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Library Bookwatch

Volume 9, Number 2 February 2014 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Money/Finance Shelf Education Shelf
Political Science Shelf International Studies Shelf Terrorism Studies Shelf
Science Shelf Economic Studies Shelf Autism Shelf
Psychology Shelf Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Military Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Music Shelf Library Science Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Native American Studies Shelf Art Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Architecture Shelf Reference Shelf
Martial Arts Shelf Philosophy Shelf American History Shelf
World History Shelf Poetry Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf Civil War Shelf
Biography Shelf Language Studies Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Cowboys, Cops, Killers, and Ghosts
Kenneth L. Untiedt, editor
Texas Folklore Society
c/o University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336
Denton, TX 76203-1336
9781574415322 $34.95 www.unt.edu/untpress

Cowboys, Cops, Killers, and Ghosts: Legends and Lore in Texas lives up to its title in this unique treasury of essays by diverse authors, offering glimpses into Texas history, folklore, and legend. From the myths and half-truths behind gunfighter John Wesley Hardin, to the wedding customs of Texas Knanaya Catholics, to how "cowboy culture" is preserved in the 21st century, Cowboys, Cops, Killers, and Ghosts is an extraordinary tour of the Old (and New!) West. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library collections, as well as history and folklore buffs!


The Money/Finance Shelf

Credit Repair, 11th edition
Robin Leonard, J.D. & Attorney Margaret Reiter
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413318869 $24.99 www.nolo.com

A good credit score can potentially save one thousands of dollars when buying a house, and knowing how to protect oneself against or respond to identity theft can literally be the difference between prosperity and poverty. Now in an updated eleventh edition, Credit Repair is a solid, thorough, user-friendly resource accessible to anyone and everyone concerned about their credit rating. No financial background is needed to understand the guidelines for assessing one's own debts, correcting errors that others may have made on one's credit report or credit score, negotiating with creditors, avoiding identity theft and scams, and building a credit history. Of particular importance are the twenty guidelines one should immediately follow after learning that one's identity has been stolen, including "apply for a new driver's license number, if necessary", "tell debt collectors who call about fraudulent charges that they were incurred as a result of identity theft and send a dispute letter", and "consider placing a security freeze on your report." "Service members qualify for an active duty alert... This alert is similar to the other fraud alerts, but stays in place for 12 months and excludes you from prescreened lists for two years. This alert also lets creditors know that you and your dependents qualify for certain legal protections available only to service members." Credit Repair is an absolute "must-have" for both personal and public library collections, worthy of the highest recommendation.


The Education Shelf

Bringing The Common Core To Life in K-8 Classrooms
Erick Jensen & Leann Nickelsen
Solution Tree
555 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404
www.solution-tree.com
9781936764648, $29.95, www.amazon.com

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an education initiative in the United States that details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade. The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and seeks to establish consistent education standards across the states as well as ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter two or four year college programs or enter the workforce. The primary burden for implementing the Common Core academic requirements falls upon the classroom teacher. That's why "Bringing The Common Core To Life in K-8 Classrooms" by education experts Erick Jensen and Leann Nickelsen is such a timely and invaluable implementation instruction manual. This 222 page compendium offers thirty distinct and practical strategies to build literacy skills for Kindergarten through 8th grade students. Enhanced throughout with charts, tables, and questionnaire samples, "Bringing The Common Core To Life in K-8 Classrooms" is comprehensive, 'real-world' oriented, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation. Very highly recommended, it should also be noted that "Bringing The Common Core To Life in K-8 Classrooms" is available in a Kindle edition ($17.99) as well.

AAC in the Schools
Nancy B. Robinson & Gloria Soto
Attainment Company
PO Box 930160, Verona, WI 53593-0160
www.attainmentcompany.com
1578618525, $75.00, www.amazon.com

The collaborative work of education specialists Nancy B. Robinson and Gloria Soto, "AAC in the Schools: Best Practices for Intervention Overcome Barriers for Students Who Use AAC" is a 110 page compendium that is comprised of a comprehensive guide for systematically overcoming barriers in the school for students who use AAC ("augmentative and alternative communication", i.e. tools and techniques for disabled individuals who have difficulty communicating verbally). The tools and strategies enable the SLP to help students master the skills needed to learn in all subject areas and social settings. Enhanced throughout with charts and lists, as well as an accompanying K-12 Classroom License CD, "AAC in the Schools" is an essential and invaluable addition to school district administrative and special education classroom teacher reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Political Science Shelf

Every Day Is Election Day
Rebecca Sive
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781613746622, $17.95, www.amazon.com

Once politics was the exclusive domain of men. Then women got the vote. But it still took a long hard struggle for women to achieve the political influence and responsibility that elected public offices offers. This same pattern holds in other, similar fields such as corporate businesses administrative echelons and volunteer service organizations like parent-teacher organizations. That's why "Every Day Is Election Day: A Woman's Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House" is such timely and appreciated instruction manual. Author Rebecca Sive draws upon her years of experience and expertise as the President of the Sive Group, Inc. (a public affairs strategy company), a former commissioner of the Illinois Human Rights Commission, co-founder of the Midwest Women's Center, an adviser and fund raiser for Geraldine Ferraro's national campaign, and the campaigns of U.S. Senators Barbara Milkulski, Mary Landrieu, Debbie Stabenow, and Amy Klobuchar. The result is an extraordinarily well written guide specifically designed for women considering a run for an elected position of any organization or governmental office. "Every Day Is Election Day: A Woman's Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House" is an enthusiastically recommended addition for community and academic library Political Science collections. It should also be noted that "Every Day Is Election Day: A Woman's Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).


The International Studies Shelf

Building a Better International NGO
James Crowley & Morgana Ryan
Kumarian Press
c/o Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 30th Street, Suite 314
Boulder, CO 80301
9781565495838 $23.50 www.rienner.com

International NGOs (non- governmental organizations - that is, legally constituted corporations that operate independently of any government, and usually not for profit) have the potential to literally make the world a better place to live. But there are numerous pitfalls to working without the backing of a government, and NGO's face unique strategic challenges in the modern era of globalization. Building a Better International NGO addresses a number of quintessential issues, including how to make a large international NGO more than the sum of its parts; the most crucial core competencies of an international NGO; how new technology has the potential to virtually reinvent NGOs; perspectives on strategic planning for NGOs, and more. The authors draw directly upon their personal experience aiding and improving NGOs, and pinpointing key structural problems, such as in this anecdotal example: "It became obvious that the definition of good performance was either too limited, not transparent, or varied depending on who was in charge. When a new country director was appointed, the country team had to learn to decipher his or her management philosophy and to relearn what 'good' looked like. To complicate matters further, when each new senior executive arrived from a regional office, from the center, or from one of the powerful income-generating offices, he or she invariably had additional advice, guidance, or priorities to heap on top of an already overloaded workload." Building a Better International NGO is an absolute "must-read" for anyone in or aspiring to any management position in an international NGO.


