July Prime picks

The Computer Corner

Two excellent new computer books are highly recommended picks for developers and programmers who want to improve their skills and approaches in either Linux or in applying the Scaled Agile Framework to existing software routines and best practices.

Linux developers will appreciate William "Bo" Rothwell's Linux for Developers: Jumpstart Your Linux Programming Skills (9780134657288, $44.99), which considers the basics of what constitutes superior Linux code. The author, a leading IT trainer and developer, provides a clear review of open source software, licensing, and the kinds of skills needed for both the Linux command line and GUI operations.

From scripting tools and access processes to understanding how Linux organizes files and how to edit programs and use developer commands, Linux for Developers is a smooth coverage packed with step-by-step keys to building success.

Richard Knaster and Dean Leffingwell's SAFe Distilled: Applying the Scaled Agile Framework for Lean Software and Systems Engineering (9780134209425, $44.99) promotes the SAFe environment and its adaptation and shows business readers and developers alike how it can help increase productivity and employee involvement.

Chapters assume no prior knowledge of this framework and its applications as they cover the benefits, problems, business applications and options involved in creating the SAFe environment, and teach the basics of how it interacts with teams and business pursuits.

The result incorporates lean and agile concepts and discusses them in the broader context of this particular system, and is especially recommended for business and software engineer developers interested in options for fostering a better Agile working environment.

The Culinary Corner

Farm to Table Asian Secrets
PatriciaTanumihardja
Tuttle Publishing
9780804847230 $15.95
www.tuttlepublishing.com

Farm to Table Asian Secrets: Vegan & Vegetarian Full-Flavored Recipes for Every Season is packed with color photos, recipes, and tips on how to use fresh vegetables in Asian foods to best advantage, featuring many dishes not to be seen elsewhere, such as a Green Tea Rice Soup.

Each dish receives a good-sized color photo, clear instructions, and quite often highlighted sidebars of tips for variations or discussions of toppings or finishing techniques. Many feature introductions that reflect Patricia Tanumihardja's own culinary discoveries - such as summer being a great time to produce stir-fries such as Turmeric Zucchini and Carrot, or the visual pleasures to be found in an autumn dish of Red and Golden Beets in Green Curry.

A seasonal arrangement profiles vegetables at the peak of their growing seasons, while each chapter focuses on healthy techniques and dishes that often are home-style creations not seen in every Asian restaurants.

Farm to Table Asian Secrets is very highly recommended even for cooks already quite familiar with Asian cooking, as well as vegetarian or vegan cooks looking for something different.

How to Brew
John J. Palmer
Brewers Publications
9781938469350 $24.95
www.brewerspublications.com

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest science and industry brewing best practices, offering home brewers a simple yet exhaustive set of references on how to understand recipes, equipment, and the requirements for producing superior beers.

It's unusual to see a weighty book that promises to attract the attention of novices as well as more experienced brewers, but How to Brew succeeds in attracting both audiences with a comprehensive guide to the basics (sanitation, fermentation, yeast, and bottling) alongside advanced tips on brewing stronger beers and specialty products.

All chapters have been completely revised and expanded from the original publication, adding new photos and graphics to make How to Brew a 'must have' treasure trove reference for any who aspire to make their own exceptional home brews.

Audiobooks

Paula Poundstone audios
Highbridge Audio
www.highbridgeaudio.com

Two excellent audio productions are recommended picks for any listener looking for a combination of humor and insights, and come from a noted comedian whose jokes fuel two funny audio collections.

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness (9781681684031, $34.99) is a hilarious account of the author's drive for new adventure, experiences, and life in the course of raising three children, and offers a set of vignettes that examine the often-elusive route to real happiness.

As Poundstone's stories evolve, a sharp, edgy blend of pointed observation, social insight, and witty autobiography create an involving listen.

North by Northwest: Paula Poundstone Live! (9781681682228, $22.95) features recordings of two live performances; one in Wisconsin and one in Portland, Oregon, with another set of stories spiced with audience involvement that keeps listeners feeling as though they are part of her live production.

