April 2017 Prime Picks
Business Books
The Shareholder Action Guide
Andrew Behar, CEO
Berrett-Koehler
9781626568457
$19.95
www.bkconnection.com
The Shareholder Action Guide: Unleash Your Hidden Powers to Hold Corporations Accountable encourages small shareholders to change the ways that big corporations do business, and documents both actual case histories and circumstances where shareholder advocates can change corporate policies or put new resolutions before the board of directors to transform business processes.
While this idea may sound overly optimistic, the inclusion of case histories of those who have insisted that their investments better align with their values, reviewing the processes whereby they made these changes through organizational circles, creates a powerful guide that will allow readers to feel better empowered to create the changes they wish to see in business circles.
No business, economics, or social issues collection should be without The Shareholder Action Guide.
Novels and Fiction
Under
the Influence
Joyce Maynard
William Morrow
9780062257680 $15.99
www.harpercollins.com
Under the Influence tells of a mother who has lost both custody of her son and her driver's license, from drinking, and who is at her lowest point in life when she meets Swift and Ava at an art gallery opening. It's the best thing that could have happened to her, because everything in her life fell apart before the Havilands, wealthy philanthropists, changed her life and took it over.
Can acts of charity truly change worlds? And what happens when the giver becomes the person who needs the most?
Under the Influence provides a wonderful story that offers some unexpected twists as Helen discovers what is really important in life and how interpersonal interactions change that perspective.
Readers looking for literary works that chart the lasting impacts of interpersonal relationships will relish this story of choices, influences, and their costs.
The
Culinary Corner
Herb:
Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis
Chefs Laurie Wolf & Melissa Parks with the team at Herb
Inkshares
9781941758250
$24.99
www.inkshares.com
Herb: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis pairs two hundred pages of photos with recipes that focus on cooking with cannabis, joining others on the subject with a more visual approach than most, backed by the expertise of chefs - not home cooks.
The pairing of a classically trained chef with a food writer resulted in developing recipes that either compliment or soften the taste of cannabis, just one feature that sets Herb: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis apart from other cannabis cookbooks.
Add an international flare to such dishes as Mediterranean Veggie and Hummus Sandwiches, Mexican Hot Chocolate, or Lime Curry Chickpea Salad for a cookbook that goes far beyond the typical rough-hewn cannabis recipe collection.
Scintillating Sci-Fi and Fantasy
The
Seventh Age: Dawn
Rick Heinz
Inkshares
9781941758892
$15.99
www.inkshares.com
The Seventh Age: Dawn is Book 1 in an urban fantasy series and opens with a vivid scene: a man stands poised on a six-inch beam over Chicago, on the cusp of death as he faces his own visions of Chicago's future.
But all is not as it starts out to be, for The Seventh Age isn't about death or apocalypse, but covers secret organizations and a city's best-kept secrets, demonology, mystery, and an undercurrent of dark fear that embraces demons and cat-and-mouse games alike.
With its gritty urban Chicago setting juxtaposed against the realities of urban life and the underbelly of fantastic encounters, The Seventh Age is a powerful read that doesn't neatly fall into a particular genre, but holds elements of intrigue, horror, fantasy, and urban adventure; highly recommended for fans of all these genres.
Children
and Teens
Candlewick
Press
www.candlewick.com
Two excellent new picture book reads are highly recommended for elementary-level collections looking for lasting stories with superior text and illustrations.
Timothy Knapman and Helen Oxenbury's Time Now to Dream (9780763690786, $16.99) is a gorgeous picture book that tells of Alice and Jack, who venture into a forest when a curious noise reaches their ears. They have to be brave when exploring the unknown, but when they face danger, they discover something unexpected that challenges their perceptions of what constitutes 'danger'. This lovely story invites kids to face their fears.
If Martin Waddell and Helen Oxenbury's Farmer Duck (9780763689186, $16.99) sounds familiar, that's because this is a 25th anniversary reprint of a classic tale revolving around a hard-working duck who lives with a lazy old farmer. The duck does all the work ... what's wrong with this picture, and how can it be fixed?
