdotes filled with cultural insights to accompany cooking advice. The effect of all these influences leads to far more than another cookbook: it's a multi-faceted read that uses one classic dish and explores its traditions, cultural base, and culinary meaning, and is a 'must' for any collection strong in Mexican cuisine and culture.

Heart & Soul in the Kitchen
Jacques Pepin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
9780544301986, $35.00, www.hmhco.com

Heart & Soul in the Kitchen offers another Jacques Pepin cookbook from a popular chef who has a new TV show of the same name. It's not a surprise to realize that he's now eighty years old - his name has long been a mainstay in culinary circles - but what is a pleasant surprise is a cookbook packed with his own signature dishes prepared not for school or a show, but for his family and friends. Thus, cooks will find simple dinners such as Veal Chops Dijonnaise, or Rice with Cumin and Green Olives, alongside those more adventurous such as Rabbit with Mustard Crust. All this pairs with a peppering of color photos of the dishes and their makers to create a more 'down home' approach than many of his prior cookbooks, and one more accessible to home cooks who want to reproduce elegance without unusual gourmet ingredients or extensive preparations.

The Food Lab
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
W. W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393081084, $49.95, www.wwnorton.com

The Food Lab is not your ordinary cookbook: it marries chemistry and physics concepts with cooking techniques, but presents all with home cooks and non-scientists in mind, offering insights not just on how to improve traditional dishes, but what lies behind the science of such improvements. Readers should expect a combination of over 1,000 color images, hundreds of easy recipes, and insights into what makes them foolproof and special. The focus is on classic American fare elevated a step up from the norm, and explains cooking success in a manner that any home cook can readily absorb.

Salt Sugar Smoke
Diana Henry
Mitchell Beazley
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781784721190, $24.99, www.octopusbooksusa.com

Salt Sugar Smoke offers some unique flavor combinations - not the usual recipes that come to mind when one thinks of mixing salt, sugar and smoke - and so cooks will find within another treasure trove of recipes that offer fare not to be found elsewhere. From a Rhubarb Schnapps drink to Maple-Cured Pork Chops with Pear and Juniper Relish and Earl Grey Tea Jelly, color photos supplement recipes that offer not just fresh new ideas for pairing flavors, but tested creations that are a cut above the ordinary. Diana Henry's cookbooks all hold her signature brand of tested dishes and unusual flavor combinations that work, and Salt Sugar Smoke is no exception, recommended for any cook's collection unique cookbook keepers.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

High Country Nocturne
Jon Talton
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781464203985, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com

High Country Nocturne provides a compelling David Mapstone mystery and centers around a theft of diamonds in Phoenix and a former sheriff turned private investigator. Mike Piralta has vanished, leaving his partner and friend David Mapstone with little choice but to either work with the FBI to find him, or conduct his own investigation. Aided by his savvy wife Lindsey, David embarks on his own quest for the truth, only to discover themselves the target of a killer who specializes in making her killings look like suicides. Depicting the atmosphere and culture of Arizona, High Country Nocturne provides the kind of tense mystery that should delight genre readers with a special affinity for Western settings and intrigue.

A Window Opens
Elisabeth Egan
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
9781501105432, $26.00, www.simonandschuster.com

A Window Opens presents the figure of Alice Pearse, a happily married mother who is as content what she does as with what she is not, in life - but when her husband decides to make chances, Alice's life turns to a different path a well, with a new job in a start-up that promises her a balance between work and home life but evolves into something far more demanding. A Window Opens isn't just about opportunities realized and missed: it's about what happens when that golden ring is grasped at the same time as other forces and needs come into play. Readers looking for an evocative novel about one quiet woman's transformation will find much to like in A Window Opens.

The Storms of War
Kate Williams
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
9781605988672, $25.95, www.pegasusbooks.com

The Storms of War is set during the time of the Great War and captures, in fiction, the sense of World War I as it affects a privileged British family. Be forewarned that this is first in a trilogy that plays on historical fact but focuses on the lives and concerns of a family facing many goals and delights when war arrives to turn everything upside down around the world. Struggles on all fronts lie around war efforts, romance, and what the future will bring to a family newly turned away from a society that seemed to be made just for them.

The Chocolate Falcon Fraud
JoAnna Carl
Obsidian
c/o Penguin Group USA
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780451473806, $22.95, www.penguin.com

The Chocolate Falcon Fraud is especially recommended for chocolate lovers who also love a good mystery, and tells of a chocolatier who loves old crime films and holds a penchant for real-life problem-solving. A tourism board is kicking off a private eye film festival and Lee and her aunt are looking forward it - until a former stepson is encountered - one with a propensity for becoming involved in trouble. Jeff may be older than when she last encountered him, but he's still a problem - and when intrigue and murder emerge and Jeff vanishes, it's up to Lee to uncover the truth. Lovely chocolate interludes spice an excellent and winding mystery trail.