Both are powerful, revealing audios especially recommended for audio listeners who enjoy contemporary humor.

Biography & autobiography

Ma Speaks Up and a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back
Marianne Leone
Beacon Press
9780807060049 $24.95
www.beacon.org

Ma Speaks Up and a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back comes from an actress, screenwriter and essayist who has long been an activist in the disability community, and whose book focuses on her mother's heritage and life.

As Marianne Leone explores how her immigrant mother came to America to escape fascism and an arranged marriage and set down roots near Boston where many emigrated from the same Italian village, readers receive a blend of autobiographical inspection and immigrant experience that discusses the roots of how immigrant families and different generations have come of age in and contributed to this country.

At no other time in modern history has such a story come with more meaning, exploring and exposing the kinds of connections and community history that link different generations, different cultures, and diverse peoples under the umbrella of American values.

Readers will find Ma Speaks Up and a First-Generation Daughter Talks Back a multi-faceted story that is involving on more than just a singular level, representing both a dialogue between generations and a microcosm of the American experience.

So Let it be Written
Mark Eglinton
Lesser Gods
9781944713195 $14.95
www.lessergodsbooks.com

So Let It be Written: The Biography of Metallica's James Hetfield is the first biography of a living Metallica band member, and uses exclusive interviews to build the story of band leader James Hetfield's life.

More than an account of one musican's involvement in heavy metal, So Let It be Written represents not just the first and only biography of the man, but a survey of the rise of metal music and how Hetfield developed a special vocal style and approach that helped power Metallica into the musical spotlight.

Metallica fans are in for a treat with an in-depth inspection that sheds much light on the group's evolution in general and its leader's life in particular.

The Spree of 83
Freddy and Catherine Powers with Jake Brown
Waldorf Publishing
9781945174940 $24.95
www.waldorfpublishing.com

It's about time an in-depth coverage appeared about country and western music's best-kept secret, Freddy Powers (also known as the 'Ol Blue Eyes of Country Music'). The Spree of 83, the True Story of Merle Haggard and Freddy Powers analyzes Powers' vast influence on the genre and provides both his autobiography and his first-hand experiences in the country music business.

Powers inspired generations of musicians and has had a lasting influence on country music's most iconic stars; yet his name remains less familiar than it should be.

Interviews with notable journalists, first-hand accounts of his decades-long experiences in the country music industry, and a chronicle of his many achievements make for an account no country music enthusiast will want to miss.

Pets, Nature and Wildlife

Clinical Medicine of the Dog and Cat, 3rd Edition
Michael Schaer and Frédéric Gaschen, Editors
CRC Press
9781482226058 $149.95
www.crcpress.com

This third updated, expanded edition of Clinical Medicine of the Dog and Cat is a 'must' for any reference library strong in veterinary medicine because it's the first book to illustrate small animal vet practices using nearly two thousand color photos, diagrams, and tables to illustrate clinical statistics.

It represents a significant revision of prior editions; so collections seeing much interest in earlier editions will want to replace their aged versions with this new book, which is divided into five color-coded sections filled with discussions of diseases and disorders, therapies, and case study examples.

The idea is to present all technical details using a combination of at-a-glance text and visuals so that busy veterinary practices and students receive the most comprehensive, latest information in a format that lends to quick reference.

The book's articles come from board-certified experts and contribute to an authoritative volume which should be a 'must' for any practicing veterinarian's collection and veterinary studies libraries alike.

The Encyclopedia of Animal Predators
Janet Vorwald Dohner
Storey Publishing
9781612126999 $24.95
www.storey.com

The Encyclopedia of Animal Predators profiles some fifty common predatory animals and covers they behave, how they stalk prey, and how humans can understand enough to protect their livestock and pets from them, and is especially recommended for anyone interested in or concerned about predator and human boundaries and interactions.

Chapters include the tracks and signs of each predator, provide descriptions, life cycle and human interaction discussions, and supplement information with maps, photos and illustrations, and tips.

Having an encyclopedia that goes beyond the usual natural history to discuss how predators interact with people makes The Encyclopedia of Animal Predators a special recommendation of interest to rural residents and anyone concerned about predators and kids, livestock, and pets.

