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Library Bookwatch

Volume 9, Number 9 September 2014 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Writing/Publishing Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Business Shelf Language Studies Shelf Poetry Shelf
Literary Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Cookbook Shelf Travel Shelf
American History Shelf Biography Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Library CD Shelf Library DVD Shelf
Geology Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf Botany Shelf
Military Shelf Reference Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Mythology Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Mysteries of the Unknown
Time Inc. Home Entertainment
PO Box 11016, Des Moines, Iowa 50336-1016
c/o Goodman Media (publicity)
750 Seventh Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10019
9781618933522 $17.95 www.time.com

Illustrated with full-color photographs throughout, Mysteries of the Unknown: Inside the World of the Strange and Unexplained is a reader-friendly compendium of the history, legends, and science behind supernatural or metaphysical phenomena. From the real-life killers who inspired tales of vampires (including the notorious Vlad the Impaler), to near-death experiences and people's testimonies of "the other side", to American and Soviet attempts to study psychic powers during the Cold War, to America's most haunted homes, Mysteries of the Unknown explores the bizarre, the unexplained, and the mystical with a decidedly scientific tilt. Humanity may not have all the answers about paranormal happenings, but Mysteries of the Unknown provides one with as much information as modern science and history can offer, in order to make one's own judgment! "Although Jewish law forbids praying for another's death, some believe in the tradition of the pulsa denura (Aramaic for "lashes of fire"), a curse against those who break God's commandments. Two Israeli prime ministers have died after supposedly becoming the target of the pulsa denura..." Fascinating from cover to cover, Mysteries of the Unknown is highly recommended.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Online Sources
Wendy Vincent
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 S.W. 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471
9781601385673 $24.95 www.atlantic-pub.com

How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Online Sources: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Successful Freelance Writer in 30 Days lives up to its title as a "must-have" resource for any "writer with a day job" looking to make writing their full-time career. Chapters are filled with tips, tricks, and techniques for dedicating a workspace to the craft (and countering procrastination), marketing oneself, mastering the art of the query letter, targeting one's submissions, supplemental writing income sources (including corporate materials, contract books, travel writing, and more), how to ensure one gets paid, how to determine whether one needs an agent, and much more. "[Never trust] Agents asking for a retainer - Reputable agents are able to pay for their own expenses. They can determine whether a book is marketable and do not request up-front fees or retainers from a writer." Accessible, practical, and grounded in professional experience, How to Make a Living Writing Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Online Sources is highly recommended.

Creating Graphic Novels
Sarah Beach
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
9781615931941 $26.95 www.mwp.com

Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Creating Graphic Novels: Adapting and Marketing Stories for a Multimillion-Dollar Industry is a guide especially for would-be authors/marketers/publishers of graphic novels. The emphasis here is squarely upon transforming one's story idea (or novel/movie/media) into a script that a comic artist can use to bring the graphic novel to life. Creating Graphic Novels is not a "how to draw" book; it's a "how to write a script that a professional artist can draw" book. The basics of the publishing industry are also covered - what the industry expects from submissions, legal guidelines concerning copyright and appropriate credit, how to understand the terminology of a publishing contract, and more. (The legal basics in particular come with a strong disclaimer: "What follows is only a general explanation of legal matters. Do not take it as legal advice. Always consult a lawyer regarding rights and contracts", but before talking to an expensive lawyer it's very important to have a thorough, personal understanding of these fundamental concepts). Creating Graphic Novels goes in-depth on an seldom-covered aspect of the writing industry - translating a story from one medium to another - and is an absolute "must-have" for anyone interested in seeing their work (stories, movies, or plays) adapted to graphic novel format.

Organic Screenwriting
Mark David Gerson
MDG Media International
9708 Calle Chamisa NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114
9781499306750, $16.00, www.amazon.com

Screenwriting, also called script-writing is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is frequently a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, developing the narrative, writing the screenplay, and delivering it, in the required format, to development executives. Screenwriters therefore have great influence over the creative direction and emotional impact of the screenplay and, arguably, of the finished film. They either pitch original ideas to producers in the hope that they will be optioned or sold, or screenwriters are commissioned by a producer to create a screenplay from a concept, true story, existing screen work or literary work, such as a novel, poem, play, comic book or short story. "Organic Screenwriting: Writing for Film, Naturally" by professional screenwriter Mark David Gerson is a 222 page instruction manual emphasizes what he describes as a 'Muse Stream' approach to writing scripts. Replete with effective techniques, exceptionally useful exercises, and practical inspiration, "Organic Screenwriting: Writing for Film, Naturally" is a seminal work that should be read carefully by any and all aspiring writers for film or television and will serve as an enduringly useful reference work. Very highly recommended, it should be noted that "Organic Screenwriting: Writing for Film, Naturally" is also available in a Kindle edition ($4.99).


The Social Issues Shelf

Dangerous Friendship
Ben Kamin
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25
East Lansing, MI 48823-5245
9781611861310 $22.95 www.msupress.msu.edu

Dangerous Friendship: Stanley Levison, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers is a fascinating examination of how four notable individuals in American history, and the friendship they formed, played a pivotal role in the American Civil Rights movement promoting true social equality regardless of race, and an end to segregation. Researched with scholarly precision, yet eminently accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Dangerous Friendship is as fascinating as it is enlightening... and tragic, as their efforts to make America a better nation earned assassins' ire and an early grave for three of them. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library political science and social issues shelves.