The Terrorism Studies Shelf

Hezbollah
Matthew Levitt
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781626160132, $32.95, www.amazon.com

Hezbollah (translated it means "Party of Allah" or "Party of God") is a Shi'a Islamic militant group and political party based in Lebanon. Its paramilitary wing is regarded as a resistance movement throughout much of the Arab and Muslim worlds, and is currently considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army. The governments of the U.S., Netherlands, France, Gulf Cooperation Council, U.K., Australia, Canada, the European Union and Israel classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, in whole or in part. Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and was primarily formed to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation. Its leaders were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards that arrived from Iran with permission from the Syrian government. Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its objectives as the expulsion of "the Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonialist entity on our land", submission of the Phalangists to "just power" and bringing them to justice "for the crimes they have perpetrated against Muslims and Christians", and permitting "all the sons of our people" to choose the form of government they want, while calling on them to "pick the option of Islamic government". "Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God" by Matthew Levitt (Senior Fellow and Director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Stein Program on Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence) is a 426 page compendium providing the non-specialist general reader with an excellent and documented history of this Islamic militant organization and its present activities throughout the world. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God" is especially recommended for both community and academic library International Studies in general, and Terrorism Studies in particular.


The Science Shelf

Mitochondria
Doulgas C. Wallace & Richard J. Youle, editors
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
500 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury NY 11797-2924
www.cshlpress.com
9781936113354, $135.00, www.amazon.com

The mitochondrion (plural mitochondria) is a membrane-bound organelle found in most eukaryotic cells (the cells that make up plants, animals, fungi, and many other forms of life). Mitochondria range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometer in diameter. These structures are sometimes described as "cellular power plants" because they generate most of the cell's supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), used as a source of chemical energy. In addition to supplying cellular energy, mitochondria are involved in other tasks such as signaling, cellular differentiation, cell death, as well as the control of the cell cycle and cell growth. Mitochondria have been implicated in several human diseases, including mitochondrial disorders and cardiac dysfunction, and may play a role in the aging process. The latest addition to the outstanding science series "Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology", and collaboratively compiled and edited by the team of Doulgas C. Wallace (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania) and Richard J. Youle (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, Porter Neuroscience Research Center), "Mitochondria" is a 270 page compendium comprised of fifteen major scientific papers from experts in the field of mitochonria research. Of special note is the Michael W. Gray's opening article 'Mitochondrial Evolution' and the closing article 'Mitochonrial Metabolism, Sirtuins, and Aging' by Michael N. Sack and Toren Finkel. A seminal body of meticulous scholarship, "Mitochondria" is an invaluable and strongly recommended addition to professional and academic library Mitochondria Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Biochemistry
Raymond S. Ochs
Jones & Bartlett Learning
5 Wall Street, Burlington, MA 01803
www.jblearning.com
9781449661373, $158.95, www.amazon.com

Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to, living organisms. By controlling information flow through biochemical signaling and the flow of chemical energy through metabolism, biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life. Over the last 40 years, biochemistry has become so successful at explaining living processes that now almost all areas of the life sciences from botany to medicine are engaged in biochemical research. Today, the main focus of pure biochemistry is in understanding how biological molecules give rise to the processes that occur within living cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study and understanding of whole organisms. Biochemistry is closely related to molecular biology, the study of the molecular mechanisms by which genetic information encoded in DNA is able to result in the processes of life. Depending on the exact definition of the terms used, molecular biology can be thought of as a branch of biochemistry, or biochemistry as a tool with which to investigate and study molecular biology. "Biochemistry" by Raymond S. Ochs is 414 page, peer reviewed, superbly organized, profusely illustrated introduction to the science of biochemistry. Presented in sixteen sequential chapters beginning with the foundations of biochemistry and concluding with 'Protein Synthesis and Degradaton', "Biochemistry" is enhanced with the inclusion of an appendix, a glossary, and an index, making it an ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' textbook for beginning biochemistry students and strongly recommended for academic library reference collections.


The Economic Studies Shelf

Business Statistics Of The United States: 2013
Cornelia J. Strawser, editor
Bernan Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rlpgbooks.com
9781598886351, $165.00, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly published 13th edition, "Business Statistics of the United States, 2013: Patterns of Economic Change", compiled and edited by Cornelia J. Strawser (Senior Economic Consultant to Bernan Press and editor of this series from its7th through 17th editions), is a 604 page compendium of annual economic and business data collected from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the departments of the Census Burea, Commerce, Energy, Labor, and Treasury. New to this updated and expanded 13 edition is data on the National income and Product Accounts, and annual data for money and credit before 1929, including money supply figures back to 1892. Of special note is the new article, 'Cycle and Growth Perspectives' which discusses the impact of the NIPA revision and provides other information and techniques to assist in using and interpreting NIPA data. A core reference, "Business Statistics of the United States, 2013: Patterns of Economic Change" should be considered a mandatory and required addition to professional, corporate, governmental, and academic library Business and Economics reference collections.


The Autism Shelf

Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Recreation
Phyllis Coyne & Ann Fullerton
Marketing Department
Sagamore Publishing Company
1807 North Federal Drive, Urbana, IL 61801
www.sagamorepub.com
9781571677242, $34.95, www.amazon.com

The autism spectrum or autistic spectrum describes a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the fifth revision of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5). The DSM-5, published in 2013, redefined the autism spectrum to encompass the previous (DSM-IV-TR) diagnoses of autism, Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome. These disorders are characterized by social deficits and communication difficulties, stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests, and in some cases, cognitive delays. The collaborative work of autism experts Phyllis Coyne and Ann Fullerton and now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, "Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Recreation" is a 343 page compendium offering a number of practical approaches for both families and professionals working with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individuals of all ages and ability in every type of recreation program. "Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Recreation" provides a basis for understanding of ASD and its impact on recreation participation from the perspective of experienced professionals working with ASD patients and clients. Enhanced throughout with tables and figures, "Supporting Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Recreation" also features three appendices, an extensive roster of bibliographic references, and a comprehensive index, making it a significant and invaluable addition to professional and academic library Autism Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Psychology Shelf

Psychology Of Music
Siu-Lan Tan, et al.
Psychology Press
c/o Taylor & Francis, Inc
7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042-2919
www.psypress.com
9780415651165, $49.95, www.amazon.com

Music psychology, or the psychology of music, may be regarded as a branch of psychology or a branch of musicology. It aims to explain and understand musical behavior and musical experience. Modern music psychology is mainly empirical: music-psychological knowledge tends to advance primarily on the basis of interpretations of data about musical behavior and experience, which are collected by systematic observation of and interaction with human participants. Music psychology is a field of research with practical relevance for music performance, music composition, music education, music medicine, and music therapy. "Psychology of Music: From Sound to Significance" is the collaborative effort of Siu-Lan Tan (Associate Professor of Psychology, Kalamazoo College, Michigan); Peter Pfordresher (Associate Professor of Psychology, SUNY, Buffalo, New York); and Rom Harre (Emeritus Fellow of Linacre College, Oxford University, UK). This 368 page compendium provides an informative introduction to classic and current studies in the psychology of music, deftly incorporating a comprehensive summary with critical assessments of existing research. A work of impressive scholarship throughout, "Psychology of Music: From Sound to Significance" is organized into four major sections: Foundations; The Perception and Cognition of Music; Development, Learning, and Performances; The Meaning and Significance of Music. Of special note is the chapter on 'The Emotional Power of Music'. Enhanced with a roster of bibliographic references, a name index, and a subject index, "Psychology of Music: From Sound to Significance" is a very strongly recommended addition to professional and academic library Psychological Studies and Musicology Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "Psychology of Music: From Sound to Significance" is also available in hardcover (9781841698687, $97.85) as well as a Kindle edition ($38.29).


