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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The Shipwrecked
Fereshteh Nouraie-Simone, editor
The Feminist Press
365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9781558618688, $18.95, www.feministpress.org
"The Shipwrecked: Contemporary Stories by Women from Iran" is a smorgasbord of cultural
encounters, with each short story featuring a never-before-published work by an Iranian woman.
These stories come from women who write both within Iran and from outside of it as exiles or
expats, and offers a wide range of perspectives. From the only remaining cultural hub in a small
town, the Mermaid Cafe, which exists where all others have been shut down by the government
and story providing a child's eye perspective on its final demise and its effects on his world and
the community at large to a tale of being "alone and helpless in a cold and spiritless house" in
'The Maid', these sagas are first-person reflections of what it means to live in modern Iran, and
they adroitly explore the cultural boundaries of its traditions and people. Plenty of nonfiction
stories (including memoirs) have attempted to capture this feel; but the advantage to "The
Shipwrecked" is because it's coming from so many contributors and perspectives, achieving a
well-rounded gathering of voices which represents various insights into Iranian culture and
society that a singular voice or experience simply couldn't capture. Yes, it's fiction: but rooted in
Iranian traditions as these stories are, it's a recommendation for any who want literary fiction
thoroughly steeped in cultural observation.
Going Veggie
Trudy Slabosz
Ulysses Press
PO Box 3440, Berkeley CA 94703-3440
9781612433950 $17.95 www.ulyssespress.com
Going Veggie: The 30-Day Guide to Becoming a Healthy Vegetarian may seem like another
vegetarian cookbook, but it's got a unique touch: it's the only color recipe book that offers
step-by-step dishes designed to help make the transition to a completely vegetarian lifestyle, and
it comes from a blogger and longtime vegetarian who tells how to achieve this goal. It's more
than another recipe collection (too many have done this over the years): it's a 30-day program to
wean participants off meats and invite them into a flavor-filled world that pairs delicious dishes
with tricks for acquiring the essential proteins needed from plants, rather than animals. From
listings of fruits and vegetables by season to ideas for lighter meals such as Pita Pockets with
Carrot Falafel and Creamy Harissa Sauce, Going Veggie is filled with ideas for new vegetarians,
kid-approved dishes, and notes on difficulty levels and protein contents, making for a perfect
transitional title in a format most vegetarian cookbooks don't provide.
Passionate Nutrition
Jennifer Adler, MS, CN with Jess Thomson
Sasquatch Books
1904 Third Ave, Suite 710, Seattle, WA 98101
9781570619458 $23.95 www.sasquatchbooks.com
Passionate Nutrition: A Guide to Using Food as Medicine from a Nutritionist Who Healed
herself from the Inside Out is a prime example of what happens when autobiography blends with
health insights, and tells of Jennifer Adler's life as she emerged from a background of poverty to
develop an innovative and successful nutrition practice. More than an autobiography, though,
Passionate Nutrition invites reader to rethink one's relationship with food and its impact on
health, and uses the backdrop of Adler's life to show how healthy editing is more than just
providing physical nutrition to the body: it's about adopting better perceptions of food's
importance to life, and incorporating better habits that don't involve punishment or guilt. "We
also get so caught up in what other people say is healthy that we forget to listen to our own
bodies' wisdom. If we know, for example, that we feel okay when we eat white bread but
experience agonizing cramps when we eat whole-wheat bread, we shouldn't eat whole-wheat
bread." You'd think some of these basic concepts would be self-explanatory; but indeed, there's
so much guilt over food (in American society in particular) that sometimes it takes a special
voice such as Jennifer Adler's to break through the 'shoulds' of the health food industry to arrive
at a program for personal well-being based on a combination of nutrition principles and its
particular applications to each person. This is what makes Passionate Nutrition a standout: it
pairs information with a focus on individual well-being and encourages not a set approach, but a
flexible mind-set that any can use to customize their own protocols.