The Business Shelf

Customer Service Supply Chain Management
Alexandre Oliveira & Anne Gimeno
FT Pearson
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
www.ftpress.com
9780133764390, $79.99, www.amazon.com

A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable. Supply chains link value chains. The proper and effective management of a company's supply chain is essential in terms of efficiency and customer satisfaction. "Customer Service Supply Chain Management: Models for Achieving Customer Satisfaction, Supply Chain Performance, and Shareholder Value" by the team of Alexandre Oliveira and AnneGimeno is a 208 page compendium covering every aspect of supply chain management and the issues involved. "Customer Service Supply Chain Management" will prove to be instrumental for novice managers in growing the company's sales volume, improving overall customer experiences, and growing their corporate margins through reducing the cost of sales, improving asset management, and effectively balancing service levels and cost structures. ""Customer Service Supply Chain Management" is very highly recommended for professional, business school, and corporate Business Management instructional reference collections. It should be noted that "Customer Service Supply Chain Management" is also available in a Kindle edition ($45.99).


The Language Studies Shelf

Interfaces and Domains of Quantification
Javier Gutierrez-Rexach
Ohio State University Press
180 Pressey Hall, 1070 Carmack Road
Columbus, OH 43210-1002
http://www.ohiostatepress.org
9780814293584, $69.95, www.amazon.com

Quantification is an intrinsically complex mechanism of expression in natural language, comprising a variety of structural shapes and semantic domains whose inventory has not been completely charted to date. Several linguistic forms associated with quantification in Spanish are explored in "Interfaces and Domains of Quantification" by Javier Gutierrez-Rexach (Professor of Spanish and Linguistics), from indefiniteness and ellipsis to the quantificational properties of relative clauses and adverbial particles. "Interfaces and Domains of Quantification" advocates an interface approach to the grammar of Spanish quantification. Only a precise characterization of the syntactic properties of quantificational constructions and of their associated meanings allows us to understand how more general syntactic and semantic constraints are at work. Among other findings, the interaction of scope and parallelism with ellipsis is reconsidered; the structural significance of modal anchoring and essential properties for the interpretation of indefiniteness is explored in detail; additionally, quantificational variability and correlativity phenomena in relative clauses are analyzed; degree expression is characterized for concessive conditionals and superlatives; and, finally, several discourse particles with a quantificational core are shown to be critical for the articulation of semantic and discourse-pragmatic relations. Taking a detailed look at the different forms, patterns and structures associated with several quantificational domains seems to be the only fully explanatory way to advance our knowledge of the syntax, semantics and pragmatics of quantificational structures. Enhanced with a sixteen page Bibliography, an Index of Abbreviations, and a comprehensive index, "Interfaces and Domains of Quantification" is a seminal work of impressive scholarship and very highly recommended for academic library Spanish Language Studies instructional reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Right Thing To Do
Cicero, author
G. B. Cobbold, translator
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
9780865168244, $15.00, www.bolchazy.com

Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January 106 BC - 7 December 43 BC), was a Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. His influence on the Latin language was so immense that the subsequent history of prose in not only Latin but European languages up to the 19th century was said to be either a reaction against or a return to his style. Cicero introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary (with neologisms such as humanitas, qualitas, quantitas, and essentia) distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher. His writings still form a core curriculum supplement for the study of Latin. Ably translated into English for an American readership by academician G. B. Cobbold (Classics Department, Tabor Academy, Marion, Massachusetts), "The Right Thing To Do: Cicero's De Officiis" is the newest title from Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers and will be welcomed as another Latin Studies supplemental curriculum reading list. In addition to an extraordinarily informative introduction, this edition is enhanced with the inclusion of three appendices, a glossary of Names, Places, and Technical Terms, Significant Dates in Roman History and the Life of Cicero, and recommendations for Further Reading. While of primary value for academic library Latin Studies collections, "The Right Thing To Do: Cicero's De Officiis" will also prove to be of immense interest to non-specialist general readers with an interest in the ethics of 'doing right' in contemporary ordinary life.


The Poetry Shelf

Hook and Eye
Judith Beveridge
George Braziller, Inc.
174 East 74th Street, Apt 16E, New York, NY 10021-3534
www.georgebraziller.com
9780807600009, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Judith Beveridge (born 1956) is a contemporary Australian poet, editor and academic. Edited for publication by literary critic Paul Kane as the third volume in the outstanding George Braziller series focusing on Australian poets, "Hook and Eye: A Selection of Poems" is a 96 page compendium showcasing the poetry of Judith Beveridge's free verse. With an extraordinary wordsmithing talent, this is a body of poetry that lingers in the mind long after the collection has been closed and set back upon the shelf. "Hook and Eye: A Selection of Poems" is strongly recommended for personal reading lists for poetry enthusiasts as well as both academic and community library Contemporary Poetry collections. 'The Vow': I won't lie down until it walks under my skin. / I won't stop until I hear its voice, / until its tone rings through the night. // I will not give up, not until I feel its sun burn me, / until I feel its god crawl through all my follicles, // until its moon pulls itself from its diet of light / and feeds upon the circles it has given / my bereaved sight. // Brahmins--even among / the cuticles of the dead there is wisdom. / And I'll find it--no matter / who says truth can't be scratched open.