Florida Manatees: Biology, Behavior, and Conservation
John E. Reynolds III
Johns Hopkins University Press
9781421421919 $39.95
www.press.jhu.edu

Florida Manatees: Biology, Behavior, and Conservation incorporates color photos by Wayne Lynch with an in-depth natural history of the Florida manatee by a manatee expert, providing a fine set of visuals of an elusive sea creature that many Floridians have only read about.

From the history of manatees in Florida and how they fit into Florida's sea world to how they behave, what they look like, and how ecotourism efforts have resulted in more people enjoying and appreciating the manatee, this blend of conservation and science offers a lively format that celebrates the manatee's history and connection in both natural and manmade environments.

The result is a lovely book that sounds as though it would appeal primarily to scientists, but which offers inviting color photos and history that make it accessible to lay audiences both within Florida and outside the state.

Sustainability Sutra
Roy Morrison
Select Books Inc.
9781590793879 $16.95
www.selectbooks.com

Sustainability Sutra: An Ecological Investigation considers the pursuit of sustainability and how a better ecological approach may be achieved through a global growth strategy that embraces ecological improvements, considering how this system may be nurtured and set into place.

Unlike more idealistic promotions of sustainability, this book examines economic choices, adjustments, and impacts right down to how investments can see better return through sustainable choices, linking economics with ideas for fostering natural systems that are more compatible with capitalism as well as the environment.

Chapters packed with details on global experiences that incorporate sustainable approaches consider the special changes needed to accept these choices, considering rhetoric, historic practice, and futuristic goals and offering a far better model for rethinking the paths and nature of progress.

Any collection strong in ecological issues and accounts of economic systems and their expansion needs this thought-provoking survey.

Crafts Corner

Design Inspirations
Margaret Solomon Gunn
AQS Publishing
9781683390138 $26.95
www.AmericanQuilter.com

Design Inspirations is a close inspection of author/quilter Margaret Solomon Gunn's creative design process, and features patterns she used for making three award-winning show quilts paired with discussions of how she gained inspiration for creating each.

Plenty of quilting books discuss how to construct quilts and offer templates for achievement which can be customized to a quilter's objectives; but few include insights on the actual quilt design process and pair these observations with keys to understanding how award-winning designs are conceived, and how they develop.

Line drawings, step-by-step instructions, and photos for each quilt assume no prior familiarity with quilting as they offer food for thought about how quilters create new designs.

Kalmbach Books
www.JewelryandBeadingStore.com

Two excellent new jewelry-making books are highly recommended for both newcomers to jewelry design and those with some experience, featuring projects that teach jewelry-making basics alongside designs that beginners can easily work with.

Irina Miech's Wire Jewelry Beaded and Beautiful: 70+ Captivating Jewelry Designs (9781627003919, $22.99) provides easy, step-by-step directions and pairs projects with a focus on affordable supplies and simple tools to cover the basics of wire shaping and beading techniques.

Materials, tools, and instructions offer at-a-glance information, but the heart of Wire Jewelry Beaded and Beautiful lies in its good-sized, clear, step-by-step color photos that document the construction process from beginning to end.

From earrings and bracelets to pendant varieties, this collection of basic guidelines and variations focuses on a range of projects and styles.

Theresa D. Abelew's The Absolute Beginner's Guide: Jewelry Making with Resin (9781627004022, $21.99) covers all the basics of working with resin, and assumes no prior knowledge of either this medium or jewelry-making techniques in particular.

Chapters offer some surprises, such as how the author gains much inspiration from visiting hardware stores, and show how to work with resin component supplies to craft show pieces.

While the step-by-step photos may look intricate, the process involves a number of easy basics which newcomers to jewelry production will find easy to absorb. The number of these photos is especially notable, as they leave nothing to wonder about the process; whether it be terminology, construction techniques, or working with tools.

Both are highly recommended as accessible picks newcomers to jewelry making will want to look at.

