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Donovan's Bookshelf

August  2016 Prime Picks 



Table Of Contents

Business Books
Reference Shelf
Children and Teens
The Computer Corner
History
The Culinary Corner
Home and Garden
Music
Reviewer's Choice
Scintillating Sci-Fi and Fantasy
 

Business Books



Amacom Books
www.amacombooks.org 

Tom Kendrick, PMP's How to Manage Complex Programs: High-Impact Techniques for Handling Project Workflow, Deliverables, and Teams is a 'must' for business managers who want to understand the task of program management through interconnected (and sometimes global) levels, and discusses the techniques that deliver the best results from team efforts. 

Chapters teach how to convert a large project to a series of manageable smaller projects, how to use graphical and modeling techniques more effectively, how to define a program's scope in such a way that specific jobs are addressed and managed more effectively, and more. 

Each step of the process receives definition, analysis, program development keys to success, and a thorough coverage that outlines potential pitfalls and how to handle all the projects that contribute to a unified, high-quality outcome. 

The result is a 'must' for computer, business, and project managers alike. 

75 Ways for Managers to Hire, Develop and Keep Great Employees by Paul Falcone (9780814436691, $21.95) presents insider strategies from a top HR executive and tells HR managers how to identify and eliminate the kinds of organizational policies that demoralize employees. 

Examples from real business experiences accompany discussions of how HR can build a people-focused program designed to retain the best employees through a combination of better, more focused hiring techniques, trust-building communication efforts, and good written record-keeping. 

Chapters that address the moves that lead to great employee relationships offer clear discussions of how to hold people accountable while preserving organizational goals, stability, and cohesiveness. No HR manager should be without these specifics on how to make their jobs more effective and in better sync with the ultimate goal of building a solid organization with superior employees. 


Kogan Page
www.koganpage.com 

Three new books provide business leaders and managers with important keys to workplace improvement and marketing strategies, and are highly recommended, strong additions to any business library. 

Nikolados Dimitriadis and Alexandros Psychogios's Neuroscience for Leaders: A Brain-Adaptive Leadership Approach (9780749475512, $29.95) uses the latest scientific findings from neuroscience and psychology to consider changes that should be made in leadership approaches. 

These suggestions are recommended for flexible managers willing to change not just their style of leadership, but the logic and thought processes behind them. The focus is on changing how a manager thinks and reacts to improve automatic responses and present a better performance example to followers. 

From understanding how the unconscious brain affects outcomes and how to change that process to how humans adapt and show empathy in the workplace, the research is well done and Neuroscience for Leaders's insights are linked to common workplace challenges which all leaders face. 

Mindfulness in the Workplace: An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving Wellbeing and Maximizing Performance (9780749474904, $39.95) is edited by Margaret Chapman-Clarke and promotes mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs); a process that's applicable to organizational structures and individuals alike. 

Mindfulness is typically covered in new age and psychological circles; but by applying its concepts to workplace events and interactions, this helps workers, leaders, and business owners take advantage of its special techniques. 

Case studies from different business sectors accompany discussions of how different kinds of organizations have applied these mindfulness concepts to their objectives, making for a fine bridge between new age and business circles. 

Digital Marketing Strategy: An Integrated Approach to Online Marketing (9780749474706, $39.95) shows marketing professionals and leaders how to use different strategies and approaches to digital marketing, and offers specifics on how to create an overall online marketing program. 

Case studies, checklists, and guidelines for these techniques contrast various approaches with models for traditional off-line marketing, but always emphasize the digital environment. From user experience and different kinds of messaging options to retention models, understanding online analytics and applying them to marketing changes, and using specific tools for different research purposes, this is an in-depth survey no marketing manager should be without.


 

History


 A Brief History of the Cold War
Lee Edwards & Elizabeth Edwards Spalding
Regnery
9781621574866     $24.99
www.regnery.com 

With the specter of the Cold War behind us, how can Millennial readers understand its importance not just in history, but in relationship to present-day events? Lee Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards Spalding provide a historical overview of events that led to some fifty years of struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in an account which details the political policies and figures that were prominent in the Cold War. 

This focus is as much upon the ideas and decisions that brought about the Cold War as upon its wide-reaching influences on other nations around the world, and it also makes an important case for why the Cold War shouldn't be forgotten. 

All this translates to a history that holds powerful political and social information relevant to modern events and times, making for a survey highly recommended for any modern history collection. 


Air Power: A Global History
Jeremy Black
Rowman & Littlefield
9781442250963    $38.00
www.rowman.com 

Readers of military aviation history will find Air Power: A Global History comes from one of the world's leading aviation historians and provides a compelling examination that goes beyond the usual consideration of conventional warfare to consider unconventional wars around the world. 

Chapters employ a chronological approach in detailing events from the 1920s to modern times, showing how air power was a significant part of conflicts between states, how it ultimately revolutionized military thinking about how warfare was conducted, and how refined organization and evolving doctrines affected military choices. 

Changing values, perspectives, and strategic operations are documented throughout, creating a powerful survey highly recommended for military history and aviation history collections alike. 


W.W. Norton
www.wwnorton.com 

These three new titles are powerful picks for any history holding and address different issues and events that history and general-interest readers will find absorbing. 

Nathan Bomey's Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back (9780393248913, $27.95) outlines what happens when a major American city files for bankruptcy, an event that happened in 2013 when Detroit made just such a move, to become the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. 