The Literary Studies Shelf

Bram Stoker: Centenary Essays
Jarlath Killeen, editor
Four Courts Press
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR, 97213
www.isbs.com
9781846824074, $74.50, www.amazon.com

Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 - 20 April 1912) was an Irish novelist and short story writer best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel, "Dracula". During his lifetime, he was better known as personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned. Compiled by Jarlath Killeen (Lecturer in Victorian Literature in English, Trinity College, Dublin), "Bram Stoker: Centenary Essays" is a 206 page compendium comprised of ten erudite and informative essays on the life, accomplishments, and enduring influence of Bram Stoker. Enhanced with occasional illustrations, and informative introduction, a listing of the contributors and their credentials, as well as a comprehensive index, "Bram Stoker: Centenary Essays" is a seminal contribution and highly recommended for academic library Literary Studies reference collections in general, and studies of Bram Stoker's literary works in particular.

Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond
Martin Chase, editor
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
www.fordhampress.com
9780823257812, $55.00, www.amazon.com

The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. The term skald, meaning 'poet', is generally used for poets who composed at the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age and Middle Ages. Skaldic poetry forms one of two main groupings of Old Norse poetry, the other being the anonymous Eddic poetry. Knowledgeably compiled by Martin Chase (Associate Editor of English and Medieval Studies, Fordham University), "Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond: Poetic Variety in Medieval Iceland and Norway" is a 296 page compendium comprised of eleven scholarly articles focused on the traditions, mythological underpinnings, and diverse facets of Eddic poetry and the skalds who performed them. Enhanced with sixty-two pages of Notes, a twenty-four page Bibliography, a list of contributors and their credentials, as well as a comprehensive Index, "Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond: Poetic Variety in Medieval Iceland and Norway" is a model of academic scholarship and a very highly recommended addition to academic library collections. It should be noted that "Eddic, Skaldic, and Beyond" is also available in a Kindle edition ($31.19).


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Religious History of Wales
Edited by Richard C. Allen & David Ceri Jones with Trystan O. Hughes
Welsh Academic Press
www.welsh-academic-press.com
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR, 97213
9781860570797 $65.00 www.isbs.com

The Religious History of Wales: Religious Life and Practice in Wales from the Seventeenth Century to the Present Day lives up to its title as a scholarly chronicle of religion in Wales, beginning in with the end of monolithic Christianity. The sixteenth-century Reformation sparked Protestant sects that directly competed with the established Catholic sect. Divided into chapters written by a diversity of learned authors, focusing on well over a dozen different Welsh religious groups - including Baptists, Quakers, Unitarians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Islam, the Bahai faith and more - The Religious History of Wales is comprehensive, thought-provoking, meticulous in its examination, and an invaluable addition to college and public library Religious Studies shelves. "The Sikh presence in Cardiff is one of the earliest in Britain, along with that of the community in Southall in west London... According to one of the very rare studies on this small group of diaspora Sikhs, Paul Ghuman estimated their number alone to be around 360 in 1980, compared with the current total Sikh population in Cardiff at just over 900."


The Christian Studies Shelf

Apologetics Beyond Reason
James W. Sire
IVP Academic
c/o InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 605151426
www.ivpress.com
9780830840557, $18.00, www.amazon.com

Apologetics (from Greek and meaning "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120 - 220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists. "Apologetics Beyond Reason: Why Seeing Really Is Believing" by James W. Sire (an academician and a former a senior editor at the InterVarsity Press) is a 160 page treatise summing up this Christian scholar and author's personal defense of his Christian faith. As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, Sire writes with a true eloquence and a genuine engagement in the form of six 'arguments' drawn from a variety of sources ranging from Rene Descartes, Stanislaw Lem, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Virginia Woolf, Francisco Goya, literary theory, Jesus, and Jehovah. Enhanced with ten pages of Notes, two pages of Bibliography, and a comprehensive Index, "Apologetics Beyond Reason: Why Seeing Really Is Believing" is a challenging and instructive read of extraordinary merit that is very highly recommended for both academia and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Christian apologetics. It should be noted that "Apologetics Beyond Reason: Why Seeing Really Is Believing" is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.09).


