March 2022 Prime Picks
The Arts
Landscape
Photographer of the Year Collection 14
Charlie Waite
Ilex
9781781578155 $40.00
www.ilex.press
Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 14 is highly
recommended both for libraries strong in photographic art and those interested
in depictions of the natural world.
The photos come from
a blend of amateurs and professionals and include captions with each
photographer's account of what inspired the photo and the technical challenges
faced in producing the shot.
Plenty of books hold
photos of natural beauty, but this intersection of the art of photographing it
and the results of a competition that has run for nearly 15 years makes for a
splendid acquisition that goes beyond exceptional images alone to cover how
they were inspired and created.
The oversized,
full-page spreads do justice to each image.
Prestel
www.prestel.com
Four new arts
collections by Prestel are exceptional publications that deserve a spot in any
discriminating arts library.
Isamu Noguchi (9783791379272, $55.00), edited by Fabienne Eggelhöfer,
et.al., is an exhibition catalog of sculpture that pushes the boundaries of
sculpting materials and the definition of what constitutes sculpting.
Metal, wood, rope,
plaster, and marble are only a few of the materials Noguchi employs. These are
represented in a diverse selection of works that pairs full-page color images
with essays about social sculpture, its global incarnation, and discussions of
sculpture as a form in space, and how Noguchi observed and represented these in
a different way.
Arts collections will
find these technical details outstanding.
Braque 1906-1014: Inventor of Cubism, edited by Susanne Gaensheimer
& Susanne Meyer-Buser (9783791379159, $60.00), considers the life and art
of Braque, one of the Parisian avant-garde artists whose works influenced
Cubanism.
This is both a
catalog of his works and a survey of his life and encounters with other
artists. It traces how his creations both made the leap between painting styles
and influenced the evolution of various forms of Cubism.
The dual languages of
German and English make for an exploration of the painter's development that
will appeal to European and American audiences alike, offering an in-depth survey
that will lend particularly well to classroom study.
The detailed analysis
provided with the image offers far more than a visual overview, making Braque 1906-1014: Inventor of Cubism a
solid study for any arts collections and any class reviewing the history and
concepts of Cubism.
Camille Pissarro: The Study of Modernism (9783791378275, $70.00)
catalogs and analyzes one of the most important modernist contributors of the
19th century, creating a discussion essential for arts collections strong in
either Pissarro's works or the topic of modernism in general.
An in-depth
representation of the various mediums in which Pissarro made his mark is
provided, along with analysis that places his art in perspective with the
social, political, and cultural affairs of his times.
Arts students need
have little background in modernism, Pisssarro, or his influences in order to
absorb this definitive catalog of his work and his achievements.
The full-page color
renditions of his works are excellent depictions that enhance understanding and
provide a flavor of Pissarro's magic.
Movie Theaters by Yves Marchand & Roman Meffre (9783791387741,
$80.00) is presented in an oversized format packed with full-page color images
of movie theatres across America.
An essay by Ross
Melnick opens the survey with a consideration of movie-going past and present.
It's the perfect introduction to a collection that is focused on examining both
the ruins of the past and how many theatres are being repurposed for the
future.
The history of early
cinema development and the architectural creations of these theaters is
captured by color interior shots, each of which is accompanied by an
identifying paragraph of history.
The truly striking
imagery of these stately theaters in abandonment and disrepair receive
descriptions of the specific types of performances it hosted in its heyday, as
well as commentary on the underlying inspiration for the shots. These images
are diverse, moving from sweeping interiors to the ravaged remains of a
projection booth in Kentucky theater and a series of vacant, degrading
structures such as the once-majestic Uptown Theater in Racine, Wisconsin.
While general arts
collections will find this volume unparalleled and inviting, it's the library
strong in either performance arts and architecture or repurposing arts that
will find this sweeping collection of former theater wonders to be especially
engaging and historically significant.