The Official Coloring Book American Gods
Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins
9780062688172 $16.99
www.harpercollins.com

The Official Coloring Book American Gods pairs best-selling author Neil Gaiman's work with the latest, hottest coloring book fad to create something truly different: a coloring book with nearly fifty illustrations based on his American Gods setting.

Fans of his book will find these black and white line drawings by several illustrators capture the settings and places of the story, yet offer an interactive process whereby adult colorers can participate.

Text outlines the structure of the work for newcomers, while the panels are intricately detailed and offer many fun approaches coloring book fans will appreciate.

With such a wealth of adult coloring topics on the market, it's a pleasure to see something truly different, capturing the strengths of Neil Gaiman's best-selling title and allowing room for audience participation.

Reviewer's Choice

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Neil deGrasse Tyson
W.W. Norton
9780393609394 $18.95
www.wwnorton.com

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry may appear a diminutive-sized discussion, but the astrophysicist packs a worthy amount of popular science into his survey for the non-scientist, busy reader, and achieves his goal of producing a small, inviting volume "for all those who are too busy to read fat books, yet nonetheless seek a conduit to the cosmos."

One doesn't expect either humor or a chatty approach in a scientific survey of quantum mechanics, but Neil deGrasse Tyson's book incorporates a lively tone and approach that makes it more than accessible to those without a physics degree. All that's required is a basic interest in and curiosity about physics, in order to appreciate a coverage much more accessible to a much wider audience than just scientists and students of the subjects.

General-interest collections will find Astrophysics for People in a Hurry a popular pick.

Ate the Dog Yesterday
Graham Faiella
Whittles Publishing
9781849950893 $39.95
www.whittlespublishing.com

Ate the Dog Yesterday: Maritime Casualties, Calamities and Catastrophes is unexpected in many ways; both for its macabre sense of irony and humor and for its study of great nautical disasters in world history, surveying accounts of death and dismemberment which often afflicted the daring sailor of bygone eras.

Hoaxes, nautical ironies and oddities, and dangerous nautical passages are packed into a collection of true-life sea sagas that quote from source materials, illustrate many of these encounters with vintage black and white drawings and pictures, and contain a powerful record of events that are disturbing testimonies to the many terrible experiences of sailors and explorers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Nautical and true adventure collections will find Ate the Dog Yesterday a lively presentation.

Be the Jellyfish Training Manual
Lucy Cree and Sarah Brogden
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
9781785922428 $32.95
www.jkp.com

Be the Jellyfish Training Manual: Supporting Children's Social and Environmental Wellbeing packs 200 photocopiable activities into a book designed to support schools in encouraging social and emotional wellbeing, using a series of hour-long lesson plans to push kids to explore their abilities, their friendships and social interactions, and their perceptions of the world.

Art, peer massage, visualization, bodywork, and other forms of interaction aren't usually seen in a manual for adults working with children; but all these facets are incorporated into lessons that can be used in either classroom or home situations with adult and child participants.

All are accompanied by discussions of themes, tasks, positivity tools and techniques, and teaching approaches in a workbook filled with ideas that many educators won't find elsewhere.

Conari/Red Wheel Weiser
www.redwheelweiser.com

Five new titles from Conari/Red Wheel Weiser are top, recommended picks for new age collections and self-help readers alike, with different approaches to viewing the world from different perspectives.

Janet Conner's Find Your Soul's Purpose: Discover Who You Are, Remember Why You Are Here, Live a Life You Love (9781573246866, $17.95) covers the specifics of living a life with renewed purpose and meaning, maintaining that everyone has a "divine purpose" in life.

The challenge lies in finding and fostering those talents and abilities that bring such purpose to fruition, and Find Your Soul's Purpose aids in this process by guiding readers with exercises, considerations of past experiences, anecdotes, and meditations designed to reach and teach spiritual seekers.

Jenniffer Weigel's Psychics, Healers & Mediums: A Journalist, a Road Trip, and Voices from the Other Side (9781571747761, $16.95) closely examines the circumstances surrounding psychic abilities and the process of communicating with the dead, and comes from a journalist who set out to document the spiritual changes that come to be part of everyday life.