Detroit Resurrected covers how this came about, the battle to save Detroit, and the behind-the-scenes clashes between lawyers, politicians, bankers, and others which were observed by reporter Bomey, who covered these events for the Detroit Free Press. 

There is no one better qualified to tell this story from an insider's perspective, and no better approach available that documents this urban city's rise and fall. 

Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon's The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East (9780393081510, $28.95) provides a detailed, almost scholarly examination of the U.S. influence in the Middle East during the Cold War in a specific examination that links the region's emergence from colonialism to how the U.S. influenced the direction of this process. 

It comes from two foreign policy experts who argue that an inexperienced Washington's involvement in the region only succeeded because of a pragmatic approach that successfully fielded major obstacles and local Middle East revolutions and conflicts to enter the arena as a world superpower. 

Chapters closely consider State Department processes and responses to evolving Middle East crises points and blend historical events with social and political insights in a coverage that's critical reading for any interested in the history and results of U.S. foreign involvements. 

Mary Roach's Grunt (9780393245448, $26.95) is a lively blend of science, military activity and history that is recommended reading for general-interest and expert audiences in these disciplines. It considers the science behind military combat obstacles and efforts to study and document military experiences to eliminate these barriers. 

Roach visits a U.S. Marine Corps team studying hearing loss and combat, enters an Army design studio lab to discover how zippers are problems for snipers, uncovers information in East Africa about how diarrhea can threaten national security, and participates in activities designed to illustrate how bodily systems adapt to strenuous routines and demanding environments. 

The blend of lively encounters with military personnel at all levels, scientific studies, and applied discoveries makes Grunt an absorbing read. 


Saladin
John Man
DaCapo Press
9780306824876    $26.99
www.dacapopress.com 

Saladin: The Sultan Who Vanquished the Crusaders and Built an Islamic Empire is recommended for college-level history collections strong in Middle East, ancient, and military affairs. 

Here, John Mann recounts the life of Sultan Salah al-Din, whose effort ended the Christian rule of Jerusalem and effectively set the stage for the Third Crusade years later, and he provides both a personal biography and an in-depth focus of Saladin's life and times. 

Saladin's efforts succeeded, where modern ones fail, in uniting the Suni and Shi'ite people against the Christians, and contributed to a world which came to respect both his military prowess and his people. Any who would understand the foundations of the modern Middle East needs to read this book. 


Touring the West with Leaping Lena, 1925
W.C. Clark, Edited by David Dary

University of Oklahoma Press
9780806152268    $19.95
www.oupress.com 

For a feisty and lively read about a across-country journey undertaken via modified Chevrolet touring car at a time when road travel was in its infancy, there's no better historical record than W.C. Clark's Touring the West with Leaping Lena, 1925. 

Clark drove across the country from East to West, but his story would have remained hidden had not editor David Dary discovered a copy of Clark's journey among his grandfather's personal papers - a story that tells how 'Leaping Lena' journeyed 12,000 miles in five months. 

From overtaking bands of 2,000 sheep on the road to passing glaciers in high country and wandering into Mexico from Southern California, this is a vivid first-person survey that, in effect, offers a verbal observation of 1920s America in a lively read perfect for general-interest travel and history enthusiasts. 


The Computer Corner 

The DART Programming Language
Gilad Brascha
Addison-Wesley
9780321927705    $49.99
www.informit.com/aw 

The DART Programming Language covers the basics of an object-oriented language that can ultimately be compiled to JavaScript for use in modern browsers, and provides programmers new to Dart with an introduction that explains the language and explores its applications. 

Chapters review its model and values, consider how it relates to other programs and approaches, examine how Dart functions are stored and applied, and cover the basics of how to use Dart in conjunction with different projects and purposes. 

Packed with code examples and discussions of constants, types, and usage examples, The DART Programming Language is a 'must' for programmers with prior background in other languages, who want a basic overview of Dart's capabilities. 


Game Engine Gems 3
Eric Lengyel, Editor
CRC Press
9781498755658     $89.95
www.crcpress.com 

Game Engine Gems 3 is recommended for any collection strong in computer game development, and provides the third volume in a growing series. 

Twenty-two new chapters discuss game-building techniques, provide strategies and tips, and discuss game engine development challenges with an eye to exploring the engineering and scientific foundations and advancements that are changing how games are created. 

From graphics and AI changes to understanding physics and programming, sample code, diagrams and charts, and assessing results and performance, Game Engine Gems 3 is a 'must' for programmers already working with games who want to understand the evolving science and computer developments that are creating new, cutting-edge experiences for computer and online gamers. 



The Culinary Corner
 

101 Cocktails to Try Before You Die
Francois Monti
Octopus Books
9781844038770     $12.99 

101 Cocktails to Try Before You Die isn't a collection of general cocktail recipes (those have been done before), but a 'top' listing of cocktails that range from classic Manhattans and Planter's Punch to an innovative Earl Grey Mar-Tea-Ni and a Calvados and champagne, mint-spiked Serendipity. 

Each cocktail pairs a recipe and a color photo with a history of the drink's development, a discussion of what makes it a standout in the cocktail world, and tips on serving glasses, presentation, and level of preparation difficulty. 

The result is a delicious collection that stands above and beyond cocktail recipe guides that gather everything and anything under one cover: a truly discriminating gathering any cocktail fan will want to acquire. 


Eat It Up!
Sherri Brooks Vinton
DaCapo Press
9780738218182     $18.99 

Eat It Up! 150 Recipes to Use Every Bit and Enjoy Every Bite of the Food You Buy doesn't advocate better shopping habits or bargains: instead, it shows how to better utilize ingredients and leftovers to reduce food waste. 