The Travel Shelf
Convergence: A Voyage Through French Polynesia
Sally-Christine Rodgers
Paradise Cay Publications
PO Box 29, Arcata, CA 95518-0029
9780986217104, $24.95, www.paracay.com
"Convergence: A Voyage Through French Polynesia" is a multi-faceted book that has the rare
ability to reach well beyond a sailing audience. It's refreshing to note the balance between text
and color photos in this large-format armchair narrative. Packed with full-page color photos that
capture the life and culture of French Polynesia, Convergence isn't just a beautiful coffee table
book, it's a highly readable, personal account of one woman's travels, as she observes and
experiences life at sea, the Polynesian peoples, the ecology of the islands and more. Exploring
the history of these fabled islands, the author reminisces about her father's travels in 1930s
Polynesia, reflecting on what has changed and what remains the same. Ever passionate about the
oceans and their conservation, she offers readers a colorfully close encounter with the beauty of
and threats to the ocean environment. Convergence will attract and educate cruisers, armchair
travelers, and readers of ecological issues alike.
The Research Shelf
Scholarly Metrics Under the Microscope
Blaise Cronin and Cassidy R. Sugimoto
Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750
9781573874991, $49.50, www.infotoday.com
Scholarly Metrics Under the Microscope is a weighty reference recommended for any interested
in bibliometrics - the quantitative analysis of publications, authors, and book-related concepts.
Lest this sound like a specialty item, it should be mentioned that bibliometrics is actually a hot
topic in university, research, government and some corporate circles, and this book gathers
together a wealth of writings on the topic from papers previously published in journals across
disciplines. It covers not only the process of assembling and assessing performance metrics, but
provides a critical approach to the use and applications of such metrics as they apply to
scholarship and research. Any interested in learning more about exactly how these metrics are
applied in real-world scenarios will find this a complex and revealing survey.
The Computer Shelf
Microsoft Powerpoint 2013 Pocket Primer
Theodor Richardson
Mercury Learning
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9781938549908, $29.95, www.merclearning.com
Microsoft Powerpoint 2013 Pocket Primer joins others in the new Pocket Primer series to review
the major concepts of using Microsoft PowerPoint 2014, and uses a blend of written instruction
supported by tutorial videos to achieve its goals. A companion disc includes these videos, which
reviews all the basics of building a PowerPoint platform and provides keys to using it in both
Windows and Mac environments. From developing media-enhanced presentations and adding
sound to videos to customizing PowerPoint for greater efficiency, this pocket primer is packed
with step-by-step information that assumes no prior knowledge and tells how to create a
powerful presentation with a minimum of special tools or ability.
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
Angela Tinwell's THE UNCANNY VALLEY IN GAMES & ANIMATION (9781466586949,
$99.95) charts advancements in animation and the common pitfall of a character with human
likeness and audience aversion to too much realism in gaming, and it traces the phenomenon,
known as the Uncanny Valley, and offers insights into how to overcome this problem and how to
diagnose design flaws in human-like characters in digital worlds. It synthesizes the literature
about the Uncanny Valley, explains its psychological foundations, and considers how facial
expression and other facets can be applied to overcome the issues, and it also provides a new
theory to compliment other writings on the subject, making this a 'must' for gaming
programmers, covering both prior surveys and new ideas. Cristina Videira Lopes's EXERCISES
IN PROGRAMMING STYLE (9781482227376, $39.95) uses term frequency to create a series
of exercises reinforcing the mechanics of writing programs and creating systems, and is a
recommendation for any programmer interested in how raw code translates to applications. It
contains over thirty styles for writing the term frequency task, placing them in categories for
easier associations and explaining each style's applications using sample programs from
real-world scenarios. The pros and cons of each style and its coding will teach programmers
more than the basics, and include both the historical development of the style and its uses.
Programmers who want to develop better strategies and techniques will find this an excellent
survey. Jesus Rogel-Salazar's ESSENTIAL MATLAB AND OCTAVE (9781482234633,
$69.95) covers two programs in one book: a task that might at first appear counter-productive, as
single books have already appeared with in-depth instructions for each program. But this is not
intended to replace such books - it assumes only the minimum of knowledge about programming
and math and it offers a step-by-step discussion of two languages used for solving complex math
problems. Attention is given to code that can be used with either program, while examples and
exercises reinforce the results; especially for first-time users. It's rare to find a discussion of
programming and math that is so accessible to low-level programming readers: having both
programs under one cover, in this case, provides a fine foundation for advancement. Nicholas
Bernhardt Zeman's ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR 3D MODELING, RENDERING, AND
ANIMATION (9781482224122, $59.95) provides a basic overview of skills applying 3D
modeling to animation efforts, and focuses on both concepts and their applications in the 3D
modeling world. Chapters offer a historical background coverage of the techniques and methods
of 3D processes before delving into the mechanics of skills building and animation development:
this allows relative newcomers to understand both the process and its evolution. Examples come
from Autodesk Maya, are accompanied by exercises to reinforce the concepts, and provide a
basic foundation for modelers, animation programmers, and any involved in 3D applications.