Discussions with notable psychics, mediums, and healers consider what it means to have such connections and the underlying spiritual foundations of paranormal experiences, covering all this through a lively road trip and discoveries that are vividly presented.

Varla Ventura's Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm (9781578836112, $16.95) is a fun book exploring the folklore and history of fairy tales about changelings and odd folk,
blending folklore and myths from across Europe with classic fairy tales.

Having all these stories side by side assures a lively, enjoyable read that contrasts different descriptions of such creatures and their realms.

Two books in the 'Plain & Simple' series ($14.95 each) are very basic introductions based on unusual models, and are recommended for health collections and new age readers alike.

Marlene Houghton's Herbs: Over 100 recipes for Health and Healing (9781571747662) at first glance would seem to add little to the vast literature already on the market about herbs and herbal use; but this coverage comes with a difference. It is based on an 'empowerment model' which is designed to attract those self-help readers who would take responsibility for their health by using herbs to keep them healthy.

From preventative applications to using herbs for common problems, this focus pairs a review of the healing properties of herbs with an approach that teaches their various benefits and best practices options for their application.

Leanna Greenaway's Wicca (9781571747716, $14.95) shows how to apply Wicca concepts as a force for healing and better living, eschewing the usual focus on rituals alone in favor of a broader survey of not only the practice of Wiccan magic, but how to apply it to issues surrounding family relationships, health, and wealth.

This perspective covers the traditions and approaches of Wiccan practices, but adds an extra, health-oriented dimension to its practices.

All are excellent additions recommended for any basic new age library.

It's All a Game
Tristan Donovan
Thomas Dunne Books
9781250082725 $26.99
www.thomasdunnebooks.com

It's All a Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan comes from a journalist and games expert who considers not just the history of board game development, but the psychology of their popularity and distribution. It's is a recommended pick for anyone interested in exploring both board game evolution and their reflections of changing social and economic interests around the world.

Board games have been an intrinsic part of human history longer than writing; but until now their coverage has been relatively light. This examination incorporates world history into the bigger picture of how board games operate in society, considering both the makeup of games and their dissemination throughout society.

From ancient games and relics of bygone worlds to modern board game strategies and their underlying culture, It's All a Game is a lively historical coverage not to be missed.

Michael Wiese Productions
www.mwp.com

Two excellent new titles are top recommendations for film, television, and media collections seeking practical guides for writing and producing exceptional movies.

Michael Lucker's Crash! Boom! Bang! How to Write Action Movies (9781615932634, $26.95) is an insider's look at how to produce notable action films and comes from a professional screenwriter and teacher who pairs fun case history examples with tips and tricks specific to writing better action scenes.

Writers who are already working with action and adventure movies receive a gold mine of information about the process of producing better scenes and crafting better films, and receive script examples from movies which illustrate concepts ranging from crafting superior scenes and including transitions in screenplays to eschewing camera direction in favor of "writing about what you want the camera pointed at."

The result should be not only in every film collection, but in any screenplay writer's library.

Maureen A. Ryan's Producer to Producer (9781615932665, $41.95) focuses on budget independent film and its processes, from posting ads for crew positions and understanding the interview process to handling casting, insurance, location shoots and liability paperwork, and more.

From release forms and scheduling to streamlining a production project and testing camera and workflow, Producer to Producer includes downloadable templates and is a treasure trove of specific tips on how to understand industry processes and make them work better on an independent producer's limited budget.

Welcome to the Jungle
Hilary Smith
Conari Press
9781573246958 $16.95
www.redwheelweiser.com

Welcome to the Jungle: Facing Bipolar Without Freaking Out appears in an updated, revised edition to cover the basics of being diagnosed and living with mental illness, and reviews basic questions shared by those newly diagnosed.

This revision contains a new foreword by the author, new chapters on alternative approaches, revised chapters on symptoms, and edited and new resources, among other things; but retains its structure of imparting useful advice on everything from getting back on track after a bout of mania or depression to handling social interactions and powerful medications.

This should be on the reading lists of any who struggle with bipolar or other mental illness diagnoses. It deftly shows how to navigate medical and social systems alike.