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

Comics As History, Comics As Literature
Annessa Ann Babic, editor
Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
The Gatehouse M010C
285 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940
www.rowman.com
9781611475562, $85.00, www.amazon.com

Comics is a visual medium used to express ideas via images, often combined with text or visual information. Comics frequently takes the form of juxtaposed sequences of panels of images. Often textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and sound effects ("onomatopoeia") indicate dialogue, narration, or other information. Elements such as size and arrangement of panels control narrative pacing. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration are the most common image-making means in comics; fumetti is a form which uses photographic images. Common forms of comics include comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, and comic books. Since the late 20th century, bound volumes such as graphic novels, comics albums, and tank bon have become increasingly common, and online webcomics have proliferated. Compiled and edited by Annessa Ann Babic (Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies, New York Institute of Technology), "Comics as History, Comics as Literature: Roles of the Comic Book in Scholarship, Society, and Entertainment" is a 272 page compendium comprised of thirteen articulate, erudite, and seminal essays on the cultural impact of comics. Of special note is 'SuperGay: Depictions of Homosexuality in Mainstream Superhero Comics' (Kara Kvaran, University of Akron) and 'The Zombie Apocalypse: A Fictional State of Nature? (Christina Dokou, University of Athens). A seminal body of impressive scholarship that is enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Comics As History, Comics As Literature" is very highly recommended reading and an invaluable addition to academic library Popular Culture Studies and Literary Studies reference collections. It should be noted that "Comics As History, Comics As Literature" is also available in a Kindle edition ($67.99).


The Military Shelf

Germany's Western Front
Mark Osborne Humphries & John Maker, editors
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3C5
wlupress.wlu.ca
9781554583737, $95.00, www.amazon.com

World War I (WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War, was a global war centered in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. From the time of its occurrence until the approach of World War II in 1939, it was called simply the World War or the Great War, and thereafter the First World War or World War I. In America it was initially called the European War. More than 9 million combatants were killed; a casualty rate exacerbated by the belligerents' technological and industrial sophistication, and tactical stalemate. It was the fifth-deadliest conflict in world history, paving the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. "Germany's Western Front: Translations from the German Official History of the Great War, 1914, Part 1" is the first of a planned six volume series translating "Der Weltkrieg" (the official German history of the World War I) into English based upon the work of Wilhelm J. Kiesselbach. This 570 page compendium covers in detail the 'Battle of the Frontiers in the West and Pursuit to the Marne' and 'From the Sambre to the Marne'. Enhanced with two appendices, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "Germany's Western Front: Translations from the German Official History of the Great War, 1914, Part 1" is an essential and welcome contribution to academic library 20th Century Military History reference collections. It should be noted that "Germany's Western Front: Translations from the German Official History of the Great War, 1914, Part 1" is also available in a Kindle edition ($29.99).


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Complete Book Of North American Owls
James R. Duncan
Thunder Bay Press
c/o Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
10350 Barnes Canyon Rd, Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92121
www.thunderbaybooks.com
9781607107262, $19.95, www.amazon.com

Owls are birds of the order Strigiformes and include about 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision and binaural hearing, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and some remote islands. "The Complete Book of North American Owls" is a 192 page, profusely illustrated compendium showcasing all of different types of owl to be found on the North American continent. Addressing the question of what is an owl, special adaptations of owls, and owl biology, "The Complete Book of North American Owls" offers an extensive 'Gallery of Owls' with an informative and detailed caption for each owl presented. The photography throughout "The Complete Book of North American Owls" is simply magnificent. Informed and informative, "The Complete Book of North American Owls" is an important and highly recommended addition for school and community library Ornithology Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Music Shelf

The French Symphony at the Fin de Siecle
Andrew Deruchie
University of Rochester Press
c/o Boydell & Brewer Inc
668 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620-2731
www.urpress.com www.boydellandbrewer.com
9781580463829, $85.00, www.amazon.com

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, generally scored for orchestra or concert band. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle. Many symphonies are tonal works in four movements with the first in sonata form, which is often described by music theorists as the structure of a "classical" symphony, although many symphonies by the acknowledged classical masters of the form, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven do not conform to this model. The latest addition to the outstanding "Eastman Studies in Music" series from the University of Rochester Press, "The French Symphony at the Fin de Siecle: Style, Culture, and the Symphonic Tradition" by Andrew Deruchie (Lecturer in Musicology, University of Otago, New Zealand) is a 310 page compendium comprising a detailed and seminal study of the symphony in the late 19th and early 20th century France. Featuring as analytical examples, Camille Saint-Saens' Third Symphony; Cesar Franck's Sympohony in D Minor; Edouard Lalo's Symphony in G. Minor; Ernest Chausson's Symphony in B-flat Major; Paul Dukas' Symphony in C; and Vincent d'Indy's Second Symphony and 'Symphonie sur un chant montagnard francais', "The French Symphony at the Fin de Siecle" is an impressively informative work from beginning to end. Enhanced with copious notes, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index, "The French Symphony at the Fin de Siecle" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to professional and academic library Music Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Library Science Shelf

Including Families of Children with Special Needs
Carrie Scott Banks, et al.
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
www.alastore.ala.org
9781555707910, $60.00, www.amazon.com

In the United States today, there are more than 6.5 million children receiving special education services in our schools. That is why school and community libraries must be able to address the needs of these children with respect to their services, resources, and collections. Now in a newly revised and updated edition, "Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians" is an essential instruction guide that addresses such fundamental issues as partnering and collaborating with parents and other professionals; developing special collections and resources; assessing competencies and skills; the primary principles underlying family-centered services and resource-based practices; and the interrelationship of early intervention, special education, and library service. As informed and informative as it is deftly written and presented, "Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians" should be considered mandatory reading for school and community library staff members and a core curriculum supplement for Library Science students.