The
Culinary Corner
Claridge's: The
Cocktail Book
John Carey,
Photographer & Clym Evernden, Illustrator
Mitchell Beazley
9781784728007 $29.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Claridge's: The Cocktail Book comes from a London hotel known for
its drinks, boasting some 36,000 cocktails every year. Their publication of a
cocktail recipe book is based on their iconic creations and pairs hotel
specialties with color photos of drinks as diverse as the Psycho Killer or the
Green Park.
Access to aged
whiskies, special bitters, and other ingredients is a prerequisite to
successfully enjoying and employing the drink mix recipes in this book.
There are also tips
on how to create innovative new cocktails and how to host a cocktail party,
making this book the item of choice for those who already enjoy cocktails and
want to expand their home production.
Kyle Books
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Two new books from
Kyle introduce cooking approaches and recipes designed to appeal to busy cooks
that want modern, fresh fare that can be produced quickly.
Joe Woodhouse's Your Daily Veg: Modern Fuss-Free Vegetarian
Food (9780857839664, $26.99) offers both recipes and guides to using these
as a foundation for experimenting with ingredients.
Introductions to each
dish invite cooks to "play around" with the dish and provide
specifics into how flavor adjustments or accompanying dishes might be added to
the mix.
Carrot & Ginger
Soup, for example, can serve as a template for embellishments that include
adding beans, or can be expanded upon by toasting the garlic and ginger.
More so than most,
the keys to becoming creative and adding ingredients beyond the foundation
recipe place Your Daily Veg a cut
above most vegetarian recipe books, adding lovely color photos throughout for
added interest.
Clodagh McKenna's In Minutes (9781914239083, $24.99) is
based on how much time a cook has to put a meal on the table. It features
recipes that can be cooked from start to finish in 10, 20, or 30 minutes.
Eighty recipes offer
everything from quick salads and pastas to curries and fish dishes, all designed
to appeal to vegetarian and non-vegetarian families alike.
Chapters conveniently
organized by how many minutes of prep and cooking the dish requires make it
easy to choose the recipe based on a cook's schedule.
What can be done in
just 10 minutes? A Moroccan Prawn Rice Bowl; The Tuna Express (which tops a bean
salad with salsa and tuna); or a series of scrambled egg options all fit that
requirement.
Busy cooks have no
excuse not to produce healthy, home-cooked fare with the help of this
time-saving cookbook.
Leon: Happy One-Pot
Vegetarian
Rebecca Seal &
Chantal Symons
Conran
9781840918038 $24.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The pleasure of Leon: Happy One-Pot Vegetarian lies in
the fact that vegetarians needn't be familiar with the famous healthy UK
restaurant chain Leon in order to appreciate or use these main course recipes.
All that's needed is
an interest in producing such fare easily, in a meal-in-one-pot approach that
is packed with hints on streamlining the process of meal preparation.
Including how to convert
vegetarian recipes to vegan to adding or subtracting ingredients to better
conform to individual tastes, Leon: Happy
One-Pot Vegetarian features lovely, full-page color photos to attract cooks
to such recipes as Apple & Potato Latkes with Fried Eggs & Dill,
Saffron-Scented Vegetable Tagine, or Sweet Chilli Ginger Tofu with Flatbreads.
The variety and
blends of international flavor influences makes for an inviting collection.
Salad
Janneke Philippi
Smith Street Books
9781922417619 $27.99
www.smithstreetbooks.com
So many books have
been written about salads that it may be hard to see the need for yet another,
but Janneke Philippi's Salad: 100 Recipes
for Simple Salads & Dressings adds flavor combinations one usually
doesn't see in traditional salad cookbooks.
These range from
Burnt Ricotta with Basil, Lemon, Honey and Sesame, which adds grilled ricotta
to bring out the flavor of the greens, to a non-lettuce-based Quinoa Salad with
Roasted Broad Beans, Feta and Pomegranate.