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The Shin Buddhist Classical Tradition
Alfred Bloom, editor
World Wisdom
1501 East Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
www.worldwisdom.com
9781936597383, $22.95, 208pp, www.amazon.com

Jodo Shinshu, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, with 20% of the population of Japan identifying membership of the sect. The latest volume in the World Wisdom 'Treasures of the World Religions' series, "The Shin Buddhist Classical Tradition: A Reader in Pure Land Teaching" is an anthology of passages gathered from the leading monks and teachers of the Pure Land, or Shin, school of Buddhist teaching focuses on religious practice. Extending from the foundational texts and first interpreters in the 4th century, to Rennyo in the 15th century, Professor Bloom's selections trace the development of Shin Buddhist teaching from monastic visualization practices to the widely popular path to salvation through faith in, and recitation of, the name of Amida Buddha. Volume 2 features a foreword by Kenneth K. Tanaka and an introduction by renowned scholar and editor, Alfred Bloom, whose selected passages have been arranged topically for easy reference on issues of Pure Land teaching. The key interpreters featured are the Seven Great Teachers from India, China, and Japan (Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu; T'an-luan, Tao-ch'o, Shan-tao; Genshin, Honen), selected as doctrinal authorities by Shinran (1173-1263), the founder of the Japanese Pure Land sect. Enhanced with a select Glossary of foreign terms, a Bibliography of references, an Index of Quoted Sources, "The Shin Buddhist Classical Tradition: A Reader in Pure Land Teaching" is a truly exceptional collection under the deft and knowledgeable editorship of Alfred Bloom (an ordained Shin minister and member of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission), making it strongly recommended reading to students of Buddhism, as well as a valued addition to community and academic library Buddhist Studies reference collections and supplement reading lists.


The Cookbook Shelf

Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking
Cara Reed
Page Street Publishing Co.
27 Congress Street, Suite 103, Salem, MA 01970
c/o The Trina Kaye Organization (publicity)
9781624140716 $19.99 www.pagestreetpublishing.com

Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking: Delicious Gluten-, Egg- and Dairy-Free Treats and Sweets is a confection connoisseur's delight. Full-color, full-page illustrations wonderful, gluten and animal product-free delicacies such as Chocolate Almond Biscotti (made with flaxseed meal), a gluten-free flour blend (made from rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, and arrowroot powder) used in a tremendous variety of desserts including Pumpkin Spice Muffins, Lazy Man's Tiramisu (made from coconut cream and Chocolate Cloud Cookies), and much more. A treasury especially for adventurous bakers and gourmet palates, Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking is highly recommended.

Easy, Affordable Raw
Lisa Viger
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartous.com
Dalyne Miller Public Relations
9781592539291, $24.99, www.amazon.com

Properly prepared, the consumption of raw foods can provide a significantly less expensive and yet more healthy culinary life than eating foods that have been cooked by heating them. "Easy, Affordable Raw: How to Go Raw on $10 a Day" by raw food expert Lisa Viger is a profusely illustrated, 176 page compendium showcasing a cornucopia of easy and delicious raw food recipes. Beginning with four informed and informative chapters concerning raw foods (Why Raw?; Common Questions Answered; Choosing Raw Foods; Tools & Techniques), "Easy, Affordable Raw: How to Go Raw on $10 a Day" goes on to showcasing budget friendly, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes ranging from a Chocolate Nut Butter Smoothie; a Baby Greens and Mango Lime Chipotle Dressing; Raw Farmers' Market Eggplant Tacos; and Cheesy Buckwheat Crackers; to a Tomato Watermelon Salsa; Quick Coconut Macademia Yogurt with Strawberries; Caramel Apple Pear Tart; and Raw Mocha Almond Brownie Bites. Remarkably 'kitchen cook friendly', "Easy, Affordable Raw: How to Go Raw on $10 a Day" is an extraordinary culinary collection and a very highly recommended addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted that "Easy, Affordable Raw: How to Go Raw on $10 a Day" is also available in a Kindle edition ($11.99).

The Book Of Kale & Friends
Sharon Hanna & Carol Pope
Douglas & McIntyre
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5T 4S7
www.douglas-mcintyre.com
9781771620147, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Kale is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered by some to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms of vegetables. Until the end of the Middle Ages, kale was one of the most common green vegetables in all of Europe. Collaboratively compiled by Sharon Hanna and Carol Pope, "The Book of Kale and Friends: 14 Easy-to-Grow Superfoods with 130+ Recipes" is a nicely illustrated, 224 page compendium that begins with a solid introduction to the growing of kale, answers to most frequently asked questions about kale, and basic descriptive information about arugula, basil, chives, coriander, cilantro, herb fennel, garlic, lovage, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. "The Book of Kale and Friends: 14 Easy-to-Grow Superfoods with 130+ Recipes" then showcases kale recipes ranging from a Kale, White Bean & Caramelized Onion Dip; Tuscan-Style Arugula Pizza with Kale Petals; Chiffonade of Kale with Salty Sweet Walnuts; and Kale-a-Leekie Soup; to Garlicky Roast Potatoes & Kale; Tomato Kale Nirvana; Kale Pasta with Rose Sauce; and Gluten-Free Kale Fruit Loaf. "The Book of Kale and Friends: 14 Easy-to-Grow Superfoods with 130+ Recipes" is a delight to browse and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' to use, making it an ideal and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, family, and community library cookbook collections.