The Cookbook Shelf

Gluten-Free 101
Carol Fenster
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
www.hmhpub.com
9781118539125, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture. Gluten is used in cosmetics, hair products, and other dermatological preparations. Unfortunately, a great many people have an allergy to gluten and must therefore avoid it in the foods they eat. In "Gluten-Free 101: The Essential Beginner's Guide to Easy Gluten-Free Cooking", gluten expert and cookbook author Carol Fenster has compiled a profusely illustrated, 240 page compendium of thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for glueten free dishes that will please any palate and satisfy any appetite. The recipes range from French Fried Onions; Chili Corn Bread Casserole; Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Honey-Mustard Pan Sauce; and One-Pot Roasted Salmon on Mediterranean Vegetables and Rice; to Zucchini Quick Bread; Cinnamon Rolls; Gingerbread Cookies; and Cherry Cobbler. Of special note is Carol Fenster's commentary offering a 'Gluten-Free Survival Guide' and a 'Gluten-Free Kitchen'. Informed and informative, "Gluten-Free 101: The Essential Beginner's Guide to Easy Gluten-Free Cooking" is an important addition to the cookbook collection of anyone requiring a gluten-free diet and would make an enduringly popular addition to community library specialty cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Gluten-Free 101: The Essential Beginner's Guide to Easy Gluten-Free Cooking" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Tastes of Tuscany
Liana Giovannini Figone
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959-0008
www.bluedolphinpublishing.com
0931892244, 19.95, www.amazon.com

Compiled with commentary by Liana Giovannini Figone, "Tastes of Tuscany: Treasured Family Recipes and Vignettes from the Heartland of Italy" is a spiral-bound, 320 page compendium of superbly presented recipes that are as delicious and nutritious as they are kitchen-cook friendly to prepare. The recipes range from Funghi Ripieni (Stuffed Mushroom Caps); Ostriche Gratinate (Stuffed Oysters on the Half Shell); and Minestra di Porri (Leek and Potato Soup); to Agnello alla Griglia (Barbecued Lamb); Salisiccia Dolce di Tacchino (Sweet Turkey Sausage Patties); and Torta Toscana (Fruitcake from Tuscany). Enhanced with an Italian Index and an English Index, "Tastes of Tuscany" is destined to be a family cookbook shelf favorite and is highly recommended for community library Ethnic Cookbook collections.

Betty Crocker 300 Calorie Comfort Food
Betty Crocker
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
www.hmhpub.com
9781118453483, $19.99, www.amazon.com

"Betty Crocker 300 Calorie Comfort Food: 300 Favorite Recipes for Eating Healthy Every Day" is a 336 page compendium showcasing 'weight watcher' friendly recipes for dishes that will please the palate while satisfying the appetite. Enhanced with full color plate sections of finished dishes, the kitchen cook friendly recipes range from Healthy Burgers with Dill Sauce (200 calories); Chunky Garden Noodles (170 calaories); Roasted Vegetable Stew (230 calories); and Smokey Chipotle Soft Tacos (170 calories); to Maple-Butternut Squash Soup (190 calories); Sirloin Steaks with Cilantro chimichurri (270 calories); Oven-Fried Potato Wedges (140 calories); and Peach-Berry Cobbler (150 calories). Enhanced with the inclusion of a Metric Conversion Guide and a useful index, "Betty Crocker 300 Calorie Comfort Food: 300 Favorite Recipes for Eating Healthy Every Day" is highly recommended for family and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Betty Crocker 300 Calorie Comfort Food: 300 Favorite Recipes for Eating Healthy Every Day" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Cordua: Foods of the Americas
Michael Cordua & David Cordua
Bright Sky Press
2365 Rice Boulevard, Suite 202, Houston, TX 77005
9781939055491, $29.95, www.amazon.com

"Cordua: Foods of the Americas" is a 208 page culinary compendium showcasing ninety-nine recipes. Enhanced with one hundred full color photographs, "Cordua: Foods of the Americas" is more than just another collection of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen cook friendly dishes (although they are very much so), it is also the story and philosophy of iconoclastic restaurant chef Michael Cordua. The recipes themselves range from such elegant entries as Romaine and Goat Cheese Spears with Candied Pecans; Foie Gras and Morel Soup; and Prosciutto and Mascarpone Puffs; to Braised Beef Short Ribs with Jicama Kimchee; Tamale Gnocchi with Smoked Tomato Sauce; and Chocolate-Brazil Nut Biscotti. As much fun to browse through as it is to develop menus with, "Cordua: Foods of the Americas" is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.


The Native American Studies Shelf

Elder Brother and the Law of the People
Robert Alexander Innes
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College
Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
9780887557460 $31.95 www.uofmpress.ca

Also available in ebook format, Elder Brother and the Law of the People: Contemporary Kinship and Cowessess First Nation explores traditional folk stories of Wisashkecahk, also known as "Elder Brother", told among the Cowessess First Nation of aboriginal peoples native to southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada. These Elder Brother stories served the people by clarifying rules of social interaction, marriage, adoption, kinship, duties and responsibilities. Author Robert Alexander Innes, a scholar of American Indian Studies and a Plains Cree member of the Cowessess First Nation, explains how the values inherent in the traditional Elder Brother stories have persisted into the modern era, even influencing the Cowessess' successful negotiation of the 1996 Treaty Land Entitlement agreement. Methodical and enlightening, Elder Brother and the Law of the People is a welcome addition to scholarly Native American Studies shelves.

Dena'inaq' Huch'ulyeshi: The Dena'ina Way of Living
Suzi Jones, James A. Fall, Aaron Leggett
University of Alaska Press
PO Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240
www.uaf.edu/uapress
9781602232075, $35.00, www.amazon.com

The Dena'ina are an Alaska Native people and Athabaskan Native Americans in the United States. They are the original inhabitants of the southcentral Alaska region ranging from Seldovia in the south to Chickaloon in the northeast, Talkeetna in the north, Lime Village in the Northwest and Pedro Bay in the Southwest. The collaborative work of Suzi Jones (Deputy Director of the Anchorage Museum), James A. Fall (Program Manager for the Division of Subsistence, Alaska Department of Fish and Game0, and Aaron Leggett (Special Exhibitions Curator at the Anchorage Museum), "Dena'inaq' Huch'ulyeshi: The Dena'ina Way of Living" is a beautifully and profusely illustrated, 350 page compendium showcasing the history, art, culture, lifestyle, and artifacts of the Dena'ina people. An impressive body of seminal scholarship, "Dena'inaq' Huch'ulyeshi: The Dena'ina Way of Living" is enhanced with the inclusion of James Kari's 'The Dena'ina Sound System and Orthography'; an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Simply stated, "Dena'inaq' Huch'ulyeshi: The Dena'ina Way of Living" is an invaluable and essential addition to academic library Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Art Shelf

Folinsbee Considered
Kirsten M. Jensen
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 250, East Hampton, MA 01027-0250
www.hudsonhills.com
9781555953904, $80.00, www.amazon.com

Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists. Their independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s, in spite of harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France. The name of the style derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satirical review published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari. Impressionist painting characteristics include relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles. John Fulton Folinsbee (March 14, 1892 - May 10, 1972) was an American landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his impressionist scenes of New Hope and Lambertville, New Jersey, particularly the factories, quarries, and canals along the Delaware River. "Folinsbee Considered" by Kirsten M. Jensen is a 322 page compendium showcasing the paintings of an accomplished master in the field of American impressionist painting. Of special note is Kirsten Jensen's informed and informative commentary providing a complete historical framework and background to Folinsbee's works. Replete with superbly reproduced full color plates, "Folinsbee Considered" is enhanced with a Catalogue of Selected Landscape and Genre Paintings; a Chronology; an Exhibition History 1912-2012; a bibliography (literature); and an index. "Folinsbee Considered" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library American Art History collections.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309285278, $79.00, www.amazon.com

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. People are considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in meters, exceeds 30 kg/m2. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Obesity in American is a growing concern, especially with the increasing numbers of obese children. The collaborative work of the Committee on Evaluating Progress of Obesity Prevention Effort, the Food and Nutrition Board, and the Institute of Medicine, "Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress" is a 462 page compendium that is comprised of a data-based and actionable approach for measuring the progress of national obesity prevention policies and environmental strategies as outlined in the 2012 IPM report 'Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation'. A significant and important publication, "Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress" is an essential addition to professional, governmental, and academic library Health & Medicine reference collections.