P.A. Simionescu's COMPUTER-AIDED GRAPHING AND SIMULATION TOOLS FOR
AUTOCAD USERS (9781482252903, $129.95) is a recommendation for college-level readers
who already have a basic foundation in Autocad and who seek a textbook of processes and
computer programs that addresses common problems in data visualization, simulation
applications, function randomization processes, graphical representations of math variables, and
more. It's a set of tools with advanced techniques and applications and not only describes plotting
programs, but includes them with the book. Engineers and technicians who want a coverage
driven by computer code and specific to problem-solving will find this a valuable compendium
of details.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Martingale & Company
19021 Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
Kathy Brown's TAKE 5 FAT QUARTERS: 15 EASY QUILT PATTERNS (9781604684179,
$24.99) offers quilters new designs that use five fat quarters paired with different background
fabrics for innovative quilt ideas, and provides some fifteen keys to using fat quarters in a range
of styles. Kathy Brown's designs are pieced and quilted by others while step-by-step notes
accompany large- and small-sized color photos with discussions of cutting, construction and
assembly. Quilters looking for new uses for fat quarter stashes will find this an easy introduction.
Jen Lucas' SOCK-YARN SHAWLS II: 16 PATTERNS FOR LACE KNITTING
(9781604684766, $24.99) is especially recommended for newcomers to lace knitting, and
provides a new selection of patterns for sock yarns based on the previous book. Here are more
designers to appeal to beginners to advanced lace knitters, offering patterns that apply to all kinds
of shawl sizes and shapes. Many of the shawls can be knitted from one skein, which makes them
even easier. The attention to progressive detail allows for an approach that any can access and
learn from; especially beginners or newcomers to lace knitting who want to build skills based on
projects. Add color photos, patterns, and step-by-step instructions that require only a basic
familiarity with knitting itself and you have a project book that will appeal to a wide
audience.
The Education Shelf
Corwin
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com
The second updated edition of Glenn E. Singleton's COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT RACE: A FIELD GUIDE FOR ACHIEVING EQUITY IN SCHOOLS
(9781483383743, $36.95)offers a revised edition recommending systemwide plans for changing
districts, schools and classrooms into institutions that support all students in achieving their best,
and explains how candid conversations about race can lead educators to understand how and why
students don't achieve across the board. From its new 'radical autobiographies' that come from
the experiences of 'Courageous Conversation practitioners to new case studies on a public school
district that has used this system to successfully implement a complete framework for change and
success, this adds links to videos describing the work, updated implementation exercises, new
activities and checklists for success, and much more. The result is a top pick for any follower of
the Courageous Conversations system and especially for those who want newly revised
techniques and approaches to success. Valerie Brown and Kirsten Olson's THE MINDFUL
SCHOOL LEADER: PRACTICES TO TRANSFORM YOUR LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL
(9781483303086, $24.95) takes the concept of mindfulness a step further in applying it to the
school system and a school leader's efforts. It pairs profiles of such 'mindful' school leaders who
apply this specific process to the educational system with exercises readers can try, guidance to
properly applying their results, and resources that include mindfulness apps and more. Mindful
school leaders work more efficiently in the school system structure: while most books on the
topic of mindfulness are general, this title's specific applications to an educational structure will
prove of particular interest to leaders who want to hone the finer role of leadership. Monica
Neagoy's PLANTING THE SEEDS OF ALGEBRA: EXPLORATIONS FOR THE UPPER
ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-5 (9781412996617, $38.95) is all about showing teachers how to
introduce basic algebra skills as a way of seeing the world, and provides both theoretical and
practical methods of introducing algebra into those grades. From how to incorporate some basic
introductory algebra concepts into common math to moving ahead to link these math ideas with
basic relevant experience and observations, this provides a set of new teaching methods designed
to help build a predisposition for understanding algebra by incorporating it into both daily life
and common math.