Color photos on the
facing pages make for inviting displays, while sections on salad toppings,
dressings, and chapters divided by leaf, vegetable, pasta, and grain salads
make it easy to quickly choose a dish while expanding the idea of what makes a
salad beyond the concept of greens-based dishes alone.
From homemade
vinegars and oils to recipes for dressings, Salad
is the item of choice; especially if only one comprehensive salad cookbook were
to be chosen for a collection.
School of Wok
Jeremy Pang
Hamlyn
9780600637301 $24.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
School of Wok: Delicious Asian Food in Minutes belays the usual
notion of Asian cuisine as being time-consuming to cook at home, offering eighty
recipes from the School of Wok that demonstrate how such meals can be produced
in as little as 15 minutes.
Pang's tricks and
tips for streamlining the process assures that even busy cooks who like Asian
fare will find the recipes accessible, while the attention to including dishes
from across Asia makes for a diverse, appealing collection.
From Hunan Tofu with
a Medley of Mushrooms to Hokkien Prawn Mee with noodles and bean sprouts, these
assorted dishes promise to attract busy cooks who enjoy cuisine from throughout
Asia, offering both traditional and new fare.
The Turmeric Cookbook
Aster
Octopus Publishing
9781783254965 $12.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The Turmeric Cookbook: 50 Delicious Recipes for The Healing Superfood
is a cookbook devoted to making the most of this spice, which holds many
health-promoting properties.
Readers receive
information about the best way to use turmeric...for example, it becomes more
active and effective when cooked or combined with other specific ingredients,
such as ginger.
Armed with this
information and the recipes and color photos that accompany them, health-minded
individuals receive many options for adding turmeric to the mix, whether they
be as simple as mixing turmeric with melted butter for corn on the cob or as
warmly appealing as adding it to Carrot Ginger Soup to promote this
equally-simple dish's health components.
While cookbook
collections will undoubtedly choose this for its recipes, The Turmeric Cookbook is also highly recommended for health libraries,
as well.
Reviewer's Choice
American Urbanist
Richard K. Rein
Island Press
9781642831702 $35.00
www.islandpress.org
American Urbanist: How William H. Whyte's Unconventional Wisdom
Reshaped Urban Life comes from a journalist who examines how urban designer
William H. Whyte made a difference in America's early evolution by fighting
urban sprawl, emphasizing the importance of public spaces and accessibility and
structuring the vision of an environment significantly less dense than the
norm, a concept that lends especially well to modern pandemic times.
Whyte's life, urban
planning ideas, and significant impact on building and growing the preservation
movement in America should be part of any library collection strong in not just
urban development and planning, but social change and community issues.
The blend of
biography and insights on urban development choices and trends is outstanding.
Awaken Your Power
Within
Gerry Hussey
Monoray/Octopus
9781800960688 $17.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Awaken Your Power Within: Let Go of Fear. Discover Your Infinite
Potential. Become Your True Self. is a survey of the road to
self-acceptance and transformation that should be a mainstay in any library's
self-help or inspirational section.
A best-seller in
Ireland, Awaken Your Power Within arrives
to U.S. audiences with an assertive, powerful message of positivity and growth
that encourages readers to examine what they really want from life and how to
get it.
It goes beyond the
predictable psychological emphasis to consider insights from neuroscience,
health, physics, philosophy, and new age thinking to teach the basics of how to
overcome the distractions and misinformation of modern society.
This approach allows
readers to arrive at a deeper personal understanding, providing examples from
Gerry Hussey's experiences and the insights of others that demonstratehow to
recognize and embrace better choices.
New age and self-help
readers are in for a treat.
Beautiful News
David McCandless
Harper Design
9780062188243 $29.99
www.hc.com
Beautiful News: Positive Trends, Uplifting Stats, Creative Solutions
offers an outstanding visual exploration of positive world news and
developments, and will prove just the panacea for the stark, brutal, often
depressing worldviews promoted by current daily news channels across the board.