Social and Political Issues

Against Doom: A Climate Insurgency Manual
Jeremy Brecher
PM Press
9781629533855 $12.95
www.pmpress.org

Against Doom: A Climate Insurgency Manual creates a strategy for using mass, global, nonviolent action to challenge the business and political entities fostering climate destruction, pinpointing not only how to create such a strategy, but how to employ it.

The ultimate goal of stopping global warming and healing the planet may be idealistic, to some minds; but these instructions on insurgency approaches are anything but ethereal, considering the basics of building a social movement and a people-powered strategy designed to influence public policymakers.

The handbook may appear diminutive in size, but its message is important, as it shows how climate insurgency can change minds and influence all levels of business and government special interests. Against Doom should thus be in any political activist's collection as a strong key to addressing and changing public opinion for a wider global good and better effect.

Altamont
Joel Selvin
Dey Street
9780062444264 $15.99
www.harpercollins.com

Altamont: The Rolling Stones, the Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day is a 'must' for any fan of popular rock music history who would better understand what happened at California's Altamont rock concert, initially envisioned as being the West Coast sequel to the East Coast's Woodstock Festival before it went horribly awry.

Audiences will appreciate this powerful survey of an event which exposed a darker side of the Summer of Love and the hopes of the 1960s as it moves far beyond the rock music concert tragedy and delves into the undercurrent of social depravity and violence that forever became synonymous with events at Altamont.

It would have been too easy just to rehash what happened; but this rock journalist's focus on the events leading up to Altamont, its lasting impact on American society, and the mysteries surrounding Altamont's dark events makes for a better-rounded survey that examines everything from rock concert logistics and patterns of drug use that differed from other concerts to the presence and involvement of the Hells Angels.

The result is a 'must' for any collection serious about rock music history and culture.

Days of Slaughter
Susan Wharton Gates
Johns Hopkins University Press
9781421421933 $24.95
www.press.jhu.edu

Days of Slaughter: Inside the Fall of Freddie Mac and Why It Could Happen Again comes from a former 19-year Freddie Mac employee and vice president of public policy, so it offers an insider's viewpoint and an eyewitness account of the economic and political forces that led to the first downfall - and which could happen again.

It's this special perspective that makes for a powerful and especially authoritative assessment that considers housing policies, finances, and the various federal and state regulators and rules that contributed to Freddie Mac's first downfall.

Days of Slaughter argues that little has or will change until reform measures address the underlying problems of special interest groups and political processes. Problems could arise again, along with disaster - and chapters chart the possibility and consider how the outcome can be changed in a powerful report recommended for political, social issues and business collections alike.

The Driver in the Driverless Car
Vivek Wadhwa with Alex Salkever
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
9781626569713 $24.95
www.bkconnection.com

The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Our Technology Choices Will Create the Future comes from a Washington Post columnist and a science and tech writer who consider whether technology will lead to a better life and broader prosperity, or problems.

If it's pursued blindly and without foresight, technology holds disastrous potentials; but if life-altering decisions are purposefully made, they can be beneficial. Unfortunately, the institutions designed to identify hazards and issue warnings are often behind the technological eight-ball as inventions and innovations occur faster than their dangers and impact can be properly assessed.

The public, therefore, needs to weigh in on technology's place in their lives; and this book shows how, offering important guidelines for assessing and critiquing technology's opportunities for equal benefits and rewards. No social issues collection should be without this reasoned discussion of where these boundaries lie and how to establish and assess them when it comes to new technology's promises and potentials.

The Making of the President 2016
Roger Stone
Skyhorse Publishing
9781510726925 $29.99
www.skyhorsepublishing.com

The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution isn't just another biography of Trump, but is a particularly close inspection of the revolutionary process he employed to snag the Presidency, and comes from a longtime political adviser and friend of Trump who here extols the virtue of this unique strategy.

No matter what side of the political picture a reader is on, it must be acknowledged that Trump's campaign's successful ability to tap into and use the national mood to orchestrate a powerful coup cannot be denied.