The Cookbook Shelf
Saveur: The New Classics Cookbook
The Editors of Saveur
Weldon Owen
415 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
9781616287351, $40.00, www.weldonowen.com
Saveur: The New Classics Cookbook packs in some 1,000 recipes along with advice, tips and
stories from the editors of Saveur, whose test kitchen rigorously tests recipes numerous times to
be certain the finished product is a superior production, and is a recommended pick for cooks
who want dishes that are a cut above the norm. We're talking classic dishes from around the
world here, from Mole Negro and Green Beans Almondine to Indian Chapati flatbread, a spicy
Portuguese classic Shrimp Mozambique, or an Italian-American Veal Piccata. The result should
be considered a 'bible' of classic international fare, filled with tested dishes that work, foods
representative of different nations around the world, and an approach that will attract cooks who
like to be in the kitchen following foolproof recipes packed with flavor and appeal.
1,001 Delicious Soups & Stews, fourth edition
Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam, MS, RD
Surrey Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
9781572841611, $20.99, www.agatepublishing.com
There are so many cookbooks covering soups, stews, and combinations of both that one might
wonder at the need for yet another, but 1,001 Delicious Soups & Stews: From Elegant Classics to
Hearty One-Pot Meals offers an expanded version of a favorite, features streamlined recipes that
are quick and easy to put together and a classification system designed to make it easy for cooks
to pick one over another, and an approach that relies on no special ingredients for success. Here
are over a thousand dishes from around the world, from chilis and chowders to fruit and chilled
soups, with nutrition information in an at-a-glance sidebar alongside each dish and techniques
ranging from slow-cooker use to adding canned ingredients from corn and tomato juice to beans.
It should be mentioned that there are no color photos; so beginners relying on color should look
elsewhere. That said, this fourth updated edition really packs in the dishes and is a pick for any
who want a single volume covering classic soup and stew fare.
The Business Shelf
Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO
Fred Cook
B2 Books
c/o Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf Street, Evanston, IL 60202
9781932841824, $16.00, www.agatepublishing.com
Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO comes from the successful
owner of an award-winning global public relations agency, who began his career at nearly forty
lacking all of the usual credentials associated with being a CEO - education, business
background, and even business attire. It seemed an unlikely pursuit for a motorcycle-riding 'serial
entrepreneur' who had moved from job to job all his life, but he picked up the skills in
problem-solving and communications that would serve him well in the end, and here argues that
it all comes back to successful improvising as a critical survival skill differentiating the
extraordinary from the ordinary entrepreneur. Because this book comes from an unconventional
route, it's especially recommended for small business readers interested in how success was
achieved from non-MBA grads.
The Crafts Shelf
Zen Doodle: Oodles of Doodles
Tonia Jenny, Editor
North Light Books
c/o F+W Media
1140 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001
9781440336591, $19.99, www.createmixedmedia.com
Zen Doodle: Oodles of Doodles gathers under one cover more doodle art from around the world,
pairing some 100 original designs and patterns with the latest techniques that originate from a
desire to doodle. It shows how to use these tangles to create new artistic results, from tiles to
zendala, and it also presents the stories behind other doodle efforts, including a spotlight on
artists who have established their reputations with zen doodles. With its color illustrations and
step-by-step coverage of doodle processes, this is a crafter's delight and is a recommended pick
for any collection seeing interest in the doodle phenomenon.
Beautiful Designs with SuperDuos and Twin Beads
Carolyn Cave
Kalmbach Books
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
9781627000543, $22.99, www.kalmbachbooks.com
Beautiful Designs with SuperDuos and Twin Beads covers two different rice-shaped two-hole
beads that are available in a wide range of colors and which can be used for amazing bead work
projects; especially when paired with different stitches and approaches to jewelry making in
nearly thirty different projects. Rings, bracelets, necklaces and more are featured in step-by-step
instructions and designs that appear complex but become simplified and straightforward under
Carolyn Cave's hand. A full-page color photo demonstrating each design is followed by smaller
step-by-step diagrams showing how the piece is put together, and discussions that include keys to
repeating steps and putting together polished results. Beaders who have some prior
jewelry-making experience but who want specifics for SuperDuos and Twin Beads will find this
an excellent collection of varied project ideas to demonstrate the versatile applications of the
two.