Readers might anticipate this means repurposing leftovers; but in fact it also translates to using parts of ingredients that are typically tossed; from vegetable stalks and what can't quite be scraped out of a jam jar to roasting bones to make stock or preserving citrus peels to use in various dishes. 

These techniques are where Eat It Up truly shines and differentiates itself from other 'leftover'-oriented recipe titles, with its highlighted tips supplementing recipes as full-flavored as Parsley Soup, which processes parsley stems to make a special impact. 

Any interested in making better use of their 'trimmings' and reducing food waste will find Eat It Up a fine gathering of refreshingly different ideas. 


Flavorwalla
Floyd Cardoz
Artisan
9781579656218     $29.95
www.artisanbooks.com 

Flavorwalla: Big Flavor. Bold Spices. A New Way to Cook the Foods You Love comes from a modern chef most notable for his New York City establishments Tabla, North End Grill, and (most recently) Paowalla and an establishment opened in his home country India, The Bombay Canteen. 

Cardoz focuses on using spices in foods; but his approach is anything but usual. Chapters focus on gaining the most flavor from dishes even when preparing them ahead, so instructions are often very specific; as with a Fricassee of Asparagus and Spring Onions, which tells how to prepare the dish up to a week in advance before finishing it with coconut milk and other final touches. 

Or, consider the traditional Indonesian 'rendang' - a slow stovetop braise that is often time-consuming. Cardoz eliminates the labor (but not the flavor) as he presents a version of Rendang Short Ribs that involves infusing the meat with a range of spices, from lemongrass to turmeric and cinnamon sticks; then summering the concoction for hours before finishing it in the oven. 

Expect many unusual flavor marriages, such as Grilled Pineapple with Cracked Black Pepper or Super Bowl Coconut Clam Chowder. With color photos throughout enhancing many tips and a wide variety of dishes, it's hard to go wrong with this innovative collection of originals. Access to good, fresh spices is all that's needed to enjoy it; and most supermarkets today have most everything that will be needed to get the most from Flavorwalla. 


Kyle Books
www.kylebooks.com 

Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes: A Modern Man's Kitchen Handbook by Brendan Collins (9781909487338, $29.95) would, at first glance, appear to be another cookbook for men who don’t like to cook; but this one's different: it's directed to men who need inspiration for producing memorable meals and food fit for either entertaining or quick dining. 

One might not expect duck to be on such a menu, but Duck Au Vin presents a red wine-braised dish that melds perfectly with the duck's rich flavor. The Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder dish can be cooked in the oven or on the grill, providing low-maintenance results perfect for entertaining; while an easy Spiced Roasted Nuts recipe provides a staple suitable for any ballgame or TV marathon. 

Surprisingly, there are few chicken dishes. Fish, beef, lamb, and side dishes are well-represented, however. 

The basic contention in Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes is that food should be fresh and uncomplicated: easy concepts for men to absorb. Such food should also be better than anything that can be thawed from the freezer. Color photos, easy directions, and dishes that excel in high flavor with minimum fussing make this a top recommendation for men interested in cooking a range of dishes. 

Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford's Samarkand: Recipes and Stories from Central Asia & the Caucasus (9781909487420, $34.95) takes its recipes from a region of Uzbekistan where a range of cultures meet, and is especially notable because a variety of ethic groups have interacted in the region and left their marks on its food. 

Another notable feature of Samarkand is that, strictly speaking, it's not just a cookbook; but a blend of travelogue and a cultural exploration of Samarkand. Chapters thus blend some 100 recipes with stories about the food and cultures of the area, so readers should ideally be as interested in its history and peoples as its cuisine. 

From an Uzbek stew of Spring Lamb and New Potato Dimlama where meat and vegetables are spiced and cooked in layers to an Azerbaijan Mountain Jew Omelet with poached chicken, fluffy eggs, and chestnuts; even the most seasoned home cook interested in international fare will find much to love, here. 

Color photos of finished dishes enhance a fine survey highly recommended for any home cook looking for something different. 


Grill School
Andrew Schloss & David Joachim
Weldon Owen
9781681881089    $29.95
www.weldonowen.com 

Grill School: 100+ Recipes & Essential Lessons for Cooking on Fire teaches about different types of grills and equipment and presents eight basic techniques used in grilling and smoking, to impart the basics. All the recipes are organized by main ingredient and type of dish, and are based upon and reinforce these techniques, including international influences in their basic series of master lessons and dishes that are 'musts' for any who professes a knowledge of grilling. 

Chapters arranged by dish supply basic lessons; so the section on Pork, for example, includes tips and recipes for brining pork, handling ribs and sausages, and understanding how different cuts of pork cook on the grill. 

The section on Fish and Shellfish covers whole fish, fillets, and various shellfish and shows how to handle and cook them on the grill. 

With its color photos throughout and its clear charts and directions, any home cook who wants a comprehensive cooking course in a cookbook will find Grill School packed with insights. 



Scintillating Sci-Fi and Fantasy 

A Darker Magic This Way Comes
Carmel Niland
Shimran Press
978910819654     $30.00
http://www.adarkermagicthiswaycomes.com/ 

A Darker Magic This Way Comes is the first in the 'Merlin's Secrets' series and provides a powerful fantasy that builds an Arthurian scenario where wizards, angels, and heroes come to life. 