The Architecture Shelf

John C. Parkin, Archives, and Photography
Linda Fraser, Michael McMordie, and Geoffrey Simmins
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
9781552486385, $59.95, www.uofcpress.com

John Cresswell Parkin, CC OOnt (March 24, 1922 - October 22, 1988) was a Canadian architect and urban planner. He received his B.Arch. from the University of Manitoba in 1944 and at Harvard University under Walter Gropius. He entered into an architectural practice with John Burnett Parkin in 1947. Projects involving Parkin included the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, in 1976. Parkin was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He was also a member of the Ontario Association of Architects and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, where he served as president from 1970 to 1980. In 1972 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada "for his services to architecture, urban planning, industrial design and the arts". The collaborative work of Linda Fraser (Archivist and Chief Curator of the Canadian Architectural Archives), Michael McMordie (Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary), Canadian architecture expert and exhibition curator Geoffrey Simmins, "John C. Parkin, Archives, and Photography" is a profusely illustrated, 150 page compendium comprised of five essays and one transcribed conversation between John C. Parker and Michael McMordie. Enhanced with a Selected Bibliography and a useful Index, "John C. Parkin, Archives, and Photography" is a seminal work that would prove to be an invaluable and seminal contribution to academic library Architectural Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Reference Shelf

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2014
Sarah Janssen, editor
The World Almanac
132 West 31st Street, 17th floor, NY, NY 10001
9781600571817, $34.95, 1008 pp, www.amazon.com

Published annually since 1868, this new "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2014" edition continues to be an indispensable school and community library reference work. It is also very highly recommended for personal and family reference collections and is an excellent trivia resource on everything from sports and pop culture to science and politics. Of special note are such features as World Alamanac Editors' Picks: Time Capsule; Offbeat News Stories; Marriage in America; Voter Guide (a state-by-state guide for key election dates and information, including voter-ID laws adopted by many states); Memorable Winter Olympic Moments; The World at a Glance; Health News & Statistics. It should also be noted that "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2014" is also available in a paperback edition (9781600571824, $13.99) as well as a Kindle edition (B00BW4OKGI, $7.97).

County and City Extra 2013
Deirdre A. Gaquin & Mary Meghan Ryan, editors
Bernan Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rlpgbooks.com
9781598886337, $155.00, www.amazon.com

Exhaustive compiled and co-edited by the team of data research experts Deirdre A. Gaquin and Mary Meghan Ryan, "County and City Extra 2013: Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book" is a 1456 page compendium comprised of superbly organized and presented key demographic data for every state, country, metro area, and congressional district in America, as well as for every city and town with a 2010 census population of more than 25,000. This new 21st edition of a research data staple is enhanced with number tables, full-color maps on selected data topics, and up-to-date information on geographic concepts and codes. Of special note is a completely new list of Core Based Statistical Areas based on the 2010 census, along with changes in the way these areas are defined from the federal Office of Management and Budget. "County and City Extra 2013: Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book" is highly recommended for professional, corporate, academic, and community library reference collections.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
www.paladin-press.com

Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. Paladin Press offers three outstanding instructional volumes by John Clements which are dedicated to medieval and renaissance era swords and swordsmanship. "Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts: Rediscovering the Western Combat Heritage" (9781581606683, $52.00) is a 380 page compendium that provides a history of European fight masters and their techniques from 1350 to 1675 A.D. Very nicely illustrated, "Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques" (9781581600049, $42.) is a 344 page, 'hands-on' instruction manual on medieval swords and how they were employed in combat. "Renaissance Swordsmanship: The Illustrated Use of Rapiers and Cut-and-Thrust Swords" (9780873649193, $25.00) is an illustrated, 152 page manual on these specialized swords and their use replicating how men fought with them in duels and in battlefield conditions. Also from Paladin Press and very highly recommended to students of the sword is Harvey J. S. Withers' "The Scottish Sword 1600-1945: An Illustrated History" (9781581607130, $55.00), a 252 page compendium which is beautifully illustrated in full color throughout and covers two-handed swords, English basket hilt swords, Jacobit basket hilt swords, Regulation baske hilt swords, and Nonregulaton swords of the period. All four of these volumes are works of impressive presentation and highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library reference collections. They would also prove indispensable as reference works for authors writing action/adventure historical novels set in Medieval or in Renaissance periods.


The Philosophy Shelf

Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge
Allan Gotthelf, editor
James G. Lennox, associate editor
University of Pittsburgh Press
3400 Forbes Avenue, 5th floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
9780822944249 $30.00 www.upress.pitt.edu/upressIndex.aspx

The second book published in the Ayn Rand Society Philosophical Studies series, Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge: Reflections on Objectivist Epistemology is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors about the ideas of philosopher and author Ayn Rand (1905-1982), perhaps best known for her blend of novel and manifesto "Atlas Shrugged". Ayn Rand is highly regarded for challenging conventional views of epistemology (the theory of knowledge, in particular how knowledge is determined to be valid, or how reasoning is determined to be sound). Individual writings exploring her Objectivist perspective on fundamental understanding and concepts include "Rand on Concepts, Definitions, and the Advance of Science: Comments on Gotthelf and Lennox", "Keeping Up Appearances: Reflections on the Debate over Perceptual Infallibilism", "Ayn Rand's Theory of Concepts: Rethinking Abstraction", and much more. Suitable for intermediate to advances philosophers and scholars of Ayn Rand's ideas, Concepts and Their Role in Knowledge is a welcome contribution to college library philosophy shelves.


The American History Shelf

Bullets, Badges, and Bridles
John K. Burchill
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street
Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781455618576 $18.95 www.pelicanpub.com

Thoroughly accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Bullets, Badges, and Bridles: Horse Thieves and the Societies That Pursued Them is an expertly researched examination of a wildly lucrative crime that plagued America through its colonial days and era of westward expansion: horse thievery. Homesteaders and others in remote areas relied on horses to survive; they banded together out of necessity to form vigilante groups to protect their equine property. Bullets, Badges, and Bridles chronicles the dual histories of horse thief gangs and the societies that existed to exact justice. True stories of hideouts, disguises, criminal networks, lynchings, barn burnings of criminals and more fill this chronicle, which will prove fascinating to lay readers and historians alike. Highly recommended.