The Metaphysical Studies Shelf
The Secret of Your Immortal Self
Guy Finley
Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125
9780738744070, $16.99, www.llewellyn.com
The Secret of Your Immortal Self: Key Lessons for Realizing the Divinity Within is packed with
essays that considers how the divine may be accessed to achieve joy and wisdom, and it's a
recommendation for new age and self-help readers who would connect spiritual with psychic
inspiration and insight to make the most of a deeper relationship with the Divine. Chapters
consider the process of reconciliation within the soul and, most importantly, consider what to do
with this process and how to apply it successfully. It's this approach that makes The Secret of
Your Immortal Self of particular interest to new age spirituality collections and readers who want
to apply concepts of the Divine to ideals of immortality.
The Art Shelf
Art Deco Mailboxes
Karen Greene & Lynette Lavelle
W. W. Norton & Company
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
9780393733402, $26.95, www.wwnorton.com
Art Deco Mailboxes: An Illustrated Design History documents the heyday of the decorated
mailbox as an urban art object that evolved from applied art deco techniques, and is a
recommendation for any interested in folk art and art deco history. Many of the early mailboxes
that evolved in public spaces and at landmark building have been removed, but this book
documents ones still in use and pairs a full-color photo survey of these mailboxes with insights
on the Art Deco style and a history of painted mailboxes. Dozens of examples of the art deco
design in urban mailboxes from New York to Cincinnati are featured in a lovely book that will
especially appeal to architects, designers, and artists alike. The visual approach and history also
lends to this title's feature in general-interest holdings, as well.
Gift: The Art of David Flores
David Flores
Cameron & Company
6 Petaluma Blvd. North Suite B6, Petaluma, CA 94952
9781937359720, $29.95, www.cameronbooks.com
There are two things you can say about David Flores: one is that he likes the line-enhanced
divisions of stained glass. The other is that his devotion to re-creating the look and feel of stained
glass in a wide range of non-glass art forms makes for a distinctly original approach that
embraces forms from murals to pop art - and Gift: The Art of David Flores gathers these efforts
and celebrates them. With most books, the dust jacket as a quasi-protective device: not so with
Gift: a delicate stained glass rendition of a butterfly is banded by black felt, and is unique and
lovely enough to make purchase of the book with its jacket not an option, but a requirement. The
full-page pictures inside hold the same look of the artist's black-banded approach, which proffers
a stained glass appearance upon such diverse subjects as Snoopy, various faces, cartoons, and
colorized, enhanced classic photos of major people from Einstein to Warhol. If one thing can be
said about this collection, it would be that David Flores holds the uncanny ability to render, in
stained glass and on canvas, just about any aspect of a portrait to give it an extra dimension of
pop, with bold lines and equally bold colors and forms creating something entirely new from the
initially familiar. Any modern arts collection will find this a compelling, unique addition that will
attract even those with no prior familiarity with Flores or his art.
The Psychology Shelf
Improving Your Memory, fourth edition
Janet Fogler and Lynn Stern
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9781421415703, $18.95, www.press.jhu.edu
Improving Your Memory: How to Remember What You're Starting to Forget appears in its
fourth updated edition to reinforce memory techniques using real-life applications combined with
the latest research on how memory works and changes. It doesn't just offer analysis, though: it
pairs this with exercises and techniques that readers can use to more easily process and retrieve
information, and it covers efforts, attitudes, and health issues that can affect memory and how
thoughts are organized. The result is a fine guide filled with practical details any can use.
The Agriculture Shelf
Pabst Farms
John C. Eastberg
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
9780982381021, $49.95, www.uwpress.wisc.edu
PABST FARMS: THE HISTORY OF A MODEL FARM profiles Wisconsin dairy history and
packs in hundreds of photos from the Pabst family's private archives. It also offers an in-depth
coverage pinpointing the farm's importance as one of the first model farms in the United States to
apply advanced techniques in European and American agriculture. Pabst selected diverse
livestock, built new from buildings, and bred heavy horses for carriages and wagons. He then
moved successfully from horses to high-production Holstein diary cattle, using methods that
influenced the growth and evolution of the Wisconsin dairy industry as a whole. This book
focuses on the family's operations, the rise and changes of the state's dairy history, and uses
lovely vintage photos throughout to explore Pabst's role as an innovator and farm developer. The
result is a title that will prove a historical treasure for Wisconsin agricultural collections
especially, but which is also recommended beyond Wisconsin's state lines, for any interested in
local agricultural innovations and processes.