From the news that most
of the world can now afford to access the internet to the facts that more women
are in government around the world, major fashion brands are going fur-free,
and fewer people are suffering from neglected topical diseases, this visual
display headlines uplifting improvements that are as much a part of modern
living as the stark realities of Covid or political struggles.
The world needs this
kind of reminder...and Beautiful News
is a force that opposes the negative focus news tends to bring.
DNA for Native
American Genealogy
Roberta Estes
Geneaological
Publishing Inc.
9780806321189 $34.95
www.genealogical.com
Genealogical
researchers and family historians interested in advice on locating Native
American family roots using DNA testing will find DNA for Native American Genealogy a study in how to conduct this
specific research.
From understanding
different types of DNA tests and tools associated with them to step-by-step
instructions (with illustrations) showing how to confirming information about
Native American ancestors, this genealogical guide provides important keys to
genetic groups, populations, and DNA-based research.
It not only is
recommended for Native American collections and family historians, but for anyone
who would better understand applied science and its guidelines for researchers.
There's nothing quite
like it on the market, making for a unique study highly recommended for
genealogy and Native American libraries alike.
The Insect Crisis
Oliver Milman
W.W. Norton
9781324006596 $27.95
www.wwnorton.com
The Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the World
is a 'must' for any natural history library strong in ecological studies. It
documents the collapse of the insect kingdom...an event that has received
comparatively less popular attention as the animal kingdom struggles to survive
human impact.
Insects are critical
to the survival of the ecosystem, and threats to them will heavily impact not
just humankind, but the viability of life on Earth.
Milman examines why
insect numbers are plummeting, outlining the work of researchers in various
areas of the world with different insect populations as he surveys the extent
and nature of these wide-ranging threats.
Any library strong in
natural history and ecology must have this book...especially collections that
usually see interest in animal extinctions, who will receive yet another view
on the issues in The Insect Crisis.
On Bloody Sunday
Julieann Campbell
Monoray/Octopus
Publishing
9781800960404 $29.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
On Bloody Sunday: A New History of the Day and Its Aftermath by Those
Who Were There comes from an oral historian whose 17-year-old uncle was
killed in 1972 when British soldiers fired on a peaceful civil rights
demonstration in Northern Ireland.
Julieann Campbell
conducted dozens of interviews and gathered firsthand accounts of the event and
its appearance here, some fifty years after the fact. Her book represents an
important collection of eyewitness accounts of the political and social impact these
events held for not just Britain and Ireland, but the world.
These ordinary
peoples' experiences makes for a powerful survey and lasting tribute that
captures the anguish of a tragedy that might otherwise have paled as time
passed. It is especially recommended for civil rights and world history
libraries seeking eyewitness accounts of life-changing struggles.
The Search for the
First Americans
Robert V. Davis Jr.
University of
Oklahoma Press
9780806175911 $45.00
www.oupress.com
The Search for the First Americans: Science, Power, Politics
refutes the common notion of other books: that this country's first peoples
migrated to North America on foot via a land bridge from Asia.
Instead, Davis
considers how the definition of these "First Americans" reflects
prejudice about the status of Natives. He taps the traditional beliefs of
Native Americans to form a different portrait about their origins.
From archaeological
and anthropological evidence to the influences of political and social
processes on how these events were interpreted, The Search for the First Americans provides a scholarly examination
that interlinks social, scientific, and political perspectives. It forms a new
narrative that should be key to any college-level library strong in either
American or Native American history and culture.
Sit to Get Fit
Suzy Reading
Aster/Octopus Publishing
9781783254453 $14.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
Sit to Get Fit is not a book about chair exercises alone. It's a
fitness survey that advocates changing one's sitting posture and incorporating
simple stretches and movement exercises throughout the day for ongoing and
maximum benefit, joining other exercise guides for the sedentary in showing how
fitness may be achieved without leaving (or moving far from) one's chair.