The Travel Shelf

Dan Poynter's Air Travel Handbook
Dan Poynter
Para Publishing
http://ParaPublishing.com
http://airtravelhandbook.com
9781568601502, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting, or anything else that can sustain flight. Use of air travel by commercial airlines has greatly increased in recent decades - worldwide it doubled between the mid-1980s and the year 2000. Today air travel can be fraught with frustration, delays, lost luggage, high prices, added fees, problematic connections, confusing airport terminals, and more. That's why "Dan Poynter's Air Travel Handbook: Tips, Tricks & Secrets on Flying" will prove to be an invaluable and instructive resource for anyone having to book a flight for personal or professional reasons. Packed with invaluable and practical insights, this 322 page compendium shows how an ordinary air flight passenger can obtain better fares, better seas, and better treatment; use 'airline speak' so as be perceived as an experienced and knowledgeable air traveler; give the appearance of being a frequent flyer and obtain frequent flyer perks; and in general, make travel less hazardous, less frustrating, and a lot more fun! Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Dan Poynter's Air Travel Handbook" is very highly recommended for personal, community, and corporate library collections -- and considered a 'must read' for anyone needing to avail themselves of air travel to get to where they need to go.


The American History Shelf

Gentlemen Bootleggers
Bryce T. Bauer
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group (distribution)
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.ipgbook.com
9781613748480 $27.95 hc / $11.99 Kindle www.amazon.com

Gentlemen Bootleggers: The True Story of Templeton, Rye, Prohibition, and a Small Town in Cahoots is the fascinating, heavily-researched chronicle of tiny Iowa town called Templeton during the Prohibition era. Templeton had a population of only 428, yet fostered a bootlegging empire in its own right; its illegal alcohol became so popular that it was well-known by the moniker "Templeton Rye". Prohibition agent Benjamin Franklin Wilson set out to demolish Templeton's lucrative bootlegging business, but the fight over bootleg booze would not explode into violence like it did in Al Capone's Chicago. Gentlemen Bootleggers tells of men who devoted themselves to creating the finest black market whiskey not only for money, but also for love of the drink, and is as intriguing to lay readers as it is to historians researching the Prohibition era. Highly recommended, especially for public and college library American History shelves.

America's Deadliest Twister
Geoff Partlow
Southern Illinois University Press
1915 University Press Drive
SIUC Mail Code 6806
Carbondale, IL 62901
9780809333462 $19.95 www.siupress.com

America's Deadliest Twister: The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 is the true story of a nightmarish twister that wreaked havoc on southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana, killing 695 people. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs illustrate this story of everyday life in the 1920's when the monster tornado struck, heroes who worked to help people recover, and the memories of a few still-living survivors. Of acute interest is how this terrible disaster sparked a change in how people throughout America contemplated disaster relief, inspiring the more unified relief systems in practice today. A "must-have" for public and college library collections!


The Biography Shelf

The Remarkable Life and Career of Ellen Swallow Richards
Pamela Curtis Swallow
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
9781118923832, $59.95, www.amazon.com

Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (December 3, 1842 - March 30, 1911) was the foremost female industrial and environmental chemist in the United States during the 19th century. Her pioneering work in sanitary engineering and experimental research in domestic science widened professional opportunities for women in the sciences and laid a foundation for the new science of home economics. "The Remarkable Life and Career of Ellen Swallow Richards: Pioneer in Science and Technology" by Pamela Curtis Swallow (who is a three generations removed first cousin of Ellen Swallow Richards) is a 192 page compendium showcasing the personal life and professional accomplishments of a most remarkable woman laid out in an informative prologue, twenty-two succinct chapters, and a summary epilogue. Enhanced with a list of Acknowledgments, two pages of Author Notes, four pages of Selected Bibliography, and a comprehensive Index, "The Remarkable Life and Career of Ellen Swallow Richards: Pioneer in Science and Technology" is an extraordinary and very highly recommended addition to academic and community library American Biography collections and Women's Studies supplemental reading lists. It should be noted that "The Remarkable Life and Career of Ellen Swallow Richards" is also available in a Kindle edition ($34.49).


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Tonoharu Part One
Lars Martinson
larsmartinson.com
Pliant Press
pliantpress.com
c/o Top Shelf Productions (distribution)
9780980102369 $14.95 www.amazon.com

Now available in a brand new paperback edition, Tonoharu Part One is an original graphic novel about living as an expatriate in a foreign land, and the steep language and cultural barriers that obstruct interpersonal socialization. Although the story is fictional, author Lars Martinson draws upon his three years of real-life experience as an assistant English teacher in Japan to present an unvarnished glimpse into the good, the bad, and the ugly of day-to-day life in such a situation. In Tonoharu, Dan Wells has started work as an English teacher in rural Japan. His workload is light, but he struggles to speak basic Japanese, and feels isolated from the local society. Only a few other foreigners live anywhere near Dan - an attractive young woman works a couple towns away, and an extremely eccentric European family, known for their wild and crazy parties, is the prime subject of hushed gossip! Tonoharu Part One features painstaking black-and-white artwork of iconic caricatures and vividly authentic glimpses of Japanese scenery, yet its true soul lies in its frank portrayal of the inherent challenges of living and working abroad. Highly recommended!