St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered
Aaron McArthur
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166
Reno, NV, 89557-0166
9780874179194 $24.95 www.unpress.nevada.edu

Illustrated with a handful of maps and black-and-white photographs, St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered is the fascinating story of a Nevada settlement tracing its origins to an 1865 founding by Mormon missionaries whom Brigham Young sent to the Moapa Valley to grow cotton. When the boundary of Utah Territory was shifted one degree of longitude east, St. Thomas became part of Nevada. A community of miners, farmers, and Mormons who interacted with the native Paiute thrived for years; but in 1931, the newly constructed Hoover Dam spelled the end of the settlement, as the rising shores of Lake Mead eradicated its physical presence. Memories of St. Thomas persist, and even its ruins become visible whenever Lake Mead's waters run low. St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered is an enlightening, heavily-researched chronicle especially recommended for public and college library collections.

Hunting the American West
Richard C. Rattenbury
Boone and Crockett Club Collection
250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801
www.booneandcrockettclub.com
9780940864603, $49.95, www.amazon.com

"Hunting the American West: The Pursuit of Big Game for Life, Profit, and Sport, 1800-1900" by historian Richard C. Rattenbury is a 416 page, profusely illustrated compendium providing an informed and informative historical overview of 19th century of big game hunting as a recreational pursuit, a business, and its role in providing meat for the table of frontier Americans. Of special note is the chapter on 'The Hunter-Naturalists: Conserving Western Big-Game Animals'. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Hunting the American West: The Pursuit of Big Game for Life, Profit, and Sport, 1800-1900" is an impressive work and is especially recommended as a community library Memorial Fund acquisition.


The World History Shelf

The United States And China Since World War II
Chi Wang
M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504
www.mesharpe.com
9780765629906, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Written by Georgetown University Professor Chi Wang, the man who oversaw the development of Chinese collection of the U.S. Library of Congress, "The United States and China Since World War II: A Brief History" is a 218 page compendium comprised of ten informed and informative chapters, the first two of which provide an historical background to America's relationship to China from first contact in the 19th century down through the end of World War II. Then Professor Wang addresses the Chinese civil war; the conflict between the U.S. and the Communist state of China; Chinese foreign policy during the era of the Cold War; President Nixon's reestablishment of diplomatic contact with the Chinese government under Mao; Deng Xiapoing and U.S.-China relations; U.S.-China relations under President Ronald Regan; President H. W. Bush's response to the Tiananmen Square incident; President Bill Clinton and the Chinese premier Jian Zemin; President George W. Bush and Hu Jintao; Sin-U.S. relations and China's hosting of the Olympics; and concludes with President Barack Obama's administration and the Chinese government. Of special note is Professor Wang's 'Conclusion' commentary. Very highly recommended for academic library International Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists, it should be noted that "The United States and China Since World War II: A Brief History" is also available in a hardcover edition (9780765629890, $76.75).

History of the Caribbean
Frank Moya Pons
Markus Wiener Publishers
231 Nassau Street
Princeton, NJ 08542
9781558764156 $88.95 hc / $28.95 pbk www.markuswiener.com

History of the Caribbean lives up to its title as a scholarly, comprehensive history of the Caribbean islands, from the first landing of Christopher Columbus to the Great Depression of the 1930's. Chapters focus on "The Early Tobacco Colonies", "Caribbean Sugar Economies in the Eighteenth Century", "The French Revolution in the Antilles", "The Sugar Revolution in Cuba and Puerto Rico", "Abolitionism in the Spanish Antiles", "Plantations under American Control" and much more. An extensive bibliography and an index round out this methodical analysis of economic and social forces that dominated Caribbean archipelagos, including the use of and rebellions against slavery. "After 200 years of deforestation, the Haitian environment was becoming increasingly incapable of sustaining a growing population, which had reached more than two million people by the beginning of the twentieth century... the Haitian peasantry was forced to seek wage labor options when the big American corporations started taking over the sugar economy of the Greater Antilles." Highly recommended, especially for public and college library world history shelves.

At War in Distant Waters
Phillip G. Pattee
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612511948 $58.95 www.nip.org

At War in Distant Waters: British Colonial Defense in the Great War examines the strategic value of Great Britain's military and naval offensive expeditions outside of Europe, during World War I. The value of these alleged distractions, claims author Phillip G. Pattee (associate professor of strategy and military operations, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College), lay in protecting British sea trade. Drawing upon documentary evidence from the Royal Navy and high-ranking government officials, At War in Distant Waters paints a dire picture in which economic as well as military and naval forces were critical to how the Great War unfolded, in this astutely reasoned and accessibly presented contribution to military and naval history shelves. Highly recommended.


The Poetry Shelf

U.A. Fanthorpe: Selected Poems
U.A. Fanthorpe
Enitharmon Press
www.enitharmon.co.uk
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781907587269 $23.95 www.dufoureditions.com

U.A. Fanthorpe: Selected Poems is an anthology of chosen works from English poet Ursula Askham Fanthorpe (1929-2009), who remains popular among poetry connoisseurs of all backgrounds due to her original flair, keen wit, and understanding of the human condition. Individual poems from her literary career spanning 30+ years show a broad range of her works, including changing styles and voices, but her universal love for both her country and her fellow human beings shines through. Highly recommended, especially for public library and literary poetry collections. "A Minor Role": I'm best observed on stage, / Propping a spear, or making endless / Exits and entrances with my servant's patter, / 'Yes, sir. O no, sir.' If I get / These midget moments wrong, the monstrous fabric / Shrinks to unwanted sniggers...

The Biscuit Joint
David Kirby
Louisiana State University Press
3990 W. Lakeshore Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
9780807151075 $16.95 http://lsupress.org

The Biscuit Joint is an anthology of free-verse by prize-winning poet David Kirby. Inspired by the "biscuit join" of carpentry (a seamless, virtually invisible fit of two pieces of wood), the poems explore the hidden interconnections between the most mundane of actions. "Roy G. Biv: The English say 'Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain' / when they try to recall the colors of the rainbow, / but that assumes a sense of history, which we Americans / don't like so much. What we like is sports, even soccer, / but what does Greg O'Keeffe of 'The Liverpool / Echo' mean when he describes forward Landon // Donovan's 'coruscating pace down the flanks'?..." The Biscuit Joint proves that poetry can be gripping as well as reflective and memorable; highly recommended.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Chimp Paradox
Dr. Steve Peters
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
9781470391751 $21.90 www.recordedbooks.com

The Chimp Paradox is a psychological self-help guide to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of one's most primal mental drives - the "inner chimp" that has been a core part of the human brain since long before the earliest records of civilization. Psychiatrist Dr. Steve Peters teaches readers that one's inner chimp can work for or against one's goals, and learning to tame and harness one's primal urges is crucial to self-growth, awareness, and ultimately, achieving success. Enlightening and educational, The Chimp Paradox is an invaluable self-help asset, highly recommended for anyone and everyone. 8 CDs, 9.75 hours.

Lady Windermere's Fan
Oscar Wilde, author
Performed by Juliet Stevenson, et. al.
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28
Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9789626341117 $17.98 CD / $12.00 digital download

Lady Windermere's Fan is the unabridged audiobook rendition of Oscar Wilde's timeless play, brought to life with a stirring, full-cast performance. First enacted on stage in 1892, Lady Windermere's Fan savages human hypocrisy, revealing the failings of false public "morality" when contrasted with true, selfless acts of kindness in private. Oscar Wilde's wit and insights are as hard-hitting today as over a century ago; Lady Windermere's Fan is a "must-have" especially for public library collections, and a wonderful way to introduce a new generation to the talent of classic playwrights. 2 CDs, 1 hour 43 min.