Prior fans of Arthurian legends and re-tellings will relish this different approach, which blends two very different worlds and their challenges under one cover. In one universe, young magician Merlin may be the only barrier to preventing the dangerous sorceress Morgana and the Prince of Darkness from taking over the land - if he can learn to handle his powers in time, and if he can succeed in a journey that leads him to another place. 

One doesn't expect a modern high school girl to enter this picture of the past, but when Merlin faces a very different realm and all-new challenges with a headstrong, intelligent female, the two teens form a bond with the potential to change both of their lives and everything around them. 

One of the pleasures of A Darker Magic This Way Comes is that it rests firmly on the trappings of legend, but takes events in an unpredictable and new direction. Under Carmel Niland's hand, the old, familiar characters and processes of Arthurian times crash into a modern world's dilemmas and pursuits, with underlying questions about motivations, influences, and two teens' evolving powers driving a plot that rests on a compelling juxtaposition of their very different worlds. 

Fantasy enthusiasts will find it no light read, but a powerful epic saga steeped in many questions about and twists on history and legend alike. While this complexity and the changing purposes of modern and ancient worlds may challenge readers who expected a familiar set of Arthurian legends and approaches, it will delight those already steeped in these familiar paths, who seek a different approach. 

Emily and Merlin are each tasked with growth and self-discovery, and their entwined destinies raise many questions as they probe Christian origins and changing beliefs. In such a scenario, myth, Biblical events, and Druid teachings are all re-examined and presented in a new light. 

With such a powerful, multi-faceted beginning in Book One, fantasy readers enthusiastic about Arthurian legend-based fantasies will find themselves on edge, waiting for the continuation of the story. 


Transgalactic
James Gunn
TOR Books
9780765380920     $26.99
www.tor-forge.com 

Readers of Transcendental are in for a real treat with its sequel, Transgalactic, which continues the story and tells what happens after Riley and Asha find the Transcendental Machine and use it to become "translated" into reformed, improved human beings. With intellectual and physical powers that set them apart from mankind, the machine has also taken them to new worlds where they can choose to change the galaxy. 

The problem is: they are each transported to two separate worlds, among billions. How will they find each other again? 

Familiarity with Transcendental is highly recommended for a smooth transition to an engrossing space opera saga that continues to probe the boundaries of both the universe and mankind's place in it. Readers who loved the first book will find this continuing journey a powerful read. 


Music


Backbeat Books
www.backbeatbooks.com 

Moses Avalon's Confessions of a Record Producer: How to Survive the Scams and Shams of the Music Business (9781495022135, $29.99) appears in its 5th revised, updated edition to provide musicians with an invaluable survey exposing the music industry's problems in handling musicians. 

The first edition appeared in 1998 and quickly became a musician's 'bible' for understanding industry relationships and pitfalls; but the appearance decades later of this 5th revised edition reflects an ever-changing world of music and the new issues that stem from internet and online music, from streaming opportunities and falling musician revenue to the latest scams that affect a musician's bottom line. 

From cheap barcodes that don't actually contain the entire, necessary UPC to new kinds of record deals, how labels sign bad acts so they can get tax write-offs, and the bullying demands of record producers, Confessions of a Record Producer remains an important read for any aspiring musician who doesn't want to be duped either by ignorance or malicious intention. 

Bob Carlin's Banjo: An Illustrated History (9781495011245, $35.00) provides the first in-depth, illustrated history of the instrument from its beginnings in West Africa (no, it didn't begin in America!) to its revolutionary sound and impact, and pairs technical details about the instrument with a lively survey of those who played it. 

As the banjo evolved and its sound crossed cultures and social barriers, it became a mainstay not just in the black community where it evolved, but in country music and folk bands across the nation. 

Music and pop culture history blend in a discussion packed with colorful photos on every page, creating a compelling account that promises to attract and interest even those who have little prior familiarity with or affection for the banjo. 


Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow
Craig Harris

University of Oklahoma Press
9780806151687    $24.95
www.oupress.com 

Heartbeat, Warble, and the Electric Powwow: American Indian Music stems from some hundred interviews with all kinds of Native American musicians, producers, and recording companies, and provides a backdrop for considering how the traditional sounds and approaches of Native American music has evolved, to influence operas, symphonies, country music and more. 

Most surveys of Native American music adopt a more traditional approach in tracing its growth and evolution; but having a contemporary focus of how it's reaching into and changing the face of modern American music across the board makes for a more inviting series of insights on the connections between tribal ceremonies and the powwow to their modern incarnations. 

Few other examinations include American Indian reggae, punk, or pop music, for example; and few include interviews with top contemporary musicians such as Taj Mahal, which appear alongside those from Native American mainstays such as R. Carlos Nakai, making this a 'must' for any interested in the sounds, evolution, and impact of modern Native America. 


So Many Roads
David Browne
DaCapo Press
9780306824470    $19.99
www.dacapopress.com 

So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead is an overview of the band especially recommended for prior Dead fans ("Deadheads"), who will appreciate its new interviews with surviving members and those in their inner circle that provide different insights and information on the Grateful Dead's history and culture. 

"Culture" is used because the Grateful Dead is one of the few bands that actually fostered a wide-ranging groupie community that literally hangs on its every show and event. This culture is represented and examined in chapters that each center on a single pivotal event in the Dead's story which offers fresh inspection of their lasting impact. 

The result is a powerful, lively saga that will be indispensible to any Grateful Dead follower or rock music history collection. 