Audiences interested in exactly how this occurred and how an unacknowledged segment of American society swung an election to place in power a man given little initial change of winning will appreciate this powerful political examination which should not be neglected by anyone with an interest in the processes and campaigns of American politics.

"Remember the Ladies"
Angela P. Dodson
Center Street
9781455570933 $26.00
www.centerstreet.com

"Remember the Ladies": Celebrating Those Who Fought for Freedom at the Ballot Box is written by a journalist and former New York Times editor who documents the long struggle for women's civil rights in this country, and who embarked on a project to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment which gave women the right to vote.

Little did Angela P. Dodson know that this anniversary would spur a research project that filled many gaps in knowledge about women who participated in this struggle. The result is a rich research achievement that documents a seventy-year effort, following the spiritual and social movements that coalesced to give rise to the 'Susan B. Anthony Amendment' and its lasting impact.

This powerful social and political examination is a 'must' for any who would not just remember the key participants of this movement, but acknowledge their lasting legacy for all women around the world.

The Wasting of Borneo
Alex Shoumatoff
Beacon Press
9780807078242 $26.95
www.beacon.org

The Wasting of Borneo: Dispatches from a Vanishing World is from a literary journalist whose works and articles have earned him a name in literary circles as a pioneer of environmental writing, and presents a blend of travelogue and memoir in a title that considers the clash of human activity and nature in one of the last wild places on Earth.

One doesn't expect such a survey to begin with the author's childhood experiences; but the pleasure of this particular approach lies in its unexpected connections between personal experience and social and political journeys.

Readers are taken on an expedition to Borneo in an absorbing a saga that connects the author's childhood with his adult sojourn to a "naturalist's paradise" where faces many challenges. From the different forces at work in this remote setting that pit sustainability against corporate efforts to his own evolving career and choices, The Wasting of Borneo is a powerful recommendation for armchair travelers, fans of Alex Shoumatoff, and any interested in the social issues and future of a vanishing world and its peoples.

Transportation

Detroit Muscle
Charles Morris
CarTech
9781613253014 $39.95
www.cartechbooks.com

Detroit Muscle: Factory Lightweights and Purpose-Built Muscle Cars charts an era in American auto history when car enthusiasts often developed a lifelong passion for auto history and culture: the 1950s and 1960s.

Author Charles Morris was one of these people, devouring everything he could get his hands on about auto history, races, and car development. He observed many of Detroit's exciting innovations of the times, which are chronicled here in Detroit Muscle, a survey of the muscle cars of these decades.

Auto fans will find Detroit Muscle packed with history, performance and styling specs, and surveys of particular models and cars such as the Mustang and GTO, street performance machines of the late 1960s, and engines and technologies which caused quite a stir in the car industry.

Loaded with color photos and insights on mechanics, car culture, and race cars and performances throughout, Detroit Muscle's specific focus and in-depth review of the times is a 'must' for any who seek a comprehensive coverage of the era and its most notable autos.

Shelby Mustang GT350
Chuck Cantwell with Greg Kolasa
David Bull Publishing
9781935007296 $49.95
www.bullpublishing.com

Shelby Mustang GT350: My Years Designing, Testing and Racing Carroll's Legendary Mustangs is a powerful and surprising survey in several respects; not the least of which is that much has already appeared about Shelby and his cars - so much so that there tends to be a lot of re-hashing of old information in new books.

This is not so with Shelby Mustang GT350, which offers new details, anecdotes, and information on the GT350's development which refute some popularly-held misconceptions and pack in original photos from the author's own collection as well as those from fellow Shelby enthusiasts.

This combination of original data, fresh new perspectives, corrected information, and lovely vintage images come from an automotive historian whose insider status and involvements succeeds in explaining and exploring the Shelby Mustang GT350 in a unique, lively new manner.

Sidebars of information explain each photo, while "you are there" descriptions of races, drivers, and cars provide auto enthusiasts with a rich, vivid history that's hard to put down and requires slow reading to absorb all the information packed between its covers.

No auto history collection should be without this!