The Library CD Shelf

Keme Borama
Tiecoro Sissoko
Kanga System Krush
c/o Press Junkie PR
9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 160, PMB 221, Austin, TX 78748
$TBA www.amazon.com

For a time, the nation of Mali endured a ban on music imposed by Islamic extremists in the north; even in the south, the secular government feared that musical performances would prompt violence. Though French forces have since driven back the Islamic rebels, fear and the threat of violence hang a heavy shadow over the traditional singers and performers whose compositions are a living, breathing part of Mali's culture. Traditionally, Griot singers such as Tiecoro Sissoko have served as oral historians, genealogists, storytellers and news carriers; their traditions have been an indissoluble cultural glue. Keme Borama encapsulates a piece of Mali's beautiful, musical heritage, preserving classic folk songs and adding original flair to choice ballads. Sissoko's album is a treasury worthy of the highest recommendation, especially for international music collections. The tracks are "Keme Borama", "Fatou", "Jaora Konya Donkili", "Ti ta ti", "Sa Funke", "Nyari Guasa", "Haidara Sirifo", "Sori ya ya bende", and "Instrumental".

Sembeh Ma Fa Fe: Roots Volume
Stronghold Sound
Privately Published
www.strongholdsound.com
Press Junkie PR
9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 160, PMB 221
Austin, TX 78748
$15.34 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Sembeh Ma Fa Fe: Roots Volume is another collection of grassroots soul, folk, salsa, and djembe (a goblet-drum played with bare hands) music from Guinea. A wide assortment of African artists contribute to this explosively resounding expression of Guinea's rich musical culture and heritage. Sembeh Ma Fa Fe ("Strong Sound Coming" in the Susu language) is a "must-have" for collections showcasing African and international music! The tracks are "Blondi", "Saran", "Aisha, My Baby Blondi", "MyBaby", "Cissoko", "Aisha", "Blondi", "MyBaby", "Captain Planet", "Boima + Giku", "J-Boogie", "Dub Snakkr", "Balandougou Kan", "Balandougou Kan", and "Balandougou Kan".

Between Love and Luck
Badi Assad
www.badiassad.cm
BodyAcid/ASCAP
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
$TBA www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Winner of the 2013 USA Songwriting Competition (World category), Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad presents Between Love and Luck, her first new album since 2006. Badi had been absent from the musical scene to have more time to raise her daughter, and her songs course with the joy of motherhood as well as love by moonlight, the sparkle of sunrise, and immersion in priceless memories. Between Love and Luck is a romantic album worthy of being treasured! The tracks are "Ultraleve" (3:35), "Pega No Coco" (3:38), "Between Truth and Luck" (4:04), "Vinheta Noite" (0:33), "Noite de Sao Joao" (3:19), "Quarto da Rainha" (2:49), "Catch" (3:55), "Vinheta Coracao" (0:30), "To Reach My Heart" (4:44), "O Barco Daqui de Dentro" (3:48), "Eu Vim Daquele Lugar" (4:02), "Spicy Moments" (4:29), "Mulheres e Cunhantas" (3:37), and "Mar Egeu" (3:47).

Casa de Trova
Alejandro Almenares with Angel Almenares
Rock Paper Scissors
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
www.rockpaperscissors.biz
$16.89 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

Casa de Trova ("House of the Troubadours" or "House of Ballads") is an exciting music album, named after a nigh-legendary concept in Cuban music lore. Celebrating the idea of a place where friends congregate to make music, veteran performer Alejandro Almenares (born in Santiago de Cuba, 1937) shares his love of the art with thirteen original musical creations blending Spanish vocals and brisk, lively melodies. Casa de Trova is two-CD set; one CD features the music with vocals, while the other is purely instrumental - perfect for those who either want to sing unassisted or simply enjoy the songs' flowing beauty on its own terms. Highly recommended, especially for personal and public library international music collections. The tracks are "No critiques al nene" (4:20), "La finca de Vila" (4:13), "Mujercita linda" (4:23), "Te vi y te contemple" (4:27), "El son de Vicentico" (4:22), "A tu retrato" (2:15), "La chica de mi rosal" (3:53), "Esa guitarra que suena" (3:25), "Lechero" (3:49), "La nina que yo ame" (4:02), "De lo que quiero saber" (3:31), "Pepillito" (3:58), "Con amor te pagare" (4:07).


The Library DVD Shelf

Japanese American Incarceration 1942-1945
Bennet Watt HD Productions, Inc.
13021 - 244 Avenue SE
Issaquah, WA 98027
9781604901726 $24.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com

Part of the "Discoveries... America National Parks" series, Japanese American Incarceration 1942-1945 is a documentary about places of twentieth-century American injustice on a colossal scale. In 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the American government ordered the extended detention of 110,000 Japanese-Americans and legal immigrants. Men, women & children were forced from their homes, and kept alive in remote, militarized concentration camps. Disease took a lethal toll on an imprisoned, innocent population - not a single one of them was ever convicted of espionage or sabotage. In order to remind the nation that such an egregious violation of civil and human rights must never happen again, The National Park Service has preserved several camp locations, while Densho.org records the firsthand account of concentration camp survivors. Gut-wrenching, profound, and an unforgettable lesson of history, Japanese American Incarceration 1942-1945 is a "must-have" for public library DVD shelves. 50 min.

Secrets of Ancient Egypt
Athena Learning
athenalearning.com
c/o Acorn Media / RLJ Entertainment
9781621721178 $49.99 www.acornonline.com

Secrets of Ancient Egypt is a documentary anthology of four programs about what the latest findings in the fields of biology, archaeology, geology, zoology, and Egyptology tell us about the ancient Egyptians, who developed one of the first advanced civilizations in the world. "Secrets of the Pharaohs: A Quest for Ancient DNA" investigates whether genetics (especially genetic deformities that cropped up from keeping the royal bloodline "pure" through inbreeding) precipitated the end of Tutankhamen's dynasty. "Quest of the Golden Mummies" takes the viewer on the tour of an excavated catacomb of mummies, to learn more about the history of a lost people. "Secrets of the Sands" investigates the sand of the Sahara in a quest to discover the origins of the pyramids. "The Sacred Animals of the Pharaohs" investigates how the ancient Egyptians viewed animals, deriving clues from mummified animal remains. Bonus features include an extra "Realm of the Dead" program about ancient Egyptian funerary practices, and a 12-page viewer's guide. An amazing and informative glimpse into Egypt's storied past, Secrets of Ancient Egypt is highly recommended especially for high school, college, and public library DVD collections. 2 DVDs, 207 min. plus 50 min. bonus program, SDH subtitles.