Unstrung Heroes
Pete Braidis
Schiffer Books
9780764350887    $34.99
www.schifferbooks.com 

Unstrung Heroes: Fifty Guitar Greats You Should Know delves into the lives, achievements, and experiences of 50 players who have received some degree of acclaim, but who remain outside the usual lists of "guitar gods", and is recommended for any music history collection interested in guitar player biographies. 

Interviews provide additional insights into these players' careers and achievements, while the focus on different musical genres from rock to jazz and folk allow for excellent contrasts between experiences and individuals. 

An interview format allows each musician's own words to be captured, while each discussion opens with solid information providing historical background on the player and his fellow musicians or band members. 

Any reader interested in contemporary music biographies and insights will find Unstrung Heroes an excellent focus on many notable (yet lesser-known) talents.  


Home and Garden

 
All the Presidents' Gardens
Marta McDowell
Timber Press
9781604695892     $29.95
www.timberpress.com 

All the Presidents' Gardens: Madison's Cabbages to Kennedy's Roses - How the White House Grounds Have Grown With America will attract not just history buffs and fans of Presidential biographies, but gardening enthusiasts who enjoy gardening history. 

It comes from a garden historian who focuses entirely on the White House grounds and how they have evolved between administrations, from early Presidential interests in different plants and trees to Michelle Obama's kitchen garden and Helen Traft's cherry tree project. 

Black and white and color photos and illustrations pair with discussions of different plants and evolving challenges to the White House grounds, accompanying surveys of specific projects and the evolution and contributions of popular new gardening ideas and trends to the overall White House grounds' makeup. 

The tone is lively, assumes no prior familiarity with either White House politics or gardening, and makes for a delightful survey of how the White House gardens have changed over the decades and under different American gardeners' influences and approaches. 


The Aromatherapy Garden
Kathi Keville
Timber Press
9781604695496    $24.95 

The Aromatherapy Garden: Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being discusses plant aromas and adding botanicals to a garden that hold powerful aromatherapy healing properties, and is a top recommendation not just for gardeners, but for those who would harvest and reap the benefits of aromatic flowers. 

Chapters from a well-known aromatherapy and herbalist teach how to incorporate these plants into a garden, how to harvest, dry, and use them in tinctures and potions, and how to handle specific plants, from Juniper to Lily-of-the-Valley and Santolina. 

Discussions include their fragrant properties and applications, their medicinal qualities, and how they look and feel in a garden environment, creating a fine guide for any gardener who would understand how these plants improve the overall garden plot. 


The Art and Science of Grazing
Sarah Flack
Chelsea Green Publishing
978103586115     $39.95
www.chelseagreen.com 

The Art and Science of Grazing: How Grass Farmers Can Create Sustainable Systems for Healthy Animals and Farm Ecosystems is highly recommended for agricultural reference libraries and farmers interested in new techniques for grazing systems, and provides an in-depth survey by a nationally-known grazing consultant who covers the basics of modern grazing management. 

Farmers can substantially improve pasture quality and productivity through this book's approach, which teaches about plant and animal ecosystems and contrasts traditional approaches and perspectives with more modern ideas. 

Highlighted case histories of different kinds of farms (which have successfully made changes that resulted in increased profits) are provided along with ideas for maintenance, troubleshooting common problems, and improving ecosystem health. The Art and Science of Grazing is a special recommendation for modern young farmers interested in applying the latest science to grazing methods, for much-improved results. 


Changing Season
David Mas Masumoto with Nikko Masumoto
Heyday Books
9781597143660      $16.00
www.heydaybooks.com 

There are plenty of books about farming and the specifics of agricultural concerns in small-scale operations; but Changing Season: A Father, A Daughter, A Family Farm offers something different. It considers many other underlying, deeper questions on how to be a farmer by surveying the moral and ethical realms of farming, considerations of flexibility and adaptability, and visions for the future. 

These topics are presented in the form of essays from a farmer who is getting ready to hand over his eighty-acre organic farm to his daughter after four decades, and examines the crux of farming concerns, family relationships and business pursuits, and the meaning of tilling the land with future generations in mind. 

Father and daughter work together on Changing Season, as well, providing thought-provoking discussions of concerns that range from the mechanics of organic farming to how a queer, mixed-race woman can take over in a business filled with traditional, conservative farming personalities. 

The result is a surprising range of topics that belongs as handily in social issues sections as it does in agricultural and autobiographical collections. 


Cool Springs Press
www.quartoknows.com 

Alex Mitchell's Gardening on a Shoestring: 100 Fun Upcycled Garden Projects (9781591866718, $19.99) goes beyond a focus on budget plants or techniques to offer an exciting, lively discussion on how gardeners can create a flourishing garden without big expense. 

All that's required is a willingness to work the garden and consider some new projects and techniques that revolve around recycling concepts. 

These may be as simple as using living willows and plants to construct 'dens' and refuges, choosing more compact herb shrubbery that can be grown in smaller containers such as coffee cans, or reducing the need for garden supplies by making your own plant foods, compost bins, arches and plant support systems, and more. 

Any who would garden with just a little more (or different) efforts and less expense will find Gardening on a Shoestring is packed with colorful photos and projects geared to repurposing and recycling. 

High-Value Veggies by Mel Bartholomew (9781591866688, $17.99) joins others in the "Square Foot Gardening" series to consider which veggies should be planted in a garden, based on their value. 

Size is not the issue, here: its cost versus payback. Using such a formula, the square footage required to grow different plants is presented, so that gardeners can make better choices about what crops give the best yields for the amount of space and energy they require. 

Nearly sixty popular vegetables (and they might not be ones gardeners will expect) most commonly grown at home are analyzed to show which are good bets. 