The Genealogy Shelf
Historical Collections
Jon Warner Barber
Clearfield Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806345789, $49.95, www.genealogical.com
Historical Collections [...] Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every Town in
Massachusetts with Geographical Descriptions is another technical genealogical reference highly
recommended for researchers working with Massachusetts names and origins, and is packed with
outlines and history of all small towns in the state. Local history is supplemented by journal
extracts, data, even inscriptions copied from graveyards and makes for a lively, important
compendium of details essential for any genealogical research program and for any
Massachusetts-specific history collection.
The Audiobook Shelf
Vanessa and Her Sister
Priya Parmar
Random House Audio Books
c/o The Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, 5th floor, New York, NY 10019
9780553398441, $40.00, www.randomhouseaudio.com
Vanessa and Her Sister enjoys a narration by Emilia Fox and several others and is set in 1905
London, where the Stephen siblings are on the edge of change. Sister Virginia Woolf is one of
four siblings leaving their childhood home and moving to Bloomsbury, where they find
themselves in a circle of friends that will gain fame as the Bloomsbury Group. But this is a tale
of two talented sisters - one of whom falls in love and leaves her sister increasingly out of the
loop of connection. Without her, Virginia must find her own way - and her own encouragement
for her separate talents. An exquisite, delicate story of family interactions evolves, perfect for
those interested in Virginia Woolf's life and times.
The Science Shelf
Infrared Astronomy - Seeing the Heat
David L. Clements
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, #300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
9781482237276, $49.95, www.crcpress.com
Most books covering infrared astronomy assume a prior background in advanced math and
astronomy, so it's a surprise to find a physics book that assumes neither, but provides a
comprehensive (and comprehendible) overview to infrared and its applications. It considers what
this process reveals about heavenly bodies both within and outside the solar system, it develops
and provides astronomical techniques and discoveries with the relative lay reader in mind, and
Infrared Astronomy - Seeing the Heat from William Herschel to the Herschel Space Observatory
pairs history with scientific advancements to provide a fine reference for any who would
understand the latest findings on infrared. The fact that it's accessible by a much wider audience
than graduate astronomy readers sets this coverage well apart from competitors, making it a
recommendation for students, grads, and even the general reading public with an interest in
astronomy.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Secrets of a Dog Trainer
Victoria Schade
Howell House Books
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
9781118509296, $18.95, www.amazon.com
There are plenty of dog-training books on the market that advocate all kinds of strategies for
taming the beast; so why the need for yet another - and what are the 'secrets' that lend this title an
aura of intrigue? Simply, it's Victoria Schade's approach to new answers to common dog
obedience problems: approaches developed in the course of Schade's work as a professional dog
trainer. She explains how minor problems can quickly evolve into major training challenges, she
pairs case study examples with "choose-your-own-ending" scenarios in an unusual approach that
reinforces various options and their logical results, and she shares positive training options that
contrast with other training choices so reader get a full sense of everything involved. The result is
a collection of innovative, tested methods that clearly differentiates between behavior
modification approaches and training choices.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Suspicion at Seven
Ann Purser
Berkeley Prime Crime
c/o Penguin Group (USA)
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9780425261761, $25.95, www.penguin.com
Suspicion at Seven provides a fine Lois Meade mystery and tells of the aftermath of a woman
who is murdered at a hotel, strangled with a silver necklace beside a bag of costume jewelry. It
would seem a dealer in such jewelry would make the perfect suspect, but Lois knows Donald's
wife and she's certain he's not a killer. So, who is? As Lois uncovers more facts about Donald's
issues and possible involvements and Lois's own mother becomes involved, a satisfyingly
complex mystery evolves packed with the twists and turns of plot that make for an involving,
unpredictable read.