A Likely Story
Jenn McKinlay
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425260746, $24.95, www.penguin.com

A Likely Story is a special recommendation for any who love books, libraries, and a good mystery, and centers on librarian Lindsey Norris who faces several challenges to her crime-solving abilities: a shooting and a missing persons case. All this comes in addition to her job as a public library director, and to a complex situation involving an ex-boyfriend and an investigation that threatens the closely-held privacy of two recluses. A brother is murdered, another is missing, and Lindsey is at the heart of alibis that don't make sense and a tangled web of deceit. Action is swift and twists and turns satisfyingly complex in this story of a convoluted crime with many possibilities.


The Self-Help Shelf

Be Your Own Fairy Tale
Alison Davies
Watkins Media USA
9781780287591, $16.95, www.watkinspublishing.com

Be Your Own Fairy Tale: Working with Storytelling for Positive Life Change offers keys to understanding how the symbolism and influence of fairy tales can change lives, and is recommended for self-help and new age readers interested in applying the power of storytelling in general and fairy tales in particular to transformative avenues of self-fulfillment. Chapters show how working with fairy tales and, in effect, revisiting and rewriting their concepts to apply to one's life results in changing behaviors and patterns of thinking, and provides exercises for both identifying these stories and applying their characters and symbolic events to one's own process of positive change. Any who would undertake self-examination by turning to literature and fairy tales will find this a perfect starting point.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Gnostic Mysteries of Sex
Tobias Churton
Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
9781620554210, $19.95, www.innertraditions.com

Gnostic Mysteries of Sex: Sophia the Wild One and Erotic Christianity is a recommendation for occult collections and readers and focuses on a secret inner teaching passed down by certain societies - that of sexual gnosis, or a higher union with God through sex. Chapters depict sex practices as hidden in the Church's own major representatives, reconstruct the idea and presence of Gnostic spiritual-erotic experiences, and explore not just a history of Gnosticism and its major figures, but the mystery surrounding Sophia, known as the Wild Lady of Wisdom. The blend of history, sociology, spiritual and new age text and more makes this a wide-ranging survey of interest to a range of spiritual seekers and students.

How to Talk to an Alien
Nancy DuTertre
New Page
c/o Career Press Inc.
12 Parish Drive, Wayne, NJ 07470
9781632650214, $15.99, www.newpagebooks.com

How to Talk to an Alien is a pick for any collection strong in UFO accounts and new age topics, and considers whether aliens exist and how their intentions towards mankind may be translated. It's an intriguing approach that neatly moves beyond the basic question of aliens on Earth and delves into communication processes and issues of intention, and comes from a securities litigation attorney who became a trained psychic detective and a remote viewer trained in military methods. Perhaps it's this background that lends an unusual flavor to How to Talk to an Alien, making it far more than a speculative work and lending to a discussion that thoughtfully delves into the mechanics of language and communication between disparate species. New age and linguistics readers alike will find it something different in the field of UFO studies.


The Education Shelf

Coherence
Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn
Corwin
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
9781483364957, $20.00, www.corwin.com

Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action for Schools, Districts, and Systems considers the issues of not individual teachers but the school system as a whole, discussing a range of issues from accountability to coherence in creating direction and working as a unit towards its realization. Examples of coherence in action compliment discussions of strategies, influences on fragmentation, maximizing capacity and learning routines, and more. School structures are analyzed in examples that take the concept of system coherence to new levels, considering internal accountability and actionable approaches to not just individual teaching and systems, but all elements of a collective drive to build direction.


The Social Issues Shelf

Food & Freedom
Carlo Petrini
Rizzoli Ex Libris
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
9780847846856, $24.95, www.rizzoliusa.com

Food & Freedom: How the Slow Food Movement is Changing the World Through Gastronomy gathers inspirational stories about the global struggle to change how food is grown, distributed and eaten, and it provides a fine account gathering stories author Carlo Petrini witnessed firsthand during his travels around the world from India to Brazil - some thirty years of journeying since he began the Slow Food organization. His movement is changing how food is perceived, used, and who benefits from local farming, and this book is the starting point for understanding that movement and its foundations. Any reader interested in the social implications of food, farming, and channels of distribution will find Food & Freedom a powerful documentary not to be missed.


The Archaeology Shelf

Bog Bodies Uncovered
Miranda Aldhouse-Green
Thames & Hudson
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
9780500051825, $29.95, www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Bog Bodies Uncovered: Solving Europe's Ancient Mystery deserves ongoing recognition for its powerful portrait of the remains of prehistoric men, women and children who are routinely uncovered in the bogs of northern Europe, and is a recommended pick for college-level collections strong in history, archaeology, and anthropology alike. New techniques in forensic science and geology are answering many previous mysteries surrounding the 'bog people', making this new discussion key to any collection that holds older material and seeks the latest. The author is an authority on the period and her survey is key to understanding the latest known facts about the bog people and their archaeological legacy.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Annihilation of Nature
Gerardo Ceballos, Anne H. Ehrlich, Paul R. Ehrlich
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421417189, $29.95, www.press.jhu.edu

The Annihilation of Nature: Human Extinction of Birds and Mammals brings together three top conservationists who pool their talents and voices in a call to action, documenting the Earth's sixth mass extinction and documenting both creatures lost and those nearly gone. Over eighty color photos from a variety of leading nature photographers accompany discussions of a crisis that could portend the end of civilization because these extinctions aren't limited to mammals and birds, but to species of plants and microbes. The result is a powerful call to action that goes beyond many similar-sounding discussions to reach into the heart of life - and death - on Earth.