Color photos atop each page accompany data that includes a highlighted sidebar clearly delineating costs and returns. This gardener's guide takes the mystery out of creating a garden that promises the most payback for the space and costs involved. 


Maintaining Small-Farm Equipment
Steve & Ann Larkin Hansen
Storey Publishing
9781612125275    $9.95
www.storey.com 

Authors Steve & Ann Larkin Hansen have more than 20 years of farming experience together; and (as most small farmers know) begin with the fact that professional equipment repairs are not usually in the budget or reach of the small acreage farmer. Additionally, equipment breakdowns can be catastrophic events if work schedules arranged around weather conditions are impacted. 

That's why small farmers need Maintaining Small-Farm Equipment in their home reference library: it looks diminutive in size; but its paperback-sized 108 pages are packed with details every small farmer needs. 

From keeping tractors and accessories running well to using diagnostics equipment, specialty tools, and keeping hydraulic equipment properly lubricated, Maintaining Small-Farm Equipment covers everything from big to small machines and provides all the basics needed to keep everything running efficiently. It's a top recommendation for any small-acreage owner interested in performing preventative maintenance service themselves. 


Pollinator Friendly Gardening
Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Voyageur Press
9780780349137    $21.99
www.quartoknows.com 

Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators comes from a Master Gardener who promotes growing gardens that invite pollinators to visit, and is a basic introduction to the subject for any new to the idea of a pollinator-oriented approach to gardening. It may surprise such an audience to know that a well-conceived garden can help support many different pollinators, from butterflies to hummingbirds to different kinds of insects. 

A big 'plus' to this book is the inclusion of perspectives and insights from a range of gardening experts, who lend their insights to discussions as wide-ranging as how to provide nesting sites for bees, growing cover crops and bulbs, cultivating even weeds for beneficial gardening objectives, and how to create watering stations for butterflies and bees. 

Color photos, charts, and information is nicely arranged for maximum visual impact and at-a-glance reference, and the result is an easy, encouraging exploration that should be in any gardener's collection. 


The Sinister Beauty of Carnivorous Plants
Matthew M. Kaelin
Schiffer Publishing
9780764350986    $34.99
www.schifferbooks.com 

Numerous books have been written about carnivorous plants: so what makes Matthew M. Kaelin's contribution stand out from the crowd? 

For one thing, the author/photographer has a lifelong interest in these plants, and has invested much time in studying them. Pair this with an artistic flare for botanical photography that has placed his pieces in some of the best fine arts collections in the world, and what evolves in The Sinister Beauty of Carnivorous Plants is a passion that toes the line between scientific study and artistic representation. 

The book's oversized presentation highlights its full-page color photo close-ups, while detailed captions offer horticultural details from genus and specie to equipment and conditions for growing these plants.

The gorgeous arrangements and close-up angles translate to strikingly lovely displays that capture these plants in a way no other botanical coverage does, making The Sinister Beauty of Carnivorous Plants a top recommendation for botany, gardening, and horticultural art collections alike. 


Children and Teens 

Alice & Lucy Will Work for Bunk Beds
Jaime Temairik
Disney/Hyperion
9781484708163    $16.99
www.DisneyBooks.com 

Alice & Lucy Will Work for Bunk Beds tells of two bear sisters who love sharing nearly everything - except, a bed. The solution is bunk beds; but they have no money. 

The obvious solution is to get a job: but what happens when work divides them? 

Good reading skills or parental read-aloud will enhance enjoyment of a fun story of sharing, work ethics, and two young bears who find themselves at odds over the very thing they long for. 


Candlewick Press
www.candlewick.com 

I Love Lemonade by Mark and Rowan Sommerset is a  fun-loving picture book story of Quirky Turkey, who is tricked into eating Little Baa Baa's "smarty tablets", and who plans revenge. 

Rowan Sommerset provides simple, fun drawings that outline the dilemma of a turkey who plots revenge, and a savvy little sheep who may not have the wool pulled over his eyes over free lemonade.

Young readers with rudimentary reading skills will be compelled to absorb more with this cartoon-style story of a turkey's dilemma. 

Kara Lareau's The Infamous Ratsos (9780763676360, $14.99) is illustrated by Matt Myers and tells of Louie and Ralphie Ratso, brothers who strive to be tough rats like their father. 

There's only one problem: they are basically good-hearted rats and are incapable of bad deeds, no matter how much they wish to emulate their father's wayward ways. 

Youngsters just venturing into the chapter book arena will find this an easy reader, pairing black and white full-page illustrations with a little over fifty pages of adventures. 


Charlesbridge
www.charlesbridge.com 

Two fine new picture book stories are wonderful picks for collections seeking stand-out and different stories backed by excellent-quality illustrations. 

Kristen Remenar's Groundhog's Dilemma (9781580896009, $16.95) is illustrated by Matt Faulkner and tells of a groundhog who wants to please everyone, even though it's certain that at least half his friends will be disappointed whether he sees his shadow or not. 

Groundhog only predicts weather - he can't control it - but somehow his predictive powers are misinterpreted by friends who decide to use bribery to make him see the light (or not). How can Groundhog devise a plan to make everybody happy? 

A fun story evolves which requires either good reading skills or parental read-aloud involvement. 

Breaking News: Bears to the Rescue by David Biedrzycki (9781580896245, $17.95) tells of a curious bear cub who wakes up in Spring, wanders away from the den, falls asleep in the back of a truck, and sparks a Bear Alert on the news. 