Young Adult/Teen Reads

Around the World Right Now
Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585369768 $16.99
www.sleepingbearpress.com

Around the World Right Now is illustrated by Olivia Beckman and travels through some 24 time zones as it helps young readers understand the world and experience other cultures and their daily interests.

This world-hopping tour ranges from the U.S. to Greenland, Thailand, Russia, and Australia, where "somewhere in the world" the time zone is different, and different peoples enjoy special pursuits.

The blend of geography and time zone details creates a fun story that will be relished by kids with good reading skills and an ability to comprehend both time zones and other cultures.

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel
Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Penguin
9780525428886 $18.99
www.penguin.com

Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel tells of what happens when the world runs out of tacos, and offers young picture book readers who hold an affection for dragons a fun tale of how dragons join forces to save the endangered taco.

As emergency supplies are depleted and a time travel trip back to the start of a taco party is undertaken, an entertaining story evolves that explores the origins of this terrible taco famine and what happens when salsa-eating dragons go too far.

Parents will especially relish Dragons Love Tacos 2 for its bright drawings and fun read-aloud possibilities as kids enjoy a zany blend of tacos, dragons, and the consequences of different timeline events.

A Pattern for Pepper
Julie Kraulis
Tundra Books
9781101917565 $16.99
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca

A Pattern for Pepper tells of little girl Pepper, who is getting a new dress made just for her. She wants it to be perfect, but the question of what constitutes perfect pattern comes to light as she considers houndstooth, toile, pinstripe, and more.

Textiles and their names, origins, and makeup are explored in a story that requires both good reading skills and the ability of young picture book readers to view and understand various patterns.

Many an adult who chooses this for its unique approach and read-aloud value will learn something about the history of textile patterns, as well, making it an original and special choice highly recommended for all ages.

Seven Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the Cafeteria
John Grandits
Clarion Books
9780544699519 $16.99
www.hmhco.com

Seven Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the Cafeteria enjoys large, fun drawings by Michael Allen Austin as it tells of Kyle, who always brings his own lunch to school, so is unaware of the 'rules' that apparently go with daring to buy lunch from the school cafeteria.

His friend Ginny outlines these rules - which seem impossible to keep, because they're the very kinds of rules Kyle is always breaking, and why he always seems to be in trouble.

Good reading skills will lend to an appreciation of this zany first-person tale which sets some impossible requirements for a boy who always seems to be in trouble for doing the wrong thing.

Kids will especially love the colorful, large-size and hilarious drawings that accompany this whimsical approach to school lunches.

There Might Be Lobsters
Carolyn Crimi
Candlewick Press
9780763675424 $16.99
www.candlewick.com

There Might Be Lobsters is illustrated by Laurel Molk and tells of Sukie, a little dog who is afraid of everything outdoors, from big, sandy stairs that lead down to the beach to playing with a ball that's too big and facing waves that are too 'whooshy'.

The little dog is filled with fear over every possibility in nature, but her young owner seems to be fearless. How can Sukie become courageous? Only when her little companion is threatened can Sukie stop thinking about herself and help others.

A fun story with a powerful message, There Might Be Lobsters offers a different approach for parents who want to give their kids an animal-centric story about courage that's easy to relate to.

Where Did My Friend Go?
Azmaira H. Maker, PhD
Aspiring Families Press
9780996194112 $9.99
www.aspiringfamilies.com

Where Did My Friend Go? Helping Children Cope with a Traumatic Death provides a therapeutic children's picture book approach that addresses the trauma young children may experience from an unexpected, violent death in their lives.

Other picture books provide more general coverages of death for this age group, but this focus is for children who are aware of or have witnessed a violent death, and offers something the others do not: a beautiful blend of full-page color photos of children and a very simple set of first-person coping mechanisms and reactions from a child's perspective.

This focus on understanding feelings involved in a sudden traumatic loss is especially well done and encourages read-aloud parents to use Where Did My Friend Go? as a template for helping children explore their sense of loss and fear.

No other picture book provides this perspective, making Where Did My Friend Go? a top recommendation that should be in any library offering emotional support tools for adults working with kids.