There's a reason why Farmer Duck is so appealing: it's a fine, fun story evolves that will reach new generations with its timeless message.
Clarion/Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt
www.hmhco.com
Camille Andros produces a whimsical, fun picture book story with Charlotte the Scientist is Squished (97805447858530, $16.99), a zany story illustrated by Brainne Farley which tells of a serious rabbit scientist who follows specific problem-solving methods that fail when she discovers she needs more room at home to work on her experiments.
Science solves many things, but can it provide a solution to overcrowding?
Lovely drawings and a fun, whimsical approach to science invites young picture book readers with a combination of appealing drawings and a young bunny's conundrum.
Debi Gliori's board book No Matter What (9780544915848, $8.99) features a padded, soft cover with a gorgeous red fox mother and child drawing to attract the very young and their parental readers to sample the story of Large and Small. Little Small is 'grim and grumpy' and doubts Large's love. Will Large love him even when he's a sourpuss?
This is an outstanding, easy board book reader which parents and kids alike will love.
Penguin
www.penguin.com/youngreaders
Marc Tyler Nobleman's The Chupacabra ate the Candelabra (9780399174438, $17.99) is illustrated by Ana Aranda and tells of goats who are the favorite food of the legendary chupacabra - something that doesn't please Bumsie and Pep, who are afraid he'll show up for dinner. These aren't goats who are content to await disaster: the two cook up a scheme for confrontation.
Good reading skills or parental read-aloud assistance will be required for this fun story of goats who decide to scare off their potential adversary, with unexpected results.
L.J.R. Kelly and the Brothers Hilts' Sometimes It's Storks (9780399256820, $16.99) tells of a stork's baby delivery business which is threatened by a stock's constant distractions. One day a baby is misplaced - and it embarks on a trip neither baby, parents, nor stork anticipate.
A rollicking rhyme accompanies very simple illustrations in a story perfect for read-aloud fun.
The
Secret Project
Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter
Simon & Schuster
9781481469135 $17.99
www.simonandschuster.com/kids
The Secret Project is illustrated by Jeanette Winter and is an unusual picture book history of the atomic bomb which considers the bomb's invention, evolution, and how it changed the world. It invites kids with good reading skills to learn about how scientists worked on the "Gadget" and raced against time to unravel the secret of atomic energy.
There are few competing discussions of this topic for this age group, but this book provides a good and well-detailed set of insights which serve as a solid foundation for later depth and detail about the scientists who worked in secret to develop a revolutionary weapon that would end World War II.
Kids with good reading skills will find it intriguing.
Reviewer's
Choice
365
Ways to Live Generously
Sharon Lipinski
Llewellyn Publications
9780738749600
$16.99
www.llewellyn.com
365 Ways to
Live Generously: Simple Habits
for a Life That's Good for You And For Others
belongs in a wide
range of collections and will appeal to diverse audiences, from those
interested in self-help, inspirational books, and daily meditations to
others
who just want to incorporate more helpful attitudes into their daily
affairs.
The book promotes kinder habits across the board, whether it be at home or in the workplace, and each practice appears once a week, offering tips and insights based on both the latest research and proven techniques for creating new routines and perspectives on life.
Readers interested in a powerful yet simple set of attitude-adjusting, habit-changing routines will find this an excellent choice.
How
to Speak Midwestern
Edward McClelland
Belt Publishing
9780997774276
$16.95
www.beltmag.com
How to Speak Midwestern is a dictionary with a difference: a lively, fun consideration of language specific to America's Midwestern regions which focuses on fun colloquial phrases and their odd origins.
Divided into regions by 'Inland North' and 'Midland' to 'North Central', the discussion includes cultural insights, social encounters, observations by outsiders to these areas, and more.
For some examples: 'Butter Lamb' is a lamb sculpted in butter that often appears on Christian tables at Easter, a 'Cookie Table' is a dessert table staple at Youngstown wedding receptions that originated during the Depression era, and to 'Walk Beans' is to weed a soybean field.