Told in the form of engaging drawings and 'breaking news' reports scenes, kids receive a comic-type set-up with large, full-page colorful drawings and a fun reporting style that mimics the news, with an added bonus. 


Clarion Books
www.hmhco.com 

Two powerful young adult novels are recommended picks, each offering compelling stories that make for involving leisure reading. 

Jeff Hirsch's Black River Falls (9780544390997, $17.99) follows the aftermath of a mysterious virus that affects the residents of Black River Falls and results in amnesia. 

Under these conditions, seventeen-year-old Cardinal has escaped, but remains within the Quarantine Zone, living in a camp with a new best friend and vastly changed circumstances that have made them the leader of a gang of orphaned children. When a private corporation arrives to take control of the devastated town, Cardinal's world once again faces vast changes. 

This compellingly different kind of disaster/survival saga will intrigue and delight genre readers seeking something different, fueled by a feisty and determined protagonist who is consumed by change and ongoing, different threats to the stability he's constructed from chaos. 

Firoozeh Dumas's It Ain't So Awful, Falafel (9780544612310, $16.99) is set in the late 1970s and revolves around eleven-year-old Zomorod Yousefzadeh, a new kid to California whose Iranian heritage and immigrant status sets her apart from all the other kids. 

"Cindy" has always been an intellectual and a loner, but as anti-Iranian movements spring up in response to the taking of American hostages in Iran, she faces challenges to re-inventing her personality and her heritage in the face of vast social changes. 

Middle grade readers will enjoy this story of a feisty pre-teen and her determination to reach for a life well-lived. 


A Million Fish … More Or less
Patricia C. McKissack
Knopf/Random House
9780679906929      $17.99
www.randomhousekids.com 

A Million Fish … More Or less is illustrated by Dena Schutzer and outlines the tale of Hugh Thomas, who has grown up with many tall tales about the Bayou Clapateaux which is his home. 

There are fishing and hunting stories that envision impossibly-large catches, which Hugh doesn't quite believe - until he find himself alone on the bayou facing the catches of his life.

Good reading skills or parental read-aloud assistance will lend to this lively tale of a fishing trip gone awry.

 


Reference Shelf


The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships
Dr. Emma Goodall
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
9781849057059    $24.95
www.jkp.com 

The Autism Spectrum Guide to Sexuality and Relationships: Understand Yourself and Make Choices That Are Right For You is directed to adults on the autism spectrum who would better understand the emotional and physical issues involved in a sexual relationship. Unlike books for teens or new adults who are not on the spectrum, this approach takes into account the many issues involved in establishing gender identity or accepting a fluid gender identity, among other issues, and discusses how inappropriate or difficult situations that typically arise for autistic people can afford different opportunities for growth and self-discovery. 

Dr. Emma Goodall's work as an autistic autism spectrum consultant provides much field experience and many insights into how gender differences and non-heterosexual divergence in the autism community are greater than in society as a whole. 

Despite this fact, little has been written to address these issues, until now. Chapters discuss everything from cyber safety and becoming aware of how scams operate to understanding different types of relationship choices and their impacts on families and friends. 

The result is packed with practical information useful for any adult on the autism spectrum, and is a 'must' for reference and health collections catering to them. 


Handbook of Small Animal Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Techniques
Phillip Lerche, et.al.
Wiley Blackwell
9781118741825    $64.99
www.wiley.com/go/vet 

In some ways the price tag of Handbook of Small Animal Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Techniques seems high for a spiral-bound booklet just a little under a hundred pages; but consider its contents and audience. 

Practicing vets receive a quick, at-a-glance, lay-flat manual that covers the major techniques of regional anesthesia and analgesia for small animals. These come with color images, specific and quick references to indicators for using analgesia in different cases, discussions of target nerves, region anesthetized, and cautions, and provide a concise guide that can be a fine refresher course to procedures. 

An index makes it easy to locate information on particular blocks, nerves, and muscles, while the information allows vet practitioners without regional anesthesia training to reference techniques and incorporate them into their practices. 

Practicing small animal vets and reference collections catering to them will find Handbook of Small Animal Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Techniques an excellent, at-a-glance synthesis of technical information. 


Marine Fishes of Florida
David B. Snyder and George H. Burgess

Johns Hopkins University Press
9781421418728      $39.95
www.press.jhu.edu 

Marine Fishes of Florida is an in-depth reference highly recommended for any collection strong in Florida natural history in general and marine life in particular. It pairs photos with descriptions of species commonly encountered when snorkeling, kayaking, or fishing either the Atlantic or Gulf coastlines of Florida. 

From fishes found in rivers and brackish areas to species that visit Florida's waters, these color images are accompanied by discussions of natural habitats, geographic range, some 133 fish families, details about genus and families, and more. 

Between its in-depth coverage of both juveniles and adults and its many insights embracing denizens of both of Florida's coastlines, Marine Fishes of Florida is a reference that should be in any collection interested in identifying and learning about the region's sea life. 


The Un-Prescription for Autism
Janet Lintala with Martha W. Murphy
Amacom
9780814436639     $18.95
www.aamacombooks.org 

The Un-Prescription for Autism: A Natural Approach for a Calmer, Happier, and More Focused Child is a top pick for parenting reference shelves and offers a different take on an autism diagnosis: one in which natural medicine pairs with science to advocate a special set of best practice approaches. 

The idea is to provide parents with explanations, an action plan, and an approach to autism which relies on natural supplements rather than heavy-duty prescription drugs commonly prescribed for children on the autism spectrum. 