Ballroom Confidential
Directed by Brian Lilla
Original Soundscore Axel Herrera
Produced by JoAnn Lilla
Lilla Films
c/o Green Galactic (publicity)
$20.00 www.ballroomconfidential.com

Award-winning filmmaker Brian Lilla presents Ballroom Confidential, a documentary available on both DVD and video on demand. The saga follows older and senior citizen women learning the exuberance and passion of ballroom dancing, with the aid of their (often much younger) instructors. Ballroom Confidential is not only about the beauty of the dance; it's about living life to the fullest at any age, even rediscovering joy after losing one's beloved husband. The dance studio owner, Caleb Young, has his own story to tell; he's a former New York City singer and drag queen performer who sought to rebuild his life in his home state of Florida, and discovered the overwhelming demand for ballroom dance lessons after he opened his own studio. Engaging, graceful, and witty, Ballroom Confidential is highly recommended. 1 hour 24 min.

The Agatha Christie Hour: Complete Collection
Acorn Media
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621722038 $59.99 www.acornonline.com

Originally broadcast as part of PBS's "Mystery!" series, The Agatha Christie Hour: Complete Collection gathers all ten television adaptations of Christie's classic murder mysteries. Superbly performed, they tell stories of intrigue, romance, keen-minded intellect, and the dark desires that culminate in deadly violence. An absolute "must-have" for mystery lovers everywhere, especially fans of Christie's unforgettable works! Extras include a biography of Agatha Christie and "Parker Pyne: Before Poirot". The stories are "The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife", "In a Glass Darkly", "The Girl in the Train", "The Fourth Man", "The Case of the Discontented Soldier", "Magnolia Blossom", "The Mystery of the Blue Jar", "The Red Signal", "Jane in Search of a Job", and "The Manhood of Edward Robinson". 10 episodes on 4 DVDs, 517 min., fullscreen, SDH subtitles.

Acne: An Overview
Focus Medica
www.focusmedica.com
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9789814206648 $24.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com

Acne: An Overview is an educational DVD about this common skin disorder. Discussing how pimples form, their different classifications, symptoms, treatment options, and self-care guidelines, Acne: An Overview is thoroughly accessible to viewers of all backgrounds. Highly recommended, especially for public, high school, and college library DVD shelves.

Xmas Without China
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
1937772993 $275.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

Licensed for public performance, Xmas Without China is a document exploring consumerism in America, in the modern era where China dominates manufactured goods. Chinese immigrant Tom Xia, who stays close to his extended family back home, dislikes how China is often misunderstood or stereotyped by the American media. He challenges fellow suburbanite Americans to celebrate Christmas without any Chinese products - a daunting task that may necessitate an unusually austere holidy. But then Tom meets the Joneses, a family that fears for their children when a recall of Chinese-made toys forces them to have their son tested for lead poisoning. The Joneses decide to change their entire way of life by giving up all the Chinese-made products they can - toys, plates, lamps, clothes, hair dryer, coffeemaker, Xbox, and more. Meanwhile, Tom's parents are proudly building a new home from Chinese materials. Is there a way to bridge cultural divides and ensure better product safety standards for all? Honest and thought-provoking, Xmas Without China raises more questions than answers, and is highly recommended. 63 min., SDH captioned.

School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten
Directed by Lisa Molomot
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
1937772985 $225.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com

School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten is a DVD about a kindergarten in a Switzerland suburb, where children ages 4 to 7 attend kindergarten in the local woods every day, rain, shine, or snow. Interviews with parents, teachers, alumni and child development experts along with observational footage of children at play in a forest kindergarten (contrasted with scenes from a standard U.S. kindergarten) reveal how this schooling method works on a practical level. An intriguing look at a different approach to early education, School's Out is especially recommended for early childhood educators.


The Civil War Shelf

The Vicksburg Campaign
Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear, editors
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive
SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
9780809332694 $32.50 www.siupress.com

The Vicksburg Campaign, March 29-May 18, 1863 is an anthology of essays by learned authors about one of the turning points of the American Civil War: the Union's successful Vicksburg Campaign into Confederate heartland, dubbed the "Mississippi Blitzkrieg" by historians. Individual writings include "Developed by Circumstances: Grant, Intelligence and the Vicksburg Campaign", "A Victory Could Hardly Have Been more Complete: The Battle of Big Black River Bridge", "The 'Stealing Tour': Soldiers and Civilians in Grant's March to Vicksburg", and much more. A handful of black-and-white maps/figures and an index round out this heavily researched, smoothly presented anthology of perspectives on a campaign destined to change the course of American history.


The Biography Shelf

Julius Caesar: Master of Surprise
Rose Williams
www.roserwilliams.com
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road
Mundelein, IL 60060
9780865168008 $12.00 www.bolchazy.com

Thoroughly accessible to readers of all ages and backgrounds, and an excellent resource for teaching high school or college students, Julius Caesar: Master of Surprise reveals the incredible wisdom and cunning of this legendary Roman emperor. Rose Williams, who has taught high school and college students about Caesar for over thirty years, draws upon multiple historical sources to recreate Caesar's military and political career including the writings of Suetonius, Plutarch, and correspondence/observation of Caesar's contemporaries. Highly recommended, especially for high school and college library biography shelves.


The Language Studies Shelf

Ten Fairy Tales in Latin
Paula Camardella Twomey with Suzanne Nussbaum
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road
Mundelein, IL 60060
9780865167919 $19.00 www.bolchazy.com

Ten Fairy Tales in Latin is a resource especially for instructors teaching Latin to high school or college students, but also useful for self-study. It presents popular fairy tales translated into Latin, in a script rendition meant to be read aloud or performed. Each tale has a traditional ending and a "twisted ending", concluding the story in an unusual way. Each tale also has an accompanying puzzle or activity to help the solver further enhance their command of Latin. Grammar notes and exercises for a review of key grammatical concepts in each tale, vocabulary lists, and a complete glossary round out this excellent supplementary resource for Latin teachers and students everywhere. The ten fairy tales are "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cinderella", "The Little Red Hen", "The Gingerbread Man", "The Three Billy Goats Gruff", "The Three Little Pigs", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "The Pied Piper", and "Sleeping Beauty".


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Business Networking for Veterans
Michael P. Abrams, Michael Lawrence Faulkner, and Andrea R. Nierenberg
Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780133741612 $29.99 www.pearsoned.com

Two Marine Corps combat veterans and a business consultant present Business Networking for Veterans: A Guidebook for a Successful Transition from the Military to the Civilian Workforce. Business Networking for Veterans lives up to its title as a practical-minded guide to job-hunting, written especially for veterans. An estimated 80% of American job openings are never advertised; the most effective way to get hired is through networking, especially word-of-mouth contacts and job-hunting advice. Chapters teach the reader about how to prepare for networking situations, make and keep connections (including those with friends, family, and fellow veterans, as well as new ones from volunteer work at local nonprofit organizations), learning how to target the right people, refining one's interpersonal networking techniques, and much more. "If calling back to follow up on a new contact makes you a bit nervous, develop a short yet detailed script to use. Write the key points and rehearse the script until it comes across naturally. Besides your script, have notes to refer to about the person you are calling." Although multiple issues specific to veterans are discussed at length (such as whether telling war stories is a good idea, and why one should be careful with "military speak" around civilians), readers of all background will potentially find the wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques invaluable in today's highly competitive job market!


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


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