It presents a 28-day
plan to change both posture and how long one sits at a given time, blending
breath work and movement with guidelines that juxtapose exercise routines with
healthier ways to sit, whether it be in a car, at a desk, or while working.
These blend with core
exercises that can be done sitting on the floor or at work, from side bends and
hip swivels to routines that can be quickly done during even the busiest day.
Busy desk workers and
those unable to leave their seats will find this book inviting.
The State of
Disbelief
Juliet Rosenfeld
Short Books/Octopus
Publishing
9781780725444 $16.99
www.octopusbooksusa.com
The State of Disbelief: A Therapist's Story of Love, Death and Mourning
is a powerful story of sudden bereavement experienced by a psychotherapist
whose husband died of lung cancer seven months into their marriage.
Accustomed to
counseling others through the grief process, Juliet Rosenfeld found herself
applying her own techniques to her loss, turning to psychology's teachers and
leaders in search of healing and ideas which ultimately redefined the familiar
therapeutic concept of working through different stages of grief.
Her re-envisioned
strategy for handling dying, bereavement, and survival represents both a memoir
about her loss and changes and insights into therapies surrounding grief that
will interest not just fellow survivors, but therapists who work with them.
Young Adult/Children
Candlewick Press
www.candlewickpress.com
Three new picture
books are highly recommended for young leisure readers. Each offers a story
that is delightfully illustrated and engaging.
Not That Pet! by Smriti Prasadam-Halls (9781538217766, $17.99)
receives action-filled, inviting drawings by Rosalind Beardshaw as it presents
a family that lets young Mabel choose what kind of pet to get.
Of course, few prove
to be the right fit for this family.
Her innovative choices
test her ability to make decisions and dream big, involving her family in the
unexpected in a zany coverage of pet possibilities and the realities of owning
and enjoying them.
Lion Lullaby by Kate Banks (9781536209822, $17.99) receives lovely
illustrations by Lauren Tobia, who draws the animals of the savanna as Banks surveys
the dilemma faced by ten little lions who need to be home before dark, crossing
the wilderness to achieve their goals.
When will the pride
go to sleep? When everyone's safely home.
This lullaby will
enchant read-aloud parents who enjoy animal-based stories with African settings.
Ear Worm! by Jo Knowles (9781536207833, $17.99) receives especially
notable, whimsical drawings by Galia Bernstein as it presents dance-filled
actions of creatures who face the music caused by an 'ear worm' that captures a
song.
Each animal turns out
to be motivated by its own songs as it sings and dances to the tunes in its
head, bringing young picture book readers along for a zany ride.
All but Little Worm,
who wants to know where the ear worms come from.
Read-aloud parents
and young readers alike will find these books creative, original, inviting
choices.
Middle grade readers
will find Medera Trehan's The View from
the Very Best House in Town (9781536219241, $17.99) a fine story of a long
friendship between two autistic children, Sam and Asha, and what happens when
everything changes and Sam leaves Asha for new opportunities.
Middle school is
frightening without him, and as Asha finds not only their friendship but
everything else changing, she seeks to discover who she is, alone.
Changing points of
view between Asha, Sam, and the Donnybrooke mansion that oversees them creates
a multifaceted story like few others, recommended for middle graders looking
for something different, intriguing, and thought-provoking.
Love the Mastiff
Frédéric
Brrémaud
Magnetic
9781951719173 $17.99
www.magneticpress.com
Frédéric
Brrémaud's Love the Mastiff
receives engaging, colorful illustrations by Federico Bertolucci in a picture
book story of a loyal Australian hunting dog who is left alone in the outback
when his master is bitten by a poisonous snake.
The wordless picture
book will delight young graphic novel readers with numerous gorgeous
illustration panels per page as the dog encounters many of Australia's
creatures, from snakes and wild dogs to platypus and deer, and makes his way
through the outback under harsh conditions.
Love the Mastiff is especially recommended for read-aloud parents
and teachers who will want to explore the natural history of Australia with
young readers.