The focus is on how to help autistic children calm down and get more out of not just school, but life itself. Chapters devoted to this purpose consider the benefits of probiotics, enzymes, and more, including information on dosages for autistic adults, as well. The results will delight parents who seek a whole body, consciousness-raising approach to autism. 


Reviewer's Choice

 

Andrews McMeel Publishing
www.andrewsmcmeel.com 

Any fan of cats (especially cat owners who well know about cat habits and ironies) will relish Georgia Dunn's Breaking Cat News: Cat Reporting on the News That Matters to Cats (9781449474133, $12.99), a hilarious cartoon series that takes a cat reporter's perspective as it reports news of interest to felines and their servants. 

Elvis and Puck are reporter kitties whose news-breaking headlines focus on food, human oddities, new kibble, thunderstorm hiding spots, strange red dots, and more.  

These uproarious observations will delight any reader who knows and loves cats and is well familiar with their habits, making Breaking Cat News a winning gift choice and acquisition for cat fanciers. 

I'm Only In This For Me by Stephan Pastis (9781449476267, $14.99) is a new collection of 'Pearls Before Swine' comic strips, and offers a fun new gathering of ironies and political observations by Rat (who is running for President), Elly Elephant, Pig, Zebra and the gang. 

Black and white and color cartoons poke fun at Obamacare, dying art forms, a hungry Moneysaurus, and more, and make for many comical and revealing stories presented in black and white and color panels that will be enjoyed by any prior Pastis fan and many a newcomer. 


Colorful Wirework Jewelry
Kim St. Jean
Kalmbach Books
9781627003162     $21.99
www.jewelryandbeadingstore.com 

Colorful Wirework Jewelry outlines over twenty jewelry projects that involve working with colored wire, and presents necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that come with full-page color photos, easy step-by-step directions, and a variety of progressive techniques that impart the basics of jewelry-making even as they present different projects to reinforce this learning. 

Author Kim St. Jean began working with wire at the age of seven, and her decades of experience lends to projects for all levels - which means that bare-bones beginners new to jewelry making need only a few simple tools to produce successful results. 

Any jewelry-making or crafts reference collection will find Colorful Wirework Jewelry an excellent addition that takes the specifics of wireworking and applies them to modern, fresh designs.


 
The Director's Six Senses
Simone Bartesaghi
Michael Wiese Productions
9781615932344     $15.95
www.mwp.com 

The Director's Six Senses is a film director's book like no other: it advocates a form of consciousness-raising based on the premise that film productions can reflect and change the world, and admonishes directors to open minds, hearts, and senses in the process of honing particular story-telling skills that support these goals. 

Plenty of director and filmmaker books provide the nuts and bolts of how to make a production; but too few address the kinds of approaches that lead to superior storytelling and, in turn, superior productions. 

In advocating a process of defining and refining a director's six senses, The Director's Six Senses should be the first step in an aspiring filmmaker's library; not the last. 


Johns Hopkins University Press
www.press.jhu.edu 

A.J. Angulo's Diploma Mills: How For-Profit Colleges Stiffed Students, Taxpayers, and the American Dream (9781421420073, $29.95) considers shifts in higher education in recent years that have seen the proliferation of for-profit educational institutions. These may offer fast guarantees of diplomas and jobs; but in reality they sacrifice educational quality and standards for money. 

A.J. Angulo traces the history of these "diploma mills" and their evolution, organization, and practices, considering how education began in early colonial times with an apprenticeship system and today has evolved to become a business and commercial venture. 

Chapters contrast diploma mill practices with those of nonprofit, higher-education institutions as they explain that these colleges threaten the entire higher education system with their different financial strategies and focus. 

The result is an eye-opening 'must' for any who would understand how diploma mills operate and why they pose a threat to educational quality. 

Eric Allen Hall's Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era (9781421419824, $29.95) explains how the Afro-American tennis player overcame prejudice and economic obstacles to reach the top of his game in the 1960s and 70s, but includes much information about his off-court work as a civil rights activist and in international politics, making for a biography which holds more than a singular sports focus. 

Eric Allen Hall, an assistant professor of history, considers how Ashe's struggles mirrored the efforts of activists of his time to eliminate the barriers to black achievement, and uses information from Ashe's athletic career and his activism, gleaned from memoirs and interviews, to craft this well-rounded assessment of Ashe's life and times. 

While Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era will most likely wind up in sports collections, its importance to civil rights history should not be overlooked. 


Liberty's Last Stand
Stephen Coonts
Regnery
9781621575078    $27.99
www.regnery.com 

Liberty's Last Stand is the latest production of a New York Times best-selling author who specializes in thrillers; but this provides a different take than most terrorist fiction stories by envisioning a treacherous President as part of the problem. 

This fits in perfectly with Regnery Publishing's largely-nonfiction productions which focus on the scope of Presidential powers and their underlying threats to liberty, and makes it (for them) both an unusual publishing choice and a story that actually supports (using fiction) many of their product line's contentions. 

An Islamic attack leads to the President's imposition of martial law, the cancellation of elections, and a bloody new civil war in the country as the American people are caught in between vying factions. 

Jake Grafton and Tommy Carmellini return for one of their most dangerous missions yet, while Presidential powers lie at the heart of many serious questions about government control. 

Whether you're a prior fan of best-selling author Stephen Coonts or a concerned citizen interested in politics, Liberty's Last Stand raises many important points in the course of its story, making it a recommendation for a wide audience who appreciates both nonstop action and political commentary.