Zombillenium 2: Human Resources
Arthur de Pins
NBM Publishing
160 Broadway, Ste. 700, East Wing
New York, NY 10038
9781561638505 $14.99 www.nbmpublishing.com

Zombillenium 2: Human Resources is the second full-color, horror-humor-spoof graphic novel featuring the malevolently misadventurous demons, zombies, werewolves, vampires, witches, and monsters of the Zombillenium amusement park. In Human Resources, the theme park's booming business is beset by two groups of dangerous outsiders: murderous human activists who aren't above kidnapping and dismembering a skeleton employee, and a mysterious woman who is somehow connected to one of the park's most vicious little demons! The first rule of the park is "kill no humans" - but as tempers escalate, could provoked monsters violate a decades-long truce? A chilling glimpse of how infernal Human Resources scares up new undead recruits, Zombillenium 2 is fiendishly delightful, twisted, surprising, and even a little tragic.


The Audiobook Shelf

In a Rocket Made of Ice
Gail Gutradt, author
Lorna Raver, narrator
Books on Tape
www.booksontape.com
c/o Random House Audio Books
1745 Broadway, 5th floor
New York, NY 10019
9780553546439 $45.00 www.randomhouse.com

Stage actress and award-winning narrator Lorna Raver reads aloud In a Rocket Made of Ice: Among the Children of Wat Opot, the unabridged audiobook rendition of the true-life memoir of a woman who volunteered at an orphanage in rural Cambodia. Author Gail Gutradt worked at the Wat Opot Children's Community, a temple complex transformed into a sanctuary where children with or orphaned by HIV/AIDS could survive and grow. In a Rocket Made of Ice is the story of not only the children whose lives were changed by kindness, but also the transformative effect they had on their caretakers, in a place that Gutradt rightfully describes as "a workshop for souls". Heartwarming and inspirational, In a Rocket Made of Ice is highly recommended, especially for public library audiobook collections. 10 CDs, 12 hours.

The Masqueraders
Georgette Heyer
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28, Franklin, TN 37064
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9781843798514, $59.98, www.amazon.com

After participating in the Jacobite Rising of 1745, Robin and Prudence, brother and sister, become engaged in a swashbuckling, romantic adventure. Our hero and heroine must cross-dress and switch genders if they are to escape prosecution a humorous move that allows Heyer to explore the manners and language affectations of the period as the two romp through the elite saloons and clubs of London. But what the two don't foresee is that they might fall in love along the way: Prudence with the elegant and dashing Sir Anthony Fanshawe, and Robin with the charming Letitia Grayson. Can the two unmask themselves without losing their lives? Georgette Heyer (16 August 1902 - 4 July 1974) was a prolific British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. "The Masqueraders" is accounted as one of her best romance novels and this complete and unabridged audio book edition, skillfully narrated by Ruth Sillers, is especially recommended for personal and community library audio book collections. 9 CDs. Total Running Time is 11:04:12.

The Moonstone
Wilkie Collins
Read by Ronald Pickup and cast
Naxos of America, Inc.
1810 Columbia Avenue, Suite 28
Franklin, TN 37064
9781843797975 $98.98 www.naxosaudiobooks.com

The Moonstone is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a classic English detective novel, performed by a talented cast of actors. Rachel Verinder inherits the Moonstone, a diamond of incalculable value; suddenly, the gem disappears. Who could have stolen it, and how? Sergeant Cuff of Scotland Yard gradully uncovers and intricate plot, filled with misdirection and nefarious motives, in this keenly timeless saga of whetted suspense. 17 CDs, 22 hours 27 min.

The Long Way Home
Louise Penny, author
Ralph Cosham, narrator
Macmillan Audio
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315
New York, NY 10010
9781427244291 $39.99 www.macmillanaudio.com

The Long Way Home is the unabridged audiobook rendition of a suspenseful novel featuring the stolid Chief Inspector of Homicide, Armand Gamache. Gamache is happily retired in the quiet village of Three Pines, but when his neighbor Clara Morrow asks Gamache to help find her missing husband - who promised he would return after being separated for a year. Aided by his former second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Myrna Landers, Gamache journeys through Quebec to a place so desolate, mariners have called it "the land God gave to Cain". A dark saga of lost fame, desperation, and despair, The Long Way Home is finely tense to the very end. 10 CDs, 12 hours.


The Library CD Shelf

Road to Ambo
Adam Andrews
www.adamandrewsmusic.com
Privately Published
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
www.thecreativeservicecompany.com
$10.83 CD / $8.99 MP3 www.amazon.com

The debut album of Adam Andrews, a former member of the world-touring folk-pop group Cede, Road to Ambo is a solo piano music CD of entirely original compositions. The instrumental songs convey emotion from the highs and lows of Andrews' own life - the trials that he and his family braved to adopt an African orphan, his tribute to people who sacrifice and live selflessly, support for a family member grappling with mental illness, and the sustaining, life-affirming gifts that are meditations and breathing exercises. Road to Ambo is a superb gift for connoisseurs of exquisite piano music, highly recommended. The tracks are "Road to Ambo" (3:17), "Unknown Hero" (3:47), "Hope and Joy" (4:40), "We Are Brothers" (3:18), "You Were There" (3:16), "Faces We See" (2:56), "Smoky Hill" (2:58), "Upside Down Church" (4:19), "New Normal" (3:41), "The Well Within" (3:13), and "Breathe" (2:58).