A sketchbook at the
end identifies these creatures, while additional pages about climate change and
extinction provide further (written) details about Australia's many natural
environments and threats to them.
Libraries looking for
eye-catching color and graphic stories that embrace fiction and nonfiction
elements will find the story involving and attractive to leisure readers and
students of Australia's animals alike.
Mina
Matthew Forsythe
Simon and Schuster
9781481480413 $17.99
www.simonandschuster.com
Mina is recommended for picture book readers ages 4-8, and tells of
a father and daughter who live in a tree stump on the edge of a pond.
Mina leads a good life
until, one day, her father brings home something mysterious from the woods,
claiming that it's a squirrel.
Mina believes it to
be something quite different, and is faced with the issue of either believing
her father or trusting her own questioning instincts.
The fun story is made
particularly engaging by large-size, colorful drawings that accent the mystery
and excitement of identifying a mysterious creature.
Random House/Penguin
www.rhcbooks.com
Four fine new picture
books from Random House are recommended for collections pursuing exceptional
leisure reads.
Kate McMullan's This is the Tree We Planted
(9780525579472, $17.99) provides an engaging story illustrated by Alison Friend
about the lasting impact of planting a tree.
As a nest, chicks,
and other creatures begin to make use of the tree they planted, children who
observe these developments come to realize the importance of their contribution
to nature.
Janet Lawler's Oceans of Love (9780593326756, $17.99)
receives fine drawings by Holly Clifton-Brown as it takes young readers on an
undersea journey based on observing how ocean moms show love for their young.
Watercolor
illustrations make the story bright with not only fish from manta rays to
minnows, but clams and other creatures that raise their young in these watery
environments.
Lera Auerbach and
Marilyn Nelson's A is for Oboe: The
Orchestra's Alphabet (9780525553779, $17.99) receives especially vibrant
drawings by Paul Hoppe and combines the strengths of a composer and a conductor
who join forces to bring the instruments and leaders of a typical orchestra to
life.
This isn't a simple
collection of one-liners: each definition (such as E for English Horn, or cor
anglais) offers background history, insights about the evolution of the
instrument and its name, and poetic descriptions of its sound.
The result is
recommended beyond young alphabet learners, especially for aspiring young
musicians who receive a more passionate survey of an orchestra's instruments
than most books for the young.
If You Were A Garbage Truck by Diane C. Ohanesian (9780593375150,
$17.99) enjoys whimsical illustrations by Joey Chou as it presents the rhyming
story of a garbage truck's personality and other big vehicles that do important
work.
From diggers and tow
trucks to mail trucks, these vehicles and their purposes are playfully depicted
in a manner that lends to parental read-aloud fun.
All are winning
choices for picture book libraries and leisure readers.
Simon and Schuster
www.simonandschuster.com
Two fine children's
books stand out from the crowd, and are recommended reading for different
audiences.
Picture book readers
will find Jonathan Hillman's Big Wig
(9781534487710, $17.99) a zany, fun read whose effect is complimented by
illustrations by Levi Hastings.
A child dresses in
drag to compete in the neighborhood costume competition, but the key to success
is a wig called Wig. There's one problem: when faced with competition, Wig
feels inadequate.
When she flies off
B.B.'s head, an unusual attribute is shared with all.
The focus and subject
of this book will especially appeal to libraries seeking to expand the
diversity of their picture book collections with stories that embrace the queer
community and some of its culture (dressing in drag).
Orson Scott Card's Wakers (9781534475908, $19.99) will
reach young adult to adult sci-fi readers with its engrossing story of a teen
who has the power to reach into parallel worlds and versions of himself.
This seems like a
desirable attribute until one day he wakes up in a cloning facility on a
different Earth, surrounded by dead clones, and comes to question his own
identity and what has happened to the world he once knew.
The haunting story that evolves will reach a wide age range with thought-provoking developments which are compellingly unpredictable and original.