Fun history blends with linguistic origins and local in a fine book recommended for Midwesterners and those who would better understand them.
Jessica
Kingsley Publishers
www.jkp.com
Jenny Hulme's How to Create Kind Schools: 12 Extraordinary Projects making Schools Happier and Helping Every Child Fit In (9781849055918, $29.95) is a 'must' for any educator concerned about the issue of bullying and how to promote overall kindness among school children, and outlines twelve projects that have proven track records for encouraging inclusion, tolerance, and kindness.
There is no singular program or approach in this book: the models range from gardening clubs and gay role models to peer mentoring and a traveling school play, providing exact examples on how adults can foster better interactions and understanding among children through programs designed to accept and promote different kinds of relationships.
Plenty of educator guides advocate encouraging kindness, but few offer exact case history examples and detailed insights into the actual process involved, making this a highly recommended acquisition for any educator's collection.
Jenny Hulme's The School of Wellbeing: 12 Extraordinary Projects Promoting Children and Young People's Mental Health and Happiness (9781785920967, $24.95) is an excellent companion volume on the subject which is also recommended as a 'must' for any adult interested in fostering emotional wellbeing in schools and among young people.
This book also outlines 12 projects, but focuses on strategies and approaches to support kindness and understanding based on mentoring programs, mindfulness, counselor and parental efforts, and more. Case histories support and identify the programs and processes which were proven to contribute to mental health and better interpersonal interactions.
Both of these books should be 'must have' acquisitions not just for educators, but for parents who would better understand the different options for fostering understanding in kids of all ages.
Lost
Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area
Sylvia Linsteadt
Heyday Books
9781597143912
$20.00
www.heydaybooks.com
Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area is a coffee table book packed with vintage black and white and color photos and images; but its true value moves beyond the pictorial realm because it's also a fabulous gathering of essays that examine the lesser-known history and byways of the San Francisco Bay Area, tracing the evolution of areas which are quite different in appearance today.
From the sand dune areas of old San Francisco such as Carville, where a neighborhood was built from old streetcars, to the Farralon Lighthouse where visitors were hoisted from a sling and boom onto the island and an old railway up Marin's Mount Tamalpais, Bay Area natives will discover many stories they hadn't known about, while newcomers to the area will marvel at the appearance and history of bygone worlds which display not a hint of their origins today.
Very, very highly recommended for anyone with any degree of interest in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Romantic
Comedies
Pamela Jaye Smith
Michael Wiese Productions
9781615932511
$20.95
www.mwp.com
Romantic Comedies: These Films Can Save Your Life! belongs in performing arts and film collections as well as general-interest holdings strong in movie history, and reviews some of the most popular romantic comedies and their lessons.
The contention here is that romantic comedies hold a side benefit besides their entertainment value: they can keep a love life active and provide many psychological insights key to relationship-building and shared fun.
Chapters not only present each movie's synopsis and review 'love lessons learned' for the selected films, but they include quotes, cast information and release dates, and 'lover types' which characterize each film's focus.
The result is a genre guide which will appeal not just to performing arts students, but anyone with a penchant for romantic comedy films.
Tiny
and Full
Jorge Cruise
BenBella
9781944458503
$21.95
www.benbellabooks.com
The concept of Tiny and Full promotes the idea of weight loss through foods that are naturally low in calories and big in size, which foster being thin while feeling full, and is explored in a new book that focuses on these foods and the satisfaction to be gained by consuming them in quantity.
Anyone who thinks this is about food alone should be forewarned that there's a healthy bit of exercise added to the weight loss equation, with chapters alternating meal plans and shopping lists with exercise routines and discussions of food calorie density presented in charts that include conversions of calories to cups, slices, and other common measurements.
From a California English Muffin with avocado and tomato to Three Minute Zucchini Pasta with boneless skinless chicken breast, zucchini, and lemon zest, the recipes are flavorful, the 12-week fitness guide achievable, and the focus refreshingly different from competing diet books.