After the Inferno
The Bad Things
Silent City Records
c/o Rock Paper Scissors (publicity)
511 West 4th Street, Suite 2
Bloomington, IN 47404
$TBA www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Six-piece band The Bad Things (their instrumentation includes accordion, banjo, guitar, upright bass, trumpet, keys, drums, and mandolin) present After the Inferno, an album that treads the tenuous border between love and destruction. Songs resonate with a touch of sadness for the tragedies of the past, but also build upon renewed hope for the future. Intense and powerful, "After the Inferno" reflects resilience, perseverance, and remembrance. The tracks are "Young Emily Rose", "Lincoln", "Bonnie to my Clyde", "Can't Get Enough of Love", "Green Grass", "Grifter's Life", "Carless Maria", "Not Tonight", "Jalisco Serenade", and "Death of the Inferno."


The Library DVD Shelf

Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death
Dr. Helen Castor
Athena Learning
c/o RLJ Entertainment
9781621722069 $34.99 athenalearning.com

Historian and author Dr. Helen Castor presents Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death, a DVD documentary about major milestones of everyday life in medieval England. Three episodes examine why physicians were of no use to women during the dangerous process of childbirth; why newlywed couples were "put to bed" by the priest on their wedding night; and why death was a notably more communal affair than now, including the concept of "dying well". The Church was especially involved in all three processes, and the Protestant Reformation would forever transform how society viewed and undertook birth, marriage, and death. As fascinating as it is educational, Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death is a choice pick for public library collections. Also highly recommended is Castor's previous documentary: "She-Wolves: England's Early Queens". 3 episodes on 2 DVDs, 186 min., SDH subtitles, widescreen.

Eyes Wide Open
A film by Paula Weiman-Kelman
Sisu Home Entertainment
340 W 39th St., 6th. fl.
New York, NY 10018
$24.95 www.sisuent.com

Eyes Wide Open is a documentary about both the positive and the negative reactions that Jewish travelers feel toward the holy land of Israel. Filmmaker Paula Wieman-Kelman asked American Jews "What does Israel mean to you?" in synagogues, airports, ancient sites, and dangerous war zones. An honest and unfettered collection of heartfelt emotions, Eyes Wide Open is unforgettable. 68 min., English and Hebrew with English subtitles, widescreen.


The Geology Shelf

Iceland, second edition
Thor Thordarson & Armann Hoskuldsson
Dunedin Academic Press Ltd.
International Specialized Book Services
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300
Portland, OR, 97213
9781780460215 $49.50 www.isbs.com

Part of the "Classic Geology in Europe" series, the updated second edition of Iceland surveys the geology of Iceland with depth worthy of scientific professionals, and a presentation accessible to students and amateur geologists. Full-color maps and photographs illustrate Iceland's extraordinary landforms, many of which exemplify the legacy of volcanic and tectonic activity. "Effusive eruptions occur when magma pours out onto the surface as lava flows, and Iceland owes its existence to the steady accumulation of lava through time. Lava flows occur in various sizes and shapes, and their form is a good indicator of how readily they flowed." A glossary, bibliography, and index round out this "must-have" for public and college library geology shelves.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

An Indomitable Beast
Alan Rabinowitz
Island Press
2000 M St NW Suite 650
Washington, DC 20036
9781597269964 $30.00 www.islandpress.org

Alan Rabinowitz (big cat expert and CEO of Panthera, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving wild cat species) presents An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar, an accessible nonfiction book all about these great cats. From the reverence that ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Aztec had for jaguars, to the jaguar's struggling to survive amid the loss of its habitat to deforestation and the expansion of agriculture, to exciting modern-day research about the jaguar's DNA, An Indomitable Beast is an extraordinary examination of these dangerous yet magnificent creatures. A bibliography, an index, and a handful of color plates enhance this absolute "must-read" for fans of big cats in general, and jaguars in particular. Highly recommended!


The Botany Shelf

Trees of Eastern North America
Gil Nelson, Christopher J. Earle, and Richard Spellenberg, authors
David More, illustrator
Amy K. Hughes, editor
Princeton University Press
41 William Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
9780691145914 $29.95 http://press.princeton.edu

Featuring detailed, full-color illustrations accurately representing the leaves, flowers, and seeds of every tree, Trees of Eastern North America is well-organized, thorough field guide accessible to botanists and lay readers alike. The entry for each tree species includes a "quick ID" description, an extremely detailed in-depth description complementing the artwork, a habitat/range listing given both in words and a simple diagram of North America, comments about similar tree species, and any miscellaneous notes. (For example, "The nut of the American Beech is a favorite food of small mammals and birds, especially grosbeaks. However, mature trees usually produce abundant fruit only once every few years, particularly in the South, making it unreliable as an annual crop..."). Highly recommended for botany reference shelves!


The Military Shelf

Fallujah Redux
Daniel R. Green and William F. Mullen III
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612511429 $37.95 www.nip.org

Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans Daniel R. Green and Brig. Gen. William F. Mullen III (USMC) present Fallujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle with Al-Qaeda, an in-depth examination of the American military's efforts to make the Iraqi city of Fallujah more secure, despite an ongoing insurgency. Bringing about this change required more than military power; it took leadership, and efforts to form connections with the local people. "Awakening" the people of Fallujah proved to be pivotal, but sectarian misrule from Iraq's central government in Baghdad had a negative effect on efforts to promote peace and democracy. Fallujah Redux is keenly insightful, candid, and an absolute "must-read", especially recommended for collections about modern military history, nation-building, and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq.