The Art Shelf

Fashionable Art
Adam Geezy and Jacqueline Millner
Bloomsbury Academic
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9780867851826, $34.95, www.bloomsbury.com

Fashionable Art provides a fine overview of modern art and is recommended for college-level arts collections who find in it a scholarly yet accessible discussion of fashion, art, media and market forces. Where competing premises would hold that fashion IS art, this book takes a slightly different approach in maintaining that art is like fashion - and it provides discussions on the process and patterns of fashion and how it dovetails with traditional art markets. Of special interest are the surveys of relationships between art, money, and cultural movement: an approach which lends well to examining major contemporary art movements from the 1970s to modern times with an eye to applying theory to history and modern debates. From video images to minimalist trends, Fashionable Art is not so much for the general-interest fashion or arts reader as it is for those who are interested in modern studies of art and fashion's interrelationships and evolution.


The Fashion Shelf

Fifty Sneakers That Changed the World
Alex Newson
Conran
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
9781840916782, $20.00, www.octopusbooksusa.com

Fifty Sneakers That Changed the World comes from a curator at the Design Museum in London and reflects a somewhat surprising focus in the world of fashion and design: sneakers. From the 1929 origins of the 'Green Flash' sneaker to the development of the Nike Air system and the platform sneakers introduced by a fashion designer, this collection gathers the history of all brands, documenting engineering processes, brand relationships, style and design influences, and more. The result is a powerful survey recommended for fashion design, arts, and social history collections alike.

Fear and Clothing
Cintra Wilson
W.W. Norton
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393081893, $27.95, www.wwnorton.com

It's important to realize that Fear and Clothing: Unbuckling American Style is not your usual fashion coverage, but a surprisingly funny and astute assessment of style and fashion from the perspective of an industry critic that shows how fashion choices can either liberate or limit. Her journey to explain each of these approaches takes the form of a survey of designer boutiques and thrift stores alike, examining what Americans choose to wear and the fashion politics of regional and local communities. American culture thus receives a lively, fun consideration that contrasts wry wit and history with social commentary considering what fashion choices say about not just the wearer, but America as a whole. Newcomers to Cintra Wilson's unique brand of comic and style observation will find her approach sassy, bright, and refreshingly different.


The Music Shelf

I've Been Out There
Grady Gaines with Rod Evans
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4354
9781623492700, $23.00, www.tamupress.com

I've Been Out There: On the Road with Legends of Rock n Roll tells of the life and times of the leader of the Upsetters in the 1950s, the original backing band for Little Richard and, later, the backup band for Sam Cooke, and it provides an insider's view of both the music industry of the times and the band's tours and interactions with major musicians from James Brown to Jackie Wilson and Etta James. Since this experience embraces some sixty years of life on the road and encounters with some of the biggest names in R&B and blues history, it's liberally peppered with personal anecdotes and history not to be found elsewhere. Add a good peppering of black and white photos from Gaines' personal archives throughout and discussions of the genre, its music, and its major players, supplemented with insights from family and fellow musicians, and you have a powerful survey not to be missed.

Fortunate Son
John Fogarty
Little, Brown
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachettebookgroup.com
9780316244572, $30.00, www.littlebrown.com

Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music comes from the leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, one of the most beloved bands in rock music history, and provides an autobiography that fills in many blanks in Fogarty's career and life. Be advised: it's not designed to be a scandal-revealer or shocker so much as it probes Fogarty's love of music, his rise to fame, and how he discovered love and success on the path to making his music. Even avid followers of Fogarty and Creedence will find plenty of new information in Fortunate Son: details that cover not only events, but mistakes made and fortunate choices as well. The result is an uplifting, vivid autobiography that's hard to put down.


The Journalism Shelf

The Best American Newspaper Narratives Volume 2
George Getschow, et.al., Editors
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
9781574415957, $21.95, www.untpress.unt.edu

The Best American Newspaper Narratives Volume 2 represents the second volume of a series collecting the winners of the yearly Best American Newspaper Narrative Writing Contest designed to honor exceptional work in narrative nonfiction. From award winners to runners-up, this represents a diverse range of subjects, contributors, and Mayborn Award-winning results that are particularly well suited to aspiring journalists who want a compilation representing some of the best journalism writings in the country.


The Woodworking Shelf

Classic Whittling: Basic Techniques and Old-Time Projects
Rick Wiebe
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
9781610352543, $14.95, www.woodworkerslibrary.com

Classic Whittling: Basic Techniques and Old-Time Projects covers all the basics of whittling from how to select the best knife to sharpening tips, selecting wood, and learning the basics. A sampling of simple, classic whittling projects accompanies a vivid collection of close-up color photos and projects that range from seasonal gifts such as Valentine's hearts to making a real, working boomerang. Wiebe's enthusiasm for his subject and his clear directions are perfect for bare-bones newcomers to whittling and wood carving, making this a standout and a first experience pick.


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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