When
San Francisco Burned
Douglas L. Gist
Craven Street Books
9781610352451
$21.95
www.CravenStreetBooks.com
When San Francisco Burned: A Photographic Memoir of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 may sound like it just adds to the wide range of visual studies already on the market, but readers will be delighted to see that it provides photos that, until now, were squirreled into a family album.
Photographer Louis P. Selby was a young man when he grabbed a camera and captured scenes of fires and destruction in the aftermath of the greatest earthquake in America's history, but it's surprising to note that his images have not appeared to the public until now.
Compiled and annotated by Selby's grandson, these images are especially captivating because they are reproduced on glossy pages in excellent, large-size quality; and because they often include areas of the city not seen in other 1906 photographic records.
No San Francisco collection should be without this remarkable visual history.
Social
Issues
House
Built on Ashes: A Memoir In
2009, author José Antonio Rodriguez, a doctorial student
in upstate New York, prepared to visit his parents in South Texas to
spend the
holidays with them. His discovery that a drug cartel has taken over the
Mexican
village where he was born begins a series of reflections on his origins
and the
small village roots of his family, carrying readers on a journey that
ultimately considers border culture and conflicts at a time when these
are top
news stories. The
timeliness of this memoir could not be better: evocative,
beautiful writing captures life in rural Mexico and contrasts it with
life
across the Texas border, blending anecdotes about an individual life
with
larger social concerns which all Americans should contemplate. The
result is a journey into the past which holds important
information and messages for understanding the present and future of
both
Mexico and the U.S., highly recommended for readers of memoirs and
Mexican-American issues alike.
José Antonio
Rodriguez
University of
Oklahoma Press
9780806155012
$19.95
www.oupress.com
Letters
to a Young Muslim Letters
to a Young Muslim
is written by the ambassador of the United Arab Emirites to
Russia, and prints a series of personal letters to his older son in
which he
reflects on the global political situation in general and Muslim
principles and
parenting challenges in particular. While
this focus might initially seem to make this book of
interest only to Muslim readers, its format, accessibility, and
structure leads
these letters to be thought-provoking reads for non-Muslims as well,
focusing
on what it means to be a good Muslim in today's world and how Muslim
concepts
of a life well lived can translate Islamic faith into better world
interactions. These
letters will neatly refute many misconceptions readers
might hold about Muslim peoples and their faith and perspectives, and
should be
on the reading and discussion lists of anyone interested in Islam's
peaceful
place in the world.
Omar Saif Ghobash
Picador
9781250119841
$22.00
www.picadorusa.com
The
Plot to Hack America The
Plot to Hack America: How Putin's
Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election
is recommended not just for political science holdings, but
for social issues collections, because it holds wide-ranging and
thought-provoking insights on both political processes and their social
impact. Readers
of current affairs receive details on Russian
intelligence, cyber wars, the psychological recruitment techniques of
nations
in their intelligence and sabotage efforts, and more. From
computer codes and operations to how individuals become
involved in hacking, this is a wide-ranging examination that moves
beyond
computer or political science audiences and well into those concerned
about
social issues affecting America's most valued institutions.
Malcolm Nance
Skyhorse Publishing
9781510723320
$18.99
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
The
Revolution Where You Live The
Revolution Where You Live: Stories from
a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America
is an especially powerful read about the state of modern
American society because it comes from the cofounder of YES! Magazine.
Sarah
Van Gelder saw these issues confounding the country even before the
2016
election, and embarked on a road trip to visit eighteen states and five
Indian
reservations in search of answers. She
focused on back roads, small towns, and abandoned
neighborhoods both urban and rural in her quest to find Americans who
were
succeeding in building or restructuring positive environments against
all odds.
Their stories and her experiences are presented here in a powerful
social
history covering the real roots of American culture and
cooperation. It's
a hard-hitting observational piece filled with
inspiration and hope, highly recommended for any general-interest or
social
issues collection.
Sarah Van Gelder
Berrett-Koehler
9781626567658
$18.95
www.bkconnection.com