Fire on the Water
Robert Haddick
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
9781612517957 $37.95 www.nip.org

Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific is a strategic and studious examination of how America can best prepare for forthcoming conflicts of interest with China in the Asia-Pacific region. Expert military analyst Robert Haddick (currently a research contractor for U.S. Special Operations Command) presents the evidence for a grim assessment - America has been far too slow to adapt to China's rise in economic and military power; worse, current policies tend to pit America against China's strengths, rather than its weaknesses. Fire on the Water examines competitive strategies to improve America's influence and promote stability and prosperity in the region. "America's allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region are an indispensable component of any successful U.S. strategy. These relationships are vital, both for the political legitimacy of America's regional strategy and for supporting any military strategy... America's partnerships in the region are perhaps its most important competitive advantage." Serious-minded and forward-thinking, Fire on the Water is an invaluable wake-up call to counter America's current drifting on diplomatic, trade, naval, and military matters in the Asia-Pacific region. Highly recommended.


The Reference Shelf

Vital Statistics of the United States 2014
Shana Hertz-Hattis
Bernan Press
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200
Lanham, MD 20706
9781598887044 $110.00 www.rowman.com

Also available as an ebook, Vital Statistics of the United States 2014: Births, Life Expectancy, Deaths, and Selected Health Data is a compendium of over 225 updated tables, offering a thorough examination of births, mortality, health, marriage, and divorce in America. Nearly the entire reference volume is devoted to tables of information compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics and other government agencies. An index rounds out this straightforward reference and resource, especially recommended for professional and university library statistics shelves.


The Archaeology Shelf

Native American Artifacts of Wisconsin
Paul Schanen and David Hunzicker, authors
Lauric Press
1314 W. McDermott, Ste. 106-811, Allen, TX 75013
9781932113686 $79.95 www.LauricPress.com

Written to be accessible to professional and amateur archaeologists alike, Native American Artifacts of Wisconsin is an in-depth reference and showcase of prehistoric Native American tools and artifacts commonly found in Wisconsin. Color photographs as well as some black-and-white diagrams illustrate the example pots, farming tools, hunting equipment, and more. Descriptive, reader-friendly text complements the artifact portraits. "Prehistoric ceramics in Wisconsin are one of the least understood and least documented of all artifact types. This is primarily due to one simple factor, poor preservation. Our harsh winters and their freeze-thaw cycles that penetrate deep into ground, frequently acidic soils, and relatively high amounts of moisture combine to ensure that complete or even partially complete pottery vessels are exceptionally rare in the state." A superb addition to college library archaeology collections, Native American Artifacts of Wisconsin is highly recommended.


The Mythology Shelf

Cloudwalker
Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd, authors
Roy Henry Vickers, illustrator
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC V0N 2H0 Canada
9781550176193, $19.95, www.harbourpublishing.com

"Cloudwalker" tells the traditional Tahltan legend of the creation of the Sacred Headwaters of three important salmon bearing rivers of the Great Northwest Coast, in British Columbia. Long ago a strong young man called Cloudwalker, or Astace lived before there were any rivers. Cloudwalker won the contest of carrying the heaviest rock the farthest in his village. He was also a gifted hunter with the bow and arrow, spear and knife. His hunting provided food for his people. He was also a skilled fisherman, athlete, and swimmer, and he always provided food for the elderly first. But he was lonely, for he could find no wife who would be strong like him, and a mate for life. One day swans in a flock came to the lakes of the northern woods. Cloudwalker planned to make strings from cedar bark to tie to the swans feet underwater, to catch them for food for his people. Because he got greedy and tied too many swans' feet with his string, he was pulled up and carried by the whole flock of swans when they panicked and began to fly. Up, up, up he went until he finally had to let go of the swan strings, falling down, down, down, landing softly on the clouds. He walked far over the clouds until he came to a guloonich, a cedar bucket of water. He drank some but saved some for later, carrying the guloonich of saved water. As he walked in a circle, tiring, he spilled water from the water box. It took him very long cloudwalking to find a mountain that he hoped would lead him home. Finally he returned home to his village and a great celebration. Where he had walked, spilling water from his cedar box, there were new lakes and three new rivers, named the Ksien (the juice from the clouds), the Nass River and the Stikine River, the juice from the clouds. The headwaters of these rivers form a semicircle because these are the three points where Cloudwalker fell from the sky. Thus the three great salmon bearing rivers were born, flowing to nurture the bears, the forest, the earth and human beings. The riches of the clean rivers, land and sea are the source of all wealth to the people of the Northwest Coast, so they teach children to be respectful and responsible, taking only what they need, to preserve the river's life for future generations. This reverent telling of the legend of Cloudwalker is stunningly enhanced by paintings in shadows, sky colors, and silhouettes influenced by the traditional art styles of the native peoples of the Northwest Coast.


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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