The Sirena Quest
Michael A. Kahn
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 E. First Ave., #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781464203503, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com
The Sirena Quest tells of four college freshmen who have gone different ways for years - until
the 1994 commencement prompts a reunion thrown by a hedge-fund billionaire who has
promised a, $25 million endowment if Barrett college's legendary Sirena statute, which vanished
in 1959 without a trace, can be returned to the school by commencement day. This prompts a
host of investigations by classmates who embark on a world-wide probe, inviting danger and
deadly mystery when they stumble upon an obscure clue. A satisfying, fast-paced mystery
emerges, packed with the twists and turns that mark an involving read.
Cosmosis
Rainer Rey
Turner Publishing Company
200 - 4th Avenue North, Suite 950, Nashville, TN 37219
9781620459928, $17.95, www.turnerpublishing.com
Jace is tracking his father's killer. Madison is carrying on her family's quest for sustainable
resources after her last living relative is murdered as part of a cover-up. That these two
individuals will find their paths converging is predictable. What is less predictable is the events
that will follow as Jace and Maddy find themselves pitted against a mercenary task force that will
stop at nothing to get their hands on a new energy source that holds ramifications for the future of
the world. Add aliens into the thriller format, include more than a touch of (predictable) romance,
and posit an alien alternative energy force that anyone would kill for and you have a page-turner
that holds a few elements of surprises within what begins as a standard thriller format.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
When Your Life is Touched By Cancer
Bob Riter
Hunter House Publishing
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9781630266790, $24.95, www.hunterhouse.com
When Your Life is Touched By Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals
and Those Who Care is a special focus on the first days that follow a cancer diagnosis: a time of
heady fear, despair, and confusion. The author is a cancer survivor who considers the issues that
accompany a cancer diagnosis, following patient experiences from that initial moment through
treatment and beyond and offering specific insights. From how to discuss cancer with friends,
family and medical professionals to breaking the news to others and handling what happens when
treatment is over, When Your Life is Touched By Cancer, more so than others, discusses the
emotions accompanying diagnosis and is designed to be picked up and put down randomly, at
will. This in itself is a special feature that contrasts sharply with other cancer books that could
prove more overwhelming in detail and require a progressive approach: the beauty here lies in a
flexibility that is just the ticket for a world newly changed.
McGraw-Hill/Lange
c/o McGraw Hill Professional
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 45th Floor
New York, NY 10020
www.mhprofessional.com
www.mcgrawhillmedical.com
Maxine A. Papadakis and Stephen J. McPhee's CURRENT MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS &
TREATMENT 2015 (9780071824866, $85.00) is intended as a textbook for college-level
healthcare students and for clinical reference collections, and packs in a weighty (1886 pages)
survey that supplements its book with five online-only chapters. This edition includes the latest
2014 AHA cardiology guidelines, updates details on prescription drug abuse and overdose, adds
a new section on opioids, reflects all the latest treatment options for hypertension and discusses
new drugs and patient benefits, providing clinical practitioners with an in-depth survey including
hundreds of medication treatment tables, new diagnostic insights, and an annual review of new
HIV treatments. Charts, tables, color photos and more pepper a reference which may not be
entirely 'at a glance', but which provides the depth, detail, and coverage key to any clinical
practitioner. Gene R. Quinn, et.al.'s CURRENT MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT
STUDY GUIDE (9780071799775, $55.00) provides a case study focus on key internal medicine
topics, covering the most common diseases and disorders and providing schematics and diagrams
key to understanding treatments, outcomes, and conditions ranging from prostate cancer to
arthritis. The two together make for solid study guides and desk references and are highly
recommended for any clinical practitioner.
The Autism Shelf
Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships
Ashley Stanford
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Inc.
400 Market Street, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19106
9781849057738, $21.95, www.jkp.com
Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships doesn't come from a psychological or
analytical basis alone, but from an author who has been happily married to her Asperger
Syndrome husband for some twenty-five years. She's an expert on how this disorder can affect a
relationship, and has written a first edition of this book already. This second update clarifies the
new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, explains how ASD behaviors are commonly misinterpreted,
explores common relationship conflicts that evolve because of this misinterpretation, and packs
in more strategies for understanding the places where ASD is rigid and where compromises can
be made to benefit all. A better understanding of how ASD behaviors operate in a relationship
setting is key to improving interactions for all, making this updated approach a continuing
recommendation for health and psychology holdings alike.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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